PREMIUM ESSAY

Business School In Three Steps - Step 2 of 3

In the marketing world, products need two types of attributes in order to be competitive: minimum requirements and differentiation. Admissions officers are seeking the same. Many students think that as long as they meet the minimum requirements, they should be admitted. However, the admissions officers are looking for differentiation to create a class that represents a unique texture of personal and professional experiences. Your strategy needs to encompass both of these areas.

STEP 2: Strategy Development

• Minimum Requirements
• Ability to do the work - This is assessed through your grades and GMAT score. Your GMAT can help to compensate for lower undergraduate grades. However, both of these areas are pretty basic. There is no reason for more competitive schools to compromise in either of these areas.
• Quantitative Abilities - This can also assessed through course of undergraduate study and grades. If you did not do a quantitative course of study, then make sure your quant score on your GMAT is high. You may also want to use your recommendations or personal statement to describe quant heavy work you completed on the job.
• Leadership Abilities - Your essays and recommendations are the key vehicles for bringing to light your potential for leadership. There may or may not be an explicit essay about your leadership skills. However, you want to use every essay as an opportunity to show your leadership across different situations. This does not mean that you need to show yourself in a leadership position. However, themes of initiative, integrity, persistence, influence, and courage should be echoed through your essays. Teamwork: Many business schools also emphasize the ability to work in teams. This is often seen as a critical corollary to leadership which increasingly relies on influence to build broad-based consensus. You want to show that you know how to be a team player.
• Differentiation
• Complete package - Identify the 5 or 6 characteristics you believe make you a prime candidate for business school. Make sure that these encompass the minimum requirements mentioned above. However, they should also include characteristics that you believe give you an edge over others. Your characteristics should both be supported by your current business skills, as well as contribute toward your future goals. List these down the side of a piece of paper. Next, list out the elements of the application across the top. Depending on the school, these may include:

• Each essay listed by topic
• Recommendation 1
• Recommendation 2
• Recommendation 3
• GMAT
• Transcript
• Resume
• Interview
• Other

• Now, determine in which parts of the application you will demonstrate your different characteristics. I would recommend that for emphasis, you address each characteristic in at least 2 different parts of the application. For cohesion, you want to limit yourself to 5-6 main characteristics which reinforce one another as opposed to having your application read like a kitchen sink of attributes. You now have set up your strategy for a cohesive story to present to the admissions committee.
• Thoughtfulness / Introspection - You need to stand out from the other applicants. There will always be others who have amassed more impressive titles, had bigger bonuses or traveled to more exotic places in the world. These overt accomplishments don't impress admissions officers. Rather, they want to feel they have gotten to know you. They only way to convey that on paper is to be very personal. Not casual. But introspective. Dig deep to discuss the events in your life that truly helped form who you are and what you believe. Often these events may have happened in your youth or outside of a professional context. Include them in your essays being very clear as to how they were formative in developing aspects of your character.
• A former Stanford Dean of Admissions was known for writing a personal note at the bottom of every admissions letter citing the aspects of the application which touched her, prompting her to believe that person would make an ideal Stanford student.

Go To Step 3: Business School Writing