The Most Important Part of the MBA Application is…YOU!

MBA Catalyst
2 min readSep 14, 2015

It is once again business school application season. This year scores of potential business school candidates will take their GMAT, log airline miles visiting campuses and stay up late working on their essays.

And yet, for all the time and money they spend on their applications, a key component will be missing. The most important part of any application is…

YOU

Yes, it’s that simple. At MBA Catalyst we have read hundreds of business school essays.

The ones that are truly great and that we remember years later are those that were genuine. The complete application that highlighted who the candidate was, what they were passionate about and how business school was critical to achieving what they wanted to accomplish in life.

Unfortunately, many of the essays we read simply contain what the applicant believes the Admissions Committee wants to hear. Essays that share false tales of wanting to enter into banking because it seems plausible to work in developing growing economies. All the while, the applicant’s real passion is to start an art gallery online using upcycled materials.

Nothing stands out more in an essay than falsehood.

So, how do you begin to incorporate yourself into 250 words or less? What are the questions you need to ask yourself to really be able to still yourself down to something that is cohesive, coherent and courageous? Your application really needs to explain two things — yourself and your career.

Start by looking at why you made the career decisions you made (a very common interview question!)

Even if you got your first job just by chance, you are making a very deliberate decision to apply to school now- rather than waiting another year or two. Your application should start with the why you are deciding to go to business school now instead of a year from now or two years from now. And then start to investigate the why — what is it about your job, your company, the company’s culture, your personal situation, or your location that makes business school appropriate for your career journey.

While some will discount this approach, MBA Catalyst has seen it work successfully in all of our clients. Clients who were unsuccessful the previous year and came to us and started with an honest analysis of themselves were able to successfully apply to their dream schools the next year.

MBA Catalyst is an MBA Admissions Consulting firm — committed to helping you tell Your Story. Email us at info(at)mbacatalystDOTcom today to schedule your free ONE-hour consultation.

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MBA Catalyst

MBA Catalyst is an MBA Admissions consulting firm, providing tips that are actionable and grounded with an uncompromising commitment to personal attention.