This is a question that comes up for every applicant as she drafts her MBA essays.  Which is the right incident to cover?  Does it matter that it didn’t have a completely positive outcome?  What if the AdCom thinks I didn’t work enough with the team, and too much on my own? And, coming up very often, if I say “We”, would it seem like I didn’t do anything independently?

All of these boil down to one thing – What is the best thing to say in my MBA application essays so I get admitted to my dream business school?

Having worked with many MBA applicants, the common thing I have found in all successful applications is that the honest truth, polished to show the applicant in the best light, works best.  Stretching the truth or worse, manufacturing it, does not work. Saying that you were responsible for company-altering decisions when nothing in your background or resume appears to corroborate, is more a red flag than a way to impress.  Rather than trying to blow up your contributions by throwing in huge dollar amounts,focus on your individual impact and the results that you personally achieved.  An example of the difference between a polished and unpolished essay showing impact

Unpolished: “I was part of a project that brought in $50Million in incremental sales.”

Polished: “I led a team of three to develop a new model that assessed increased sales for product X. This was considered effective enough to be rolled out across five different departments over the next year.”

Another point that applicants frequently miss out on is inserting the appropriate level of detail. We are very close to our own experiences since, obviously, we lived through them.  However, the AdCom hasn’t.  If something is important enough to you toinclude in your application essay, spend time to make sure the AdCom understands why.  Else, it’s a throwaway sentence, just reducing the space available to you to make an impact on your reader.  An example of the polished and unpolished versions describing the diversity and international experience of an applicant is:

Unpolished: “I have traveled extensively and studied in three different countries.”

Polished: “I have done homestays in Australia, backpacked in Morocco, explored the former Yugoslavia and most recently, trekked throughout Mexico. To immerse myself deeper in a country’s culture, I studied in Belize and Argentina for six months.”

As an MBA Admissions Consultant, my priority is to find the hidden gems in my client’s experiences and polish them to make the most convincing case for her admission to her dream business school.  My advice to all applicants is simple – stay honest, choose the right experience and demonstrate it with the right angle.

Learn more about us at My MBA Admit.com