{"id":6547,"date":"2019-08-08T09:48:18","date_gmt":"2019-08-08T13:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/admissions\/?p=6547"},"modified":"2019-08-08T10:16:25","modified_gmt":"2019-08-08T14:16:25","slug":"advancing-your-narrative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/admissions\/2019\/08\/08\/advancing-your-narrative\/","title":{"rendered":"Advancing Your Narrative: Admissions Committee Highlights Short Answer Insights"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Admissions Committee members, we are often asked, “What makes an application memorable?” There are many answers to this question, but don\u2019t overlook the impact of well-crafted short answer responses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For many on our Committee, the short answer questions are our favorite part of the application. Why? For one, these questions are our first opportunity to get a sense of your voice and personality. What role will you have on a Learning Team? Who will you be in a classroom? How will you relate to your peers?<\/em> The answers to these questions largely begin with our short answer questions. We choose to ask multiple questions, rather than one long essay, in order to get a broader sense of just who you are and who you will be in our community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Applicants often worry about choosing the \u201cright\u201d example or story when crafting their short answer responses. This tends to lead to fairly neutral, largely unmemorable writing. Consider this: There is no \u201cright\u201d example, but there is definitely a \u201cbest\u201d example.<\/strong> And just what is the \u201cbest\u201d example? It\u2019s the one that aligns with the personal narrative you\u2019re advancing through your application materials.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While you could choose to think of the application process as a data dump, we encourage you to think of it as a story-telling exercise<\/strong>. As we\u2019ve noted before, evaluate your application as our Committee will: Holistically. How do all the pieces fit together? What are the key takeways? What would someone think of you based upon the information provided here?<\/em> An effective application is one that leaves our Admissions Committee thinking: \u201cThis is someone we want to learn more about,\u201d which, of course, is where our interview comes in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our short answer questions are an opportunity for you to begin to define and distinguish yourself from the broader applicant pool. Make the most of it. When drafting your answers, don\u2019t think about us – Think about YOU. What do you want us to know about you? Given our word limits (all of our short answer questions are 200 words or less), you can\u2019t share everything, but you can prioritize what\u2019s most important.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While there is a tendency for MBA applicants to focus their emotional energy on test scores and transcripts, don\u2019t dismiss the short answer questions. Give yourself the time to craft great responses. Brainstorm. Prewrite. Ask a friend to read your drafts. Be authentic. Be bold. But most importantly, be YOU. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Admissions Committee members, we are often asked, “What makes an application memorable?” There are many answers to this question, but don\u2019t overlook the impact of well-crafted short answer responses.\u00a0 For many on our Committee, the short answer questions are our favorite part of the application. Why? For one, these questions are our first opportunity […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":6548,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4790,79539],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-admissions-2","category-application-tips","post_format-post-format-image"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDiscover Darden : Advancing Your Narrative: Admissions Committee Highlights Short Answer Insights -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"August 8, 2019 As Admissions Committee members, we are often asked, "What makes an application memorable?" 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