Are Application Essays Really That Important?
Personal Statement essays are less an art than they are a science. This is not a free-flowing creative assignment here, folks, where you are rewarded for how organic and honest your story comes out (though it is good if it feels that way). Rather, the adcoms are looking for very specific elements that reveal very specific things about very specific topics.
First, leadership. Every single sentence, particularly for Business School candidates, must direct the reader in some way to think to themselves, “Wow! This is a natural born leader here.” Couching the stories in a way that reveals this without coming off as arrogant or self-important is hard. But it's vital, because…
Second is humility. For all the brouhaha about exuding confidence and self-assurance that they spew in informational seminars to prospective applicants, adcoms need to be assured that you want, nay need, to learn. Remember, they're trying craft an entering cohort of accomplished students who want to learn from each other and are open to doing so. Demonstrating humility is one way you can show them that your resume-rich Superman has a humble Clark Kent side.
Third is writing proficiency. While the content of your essays is paramount, writing ability will also be evaluated. Keep in mind who reads application essays: college faculty. They all publish regularly as part of their jobs and, in our brave new world where nearly everyone is required to be an armchair scribe of sorts (social media, blogging, interoffice emails), it is critical to showcase this ability.
Lastly, this is what we industry folks call a “story arc”. Nothing spells doom for an application faster than perceived incongruities in the line of your pitch. From your resume, to the mechanical data points on the application (extracurriculars, awards, family history, academic background) to the essay to your letters of recommendation to your transcript, ALL of the elements must in some way reinforce a continually recurring theme that you are trying to convey. If one of your essays talks about needing to beef up on technical skills and your resume highlights several positions that required analytics, something won't compute in the heads of the adcoms. Remember, they don't know anything about you. If they get the sense that you don't know much more about yourself than they do, your application sails sadly into the reject pile.
Ok. To summarize:
- Use stories and resume points in your essays that speak to your leadership potential
- Be unapologetic about your accomplishment but let them know you still feel you have much to learn and improve on–show humility.
- All submissions must be clean, clear, concise and captivating. Show you can write.
- Scrub and re-scrub all elements of your application for an inconsistencies that reflect a lack of self-awareness and overall sloppiness in preparation. Easiest way to do this is by giving yourself adequate time (at least six weeks) to prepare an application.
Good luck! If you have any questions about this or past posts, please contact us and we will reply with a prompt email.