Blog Archive Monday Morning Essay Tip Use the Optional Essay to Demonstrate Responsibility

Blog Archive Monday Morning Essay Tip Use the Optional Essay to Demonstrate Responsibility Business school candidates who have an obvious weakness in their profileâ€"such as a low GPA or GMAT score or a prolonged gap in work experienceâ€"often worry that they are destined to attend a virtually unknown business school. Whenever such applicants ask MBA admissions officers how their weakness might affect their candidacy, they hear this straightforward and common refrain: “We look at applications holistically.” Although this may sound like a cliché, it is actually the truth; at mbaMission, we have seen dozens of candidates with sub-600 GMAT scores and GPAs under 3.0 find their respective ways into top-ten programs. The key to overcoming an academic weaknessâ€"or indeed any weaknessâ€"in your candidacy is to address it in the optional essay, not with excuses, but by taking responsibility: Example 1: “In my freshman year, I had the flu the day before my midterms and did quite badly on my first batch. As a result, my grades noticably dip in my first term. Then, in my second term, I was quite engaged in extracurricular activities with my fraternity, and again, my grades suffered. However, looking at just my grades in my major, from my second year forward, I would have a GPA of…” Some who read this sample paragraph may laugh at the absurdity of the excuses, while others may not even notice.  Although valid explanations for a candidate’s low grades certainly exist, a temporary bout of the flu and involvement in extracurricular activities are not among them. Example 2: “As a freshman at XYZ University, I was unable to appreciate the rather awesome educational opportunities before me, and my grades were, quite simply, lower than they should have been. However, by my second year, when I discovered my passion for English literature and chose this subject as my major, I pursued my studies with vigor and completely turned my academic performance around, earning a consistent stream of A grades in…” In this second example, any excuses are cast aside and replaced with a candid discussion of the candidate’s experience. As a result, the candidate establishes credibility, explains the change and infers that he/she will likewise perform well as an MBA student. Admissions committees, like corporate America, do not like excuses. Avoid making them. Share ThisTweet Monday Morning Essay Tips Tags: academic weakness application weakness optional essay Blog Archive Monday Morning Essay Tip Use the Optional Essay to Demonstrate Responsibility Business school candidates who have an obvious weakness in their profileâ€"such as a low GPA or GMAT score or a prolonged gap in work experienceâ€"often worry that they are destined to attend a virtually unknown MBA program. When such applicants ask admissions officers how their weakness might affect their candidacy, they often hear this straightforward and common refrain: “We look at applications holistically.” Although this may sound like a cliché, we here at mbaMission have seen dozens of candidates with sub-600 GMAT scores and GPAs under 3.0 find their respective ways into top-ten programs. The key to overcoming any kind of weakness in your candidacy is to address it in the optional essay, not with excuses, but by taking responsibility: Example 1: “In my freshman year, I had the flu the day before my midterms and did quite badly on my first batch. As a result, my grades noticeably dip in my first term. Then, in my second term, I was quite engaged in extracurricular activities with my fraternity, and again, my grades suffered. However, looking at just my grades in my major, from my second year forward, I would have a GPA of…” Some who read this sample paragraph may laugh at the absurdity of the excuses, while others may not even notice. Although valid explanations for a candidate’s low grades certainly exist, a temporary bout of the flu and involvement in extracurricular activities are not among them. Example 2: “As a freshman at XYZ University, I was unable to appreciate the rather awesome educational opportunities before me, and my grades were, quite simply, lower than they should have been. However, by my second year, when I discovered my passion for English literature and chose this subject as my major, I pursued my studies with vigor and completely turned my academic performance around, earning a consistent stream of A grades in…” In this second example, any excuses are cast aside and replaced with a candid discussion of the candidate’s experience. As a result, the applicant establishes credibility, explains the change, and infers that he/she will likewise perform well as an MBA student. Admissions committees, like employers, do not like excuses. Avoid making them. Share ThisTweet Monday Morning Essay Tips Blog Archive Monday Morning Essay Tip Use the Optional Essay to Demonstrate Responsibility Business school candidates who have an obvious weakness in their profileâ€"such as a low test score or a prolonged gap in work experienceâ€"often worry that they are destined to attend a virtually unknown MBA program. When such applicants ask admissions officers how their weakness might affect their candidacy, they often hear this straightforward and common refrain: “We look at applications holistically.” Although this may sound like a cliché, we at mbaMission have seen numerous  candidates with sub-600 GMAT scores and GPAs under 3.0 find their way into top-ten programs. The key to overcoming any kind of weakness in your candidacy is to address it in the optional essay, not with excuses, but by taking responsibility: Example 1: “In my freshman year, I had the flu the day before my midterms and did quite badly on my first batch. As a result, my grades noticeably dipped in my first term. Then, in my second term, I was very engaged in extracurricular activities with my fraternity, and again, my grades suffered. However, looking at just my grades in my major, from my second year forward, I would have a GPA of…” Some who read this sample paragraph may find the excuses absurd, while others may not even notice. Although valid explanations for a candidate’s low grades certainly exist, a temporary bout of the flu and involvement in extracurricular activities are not among them. Example 2: “As a freshman at XYZ University, I was unable to appreciate the rather awesome educational opportunities before me, and my grades were, quite simply, lower than they should have been. However, by my second year, when I discovered my passion for English literature and chose this subject as my major, I pursued my studies with vigor and completely turned my academic performance around, earning a consistent stream of A grades in…” In this second example, any excuses are cast aside and replaced with a candid discussion of the candidate’s experience. As a result, the applicant establishes credibility, explains the change, and infers that he/she will likewise perform well as an MBA student. Admissions committees, like employers, do not like excuses. Avoid making them. Share ThisTweet Monday Morning Essay Tips