Create a powerful brand for yourself before you apply
Successful business people know that managing their brands is key to their effectiveness, which is also true for MBA applicants who want to stand out from the crowd. The first step in creating a standout application is to create a powerful brand for yourself. What are your key strengths and qualities? What are your career strengths? What are your academic strengths? Take a look at your CV and select the experiences and strengths that are the most relevant and strongest for you. What makes you stand out from the crowd? What makes you different from your peers? What do you want the admissions officers to see and remember about you?
Before You Write: Know Your Goals and Audience
Before you begin, you must know your goals in applying to business school and your intended audience. A critical part of the admissions process is knowing which schools to apply to. How many schools should you apply to? That depends on several factors, including your GPA, GMAT score, work experience, financial situation, and goals and aspirations. It is good to apply to many schools because you don’t know which ones will accept you.
Knowing your intended audience will help you determine what to write about, what style to write in, and how to present yourself. For example, if you want to go to a top program in the US, you will compete with many other applicants worldwide. A common way to stand out from the crowd is to highlight an uncommon experience or characteristic. For example, suppose you are applying to a top US program. In that case, you might want to write about an experience or characteristic common in your country but rare in the US, for example, an experience living in poverty or being the child of immigrants.