When MBA school applicants get started on their personal statements, they often concentrate on what makes a personal statement good. While it is definitely helpful to know what makes an MBA admission essay exceptional, it is also equally important to know what makes a personal statement mediocre. Knowing what makes a bad MBA personal statement will give you an idea of what mistakes to avoid while writing your own essay. Read on to learn about what makes a bad MBA personal statement, so you can be on your way to writing an exceptional essay.
A bad MBA personal statement has errors
One of the worst mistakes you can commit in your MBA personal statement is to have spelling, grammar, or syntax errors. The best way to avoid these mistakes is to carefully edit your personal statement to make sure that it reads well. If you don’t trust your own editing skills, then you should have someone else edit the essay. Perhaps a relative, colleague, or close friend who has excellent literature and English skills will be able to edit your paper to ensure that there are no errors of any sort. Some errors, such as providing erroneous information in your essay, can only be spotted and corrected by you, so make sure that you are truthful and honest in your essay to avoid such mistakes.
A bad MBA personal statement doesn’t distinguish the writer from other applicants
Another costly mistake that is common in bad MBA personal statements is that the statement does not make the writer unique from other applicants. If you want to truly interest and captivate the admissions committee, you should try to let your unique personality shine through in your essay. To set yourself apart from the rest, avoid some of these mistakes:
- using cliches
- writing about common topics
- not writing about your own feelings and perceptions
- concentrating too much on what you think the committee wants to hear and not what you want to say
- enumerating your achievements instead of telling a story
- not talking about your own goals and aspirations
A bad MBA personal statement fails to answer the question
Some people tend to get carried away writing about their experiences or feelings, leading to an essay that doesn’t completely answer the question being asked. To avoid this, it’s a good idea to make an outline focused on the question being asked. Only include topics and information that relate to the question. Try to do some research on the school, and try to reflect on your answer to the question to show your own thoughts, personality, and characteristics in your answer.
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Writing an MBA personal statement is not an easy task. Not only are you under the pressure of writing an interesting essay, but you are also expected to write something that is unique, school-specific, and exceptional. Writing an exceptional MBA personal statement has a lot to do with avoiding errors. An error-free personal statement will show the admissions committee that you took the time to write an essay that will meet and perhaps even surpass the committee’s expectations. Here’s how you can write an error-free MBA personal statement:
Use an outline
The first step is to make an outline to guide you through the writing process. First, focus on the question or questions being asked and think of ways to answer the question in a manner that reflects your unique personality, your interesting experiences, and your good traits. An outline will help you avoid the mistakes of not being concise and coherent. Once you have completed your outline, you can start writing your essay. Just be sure to stick to your outline to avoid going off-track.
Use MBA personal statement samples
A good idea would be to use MBA personal statement samples to know what an exceptional MBA personal statement looks like. Sample essays can help you understand what admissions committees expect in terms of essay quality, style, format, and topics. Just make sure that you don’t plagiarize other people’works, because plagiarism probably have the most serious repercussions.
Proofread, edit, revise, and edit again
Once you have written your essay, one of the most important steps to avoiding errors is to edit your essay. Make sure to read your paper more than once to ensure that you catch all of the simple errors, such as spelling, grammar, and syntax errors. Revise your paper as you go along, but make sure to keep multiple copies to see how your essay improves as you continue to edit and revise it.
It would also be helpful to have other people read your essay. You may read through your essay numerous times, overlooking certain mistakes because they aren’t very obvious or because your eyes are tired from reading the same passage over and over again. By having another person go over your paper, you have the advantage of having someone with a fresh pair of eyes and a different perspective to edit your paper.
Once you are satisfied with your MBA personal statement, get it in the mail along with the rest of your application package to ensure that you beat the deadline.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
Becoming an investment banker will require a lot of work and experience. Aside from getting to know the field of investment banking, you will also need to know about financing, companies, and the government in general. To deal with the demands of investment banking, you may want to get an MBA degree to help you along your path. Here’s what an MBA degree can do for you.
MBA degree = knowledge, training, and experience
Earning an MBA degree gives you two distinct advantages in the field of investment banking. First, your MBA schooling provides you with a background on business, companies, and administration in general. Some of the things you will learn include the different strategies and practices that companies employ in running their businesses. This is important in investment banking, for you will be dealing with numerous entities, such as companies and organizations.
Second, your MBA education will make you better prepared for reaching success in your field. Not only will you learn about business administration in general, but The knowledge, training, and experience that you gain through MBA school will help clearly comprehend the ins and outs of your business and the companies that you deal with. In effect, you can make more educated business decisions, which can push you towards success.
Getting your MBA degree
Before you get your degree, you will have to get into an MBA school and graduate from one of their many MBA programs. Be sure to prepare well for your application to MBA school. Look up the schools and programs that offer an education that closely ties into your plans of becoming an investment banker. When you apply to these schools, list down your application package requirements and make a schedule of your deadlines. Work hard to put together an exceptional application package. Among the requirements for your application are your resume, your personal essay, your transcripts, and your recommendation letters.
Once you have completed and mailed your application packages, wait patiently for the MBA schools to contact you. Follow through with an interview if necessary. If you get your foot into the door of an MBA school, you will be well on your way towards becoming a successful investment banker.
Photo Credit : Remy Sharp
