A general rule of thumb is this: Unless the problem has negatively impacted you in some way relevant to the application process, it may not need to be brought up at all. Ask yourself, Why am I telling the admissions officers this story? What's my point? You don't have to bring to the attention of the admissions board every misfortune or mishap you've experienced, even if its effect on you was quite dramatic.
Here's an example of a situation that doesn't warrant an explanation or even a mention in the application. A friend of mine put himself through school and held down two part-time jobs while attending college full-time. While this could have conceivably made it more difficult for him to dedicate time to his studies, his grades did not suffer as a result of these jobs. There is consequently no weakness to address and no excuse to be given. He could have mentioned this in the personal statement as evidence of his focus and determination, but it might have sounded lame.
Another friend of mine suffered through her mother's battle with cancer while attending an Ivy League college. Her mother passed away when my friend was a sophomore. Years later, when she applied to graduate school, she didn't focus on this. Why? She got straight A's, graduated with the highest of honors, and received good scores. She had moved on. She did not have excuses, although she did have adversity. There is a difference.
Hold on, you say. That there has the making of a great essay! And you would be right. While you could use this topic for a personal statement, as an added value it would be better-positioned front and center as a main essay. This story is so rich that she could have used it in response to a question about unique qualities or achievements, or even a question about a person you admire or three people with whom you would most like to have dinner.
Now, if this friend had received bad grades, it'd be a different story. In that scenario, I would advise that she (1) write about the loss of her mother as a main essay with a theme of triumph over adversity and (2) in a straightforward and confident tone, use the personal statement to explain why her grades were bad and why her academic performance would be different at business school. Each of these essays would support and reinforce the other.
Circumstances and Weaknesses Commonly Addressed in Business School Personal Statements:
- Acts of God (flood, fire, accidents)
- Bad grades
- Low GMAT score (overall, math, or verbal)
- Test anxiety
- Learning disability
- Handicap
- Multiple college transcripts/on-and-off attendance
- Birth of a child
- Illness (physical or mental)
- Death or loss
- Divorce or marriage
- Family problems
- Financial hardship
- Job loss
- Lack of career progress/promotions
Now we'll go one step further and advise you in more detail on how to craft your personal statement to address the most common concerns.
Pink Slips: In this brutal economy, b-schools know that seamless resumes are a relic of the past. Many applicants may have lost not one, but two or more jobs, particularly those who have transitioned through the dot.com era; some never even secured that first job out of school. Don't worry, though; you won't automatically be penalized for a spotty resume, as long as you fill in the gaps. You won't be blamed for layoffs, and you won't be blamed for the fact that the company failed.
In order to properly address this issue in the personal statement, you'll want to share the circumstances of your departure, but avoid providing too much detail. Play up what you learned and focus on any other positive details of your experience at the company. Were you able to stay in a single industry and build upon your prior work experiences? Perhaps you were with an Internet startup that went bust. In this case, describe how you stayed at the helm to the bitter end, and focus on the leadership you demonstrated in so doing.
If you had to grab a paycheck, be honest. Don't communicate self-blame or embarrassment. Again, put it in the context of what you learned. Talk about how you used each job to acquire specific skills or contacts.
If you were fired due to work performance, that's okay; we've all been there, too. Use the suggestions above to write self-assuredly of your experience.
Bad Grades: If you were working two full-time jobs to pay for college, or were lettering in three sports, it's fairly obvious why your grades were a casualty. This is an understandable scenario. But perhaps you perceived college as just one long party, or you're a street-smart person who doesn't shine academically. Maybe you were just lazy, and getting by was good enough for you.
Whatever the case may have been then, you are marketing yourself now, so place yourself in the best possible light. Tell them you've left behind your partying and desultory ways. Demonstrate how in your current profession you have evolved into a highly motivated, capable, and hard-working professional. Focus on who you are today. Speak to your maturity and renewed commitment to academics.
You may also wish to provide concrete examples of academic excellence in other areas. If you scored high on the GMAT, mention it as evidence of your brainpower, but be subtle; your straight-C average and 90th percentile scores may really convince the committee you're a goof-off. Don't forget to stay in tight control of your message. Emphasize the fact that the great GMAT score means you can handle the academic rigors ahead. And you're not goofing off anymore. Additional examples of academic success are courses or training programs you've taken in which you've excelled.
Bad Scores and Text Anxiety: It's okay to admit that you don't well do well on standardized tests. You won't be the first one to do so. You may even want to note that you took it twice to improve your score.
Whatever you do, don't whine on this one. Own up to the weakness and give the admissions officers plenty of reasons (with supporting evidence) to admit you anyway. Convince them you have the intellectual wherewithal to perform successfully in their program. Provide them with other professional and academic examples of your brainpower.
If your math score is weak, showcase your quantitative skills at your job and elsewhere; if your verbal score is poor, well then, you'd better submit essays that shine and provide other evidence of your outstanding verbal skills.
Learning Disability: This is a slippery slope. If a learning disability is the reason for poor academic performance, this is quite legitimate. But you may be alerting the committee to a weakness that is an inherent part of your makeup. You can't frame this as something you can move on from, so this may be one of those instances where you can make things worse. The admissions committee's main concern, after all, is that you can keep pace with your b-school peers and the volume of work.
It's hard to advise whether someone in this situation should admit to it on the application, even though it's the most legitimate of explanations. If you do, put the learning disability in the context of tenacity and hard work. Highlight any areas of academic excellence.
Here are some general recommendations for utilizing the personal statement to explain a weakness or a problem.
- Discuss problems in a forthright, straightforward manner.
- Don't make whiny, shopworn excuses. Have a legitimate point to make.
- Write confidently about your mistakes and weaknesses; don't hide behind shame. Rebut a weakness with a strength.
- Illustrate what you've learned and how you've moved on and recovered.
- Don't focus on yesterday. Talk about who you are today.
- Be positive. Emphasize that you are a can-do person.
- Don't get too intimate with the details. What works on Oprah is too personal for a b-school essay.
- Avoid sounding defensive, self-pitying, or self-absorbed. Showcase how you overcame adversity.
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