Striking the Perfect Tone: Part II
By Jeremy Dann
Striking the right balance between confidence and humility is definitely one of the critical challenges you will face in crafting your b-school essays and in delivering answers to admissions interviewers. No one likes a blowhard…but, hey, no one else is going to “toot your horn” in your application.
Some applicants face a dilemma in how expert to paint themselves in their field. It is, indeed, critical to portray yourself as someone from whom your classmates can learn. Many business schools are case study-oriented; the quality of the education is essentially determined by the content the students contribute in the classroom. Additionally, “off-line” conversations are a huge part of the learning process for both academic subjects as well as issues related to career choices.
However, the “I’ve seen it all approach” is definitely not something the b-schools are looking for from their typical 25 to 30 year old applicant. Even as you highlight the fascinating experiences you’ve had and the cutting-edge knowledge you possess, make sure you take careful stock of what you want to learn, both in the classroom and from your fellow students. The people who take best advantage of business schools are people who come in with a high level of curiosity, a willingness to be a sponge.
In short, the appropriate balance is struck when you have a developed and detailed awareness of what you have to teach and what you have to learn. You have a willingness and an ability to share your knowledge with others (which is very different from just having knowledge) and will be an active seeker of other’s knowledge.
It’s also important that folks who come from positions and industries lacking that “glamour” factor don’t downplay their accomplishments. Certain high profile investment banks and consulting firms are definitely the main “feeder” companies to American business schools, but it is often the people who come from less well-represented areas that have the most to teach the section or study group. When I entered business school in 1996, the top professional firms were definitely viewed as the place to be, but by the time I left in the late-90s, we all realized that people who had started the humblest of small businesses had a lot to teach us about potential entrepreneurial career paths. You may have run a T-shirt shack. Or conducted accounting audits for sketchy firms. Or monitored quality control at a Senegalese ball bearing plant. Rest assured, you do have valuable things to teach your classmates. The trick comes in smartly thinking through what those lessons are and showing you have an unusual perspective on them
