AI And Admissions: Why Authenticity Trumps Perfection In MBA Essays

With the rise of AI tools such as ChatGPT, authenticity is more important than ever in MBA admissions.

Dr. Marlena Corcoran, founder of Athena Mentor and contributor at Forbes, recently discussed the importance of authenticity and why a “perfect” application essay can actually hurt your admission odds.

SMALL IMPERFECTIONS ADD AUTHENTICITY

ChatGPT has given applicants the ability to craft a perfect application essay. But Corcoran says there’s a problem with that approach.

“The problem is that a perfect application essay describing a flawless human being with a spotless record is simply not very interesting,” Corcoran says. “It gives the reader little opportunity to distinguish this person from others.”

Admissions officers are tasked with putting together a class that’s diverse and unique. To do that, they need to be able to distinguish applicants from one another. Essays are one aspect of the application where admissions officers look for authenticity.

“That’s where small imperfections—or deviations from the norm—add authenticity to an application essay,” Corcoran says.

HOW > WHAT

Too often, Corcoran says, applicants get caught up in coming up with the perfect story—a tale of triumph or overcoming some grand obstacle. But, Corcoran says, the point of an admissions essay isn’t so much about what you say but rather how you respond to the prompt.

“Two people might have faced a similar challenge and responded differently, or learned very different lessons from the experience,” Corcoran explains. “In other words, the authenticity of the experience lies not in the difficulty itself, and especially not in its size, but in what it tells us about how you became the individual you are today.”

The perfect applicant simply doesn’t exist. And true authenticity is, as Corcoran says, “about being—or more precisely, becoming—yourself.”

“Telling the story of becoming yourself is likely to be messier and more engaging,” she adds. “It may make you seem more approachable, by giving an admissions committee a way to relate to your successes through your struggles.”

Sources: Forbes, P&Q

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