Monday Morning Essay Tip: How Long Ago Is Too Long Ago?
September 29th, 2008 | Posted in Monday Morning Essay Tips, Blogroll
Because it is incumbent on candidates to offer MBA Admissions Committees a variety of experiences, we encourage our candidates to truly reflect on their lives and consider all potential stories—academic, professional, community, extracurricular, athletic, international, personal and more. However, questions inevitably arise: Can I use stories from high school and college? Can I use a story from four years ago? How far in the past is too far in the past? While there is no clear rule, generally, with the exception of questions that specifically ask about personal history or family background, schools want to experience the mature you—the individual that you are today. So, we ask facetiously, “How long have you been the you that you are today?”
When considering experiences that occurred long ago, you should ask yourself, “Would this impress an MBA Admission Committee today?” If you ran a few successful bake sales while in college six years ago, this clearly would not stand the test of time and impress strangers today. However, if, while a student, you started a small business that grew and was ultimately sold to a local firm when you graduated, you would have a story to tell that would likely impress the AdCom.
Inevitably, there is judgment involved in these decisions. Nonetheless, we offer this simple test as a starting point for you to make your decisions.
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