Are You Oversharing in Your MBA Essays?
Crafting an MBA application is a multifaceted process where every detail counts, particularly in your essays. One of the most significant decisions you’ll face is how personal to get in your writing. Sharing personal stories can help you stand out, but there’s a delicate balance to strike. How do you know if you’re oversharing in your MBA essays?
SBC consultant Lisa, a former director of admissions at the Rice Jones Graduate School of Business, stopped by the B-Schooled podcast to discuss the intricacies of weaving personal experiences into MBA essays. Here’s a comprehensive guide on approaching this critical aspect of your application.
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The Importance of Authenticity
In the competitive landscape of MBA admissions, authenticity is not just a buzzword. Many top B-schools, including Stanford GSB and Harvard Business School, seek genuine and transparent applicants who talk openly about their experiences. Admissions committees are not solely interested in your academic and professional achievements. They want to know the person behind the stats. This is where your personal stories and unique experiences can truly set you apart.
While being your authentic self is essential, it’s equally crucial to understand the implications of what you share. Personal stories can provide context about who you are and what motivates you. Yet, they can also raise questions about your judgment, readiness, and self-awareness. Therefore, you must carefully consider what anecdotes you choose to include in your essays. You aim to balance sharing your formative experiences with maintaining a professional tone.
Evaluating the Relevance of Personal Stories
When deciding whether to share a story, ask yourself: Is this relevant to my candidacy? The admissions committee wants to know how your experiences have shaped your goals and aspirations. So, your stories should ideally connect with your academic and professional journey. If you have faced significant challenges—such as health issues, trauma, or unique life circumstances—think about how these experiences have influenced your career path or ambitions.
For example, if you had a health challenge that prompted you to volunteer in a related field, that connection could be compelling. However, if the story is unrelated to your MBA goals or merely serves to evoke sympathy, it may not enhance your candidacy. Instead of adding depth, it could detract from the overall narrative of your application.
The Risks of Oversharing in Your MBA Essays
While authenticity is vital, oversharing in your MBA essays can be detrimental. Personal stories that delve into sensitive topics—like traumatic experiences or mental health challenges—can raise concerns for the admissions committee. For instance, discussing a past eating disorder or addiction can evoke sympathy. However, it might also lead the committee to question your ability to handle the rigorous demands of an MBA program.
You’ll need to frame these narratives carefully. If you choose to share a sensitive personal experience, ensure that it contributes to your overall story and demonstrates how you have grown or what you have learned from it. Simply recounting the experience without linking it to your aspirations or how you have overcome it may lead the committee to wonder about your readiness for the challenges of business school.
The context in which you present personal stories plays a significant role in how they are received. For example, if you want to discuss a traumatic event, consider how it has shaped your perspective and motivated your career ambitions.
When discussing sensitive topics, provide just enough detail to convey the significance of the experience without dwelling excessively on the trauma itself. The admissions committee needs to understand the impact of your experiences on your journey and see that you can move forward and focus on your goals.
Self-Awareness and Tone
Self-awareness is everything in your MBA essays. Avoid positioning yourself as a victim or suggesting that your challenges are more significant than those of other applicants. Such a perspective can come off as tone-deaf, especially in a competitive environment where many applicants have overcome significant obstacles.
Instead, aim to convey a sense of humility and empathy in your narratives. Admissions committees care about the candidates they are evaluating. Reflecting on your experiences and how they shaped your character demonstrates maturity and self-awareness. Consider how your story can showcase your struggles, resilience, and ability to help others.
Using Personal Stories to Showcase Growth and Leadership
Some applicants have successfully incorporated personal stories into their applications by showing how their experiences have fueled their passion for a particular career or cause. For instance, if you have a personal connection to healthcare issues that motivated you to pursue a career in healthcare consulting, sharing that story can provide valuable insight into your aspirations. Another example could be a personal struggle with a learning disability that inspired you to advocate for inclusive education, demonstrating your leadership and empathy.
In these cases, focus on how your experiences have informed your goals and leadership potential. Use your narrative to illustrate your growth and how you have used your experiences to contribute to your community or field of interest. The admissions committee will be more interested in how you’ve turned challenges into opportunities for growth rather than the challenges themselves.
Highlighting Key Qualities and Experiences
As you craft your essay, consider the qualities and experiences you want to highlight. Think about the traits that make you a strong candidate for an MBA program—leadership, resilience, empathy, and adaptability. Use your personal stories to exemplify these qualities.
For instance, if you’ve navigated a difficult personal situation that required you to step up and lead others, that can be a powerful story to include. However, ensure that the focus remains on your actions, the lessons you learned, and how those experiences will help you in your future endeavors.
The Role of Feedback
Assessing how the admissions committee will perceive your stories is often tricky. That’s why seeking feedback from trusted friends, colleagues, or MBA admissions consultants can be invaluable to gauge whether you’re oversharing in your MBA essays. An outside perspective can see whether your narratives effectively convey your intended message while balancing the personal and professional.
Getting constructive criticism can help you identify potential pitfalls, such as focusing too much on the negative aspects of your experiences. It can also ensure that your essays resonate with the values and expectations of the schools you’re applying to.
B-Schooled Podcast Episode #184: How Personal Should You Get in Your MBA Essays?
Navigating the personal aspects of your MBA essays is no small feat. While authenticity is critical, understanding how to present your personal stories thoughtfully is equally important. Be strategic in your storytelling, focusing on relevance, context, and the lessons you’ve learned. Aim to demonstrate self-awareness and maturity and use your experiences to showcase your growth and leadership potential.
Here’s a quick checklist to help you remember these key points:
- Is the story relevant to your candidacy?
- Does it provide context and demonstrate growth?
- Is it presented in a way that showcases your leadership and resilience?
Remember, your application is a chance to tell your unique story. So, take the time to reflect on the experiences that have shaped you and your ambitions. Ultimately, your personal narratives should enhance your application, providing insights into who you are and how you can contribute to the MBA community.
By carefully considering the personal stories you choose to share and how you present them, you can create a robust and impactful application that stands out in the highly competitive MBA admissions landscape.
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Stacy Blackman Consulting offers multiple services to meet your MBA application needs. From our All-In Partnership to interview prep, essay editing, resume review, and much more, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today for a free 15-minute advising session to talk strategy with a Principal SBC consultant.
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Ashley
Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure. Ashley holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years, Ashley was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...
×Kerry
Kerry is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). During her 5+ year tenure at HBS, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a wide range of backgrounds across the globe. She also led marketing and outreach efforts focused on increasing diversity and inclusion, ran the Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP), and launched the 2+2 Program during her time in Admissions. Kerry holds a B.A. from Bates College and ...
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A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally. Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM. For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...
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Geri is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). In her 7 year tenure in HBS Admissions, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a diverse set of academic, geographic, and employment backgrounds. Geri also traveled globally representing the school at outreach events in order to raise awareness for women and international students. In additio ...
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Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years. Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...
×Andrea
Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years. In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School. Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...
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Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...
×Erin K.
Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...
×Susie
Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications. She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...
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Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford. Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...
×Anthony
Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year. Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...
×Meghan
Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...
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Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team. During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students. She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...
×Ally
Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS). During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...
×Erin B.
Erin has over seven years of experience working across major institutions, including University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School, and NYU's Stern School of Business. At Columbia Business School, Erin was an Assistant Director of Admissions where she evaluated applications for both the full time and executive MBA programs, sat on the admissions and merit scholarship committees and advised applicants on which program might be the best fit for them based on their work experience and pro ...
×Emma
Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director. Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants. ×
