mba personal statement

Top 5 Reasons for Not Discussing Sensitive Topics in Your MBA Personal Statement

There are a lot of MBA applicants who get carried away when writing their personal statements.  Global news happening around you are good topics, but do not commit the blunder of talking like a news reporter.  There is actually no limitations as to what topic you can discuss in your essay, as long as it is relevant and will let you show a side of yourself to the admissions panel.

However, there are certain things that are better not discussed in an MBA personal statement, such as controversial themes that have been debated upon since time immemorial.  These sensitive topics can also include issues that involve a lot of ethical questions.  Here are five reasons why you shouldn’t discuss sensitive topics in your MBA personal statement.

Reason #1:  It would probably offend somebody in the admissions panel.

It is so easy to come across as preachy when writing an essay, and if you include a line that goes “I think women who go for abortions are very selfish,” then your personal statement is living dangerously.  What if a member of the admissions committee has just undergone an abortion, or a family member of hers? She may be objective, but she would find it very hard to like you.  If you have to mention a sensitive theme, avoid being judgemental; you can simply narrate how your friend’s abortion has made you decide on a crucial action.

Reason #2:  It might reveal very little about you as a prospective MBA student.

Take note that an admission essay is not a mere recitation of your political or ethical thoughts.  What the admissions officers expect is to see in the essay the writer’s capability of analyzing themes and discussing issues effectively while still keeping the relevance of such issues to the main topic of the essay.

Reason #3:  It might destroy your essay’s coherence.

If you have a paragraph in your essay saying that a certain political candidate should not have won the recent elections, you need to elaborate on it, and chances are, the resulting supporting statements would simply reveal your political inclination, and nothing else.  It would distract the readers from your main topic and goal, which is to make them see that you deserve a slot at their school.  Plus, it’ll make your essay
unnecessarily longer.  There are two main questions that you need to ask yourself if you are intent on discussing a sensitive topic in the essay.  First is, will it make your essay more interesting? And second, is this theme very meaningful that it has to be included?

Reason #4:  It might make you look like you’re trying to impress the panel.

There are certain topics that require a clever way of discussing them.  If your only goal in discussing a sensitive topic in your essay is to impress the panel, then you might want to stop and think about it first.  It’s good to make a good impression on the panel by showing off your writing skills.  However, choosing a topic that you’re not really interested in but sounds controversial is never a good idea.

Reason #5: Some topics may not be sensitive, but should be avoided as well.

These are the topics that are so hard to analyze or discuss within a two-page essay.  Complex topics that require much analytical skills should be avoided when writing an MBA personal statement.  After all, you don’t want to give the admissions panel members a headache.

Sensitive or controversial essay topics may grab the attention of the readers but you should be able to discuss them effectively in your essay.  To come up with a winning essay, you should know the type of topics to avoid.  When choosing a topic, make sure that you are interested in it, you have some personal experiences to back it up, and that it is relevant to the essay questions or your goal, which is to convince the readers regarding your application.

Photo Credit : quinn.anya

Highlighting Your Strengths in Your MBA Personal Statement

A key to coming up with a well-written essay is writing one that properly focuses on your strengths without sounding too arrogant.  After all, there is a big difference between an MBA personal statement that is so obnoxiously arrogant, and one that properly highlights your strengths.  It is also a bad thing to present an admission essay that short-sells yourself, because such an essay would defeat your purpose, which is to convince the admissions panel that you deserve a slot in their school.  Striking a balance between the
two is the challenge.  Read the following tips on how to write an MBA personal statement that focuses on your strengths.

Discuss your academic achievements without being too redundant.

Having high grades can be one of your strengths.  Take note though that having a high GPA won’t guarantee a 100% application success.  What it can tell the admissions panel is that you, as a student, were able to really focus on your studies.  However, discussing your high grades as strengths in your personal statement doesn’t mean you have to repeat what’s written in your transcript or other submitted documents.  The trick here is to discuss having good grades as a reflection of your personality or traits such as discipline and perseverance.

Discuss your well-rounded personality by focusing on certain experiences.

The admissions officers are more impressed with somebody who is well-rounded.  Thus, if you took on a part-time job such as waiting tables at a restaurant or selling shoes door to door, mention them in the essay.  What these experiences show is that you have good time management skills, especially if you were able to maintain good grades despite having to work part-time.  However, don’t make the mistake of discussing too many experiences in your MBA personal statement.  Too many information or details can make your essay confusing.  When writing your essay, it’s best to focus on experiences that made you learn important lessons in life, thus improving your character in the process.

Other tips

The personal statement is one of the most crucial parts of the application process.  It is here that you
would ultimately sell yourself without sounding like the most arrogant person in the batch.  Mention factually the things you were able to do, while at the same time incorporating life experiences.  It is not sufficient to mention your strengths without linking them to your decision to pursue an MBA degree.  An effective essay discusses the writer’s strengths while connecting it to his or her decision to pursue an MBA degree or explaining a response to a given essay question.

Selling yourself is the ultimate goal when writing an admissions essay.  After all, you have to convince the admissions panel that you deserve to be accepted to their school.  Once you have listed down your strengths, select a few that would make your essay stand out from the rest and grab the readers’ attention.  Then discuss these strengths effectively without sounding boastful.

Photo Credit : topgold

Writing an MBA Personal Statement Focusing on Your Analytical Skills

Analytical skills are very important in whatever field or career you choose to study or excel in.  Especially in the corporate world where important business decisions are based on critical and analytical thinking, having good analytical skills is an advantage.  Focusing on these skills in your MBA personal statement is a good idea to come up with a winning essay that’ll stand out from other essays.

Right from the start, the admissions people are very critical when it comes to admitting applicants.  After all, the competition among MBA schools is tough, since only a few slots are available.  To help you out, here are some tips when writing a personal statement for MBA school that focuses on your analytical skills.

Discussing relevant experiences

When writing your admission essay, discuss experiences that helped you improve your analytical skills.  These experiences can include previous leadership positions, being able to handle a difficult task by using your analytical skills, or being able to join school organizations that really honed your critical thinking skills.

In your essay, focus more on relevant experiences instead of listing down your achievements or grades as proof of your exceptional analytical skills.  You’ll also be required to submit your transcript and other application documents so avoid repeating information in your essay unnecessarily.

If you do not have strong analytical skills, should you give up?

The answer is of course no, because there are other considerations that the admissions people would look into.  As mentioned, analytical skills could be learned, and in the essay, you can actually discuss the steps you’ve taken to further hone such skills.  Always remember that analytical skills can be developed with the right experiences.

Other factors to consider

There are other factors you have to consider when writing an essay.  Aside from your analytical skills, your people skills are also very important.  Discussing these other strengths or skills in your essay is also a good way to come up with a well-written personal statement.

Aside from discussing your skills and strengths in your essay, you should also make a point to thoroughly edit and proofread your work.  An essay filled with technical grammars is not worth the readers’ attention even if it effectively discusses your strengths as a prospective MBA student and as a future corporate executive.  Let others read your essay so that they could give objective suggestions that can improve your essay.  Be open to constructive criticism since you would have to revise your essay thoroughly before you can submit it.  If you want to get some ideas on how to start your essay, you can look online for samples.  Just make sure that you don’t copy off ideas from sample essays.

Always keep in mind that having analytical skills is very important when applying to MBA school.  However, these are not the only important skills you should have if you want to increase your chances of getting admitted into your dream MBA school.  Analytical skills, partnered with people and networking skills, can definitely be an advantage.

Photo Credit : markhillary

The thirteenth to fifteenth spots in the 2008 Business Week MBA school rankings were snagged by the Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Anderson School, and Kelley School of Business, respectively. Below are brief profiles of these business schools so you can see why they made it to the top 15 of Business Week’s MBA school rankings.

Leonard N. Stern School of Business (New York University)

The Leonard N. Stern School of Business, or more oftenly called NYU Stern, was established in 1900 and is located in NYU’s Washington Square Campus. NYU Stern used to be the NYU undergraduate School of Commerce, Accounts, and Finance until the graduate business program was launched in 1916 to accommodate part-time and full-time students. When Stern gave a $30 million donation to improve the undergraduate school’s facilities, the name of the school was changed to Leonard N. Stern School of Business. NYU Stern offers a wide range of programs to keep up with the trends and demands of the business industry. Interested applicants are advised to visit the school’s official website and fill up the online application form to jumpstart the application process.

Anderson School of Management

The Anderson School of Management was established in 1935 as one of the professional schools of the University of California, Los Angeles. The school currently offers MBA, PhD, and executive MBA programs, as well as a masteral degree in financial engineering. Other programs offered at the Anderson School of Management are the UCLA-NUS Global Executive MBA program, Global Access program, Management Development programs, Management Communication programs, and the Riordan programs. Interested applicants are advised to visit the school’s official website for detailed information on course and program offerings and to download and accomplish the online application form.

Kelley School of Business

Established in 1920 under the name School of Commerce and Finance, the Kelley School of Business is one of the academic units of Indiana University. The school was renamed to Kelley School of Business in 1997 when E.W. Kelley gave $23 million to develop and improve the school. The Kelley School of Business currently offers undergraduate and doctoral programs, full-time and online MBA degrees, executive education, and specialized masteral degrees. For those interested in applying to the Kelley School of Business, make sure to visit the school’s official website and fill up the online application form.

The schools that snagged the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth spots in Business Week’s 2008 Best MBA Program rankings were Darden Graduate School of Business, Kenan-Flagler Business School, and Cox School of Business, respectively. Below are brief profiles of these business schools, including their history and application procedures.

Darden Graduate School of Business

The University of Virginia was established in March 1825 to provide a venue for people who want to learn about the arts, philosophy, law, medicine, foreign languages, and science. Among the university’s first scholars was world-famous writer and poet, Edgar Allan Poe. One of the branches of the University of Virginia is the Darden Graduate School of Business, which offers programs and degrees such as MBA, MBA for Executives, PhD degrees, and executive education. The school also offers joint degrees such as JD-MBA, MBA-MA in East Asian Studies, and MBA-MA in Government or Foreign Affairs. Interested applicants are advised to visit the school’s official website, where they can also download and fill up the online application form.

Kenan-Flagler Business School

The Kenan-Flagler Business School was established in 1919 as the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill’s Department of Commerce under the College of Arts. In 1991, the department’s name was changed to Kenan-Flagler Business School after philanthropists Mary Lily Kenan Flagler and her husband donated a huge sum to improve and develop the school. Today, the Kenan-Flagler Business School is among the recognized business schools that offer MBA degrees, executive MBAs, executive education, masteral degree in accounting, and doctorates. Information on how to apply to UNC Kenan-Flagler, as well as the admission requirements, can be found at the school’s official website.

Cox School of Business

The Cox School of Business was established in 1920 as the Department of Commerce at the Southern Methodist University. However, it was only in 1941, when the Board of Trustees established the department as a separate entity from the university, and made it into the School of Business Administration. In 1978, the school was renamed Cox School of Business in honor of businessman Edwin L. Cox. The school offers part-time, full time, and professional MBA degrees, as well as master of science programs including MSA (accounting), MSM (management), and MSIE (entrepreneurship). Applicants are advised to visit the school’s official website to get more information on application requirements and procedures.

Columbia Business School, Fuqua School of Business, and MIT Sloan School of Management landed on the seventh, eighth, and ninth spots in Business Week’s 2008 MBA school rankings. Below are brief profiles of the three schools, as well as information on their application procedures.

Columbia Business School

Columbia Business School was established in 1916, and has since been producing graduates who have gone on to become leading businessmen and entrepreneurs in the US. Columbia has a highly diverse student body, 40% of which is representative of different countries all over the globe. The school offers executive education, doctorate programs, and MBA degree programs. Columbia Business School also boasts of a faculty composed of business practitioners, and advisers and consultants to business leaders around the world. Those interested in applying to Columbia can visit the school’s official website to download and fill up the online application form.

Fuqua School of Business (Duke University)

Founded in 1924 by James Buchanan Duke, Duke University used to be an expansion of Trinity College. The establishment of the university was made possible by the Duke Endowment foundation. In 1969, the Fuqua School of Business was established as the business school branch of Duke University. Today, the Fuqua School of Business is recognized as a business school that offers one of the country’s top programs for doctorates, executive education, MBA degrees, and joint degrees. To apply to the Fuqua School of Business, visit the school’s official website and download the online application form.

MIT Sloan School of Management

MIT Sloan School of Management was established in 1914 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school was originially an engineering administration curriculum under the MIT Department of Economics and Statistics before it was recognized as a separate business school entity that offered executive education and programs such as Master of Finance, MBA degree programs, and PhD and undergraduate programs. Interested applicants may contact the school’s admissions office for more information or visit the school’s official website to download the online application form.

Business Week’s 2008 MBA School rankings put The Haas School of Business, Johnson Graduate School of Management, and Tuck School of Business at the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth places. Below are quick overviews of the schools, with information on notable alumni and application procedures.

Haas School of Business (University of California - Berkeley)

Berkeley graduate and businessman Arthur Rodgers was the one who initiated the idea of establishing a business school branch for the University of California - Berkeley. Rodgers mentioned this idea in his 1883 commencement address, and was realized in a span of less than 15 years. The Haas School of Business offers programs and degrees such as part-time and full-time MBA degrees, PhD, undergraduate and executive programs, non-degree programs, and Masters in Financial Engineering. Interested applicants may contact the school’s admissions office for more information and complete the application form found at the school’s website.

Johnson Graduate School of Management (Cornell University)

The Johnson Graduate School of Management was established in 1946, and offers MBA, PhD, and executive MBA programs. The school also offers graduate and undergraduate degrees with MBA programs. The school’s list of notable alumni include Irene Rosenfeld of Kraft Foods, Inc., Nancy Schlichting of Henry Ford Health System, Daniel Hesse of Sprint Nextel Corp., Robert Ramin of National Aquarium, and Kyung-Bae Suh of AmorePacific Corp. Interested applicants may visit the school’s website to download and fill up the online application form.

Tuck School of Business (Dartmouth College)

The Tuck School of Business was established in 1900 and is the business school branch of Dartmouth College. Unlike other business schools, Tuck only offers a full-time MBA program to better assist and support their students. Aside from the full-time MBA program, Tuck also offers the undergraduate Tuck Business Bridge Program and executive education programs. Included in the school’s list of notable alumni are Colin Kenny, Quentin L. Kopp, Mark Byrne, Anne Sullivan, John Jacquemin, and Philip J. Moss. Applicants are advised to visit the admissions page at the school’s official website to get more information on application requirements and procedures.

Taking time to choose which business school to go to is essential if you want to get the best MBA education. So to help you choose a business school, below are profiles of the three business schools that snagged the top spots in the 2008 US MBA school rankings by Business Week:

Harvard Business School

Established in 1908, Harvard Business School or HBS is among the oldest existing MBA schools in the US. HBS is known for the high quality of its management education which it has maintained throughout the years. As of December 2008, the number of living HBS alumni falls at 42,012, including HBS deans Jay O. Light and John H. McArthur. McArthur is the Senior Advisor to the President of the World Bank, and has held that position since 1996. Light, on the other hand, is the current dean of HBS and is the director of Ford Foundation’s Investment and Financial Policies. For more information on application process and requirements, visit the school’s official website and check out the online application system.

Kellogg School of Management [NorthwesternUniversity]

The Kellogg School of Management was established in 1908, and has since been successful in producing business and industry leaders from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.  Aside from undergraduate and doctoral programs, Kellogg also offers executive education and several types of MBA programs including part-time, full-time, and executive MBA programs. For those planning on applying to Kellogg, make sure you visit the school’s official website to get more information on the admissions process and application requirements. There you can also download the application form according to your chosen MBA program, and process your application online.

University of Chicago Booth School of Business

The Booth School of Business was founded in 1898, and has produced Nobel laureates and leading businessmen along the likes of James Kilts, who is responsible for turning Gillette, Kraft, and Nabisco into profitable, world-renowned companies. Those planning on pursuing an MBA education at Chicago Booth can choose among the PhD, executive, and MBA programs offered by the school. The programs also provide students with the option of taking evening, full-time, or weekend classes. More information on the program offerings, as well as application forms, can be found and requested at the school’s official website.

Business Week’s 2008 Best MBA Programs listing puts Wharton School, Ross School of Business, and Stanford Business School at the fourth, fifth, and sixth spot, respectively. Below are brief overviews of these three MBA schools which include notable lecturers and alumni and application procedures:

Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania)

Wharton was founded in 1881 by philanthropist and industrialist Joseph Wharton with the aim of making liberal education in the field of business available to those who want to study it. Wharton School is composed of 11 academic departments and more than 25 research centers and research initiatives. Wharton is often cited as the world’s first collegiate business school, and is recognized for their diverse and competent faculty. The school offers undergraduate programs, executive education, and MBA and PhD degrees. Interested applicants can visit the school’s website and fill up the online application form to apply  to Wharton.

Ross School of Business (University of Michigan)

The Ross School of Business was established in 1924 as the School of Business Administration, and used the Tappan Hall as the school’s main center. As the years progressed, the department extended its scope of programs offered as well as its land territory. In 2004, a school alumnus named Stephen M. Ross donated $100 million to the development of the school. This kind act was recognized by the school’s Board of Regents by renaming the School of Business Administration after Ross. Ross offers executive education, doctorates, and MBA degrees. Interested applicants can visit the school’s official website to download the application form and get the complete listing of course and program offerings.

Stanford Business School

Stanford Graduate School of Business was established in 1924 as part of former president Herbert Hoover’s initiative to keep the best West Coast students from going to the East Coast to pursue business studies. Stanford GSB is proud to have a team of recognized and competent lecturers for their faculty, which includes three Nobel laureates. The school is also recognized for the education and training they provide at the Center for Global Business and the Economy, Center for Leadership Development and Research, Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, and the Center for Social Innovation. For more information about the school and to apply to Stanford GSB, visit the school’s website and fill up the online application form which you can download from the site.

Many people enroll in MBA programs for various practical reasons. For some, an MBA degree will give them the skills necessary to compete with others in the corporate world. Because of the skills developed when you undergo an MBA program, MBA degree holders have high market value. For those who want to have high positions in the company they work for, an MBA degree proves to be an ideal tool when climbing up the career ladder. Another factor that makes an MBA degree a practical choice in enhancing your career is that it aids you in establishing a network with other professionals from different industries.

How important is networking in MBA schools?

Establishing connection with your classmates is very beneficial. The alliance you will form with your classmates in an MBA school can benefit you on both the personal and professional level. Through networking, you will be able to gain understanding and knowledge about the various industries where your classmates come from. Another reason is that you can use these connections for your business ventures in the future. For instance, you can consult your classmates and consider their opinions about things related to your business. There is a great possibility that some of your classmates will be important in your future business dealings. There is a possibility that your classmates in MBA school can be your future employer, employee, client, or supplier. So if you have the chance, start getting to know them while in MBA school.

How do you create a network?

In creating a network, you have to start by approaching your classmates and by talking to them. You may also study cases with them. You can also start a study group and establish organizations for different activities that interest you. Creating an organization while in school is also a plus factor when you apply for a job.

Networking is actually investing in people resources. Establishing a network now ensures possible strong business connections in the future.

Photo Credit : marcfonteijn