When b-school admission is at stake, everyone likes to highlight their strengths, accomplishments and successes. Then again, if all candidates offer success stories, how do you stand out? Use not only your strengths, but also your weaknesses
Here is some information on how exactly you can use your failures in an essay:
Show you’re aware of them
Admission boards look for self-aware candidates. If you have an experience of failure, you can use it to show that you can be aware of a mistake, analyze it and make some conclusions.
There’s no better way to show your awareness than mentioning an example of a past failure and analyzing it thoroughly.
Take responsibility
No matter what your mistake was, don’t try to ascribe blame for it to other people. Behave like an adult and acknowledge your own failure, even if it’s difficult. It will show your ability to be responsible and not to hide from your weaknesses.
Show what experience you’ve gained
You should talk about the lessons you have derived from your failure experience. Don’t forget to show how it influenced your way of thinking and your methods of problem solving.
Use one of your mistakes to show how you’ve grown after it and how you solved it like a leader.
Show that you’re a grown-up
Drawbacks should be dealt with maturely, which includes everything we’ve already mentioned – awareness, taking on responsibility, learning the right lessons.
Laugh at yourself
Excellent candidates with no flaws and no past failures still leave one huge problem for admission boards, namely, the question of how this person would behave if something bad happens. What would be their reaction to failure, if it’s a thing unknown to them?
If you are such an excellent candidate, be sure to laugh at yourself. This will show everybody that you aren’t a stick in the mud and can talk about your weaknesses with a sense of humour.
Make you essay an underdog story
Turnaround stories with twist endings and an ultimate success story make solid application material. Everybody likes an underdog story with a happy ending.
If you tell the admissions board about a big mistake of yours that you learned how to amend, and what life lessons you have gained from the experience, it will be a perfect way to show that you have all the leadership qualities a business school student should have.
Be wise to choose only the mistakes that matter. Don’t try to use stories from your childhood, like breaking a neighbor’s window with your ball. Use more serious stuff.
If you use one of your big failures for your essay, it may pay off in a great way, but it is also very risky. Ask a professional or an admissions consultant to revise your essay to make sure your story holds water.
Remember that talking about your failures is one of the most original ways to write an essay: everybody tends to talk only about their successes. If you are a very strong candidate with great GPA marks, GMAT results and working experience, it’s vital to mention some weakness so that you don’t look too perfect.
You don’t have to make your application about mistakes only: just include one of these stories as proof that you have learned how to be aware, mature and a leader.
Thus, a wisely used mistake can help you be successful. But don’t forget to use professional help with your essay!
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