"What makes you unique is not that you have had these life-altering
experiences, but rather how and why your perspective has changed or
been reinforced as a result of those and other everyday experiences.
That is a story that only you can tell. If you concentrate your efforts
on telling us who you are, differentiation will occur naturally; if
your goal is to appear unique, you may achieve the opposite effect." So wrote Derek Bolton, Assistant Dean and Director of Stanford GSB
Admissions, in his most recent and excellent monthly column, "The
Director’s Corner," for Stanford’s MBA Admissions Newsletter.
I have read many application essays where the author aimed for
distinctiveness and failed miserably to achieve it, just as Mr. Bolton
says. These applicants usually wrote in clichés, aimed to impress, and
hid their story, values, and personality behind a façade of imaginary
“diversity.” The authors of these essays probably attempted to write
what they thought the adcom wanted to read – always a terrible mistake.
I have also read essays where the author aimed to tell his or
her story honestly and still blended into the mass of applicants.
Applying to professional schools, they felt they had to focus
exclusively on work or activities directly related to their
professional goals. Or they wrote on a superficial plain and left out
the details that would have made their essays and personal statements
unique. They ignored the role that distinctiveness plays in the
admissions process. Also a blunder.
Your challenge is manifold. As Mr. Bolton advises, applicants
need to tell their story with self-reflection and honesty. But if you
have lived 20+ years and have only several hundred words to portray
your life, you also have to choose which parts of your story to tell.
Are you going to discuss your Little League experience? Your
participation on your college’s swim team? Your work? Given that you
have multiple ways to answer a question, how should you choose which
experiences to write about?
Answer: Highlight those experiences that are most important to you and most distinctive about you.
If you have unusual experiences that answer the questions and
reflect what is important to you, write about them and their impact on
you. If your formative experiences are more common, then
distinctiveness will have to come from the details you provide and from
your insight into those experiences.
“Telling your story” is certainly necessary for writing a good
personal statement or application essay. If that’s where the advice
ends, however, it is insufficient guidance. Uniqueness and authenticity
should be parallel goals as you draft your essays and personal
statements. In fact, ignoring distinctiveness can be dangerous to the
success of your application. Furthermore the uniqueness of your
application is not strictly a by-product of sincerity. It reflects
conscious choices you must make as you tell your story.
For more advice on writing with distinctiveness and integrity:
“The Devil is in the Details”
“What if Somebody Doesn’t Like My Cause?”
“The Worst Question”
“Admissions: Checklist of Mosaic”
If you would like the guidance and support of experienced
editors in helping you write about your distinctive experiences and
develop your essays, Accepted.com is here to help. We offer a range of services tailored just for your needs.
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About The Author
Linda Abraham, Accepted.com's
founder and president, has helped thousands of applicants develop
successful admissions strategies and craft distinctive essays. In
addition to advising clients and managing Accepted.com,
she has written and lectured extensively on admissions. The Wall St.
Journal, The New York Times, and BusinessWeek are among the
publications that have sought Linda's expertise.
Reprint of this article is only permitted when reprinted in its entirety with the above bio.
onlinesupport@accepted.com
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This article was posted on January 31, 2005
