Following up on our recent post encouraging applicants not to write generic essays, let’s look at some ways to increase the likelihood that your essays will stick in the mind of admissions officers. Applicants commonly fret that they don’t have interesting or impactful stories to tell in their essays. In fact, most people’s lives are full of personal and professional growth stories that will support their applications if they can get past their modesty and the blindspot we all have about our own experiences and show alignment between their experiences, their strengths and weaknesses, and their future aspirations.
Bear in mind that you might be telling these personal stories in more general essays, such as a personal statement or statement of purpose, or in response to a specific question prompt. Below, we have listed six common experience areas and how you might tell a captivating personal story about each.
Undergraduate Studies
Four years of undergraduate education offer a rich array of personal experiences to draw from. Many people find examples of personal growth, accomplishments, and awards from this time and explain their formative value or impact on their life. Some applicants find that one or two specific instances during their studies – such as an internship, competition, or project success/failure – cemented their interest in their chosen major and career direction. For example, one recent client shared that his nursing internship revealed to him the power of correctly administering medication to patients, which motivated him to pursue a career in pharmaceuticals as a way to help people. Other applicants find that their undergraduate major motivates them to pursue a different career direction altogether. Another recent client told the story that her finance major had inspired her to pursue more creative work rather than making financial decisions, which sparked her desire to pursue an MS in Marketing.
Employment Gaps
There are many reasons why an applicant might have a gap in their employment. A health issue or family emergency is a perfectly justifiable cause for taking a break from work. Some applicants choose to highlight personal growth from these challenging situations, including stories of empathy, resilience, or gratitude for more time with their families, while others might choose to keep their explanation simple if they feel these experiences are too personal, finding different stories to feature. For those who lost or left a job and struggled to find new employment, rather than allowing this to sound like a deflating period of inactivity, see this as a chance to show that you were proactive in networking and building new skills. Finally, applicants who intentionally took a break to dedicate time to travel, passion projects, or enrichment studies might use this opportunity to showcase a growth mindset, individualism, or a diverse perspective.
Your Biggest Failure
Sharing stories of your biggest failure can feel both embarrassing and humbling, but the key to making them memorable and impactful is to focus on lessons learned, the growth you experienced, and how this continues to influence you today. By taking this honest approach, you can demonstrate that you possess a growth mindset, resilience, and/or empathy for others who encounter failures. In personal statements and statements of purpose, some applicants choose to use a narrative writing approach, opening the essay with a flashback story of personal feelings surrounding a failure that reveals something important about the writer. Beyond essays, questions about failures also frequently pop up in graduate school interviews, so it’s a good idea to be prepared to talk about an especially challenging mistake or failure in case you encounter this topic.
Leadership
Leadership questions very often cause applicants to feel that they don’t have an impressive experience to share because most people think leadership experience = people management. Of course, a successful team or project leadership example is a fantastic way to illustrate one’s leadership abilities. However, leadership can be demonstrated in several other ways as well. Read this sentence twice: people management is not the only form of leadership. Other examples of leadership can include things like stepping into a leading role even if you don’t have the biggest job title on the team, taking initiative to solve a problem that’s slowing your team down, volunteering to learn a new skill and then sharing it with colleagues, mentoring junior team members, becoming a thought leader or specialist, building SOPs that make it easier for others to do their jobs, and more. When others recognize your efforts or expertise in these situations, it legitimizes your leadership.
Diversity & Inclusion
Increasingly, universities are considering applicants’ values when evaluating their potential to fit in their campus culture and, later, as a barometer for leadership in the modern workplace. Telling a story related to diversity & inclusion is an ideal way to demonstrate your personal philosophies, values, or leadership style. Standing up for a marginalized person or group in the company, working to help international students feel comfortable at school, starting a club related to a social cause, or volunteering to teach or mentor underprivileged students are just a few of the ways that you might have exhibited inclusivity as one of your core values.
Professional Experience
It may sound obvious that your career ought to offer up plenty of stories that will vibrantly bring to life your qualifications and potential for success, yet many people struggle to point to landmark moments or achievements with which to persuade the admissions committee of their readiness for advanced study and ability to contribute. If you do have clear career growth or changes to guide your essays, be sure that those stories bring your growth and strengths to the forefront. If you aren’t feeling confident that you have a standout story or experience, take some time to examine your strengths and your motivation for studying your target degree. This thought exercise may uncover realizations of your motivation, reminders of personal growth, as well as the areas in which you hope to grow through your desired degree. For example, some applicants can recall a project that triggered their desire to pursue an MBA. Sometimes these projects exposed a failure or knowledge gap, but often the projects were successful but left the person feeling unfulfilled. If you look closely and ask yourself the right questions, you’ll surely uncover some story-worthy experiences to fill your essays with.
Conclusion
Essay writing is time-consuming and sometimes frustrating. But identifying valuable personal experiences to share doesn’t have to be as arduous as you think. Take the time to assess turning points in your education and career that can become the stories that will bring your profile to life in a way that the admissions committee is sure to remember.