To maximize your chances of success, you must create an application that
satisfies the needs of the school to which you are applying. This does not
mean that you create an application out of whole cloth, but it does mean
that you organize and present your experiences in a way that depicts you
in the most favorable light.
Most of the questions you will be asked need only short answers, for
example, "Did you work while you were in school?", "What clubs did you
join?," and "What honors or awards did you receive?" You don't have
much room to maneuver here. But you should try to communicate as
much information as possible in your short answers. Compare the
following pairs of descriptions:
Good
Better
Member of the college orchestra
Second violinist of the college orchestra
Played intramural volleyball
Co-captain of the Phi Kappa volleyball team
Member of the Associate Dean's
Committee on Student Life
One of three members on the Associate
Dean's Committee on Student Life
Worked at Billy's Burger Barn
Assistant manager at Billy's Burger Barn (25
hours/week)
In addition to the short answer questions, most applications invite you to
make a personal statement. Some applications ask for very little, for
example, "In a paragraph explain to us why you want to go to business
school." Other applications are open-ended: "On a separate sheet of
paper, tell us anything else you think we ought to know about you." The
point of the question is to give you the opportunity to give the admissions
committee any information that might not be available from the GMAT
score, GPA, and short-answer questions.
For two reasons, you should consider the personal statement to be the
most important part of your application. First, the personal statement
should be your argument to the admissions committee for your
