Writer’s Block? Ideas for Starting Your Essays on the Right Path
Many business schools have started releasing their 2017–2018 applications. These releases include the much-anticipated essay questions. For some applicants, this is the fun part. For others, it is the most stressful part. Boiling down your accomplishments, passions, and goals into 500–750 words is difficult. But step one is having something to write about in the first place. As such, below are a few tips to help you generate strong MBA essay ideas as you think through the best topics for your upcoming MBA essays.
- Don’t be generic (aka. boring). You might consider writing about your financial modeling skills. You might also plan to become a consultant after business school. However, that essay will likely feel generic. If that is in fact your storyline, that’s ok. However, it must be far more specific and interesting. If that is your story only because you lack ideas, pause and reflect. Spend time identifying what you are truly good at and what you want to pursue. A good story and vision can outweigh weaker aspects of your application. If you are targeting top MBA programs, you need an inspiring story to stay competitive.
- Don’t forget the “why”. Some applicants want to start companies. Others want careers in consulting. Either way, explain clearly why that path matters to you. Explain how you came to want to work in a particular industry and what your ideas are for transforming or enhancing that industry. Importantly, explain why it matters to you or is important to you.
- Leadership stories. If you are ever at a loss for what to write about, list out the leadership examples from your life that you are most proud of (both professionally and personally). Your leadership potential is critical to highlight. These stories are a great starting point for MBA essay ideas. Leadership stories that also include great examples of how well you work with many different types of people are even better!
- Creativity. Don’t go overboard, and be sure to know your audience (not all schools are open to this); but a little creativity can help set you apart. One of the best essays I saw for Stanford last year (from someone who was admitted!) took a very creative approach to answering the goals question and treated it like a reflection from the future (eg. 10 years from now looking back). She pulled it off really well and clearly the admissions directors took notice!
- Uniqueness. Oftentimes I see applicants who want to tell the admissions directors what they think they want to hear (eg. describing some generic “perfect” MBA candidate). Though you do need to position yourself in a way that appeals to what admissions is looking for, you need to remember that one thing they are looking for is your ability to add value and contribute something unique to the class. They are always asking “who you will be” in the class. MBA programs are searching for leaders who are dynamic, interesting, well-rounded, and can add something. Who you are, where you came from, your hobbies, and your personality are all very important aspects to convey.
Hopefully this gets you off to a great start! If you haven’t already, it’s important to ensure that you map out your plan for the next few months so that you have plenty of time to iterate on these essays. Most of our clients complete 10-20+ drafts of each essay before submitting, so be methodical in your approach and give yourself the time you need to feel great about your applications!
Katie is a passionate mentor and coach, helping her clients craft a unique, compelling story by leveraging her experience as a corporate executive, alumni interviewer, and campus recruiter. Before completing her MBA at Kellogg, Katie spent five years in banking where she learned practical finance skills as well as how to operate in a demanding, high pressure environment. She pursued an MBA in order to transition to an industry role where she could utilize her finance knowledge to drive change within an organization. Post-MBA, she worked in finance and strategy for a leading CPG firm, progressing to an executive role leading the finance function for a $2B business segment. Her experience managing diverse teams led to a passion for developing others. In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, she led her firm’s MBA recruiting efforts and served as an alumni admissions interviewer for Kellogg.
