How Much Personal Information is Just Enough?

A personal statement is your self-introduction to the adcom, and because the stories of no two persons under the sun are exactly alike, it is meant to be unique. It answers questions like, “Who am I?” “What are the circumstances that have shaped me?” “What do I want to become?” “How do I fit into the program?” “What can I contribute to it?”

Some Don’ts

When you talk about yourself, is it okay to be as free and uninhibited as you can be? After all, the idea is to reveal your true self, isn’t it? Or should you draw the line somewhere? Are there matters you should not bring up at all?

For instance, perhaps your gym workouts are an integral part of your life, as is the thoroughly enjoyable time you spend with your pet cat. Surely, in any authentic account of yourself, you should devote quite a few lines to these two constant features of your life?

The answer is, “No.” However fond you may be of your gym workouts and your pet cat, these things have little validity in the context of your personal statement to a b-school. Generally speaking, they are irrelevant. Unless, of course, you are planning to open a chain of gyms in your city or, for that matter, an animal welfare centre.

Do you talk about the fact that your parents divorced when you were young, and therefore you had a troubled childhood? That would depend on how you put it across. If you mention it for its own sake, you will convey the impression that you are trying to whip up pity and sympathy, and it won’t go down well with the adcom. However, if you can show that you learnt important lessons from the crisis, and that it helped you evolve into a more mature human being, then it is something you can legitimately discuss to good effect.

While you might have undergone truly unfortunate personal or professional experiences that have left a bad taste in your mouth, a personal statement is not the place for you to vent your frustrations. All it will do is reveal you as a person who carries emotional scars, and it will be viewed in negative terms.

There are schools which now ask you to upload your photograph along with your creative essay. People in the know advise you to exercise discretion in your choice of pictures – neither should you be under-dressed, not should you be garbed in anything that is particularly outlandish or funky.

The Do’s

You might wonder, if there are so many things you should refrain from talking about, how much, really, do you have left to say? There is so much for you to dwell on – about the transformative happenings in your life; about the interests and passions that give meaning to your existence; about the principles you live by, and why; about the achievements you are proud of, and that give you confidence; about the weaknesses you possess, like any other human being, and which you wish to overcome; about the dreams you entertain, and how you want to go about them; about what the MBA means to you … the possibilities are endless and, in fact, you will need great discipline, and a good deal of editing, to restrict yourself within the specified word-length!