When preparing personal statements that require significant information about career progress, many MBA applicants choose to discuss their accomplishments in chronological order. Although the simplicity of this approach makes it appealing, we encourage you to consider another way of showcasing your more recent and therefore potentially stronger accomplishments first. By taking this approach instead, you may capture your reader\u2019s imagination more quickly and reduce the risk of being lost amid similar candidates.<\/p>\n
Consider these examples: (1) a software analyst who is now a project manager managing a budget and leading a team of 20 programmers and (2) an investment banking analyst now in their third year with a company who has been sent abroad to work directly with a CFO.<\/p>\n
The Project Manager<\/strong><\/p>\n Chronological:<\/em>\u00a0\u201cJoining ABC Technology as a software programmer, I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Reverse:<\/em>\u00a0\u201cScrutinizing my plan one last time, I waited to present my team\u2019s $3.7M proposal to our client\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n The Investment Banker<\/strong><\/p>\n Chronological:<\/em>\u00a0\u201cAs an investment banking analyst at Deutsche Bank, I started\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Reverse:<\/em>\u00a0\u201cArriving in Taipei, I was admittedly nervous to finally meet the CFO of XYZ Co. and lead my firm\u2019s due diligence process\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n In these \u201creverse\u201d examples, the candidates immediately present their standout accomplishments and thrust the reader into the excitement of their stories. Although this kind of introduction is not applicable in all cases, it can be a feasible option in many. Still, in choosing this approach, candidates must be able to fluidly return to earlier moments in their career later in the essay\u2014a task that requires creativity and skill.<\/p>\n Another task that requires skill is determining when to use the active voice. Many writers use the passive voice in their essays, but the best writers know it should be used only sparingly, if ever.<\/p>\n The passive voice puts the verb in the \u201cwrong\u201d place in the sentence, thereby removing the \u201caction.\u201d Subjects become\u00a0acted upon<\/em>\u00a0rather than\u00a0performing<\/em>\u00a0actions. Sentences with the passive voice typically include verb phrases such as \u201cwas\u201d or \u201chas been\u201d (e.g., \u201cit was determined,\u201d \u201cthe project has been completed\u201d).<\/p>\n Consider this example of the passive voice:<\/p>\n \u201cThe marathon was run despite my injury.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n In this sentence, the verb (or action) is diminished because the writer says the marathon \u201cwas run.\u201d A better way of describing the same activity is to use the active voice, as illustrated in this example:<\/p>\n \u201cI ran the marathon despite my injury.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Here are two more examples:<\/p>\n