Many universities stress their desire to recruit well-rounded applicants to fill up their classes. For example, the Northwestern Kellogg admissions page tells us that:
We value individuals who:
- Approach business problems with a mix of hard and soft skills
- Seek to adapt to the evolving business world with open curiosity and innovation
- Believe in strong, empathetic collaboration as a way to strengthen work, perspectives and outcomes
- Embrace the power of diversity in your teams and networks
What we look for:
- Intellectual ability
- Work experience
- Professional goals
- Leadership
- Impact
- Interpersonal skills
Ultimately, the admissions committee will make admission/rejection decisions based on whether applicants fulfill the majority of these requirements.
Therefore, when submitting an undergraduate or graduate school application it is important to: a) clearly understand the criteria and attributes schools/programs are looking for and then b) craft an application strategy demonstrating that you possess many of those attributes.
Repetition is Natural
When working with our Start-to-Finish Consulting clients we often find that while getting to know them during the self-exploratory phase, many focus excessively on core strengths. Most or all of the stories they put forth for essays or interview responses touch on a recurring set of skills and achievements.
For instance, an applicant in a sales/business development role might pinpoint a few examples where they stimulated product demand and developed new account pipelines. While that’s a great start, they probably also have valuable stories involving exceptional client and customer management. In other words, they have strong communication and interpersonal abilities. These points would probably:
- Appear in their resume
- Figure prominently in one or more essays
- Show up in the recommendation letter
- Be used for certain interview answers
Due to such repetition, the person will easily convince Northwestern Kellogg that they have prodigious interpersonal and soft skills. However, they may have neglected to demonstrate other important criteria the school is seeking, like complementary hard skills, leadership potential, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to adapt with innovation. Another thing that applicants sometimes struggle with is essays about personal weaknesses or failures, as they tend to focus on achievements and strengths rather than a growth mindset built by overcoming challenges.
Do a Personal SWOT Analysis
While you need not be a “perfect 10” in every category the admissions committee is looking for, it is imperative to emphasize that you are not one-dimensional. You must appear to be versatile by showing that you also have experiences that correspond to other abilities on the school’s criteria list.
We recommend doing a personal SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis to assess different elements of your background that can be used to develop a well-rounded application strategy. Here is an approach to getting started with your personal SWOT analysis:
Strengths
- What advantages and value can you demonstrate that others cannot exhibit (think professional, academic, life experiences or skills)?
- What personal resources can you access?
- Which of your achievements are you most proud of?
Weaknesses
- What tasks do you usually avoid because you don’t feel confident doing them?
- What will the people around you see as your weaknesses?
- What are your negative work habits?
Opportunities
- What new technology can help you?
- Do you have a network of contacts to offer good advice?
- What trends do you see in your company or industry, and how can you take advantage of them?
- Are any of your competitors failing to do something important? How can you take advantage of their mistakes?
Threats
- What obstacles do you currently face at school or work?
- Are any of your colleagues competing with you for projects or roles?
- Does changing technology threaten your position?
- Could any of your weaknesses lead to threats?
A systematic approach like this will enable you to identify experiences, ideas, skills, and stories that will round out your application.
When it’s all said and done, you should put forth the stories that portray your key strengths in the essays. However, it will pay dividends to consider how other secondary skills and experiences can be strategically allocated across other areas of the application, such as the resume, short answer questions, video essays, or certain interview questions.
[Conclusion]
Crafting a well-rounded application takes dedicated planning and a concerted effort. If you are interested in learning how our strategic approach can help you develop a holistic application strategy feel free to check out our consulting services.