Monday Morning Essay Tip: No Need for Negativity
January 11th, 2010
Sincerity. Honesty. Candor. We encourage candidates to strike at the essence of these attributes, and when they do, successful essays inevitably follow. Yet, can one express too much of these attributes? Yhe answer is “yes!” in particular, when candor turns to negativity. Sometimes, when candidates believe they are being candid, they are in fact revealing themselves to be predisposed to pessimism, making it much harder for an AdCom to identify with their files. Such situations are rather unfortunate, because an ostensibly “negative” idea can almost always be expressed in a positive and optimistic manner.
Example:
“In my current position, I am no longer learning and am afraid that I will continue to stagnate without my MBA. I cannot achieve my objective to be a leader in my Marketing Department unless…”
Common sense would say that the AdCom would not be all that excited about accepting someone who has stopped learning or someone who believes that his career progress can be thwarted by basic obstacles!
Example Revisited:
“As I look to the future, I recognize that with MBA training, I can dramatically increase my impact on my firm. With an eye toward a leadership position in our marketing department, I am….”
In our “Example Revisited,” the candidate is expressing the exact same need for an MBA in positive terms and is thus making him/herself a more warm and engaging prospect (while still candidly stating a need for further education).
Before submitting your file, check for unnecessarily negative statements. While we would never suggest that every line in your essays needs to be “sunshine,” you do not need to reveal yourself as a pessimist either.
Posted in Monday Morning Essay Tips