Smart Questions To Ask MBA Alumni

Blast from the Past:

Overused MBA Essays Topics to Avoid

Ah, summer. In our younger years, it was a time for ballgames, travels, or just kicking back. If you’re looking to get into a top business school, summer is the time to craft your application essays. With Memorial Day still around the corner, you may think you can take it easy for a few weeks. But it’s never too early to start on your essays…especially with schools like Harvard moving their round one deadline up to September 9.

Here’s something to consider: The less time you have, the more likely you are to fall back on generalities and clichés, the safe and the familiar. And that’s exactly what adcoms read every day. Your crowing achievement was overcoming your fear of public speaking? Blah! You’d be better off writing about your struggles with flatulence. Your biggest weakness is that you take on so much and try so hard? Boy, are you full of yourself. All that’s missing is a pretty little bow on top!

No, adcoms want to be wowed! They’re looking for applicants who’ve overcome real adversity or chosen unique paths. Those are the candidates who’ll bring a unique perspective to class. Ultimately, they are the ones who’ll make a difference once they graduate.

So what are some responses that make an adcom’s eyes glaze over? Check out this past column from Stacy Blackman for the answers.

Source: Poets&Quants