As a general rule, “etc.” should never appear in your text. Consider the following sentences:
1. I helped draft prospectuses, analyze key company data, value companies, etc.
2. I look forward to courses such as “Small Business Management,” “Leading Teams,” “Multi-party negotiations,” etc.
In the first example, “etc.” replaces information that the reader values. The reader cannot make the leap and understand where the writer’s experiences lead. In the second example, “etc.” trivializes the school’s resources or suggests that the writer is too lazy to do his/her homework.
We are at a loss to think of one instance in which “etc.” could be used appropriately in a business school essay. In short, ensure that your essays do not include this term.
How can you write essays that grab the attention of MBA admissions committees? mbaMission Founder and President Jeremy Shinewald will use this basic but often perplexing question as the starting point in a workshop for prospective business school applicants. Attendees will complete a series of exercises that will challenge them to uncover their personal and nuanced stories, craft compelling opening statements, develop meaningful goal statements, connect their goals to their target school’s resources and more.
Date: Wednesday, November 17, 2010 Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m. EST Location: Online Price: Free!
In their application essays, many business school candidates unwittingly discuss their personal experience with a specific MBA program in the most vague and general way. Because they are writing from memory and discussing their authentic experience, they do not realize that they are not being specific enough. Consider the following example:
“During my experience at Cornell, I was struck by the easygoing classroom discussion, the warmth of the professors and the time spent by the first-year student who not only toured the facilities with me, but also took me for coffee and asked several of his colleagues to join us.”
While these statements may in fact be true, the text contains no Cornell-specific language. If Yale, Michigan or the name of any other school were substituted for Cornell here, the statement would otherwise not change at all. This statement could be applicable to any other school—and this is not good.
In contrast, the following statement could refer only to Darden:
“While on Grounds, I was impressed by Professor Robert Carraway’s easygoing and humorous style, as he facilitated a fast-paced discussion of the ‘George’s T-Shirts’ case. Although I admittedly felt dizzied by the class’s pace, I was comforted when I encountered several students reviewing the finer points of the case later at First Coffee. I was impressed when my first-year guide stopped mid-tour to check in with her learning teammate and reinforce the case’s central point. It was then I recognized that this was the right environment for me.”
If you were to substitute the Darden name and even the professor’s name with those of another school and professor, the paragraph would no longer work. The Darden-specific information regarding the day’s case, First Coffee and learning teams ensures that these sentences have a sincere and personal feel—showing that the candidate truly understands what the school is about, and necessary for a compelling personal statement that will catch the attention of the admissions committee.
MBA students at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business are known to work quite hard amid the rigors of the case method. Each day, they are expected to read and complete their own analysis of a case (a narrative detailing of a business problem) and then compare and reason through their analysis with a diverse team of fellow students. Often students can spend two to four hours prepping on their own and then two to three more with these “learning teammates” to arrive at an answer (as opposed to the answer). And, what can be the reward for all of this? You may just be selected for a “cold call” to start off the class.
At Darden, most first-year classes and some second-year classes start with a professor randomly selecting a student to lead the day’s discussion with his/her case analysis. This student can be subjected to anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes of questioning, as the professor teases out key points of discussion for the broader class to explore. Many a student has sweated through a cold call, only to gain the applause of his/her peers at the end of the class. (Others, of course, may not do as well.) The cold call can be daunting, but it forces students to prepare thoroughly and think on their feet—a key feature of the Darden learning experience.
For more information on the Darden School and 13 other leading MBA programs, check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guides.
When considering potential MBA programs, MBA aspirants should examine all of their target schools’ offerings, inside and outside of the classroom. While academics will likely be your main focus, you won’t be studying all the time. So, in order to make you aware of the community that you will be joining, we are launching a new weekly blog series: Beyond the MBA Classroom. Each Thursday, we will offer you insight into the annual trips, theme parties, charitable opportunities and more – the “spice of life” that makes each top MBA program unique. Stay tuned for our first post…
A first-of-its-kind, on-demand MBA application experience that delivers a personalized curriculum for you and leverages interactive tools to guide you through the entire MBA application process.
