OVERVIEW OF THE QUESTION
When faced with an optional question, you must first determine which of the two types of questions you are being asked. The first type limits you to addressing any significant weaknesses in your application profile. In contrast, the second ques- tion, the type INSEAD has posed here, is an open-ended essay prompt that permits you to write about any subject you feel might further strengthen your candidacy.
If you have a weakness you would like to address, our advice is to be brief and avoid making excuses or deflecting blame for any shortcomings. Instead, accept responsibility, offer reasonable explanations for poor performance if there are any, and, if possible, provide any countervailing evidence that might persuade the admissions committee that a deficiency has been addressed or should not concern them in light of other evidence.
The following sample illustrates what we are advising for optional questions if you need to explain a weakness.
SAMPLE
My undergraduate GPA does not accurately reflect my ability to contribute to the classroom at INSEAD. When I started college I was adjusting to a new environment and had difficulty focusing on school with the social distractions. When I received a C in my freshman economics class I realized I needed to establish better study habits. I was able to improve my grades the second semester of my first year. However, I experienced a serious setback during sophomore year when my father became ill and I had to return to India to take care of him for several weeks. Many of my professors allowed me to make up tests and papers, but two of my C grades are due to missing several weeks of classes that semester. In my final two years of school I did well, however my rocky start led to a poor overall GPA.
Since college I have demonstrated responsibility. I have performed well in my job and have been complemented for my strong analytical skills. To continue to develop myself professionally I have passed the CFA levels I and II. Additionally, my GMAT score reflects strong verbal and quantitative abilities. With my strong work experience, CFA qualifications and GMAT score, I am confident I can perform in the classroom at INSEAD.
INSEAD has allowed significant flexibility with this question, allowing you to add any relevant information. In many cases you may have addressed all of the relevant material you would like to address. If you have a significant volunteer activity you have yet to describe, a work project that illustrates a new aspect of your personality and potential or a personal story that will add to the evaluation of your profile, this may be an appropriate place to address these topics.
CONCLUSION
In this guide, we have provided guidance in three primary ways that will help you to craft the best set of essays possible:
1)We have armed you with a list of the fundamental qualities and attributes that the admissions officers are looking for as they review your application, so that you can be sure to emphasize and accent these characteristics in your essays. The intention here is not to give you a cheat sheet or a list of buzzwords to paste into your essays. Rather, you should study this list closely and feature the qualities that describe you, and use your essays and stories to supply the admissions officers with convincing reasons to believe that you possess these characteristics.
2)We have analyzed the typical essay questions and summarized what is being asked and why the admissions committee is asking. The tips we offered are a compilation of the most important lessons we’ve learned over the years while working with our clients on these essay questions. Now that you’ve assimilated this advice, you should be in a better position to choose the best subjects and stories for your essays and to avoid the pitfalls that trip up many applicants.
3)The sample essays and essay excerpts you’ve read illustrated the tips and showed you how other candidates attacked the question both in terms of structure and content. A word of caution here: other applicants, and possibly even the ad- missions officers, will be reading these guides, so “borrowing” the language and storytelling from any of these authors will almost certainly derail your chances of admission.
Most applicants are surprised by how demanding the business school application process turns out to be. The truth is that there are no shortcuts to crafting an excellent set of essays. It is helpful to keep the advice of two very experienced writers in mind while you are embroiled in the fight to pen your application magnum opus:
“The first draft of anything is [expletive deleted].” – Ernest Hemingway “The best writing is rewriting.” – E.B. White, author of The Elements of Style
Hemingway’s words are a reminder that after all the soul searching, brainstorming, and navel gazing, you must eventually sit down and write something. If you set your expectations that the first draft you write will probably be absolutely terrible, then the pressure is off. Some candidates read examples of “successful” essays and become so intimidated that they be- come terrified about facing the blank page and wait around hoping that the perfect essay will somehow spring from their finger tips. They procrastinate, waiting for inspiration that never arrives. Keep in mind that the essays you’re reading in this guide and other sources are the result of many, many drafts written over many, many weeks, if not months. Budget plenty of time for the process of writing, rewriting, and more rewriting. The essay process is a marathon, and trying to sprint a few weeks from the deadline will usually not work well.
HERE ARE A FEW FINAL TIPS:
• Make sure that the question asked is being answered – no more, no less.
•Take advantage of all the essay questions on an application. An essay cannot be evaluated in isolation. How the application essays work together to provide a holistic view of you is critical.
• “Why you made a choice” and “what you learned” from an experience are just as important (perhaps more important) as “what you did.”
•Show personality and be a little daring – but within reason. Use judgment here, and if you are questioning a particular story too much, it is probably best to omit.
•You can’t tell them everything; so tell the admissions officers the most important things.
We believe that if approached correctly, this can be a fun and enlightening experience. Of course, if you feel you need more inspiration, guidance, and advice, we will be happy to match you with one of our experienced application strategy consult- ants. Learn more about the editorial and comprehensive business school admission consulting services we offer at www.Sta- cyBlackman.com.