Admissions officers perceive excuses as an attempt to sidestep responsibility for your actions. Of the utmost importance is providing an explanation, not an excuse.
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A handful of candidates to top tier MBA programs seem to have all the qualities to write their own ticketโfast-track career progression at a Fortune 500 company (or co-founder of an innovative tech firm), magna cum laude from a prestigious university, with perhaps an Olympic medal and impressive charitable work to boot. Most of us, however, have something in our background we imagine having to compensate for, or explain away.ย
Of the utmost importance is providing an explanation, not an excuse.
As former directors of admissions atย INSEAD, Wharton and other top business schools, our team at Fortuna Admissions has heard all the excuses:
- โMy GMAT doesnโt reflect my true academic ability.โ
- โI donโt have any extracurriculars because I work too hard.โ
- โI didnโt ask my boss for a recommendation because she wouldn’t have time to write it.โ
If all you can muster is a predictable excuse, it is better not to mention it at all.
Admissions officers perceive excuses as an attempt to sidestep responsibility for your actions. An explanation, on the other hand, affirms you have a past from which youโve learned and evolved, and the explanation can be followed up with what you have done since to put it right. In our conversations with MBA candidates, we discuss issues such as an awkward career gap, a less-than-stellar GPA, or a complex relationship with your boss. Hereโs some advice related to many of the most frequent concerns we hear:
- Respect the intelligence of your audience. Donโt show your arrogance by thinking you can conceal the issue, but at the same time donโt get too intimidated, which leads to being needlessly defensive. Sincere and straightforward works best.
- Donโt make a big song and dance about it If itโs a small thing. Use the optional essay for anything you think an admissions committee needs to know, but donโt squander valuable real estate in your essays elaborating on why binge drinking in college was a bad idea. The optional essay is a good place to explain, but use it for significant issues and demonstrate your learning.
If all you can muster is a predictable excuse, it is better not to mention it at all.
- Donโt sweep it under the carpet. If there is a gap in your resume, itโll be obvious to your file reader. Any gaps could be interpreted in the worst possible way if you donโt explain yourself. So be direct and convey how you put that time to good use.
- If you were ill when you took the GMAT, please donโt go into details. Focus on how you are going to boost your score between now and the admissions deadline.
- One B minus or C in your college career will not deny you admission to business school, so thereโs no need to write an optional essay. If your overall GPA is below par, you can compensate with a strong GMAT or GRE score, or take a course to prove your quant ability. If there was an abiding reason your grades sufferedโa demanding part-time job that paid your school expenses, a family issueโprovide a brief, no-nonsense explanation, ideally underscoring your academic potential when you were able to focus on academics.
- If you sense that soliciting a recommendation from your direct supervisor will jeopardize your job situation, you may want to include a sentence citing this in your optional essay. Admissions officers are familiar with such situations but prefer to know why you made the decision rather than deducing it for themselves.
And finally, donโt over-worry about the one aspect of your application that falls shortโweโve all encountered setbacks along the way. Remember that admissions committees are looking for the whole picture. Give them the opportunity to place a weak point within the context of your other achievements and demonstrated potential.
Author:ย Caroline Diarte Edwards.ย Carolineย is a director at MBA admissions coaching firmย Fortuna Admissionsย and former Director of MBA Admissions at INSEAD.
Related Topics:
Presenting Your Academic Record In The MBA Application: GPA, GMAT & GRE
Self-Reflection And How To Position Your MBA Candidacy
Going To Business School With A Family
How To Convey A Powerful Career Vision In Your MBA Application
