Should you complete the optional essay on your MBA application?

If you’re just beginning to work on your MBA admissions essays, you’re likely filled with a combination of trepidation and optimism.

That makes perfect sense.

After all, there’s a lot riding on those words; your GMAT score is only a foot in the door, and your CV will prompt admissions officers to take another look. But once you’ve got their attention, your MBA essay can make all the difference between an interview request and the dreaded rejection letter. Writing the optional essay for MBA applications might seem unnecessary, but it can be used to your advantage. Your essay may convince business schools that you’re a worthy applicant, and encourage them to give you a seat.

So, should you complete that optional MBA essay?

Shouldn’t you make sure you do all you can to demonstrate your strong candidacy?

Unfortunately, this is another one of those blurry spots in the application process that you’ve got to consider quite carefully; there’s no blanket answer that works for everyone. On the other hand, there are a few guidelines you can use to help you decide whether to complete the optional MBA essay.

When to complete the optional MBA essay question

The optional MBA essay is your chance to explain any discrepancies in your application. If you’ve got a perfectly clean CV that you’re proud of and a GMAT to die for, then you probably don’t need to complete the optional essay. (Feel free to exhale now.)

How should you answer the optional MBA essay?

The optional essay is there for you to acknowledge the gaps in your application and to provide additional information to avoid lingering questions. You can’t assume that you’ll have a chance to clarify a gap when you get to the interview phase – you won’t get the invitation to speak if they can’t make heads or tails of your application.

Your MBA essay is not a place for emotion, however.

For example, if your final semester as an undergrad was marked by terrible grades that brought down your entire GPA, you want to let the admissions committee know why. If your dog was sick or you were consumed by your job search, say so in your MBA essay; whatever the reason, take responsibility for it.

What do admission committees want to see in an optional essay?

Any applicant completing an optional MBA essay should keep it as short and to the point as humanly possible.

It may not feel like an essay at all. If you only need two or three sentences to get your point across, then do so. Never expound because you think it’s too short; it’s not.

And, don’t tell the admission committees how they should look at it or feel about it. Indeed, you shouldn’t even mention how you feel about it. You should, however, explain what you learned from the experience and how it shaped you as a human being or a business leader.

Want more Study Abroad advice?

Making the decision to study a masters abroad is a big deal. Sign up here to get help from preparation to graduation.