Consider this profile of a business school applicant:
3.7 GPA from Duke
730 GMAT
3 years in investment banking at Goldman Sachs
YMCA Young Adult Board Member
On the surface, most would agree that this sounds like a great applicant. And, she is a great applicant – solid essays, strong recommendations, a polished presentation in her interview. The only problem is that she is competing against all of her fellow all-star Goldman analysts, as well as analysts at other top banks.

Top schools are seeking diversity. No matter how excellent, they will not accept all candidates with similar profiles. If you are in this boat, one question weighing on your mind is probably how to set yourself apart from the rest of the talent in the applicant pool. Fortunately, because the essays play an important role in this process, the resume is just the beginning. In your essays you have a great opportunity to let your unique voice come through and demonstrate how you are different from your competition. It is these details that can really make a difference for you.

You may have the same basic job description as many others, but what did you do with that job? Were you promoted? How did you find better ways to accomplish tasks? Did you act as a mentor? Were you a leader? Did you propose great ideas? How did you gain the respect of others?

Setting yourself apart does not mean learning to play the piano with one hand. Examples that may feel less than extraordinary to you can actually provide the admissions committee with evidence of your excellence. One client, working as a strategy consultant, could not fit traditional volunteer work into his crazy travel schedule. He took it upon himself to reach out to his alma mater’s career center and offer to be a unique resource to those interested in a consulting career. He ended up giving back from a distance, on his own hours, but in a very significant way. He is currently at Wharton.

When thinking about how to differentiate, don’t get frustrated if you do not have a building named after you, or if you have not won an Olympic medal. Excellence can come in smaller packages, and these small examples are the best way to showcase your individuality and unique contributions.

Wharton Question 1:
Describe your career progress to date and your future short-term and long-term career goals. How do you expect an MBA from Wharton to help you achieve these goals and why now?
Kellogg Question 1:
Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at the Kellogg School.
Harvard Question 6:
What are your career aspirations and how can an MBA help you to reach them? Why now?
Columbia Question 1:
What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals?

All of these questions ask for the same general information, and yet all of them are very specific regarding what they want to know. Most questions in the career goals/why MBA category have several parts to them. Consider the Wharton question above: five questions in one.
1) Describe your career progress to date
2) Describe your future short term goals
3) Describe your future long term goals
4) How do you expect an MBA from Wharton to help you achieve these goals
5) Why now

The seemingly obvious rule of answering all parts of the question is often overlooked. In fact, I rarely read a Wharton draft that clearly answers, “Why now?”. On the flip side, I frequently review Harvard drafts that spend far too much time explaining, “Why Harvard”. Harvard asks why you want an MBA, but not specifically from Harvard.

A far too easy way to lose points on these essays is to not follow directions. When you neglect to answer parts of the question or when you answer pieces that are not there, you are not providing the information that is specifically being requested. Big mistake. Resist your urge to recycle identical essays from school to school (admissions can tell when you do that!) and make sure that you are tailoring your answers to the question being asked. As you approach an essay question, go through this simple exercise: break down the question as I have above. As you formulate ideas for the essay, check off which portion of the question is being answered. Make sure all parts are checked off in the end, and if your answer does not tie to the specific question, leave it out!

As my clients are cranking out their initial essay drafts, many of them are contacting me a bit upset over the word limits being imposed on them. They insist that they are not even halfway finished, but they have completely run out of words. “It’s just not possible to describe my three most substantial experiences in only 600 words!”

My advice is to forget about word count and just write the essay. Focus on getting your content together and making sure that it is very strong. Once your content is there, you would be surprised at how easy it is to cut words. Most of us tend to be extremely verbose. You can frequently keep every important point, but just articulate with far fewer words. You also may be forced to consider which pieces of your story are truly pertinent to answering the question. You would be surprised how easy it is to start telling your story and ramble off of topic. Carefully examine each piece of your essay and make sure that it is really, truly relevant, as opposed to miscellaneous background information.

Finally, do you really have to strictly adhere to word count limits? The general rule of thumb is to stay within 10%. Don’t worry if you go a bit over, but much more than that and you are simply not following directions.

The most important part of the application: is it the GMAT, school transcripts, essays, interview, recs, resume…or something else completely? Ask most admissions committee members and they will tell you – it’s the sum of many parts – there is no one “most important” piece. I have heard it said that the most important part is your weakest part – in other words – everything matters. And that one weakness could throw your carefully prepared application off completely.

Your numbers can help push you into the consideration set. While a 600 GMAT or a 2.7 GPA may raise red flags at a school like Wharton, a 700 and a 3.5 make you a comfortable, reasonable applicant. However, your numbers cannot get you in. Average or above average numbers will not push you over the edge at a top school. Even a 800 and a 4.0 can meet rejection.

While it is hard to assign “most important” status to any one component, I will tell you that while strong essays, recommendations and interview can compensate for low numbers, the reverse is not true. Strong numbers will never compensate for weak written materials.

So, which component is most important? I doubt that any admissions committee would formally back me up, but I would have to cast my vote for essays. The essays are where they get to know you. It’s where you reveal why you want to attend and differentiate yourself from all of the other 700′s in the pool (and there are plenty of them!). The essays are your opportunity to present your strengths, explain your weaknesses and generally convince them that they want you in their class.

Everyone knows, in theory, that you need to fill your applications with colorful and interesting examples. But if everyone knows, why is the number one comment I make upon reading essays and letters of recommendation and conducting mock interviews – “Where are the examples?”

An essay that claims that you are a great leader, innovator or team player may sound interesting. But it also sounds like you read the “how to get into b-school” book. Unless you can back up all of these claims, they are just empty claims. The best way to convey your excellence is not through stating it, but through proving it with examples.

Many of my clients start out thinking that they have not done anything that will really stand out. They have read friends’ essays and do not think that they have material that is nearly as impressive. However, as we discuss their background, we inevitably find interesting examples. Last year, one of my clients was stumped. He needed a good story for HBS question 1: “Describe a significant change that you brought about in an organization and its impact on your development as a leader. ” The example that we came up with was about revamping a monthly report at work. Not exactly a “save the world” kind of example. However, once written, it showed initiative, a desire to challenge the status quo and an ability to execute and infuence others. He also was able to articulate very specifically how it impacted the organization and helped him grow personally. Result – he is going to HBS this year.

So, as you brainstorm examples for this year’s apps, remember that even a simple example can be extremely effective. And without an example, it is almost worth not making a claim.

Many schools will ask you or your recommenders, or both, to discuss weaknesses or areas for improvement. This can be difficult because you are walking the fine line between being honest and exposing too much. Here, as in the rest of the application, honest introspection can lead to the best answers. There are as many valid weaknesses and developmental needs as there are people. However, there are some approaches that are overused and ineffective, and just don’t work. The following summarizes the top four “bad ways to address the weakness question.”:

1) A weakness that is really a strength: “I am a perfectionist who works too hard to get everything right.”
2) A weakness that you have already addressed: “Jason was a poor public speaker, but after discussing this with him, he joined a public speaking club, read several books on the subject, and worked hard to improve. Since then, he has become one of the strongest speakers in the company”.
3) A claim that you have no weaknesses.
4) A weakness that will be cured with an MBA: “My biggest weakness is my need for formal finance training. An MBA from Stanford will definitely resolve this issue.”

While claiming that the weakness is cured does not answer the question effectively, showing that you are aware of it and working to address it is fair. Returning to the public speaing example above: “Jason’s public speaking skills can be improved upon. He and I discussed this a couple of months ago and I was impressed that his response was to join a public speaking club. He is now President of the Club and his skills are steadily improving.”

This is one of the most difficult questions to answer because of a fear of being too honest, but true self awareness is critical to success in MBA admissions. Trying to come off as perfect may actually be a window to your greatest flaw.