Essay Option One: Essay Option One – Principled Leadership: Georgetown McDonough places a strong emphasis on principled leadership, providing both curricular and co-curricular opportunities to strengthen your leadership skills. Describe a time when you have led a team in a professional environment to implement a new idea or process. What leadership characteristics did you utilize? What could you have done to be more effective? And most importantly, what skills will you be able to bring to the teams you lead at McDonough?
Essay Option Two: Hoyas for the Common Good: Georgetown McDonough embodies the ethos that people and organizations can and should contribute to the greater good. The admissions committee would like to better understand how you have demonstrated these values during uniquely challenging times. Describe a time where you have put the needs of others ahead of your own or ahead of the bottom line. We look forward to learning more about the challenge you faced, what unique characteristics you brought to that scenario, and what you learned from it.
Essay Option Three: The Georgetown Community - Georgetown McDonough is a diverse, global community. We look to understand the contribution that your personal background would make to our community. As appropriate, you may wish to address any obstacles or challenges you have overcome; any educational, familial, cultural, economic, and social experiences that have helped to shape your educational and professional goals; or how your background (e.g. first-generation student, resident outside the U.S.) or activities (e.g. community service and leadership) will contribute to our community.
First and foremost, I need to make one thing absolutely clear. There is no strategic advantage of selecting any one option out of these three. All of them will explore a particular aspect of your personality; hence, choose the one you are most comfortable with.
Option One: The secret of writing a great essay is to focus on the last sentence of the question – ‘And most importantly, what skills will you be able to bring to the teams you lead at McDonough?’ McDonough has plenty of student driven clubs that will help you to accomplish your professional and personal objectives. Moreover, you can lead your study group and be an active participant in classroom discussions. First, think objectively how you will lead any activity in the Georgetown campus. In order to do so, you need to have in-depth knowledge about the program and the community. Thereafter, imagine the kind of skills you would need to lead such activities both inside and outside the classroom. Finally, zero down on a leadership story from your professional career that illustrates such skills.
Option Two: In case you do have a compelling story to demonstrate that you have put your interest in the back burner and served the interest of someone else, it will be a fascinating story. Else, skip it.
Option Three: This is your golden opportunity in case you have a profile that is quite different from the majority. You can showcase your difference and assist the admission team to create a diversified classroom. Caveat: In case you are an Asian applicant or Indian applicant, think carefully before you jump into this option. Numerous applicants from your pool will opt for this option and it may not help you to project your differentiation to the admission committee.
Please review my recommnedations on Video essay in my blog here
Please review my tips for Optional MBA essays in my blog page here.
Class Profile: Click here
Application Process & Deadlines: Click here
Student Ambassadors: Click here
Click here to review my clients’ feedbacks, including video testimonials!
Politicians have speech writers. Journalists use news editors. Famous writers and columnists have an army of professional editors. Don’t you think you also need to have one?