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Leading MBA Admissions and Master's Consultant

Storytelling Tips: Exaggerate the Opening Line (MBA Essays)

The opening line for Franklin D Roosevelt's Dec 1941 speech that led the United States to World War II, didn’t start in the form that we know now.

Roosevelt began his draft in a formal written format, "Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 - a date which will live in world history, the United States of America was simultaneously and deliberately attacked by Naval and Air forces of the Empire of Japan without warning."

Commentary: PTSD (Stanford GSB MBA What Matters Essay)

PTSD in Veterans is a delicate theme. You must sensitively address the problem by personalizing the experience. 

For the essay, the applicant’s legacy of coming from a military family brings authenticity to his motivation.

He didn’t pursue his family’s legacy. Instead, he had a traditional design role in a Technology company. But the essay is not about his professional journey. 

Commentary: Inflation (Stanford GSB MBA What Matters Essay)

If you are an international applicant tackling a cause that is local to your country or the country where you resided before moving to the US, the What Matters Essay is an opportunity to educate the admissions team about the problem, your connection with the cause, and the plan to overcome the problem.

This narrative style works if your post-MBA goals or the Why Stanford MBA essay includes a plan to return to your home country in 3-4 years. Ideally, the problem should have been in the news cycle of international publications. 

Commentary: Mental Health (Stanford GSB MBA What Matters Essay)

Whenever you cover negative and downbeat themes, piling on to the trauma narrative is counterproductive. At some point in your essay, preferably by the last one-third of the essay, the style should shift to a silver lining or a trend that is uplifting.

By the 2nd half of the essay, the focus should be on a solution that you have worked on or the steps that address the beneficiary in some form.

Commentary: Privilege (Stanford GSB MBA What Matters Essay)

Talking about privilege is tricky. The tone of the essay can turn preachy or one-sided. These are the worst kind of narratives.

Preachy works sometimes when the subject matter is closely tied to the identity of the applicant. 

For example, an applicant displaced by war preaches about politics, incentives of warmongers, and how the world should be; it doesn’t come across as the applicant advising the admissions team. 

Commentary: Generative AI & Checks Against Bias (Stanford GSB MBA What Matters Essay)

To pull off this kind of an opener for Stanford, you must be from the same ethnicity the statement highlights

Stanford is highly cautious of provocateurs from both the left and right or someone with biases against other races and nationalities. 

The applicant starts with a controversial conclusion that an AI generative tool reached about African American fathers. 

About Atul Jose

I am Atul Jose - Author and Consultant. 

Most of my work over the past 15 years can be found at F1GMAT, where I guide applicants with tips on writing persuasive essays and help them shortlist the right post-MBA career and schools. 

I am the author of the Winning MBA Essay Guide, MBA Research Guide, and MBA Admissions Interview Guide, in addition to Mastering GMAT Critical Reasoning and Essential GMAT Reading Comprehension Guide.

You can purchase the books through F1GMAT's Store

For Consulting and application-related help in Master's and MBA Admissions, use F1GMAT's Contact Form to reach me

Why I started a Blog

Through my blog, I hope to share concepts & ideas on writing that works in any admission or job application.

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