A famous food writer once famously declared “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.”
Everyone has their ticks and their favorites when it comes to food. Spice tolerance? Choice of protein? A cuisine you gravitate towards? Some preferences are more surface-level; others can reveal more deep-seated traits.
That isn’t to say that you should pen your essay around why cilantro is the bane of your existence, but it certainly won’t hurt to show a side of you that your resume doesn’t. Better if you can connect it to why it’s unique, compelling and (bonus points), a value-add to the class.
The Fuqua ’25 Random Facts’ essay is a great vehicle for it. In one of my facts, I wrote: “I organize my shirts in my closet by color gradation. My study groups at Fuqua can be assured I will bring a similarly obsessive mastery of Post-It usage to organize case reviews.”
You, too, can embed these breadcrumbs, whether through supplementary essays, the additional information, or recommendations memos. It can be as trivial as what I wrote, or a little more substantive (i.e. form the thesis of your essay).
As an admissions reader, I encountered my fair share of applicants who either (1) made sweeping declarations of how they wanted to change the world -- without backing it up or (2) painted themselves too much like candidates who they think their target school would like to enroll.
A prevalent theme among these candidates? The authenticity trap. Their essays didn’t have enough substance to back up their claims. Some sounded too cookie-cutter and insincere. It’s almost as if they were too afraid to tell us about the things that they really stood for.
I once fell into the trap myself as an MBA applicant. A good consultant helped get me out of it, and I cherished the time I spent with him to work through my ‘brand.’ He helped guide me towards my true North Star.
Admissions committees want to know it, too, as do I. That’s why I became a consultant.
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Interested in working together on your MBA application? Click here for my Leland coaching profile.
Written by Jon
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P&Q TESTIMONIALS: https://poetsandquants.com/consultant/jon-cheng/ When I first became an admissions reader and evaluator for Haas (where I also pursued my MBA), I encountered countless brilliant individuals who had the stats they'd need to thrive at a top business school, yet noted that only few were given their due. Two years, 500+ read and evaluated applications, and about 50 interviews later, I know why. A good application is about telling your best story. As a marketer-storyteller at heart, I believe my true calling is to help these individuals present their best and truest selves to the admissions committee -- no matter where they come from, and where they want to go. Here's what I bring: 1/ Over 6 years experience building brands, writing positioning statements and creating identities for brands ranging from Fortune 50 conglomerates to small, boutique food startups (through Ogilvy, the world's #1 marketing agency, and other freelance gigs). Currently I work in brand management at General Mills. 2/ Over ten years writing features for such major publications as GQ, The Village Voice, Time Out, Boston Magazine and The Telegraph. Now, I serve as the restaurant critic for The Star Tribune, a Pulitzer-Prize winning daily newspaper that is also one of the nation's biggest (#7 by circulation). I also have been editing features, profiles and articles professionally for 15 years. 3/ Global experience gained from working and living around the world (Singapore, Hong Kong, London, New York, Bay Area, now the Twin Cities, in the Midwest), I've forged connections with individuals from all walks of life. Importantly, I developed a keen sense of empathy, which allows me to better understand what you stand for. 4/ Personal experience applying to schools two-years in a row and navigating the re-app + waitlist process. In-person interview experience at Booth and HBS (in addition to Tuck and Kellogg). Plus: insights from working with two 'top' admissions consultants. 5/ Four years experience helping candidates gain admission to such schools as Sloan, Kellogg, Tuck, Columbia, Wharton and HBS. The clients who I helped in the past (20+ 5* reviews on P&Q), who come from diverse backgrounds ranging from engineering to finance, say I bring a direct and deeply empathetic perspective to the process. One has described my sessions as 'therapeutic.' With my fresh, creative takes on stories, I look forward to helping find the right one for you, too. *** PS: As a firm believer in fair and democratic access to these consultations, my 'Free Intro Calls' will be 30-min, and it can be about any topic -- whether it's a precursor to my hourly/school package, or simply a means to get a second opinion -- irrespective of what stage you are in the process. No questions asked; no judgements passed.
Jon has helped clients get into organizations like:
UCLA Anderson School of Management
Johnson Graduate School of Management (Cornell)
