MBA Admissions Essay - Personal Questions

Business school admissions essay section will teach how to structure and write your essay. This section also contains a number of sample admissions essays to help guide you.

Business School Admissions Essay Questions Categories:

Why M.B.A.? Questions | Diversity Questions | Accomplishment Questions | Leadership Questions | Other Activities Questions | Role Model Questions | Failure Questions | Very Personal Questions

Personal Questions

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I wish the Admissions Committee had asked me - Kellogg

Creatively describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use any method to convey your message: words, illustrations, etc. - Stern

Some applications will include a question that simply asks for more information about you as a person. Although all questions are designed to help the readers learn about your character, this type of question is meant to be more open-ended. Some schools might ask what matters most to you, while others will ask for a summary of your personal background. Another common approach is to ask about the influences and experiences that have shaped your development.

While your answers to questions about diversity should make you stand out, your response to the "getting personal" questions should present you as a complete (and preferably likeable) human being. This is not to say that you should not emphasize unique qualities, but you also should not hesitate to focus on common, everyday activities. For example, many people choose to write about their families, and as long as they do so in a personal and engaging way, the result can invoke empathy and understanding in the mind of the reader.

The rule that applies everywhere is paramount in this case: be sincere. Answers that attempt to meet presumed expectations are not only transparent, but also counterproductive, because the best essay you can write is one that you approach honestly.

Make sure to supplement your genuine ideas with personal details. If you choose to write about the family you're raising, for example, provide stories about the time you spend with your children instead of simply telling the reader how much you care for them.

Offer a focused portrayal. Some questions will ask you to comment on one or two specific aspects of your life, but others will leave it up to you to determine the breadth of your discussion. In those cases, you should aim to convey one or two key themes. This discussion may encompass several experiences, but they should be explored in a coherent manner. This advice applies even to those questions that ask for a summary of your personal background. Instead of approaching the essay with a haphazard list of significant ideas in mind, develop a clear plan to organize your points into a logical, flowing structure. For example, you might choose to organize your essay around a defining quality and trace how it has developed and applied to different aspects of your life. On the other hand, you could choose an external point (e.g., your hometown or city) and describe how your relationship to that point has changed and grown.

Identify defining moments. Some questions will use this exact phrase. A request to summarize your entire history seems daunting, but by focusing on key turning points in your life, you can convey a great deal more meaning than you can with a shallower listing of events. You should not have to search hard for these defining moments, because if they were truly significant to you, they will hold a significant place in your memory.

Coming across as a likeable human being is not enough to get you admitted, but if you have the other relevant qualifications, this additional edge can make a significant difference.

SAMPLE ESSAY:

I grew up on a small cattle farm in Donegal, just ten miles from the border separating the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. My father has retired due to health problems, and my now mother runs our farm. Every year, without fail, she produces 30 cows for the local market. Although my ancestors have lived on the same piece of farmland since 1642, while I was growing up my family was very poor.

I have three younger brothers, currently aged 25, 19, and 14, each of whom has a unique character. Alan is a sensitive soul, the poet amongst us. Brian, is a natural fighter, a feisty Irishman. James, the baby of the family, is now a teenage wheeler-dealer, and the most likely to inherit the farm. As for me, I was the archetypal "big brother": bossy, no doubt, but always eager to lend advice, jump into a game of soccer, or wipe someone's tears away. Because of our scarce resources, my brothers and I shared almost everything, from toys to farm chores.

Apart from helping my brothers, I had other duties that resulted from being the eldest. When I was a teenager, my father was periodically ill with a heart ailment. Because my mother had to care for my younger siblings and monitor my father's care, I took on the responsibility of managing our farm during his absence. I often had to balance my schoolwork with such tasks as milking the cows and repairing the tractor. These experiences had an enduring impact on me. In fact, my desire to be an entrepreneur and to someday manage my own business stems from this period. I also learned some lasting, if elementary, business skills. For example, starting at age 16, I often attended cattle sales in our rural Irish community, where I would haggle with much older and extremely shrewd farmers over the price of cows. Just ten years later, I found myself using those very same negotiating skills in the conference rooms of the U.S. Senate.

My mother came from a poor family, but, notwithstanding her excellent grades, her parents pulled her out of school at age 13 to work. Despite her own lack of schooling, she encouraged us to pursue higher learning. One of my most vivid memories of the way she looked out for our interests concerns an episode during which my elementary school teacher labeled me a slow learner. At age eight, I was made to repeat a grade and channeled me into a "special needs" program. Unsatisfied with this "official" diagnosis, my mother began tutoring me herself after school. She soon discovered that, rather than failing to understand the material presented in class, I had already absorbed it, and was thus merely bored. Moreover, the teacher has mistaken my intellectual curiosity and natural inquisitiveness for a failure to understand the concepts that she was teaching. Sticking to her guns, my mother insisted that the administrators return me to the regular class. Having achieved this, she always saw to it that I had access to stimulating material.

My father, who left school at age 14, is a hard-working man. He is easy going and has a dry sense of humor and a gift for imaginative storytelling. Although his peers frowned upon education and couldn't understand why he was working the farm alone while we went off to school, he held a different view. He lavished us with support, and he is still the first to offer encouragement for any venture we pursue.

Although I grew up in a wonderful family, I was also born into a society that was divided along ethnic lines. The fact that I was a Presbyterian in the Republic of Ireland had a major impact on my life. In 1971, the year prior to my birth and just before my country's political troubles exploded, the Republic of Ireland's census recorded a population of just 125,685 Protestants. Within this Protestant community there were a only 16,052 Presbyterians, a mere 0.54 percent of the total population.

Unlike most Protestants in the Republic of Ireland, who are usually from the professional classes and live far from Northern Ireland, my family had neither the shield of social class nor distance from the border to protect us from Ireland's ancient quarrels. As a result, we were sometimes the victims of harassment from the local Catholic majority. To walk the streets of the nearest town in the uniform of my Protestant high school was to invite taunts and occasionally physical violence. Sporadically, even terrorism affected our lives. In 1978, my mother's cousin was killed in a bomb explosion, and earlier that decade my uncle barely survived an assassination attempt.

In 1990, I left Donegal to attend university in Dublin. Although Dublin is far removed from the Northern Ireland conflict, my ethnic background continued to influence my life. A direct challenge to my values came during my third year in college, when I met my future fiancee. Our socio-economic backgrounds were nearly identical (we were among the few Trinity students from poor, rural families) except for one thing: she was Catholic and I was Presbyterian. As we grew closer, I was faced with the task of confronting my own deeply held prejudices as well as those of my tightly knit family. I faced this challenge directly but sensitively, helping my family to accept and cherish our relationship.

Looking back at my upbringing today, I appreciate just how fortunate I am. My family created a loving home in which I was able to develop the self-confidence that I need in order to overcome many of the challenges that I face in my career. In addition, growing up in a family of very modest means, and being conscious of my parents' sacrifices, has given me a powerful sense of drive. From my own experience, I realize that many people have not had the chances to succeed that I have been given; I am therefore determined not to squander the opportunities that I receive.

COMMENTS:

This applicant focuses on his family and the rural setting in which he grew up. Note how his descriptions of family members can be revealing because they show what the writer values and offer context for the relationships he has built with them. He also does an effective job of tying his youth to his recent past: "For example, starting at age 16, I often attended cattle sales in our rural Irish community, where I would haggle with much older and extremely shrewd farmers over the price of cows. Just ten years later, I found myself using those very same negotiating skills in the conference rooms of the U.S. Senate." The connection is intriguing but doesn't sound forced, because the writer has so effectively brought us into his world.

The applicant also does not hesitate to explore conflict and sensitive issues. Because he places such an emphasis on the positive aspects of his upbringing, he can discuss past struggles in a way that invites compassion without seeking pity. Showing how you coped with difficulties, even if they're on a smaller scale than the Ireland conflict, can be a very effective way to convey your greatest strengths.

Move on to Lesson Two:

Brainstorming a Essay Topic