Optional Essays

[hung]

Hi Lisa,

I would like to know what your advice is for completing optional essays. These are the typical "is there anything we need to know that you haven't addressed elsewhere" type of questions.

I have generally tried to use this section to highlight my strengths and to argue for certain decisions I have made in my career (i.e leaving a brand name firm to work for myself). However, I have now read from other sites that it may be a disadvantage to complete these essays if not completely necessary. I assume this is due to the fact that reviewers tend to get annoyed with inefficient writing?

Please let me know your thoughts.

Best Regards,

Hung.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Hung,

Good question, thanks for asking it. Most schools offer the optional essay as a place for applicants to address a potential weakness in their applications, like a low GPA/GMAT score or gaps in employment. Some schools will explicitly state that is the only reason to write the optional essay and others schools do not. I think it is really a personal choice for you if the school does not have specific instructions on what to write about beyond "anything else you want the school to know". Just be mindful to keep it to the average length of the other essays and that you are writing about something you do not write about in another essay.

Good luck,
Lisa