‘Difference’ is the first word that should come to your mind. What is the difference between the ‘YOU’ who applied last year and the ‘YOU’ applying this year?
There could be many new developments or few. The key to creating a good reapplication essay is to organize all the information in a neat structure that will convince the admissions committee that you have improved and grown more enthusiastic about their school and culture. You can arrange it in three to four sections - Academic Improvement, Professional and Personal Development, Evolution of your career narrative and enthusiasm about their school and community.
Improved Academic Potential.
If your GMAT/ GRE score has improved, highlight it and explain the progress you have made in each section. More than a higher absolute score, schools respect that your performance has improved in each section or that enhanced performance in one area hasn’t come at the other’s cost. Another excellent way to communicate your ability to thrive in an educational environment is to take up online courses and industry-relevant certifications and excel in them.
Professional and Personal Development.
Share the most significant new projects and leadership responsibilities you have handled and the unique skills or perspectives these have imbibed in you. Highlight any accolades, awards and promotions you received. They demonstrate other’s faith in you. Talk about how you have deepened your community engagement – at the workplace, within the industry or in society. Tell such work has improved things for the organization or the people. Such in-depth elaboration will provide proof of your capabilities and show that you have the making of a leader in you.
An Evolved Career Narrative
As mentioned in our earlier post on reapplying, tell the admission committee what efforts have you made to refine your career goals. If they have changed from the last time, share what specific professional endeavors or information interviews have shaped your thinking and prompted the pivot. If you are not changing the goals, you can use this section to showcase how intricately you have understood your future role.
Enthusiasm about the school
Highlight how you have been continuously engaging with their school. Tell the admissions committee about coffee-chats, informative webinars and events you attended and how they have reinforced your interest in the school. Share that you engaged with their students, professors and alumni, read their blog posts and social media. In short, tell them that you did more research and that these activities have reinforced your belief that school X is the perfect B-school for you for Y reasons.
All the best! Contact us if you would like to discuss your reapplication strategy and understand how to best project an improved version of yourself.