The MBA personal statement is a step towards earning a master’s degree in business administration.
Applying for admission to an MBA program can be a multi-step process. In the United States, for example, applicants generally must take the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT®), submit an application, and participate in an interview. The MBA personal statement is part of the application. It is an essay designed to give the candidate the opportunity to share personal information in a meaningful way. In some cases, it is a critical factor for admissions staff as they work to determine which applicants they will accept.
You generally need to take the GMAT to apply for an MBA program.
Not all schools require personal statements or personal essays in their application processes. These schools may base their decisions solely on GMAT scores, graduation grades, and other basic information provided on the form. Many schools, however, require a personal statement because they see it as a valuable way to learn more about the candidate, including their writing skills, interests, and thought processes. In some cases, the personal statement component can be an open invitation for the candidate to decide what they would like to share with the admissions team. In other cases, the school may ask a specific question for the candidate to answer.
The MBA personal statement can be instrumental in determining whether or not a candidate will receive admission to a particular program.
The content of MBA personal statements can vary greatly. Generally, however, they are fact-oriented essays that focus on the candidate’s education, work experience, achievements, interests, and goals. For those schools that do not have an interview component in their application process, the MBA personal statement is the candidate’s only opportunity to give the admissions team a more complete picture of themselves. As a result, the MBA personal statement can be instrumental in determining whether or not the candidate will be admitted to the program.
When selecting a topic for an MBA personal statement, candidates often consider things that might set them apart from their competitors. Major achievements, personal or professional, as well as common and uncommon, are often the main focus. Future plans, including how the candidate hopes to use the MBA, may also be the focus of the writing.
In addition to determining a general approach for their personal statements, MBA candidates often refer to the dos and don’ts when writing their essays. Many of the procedures simply have to do with the rules of good writing: writing with an active voice, writing in the first person, starting with an outline, writing clearly, including an engaging introduction so the reader’s attention isn’t lost, and writing clearly concise. Common things to do include: getting defensive about a lower GPA, trying to be funny including typos, reaffirming what is on the candidate’s resume.