Once again this year, the Stanford GSB has an “optional” assignment as part of their MBA application: Write up to three statements of how you’ve made an impact in some area of your life.
There are many questions of strategy that must go into your decisions of what to write about. The first one which we hope is obvious: Don’t skip out on this opportunity! You’ll really want to consider including at least one solid story in response to this “optional” question. Same thing with the other “optional” question on how your background influenced your participation. That one might even be more important! Provided you have a good story to offer up, of course.
We go into much more detail on these two “optional” questions and the other Stanford essays in the SnarkStrategies Guide to the Stanford MBA Application however today we thought we’d offer up a few ideas today gleaned from all the years we’ve done this and the many, many attempts at “impact” stories we’ve seen from the huge numbers of BSers who’ve gone before.
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Another excellent resource if you’re struggling to choose between possible stories and are looking to learn how to craft your example in the strongest way is our Accomplishments & Achievements App Accelerator.
And of course you can get your “impact” stories reviewed if you go for the standard full-set Essay Decimator! Along with your Stanford “matters most” and “why Stanford” and the other optional question too.
There’s great potential to really show the GSB who you are through these application requirements. No matter what, you’ll come out the other side feeling proud of the work you’ve done and quite likely, you’ll have gained new self-awareness and personal understanding from the experience as well! Check out our Stanford MBA Essay Questions page for a list of essay critiques on these challenging essays if you’re looking to study more before you tackle your project.
UPDATE! WE DID A SIMILAR POST FOR HARVARD’S MBA ESSAY THIS WEEK TOO!
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