How to Write an “Introduce Yourself” Essay in MBA Applications

The “Getting to know you essay”, is one of the shortest essays you may be asked to write in the MBA admissions process. It is markedly less formal and professional oriented than the other essays, but none of this should be taken as an excuse to slack of it. The admissions committee will ignore no part of your application, and, therefore, you should neglect no part of the same.

Typically, this question is about 300-500 words long and will ask you to introduce yourself to your hypothetical classmates for the first time. Now, while the subject of the essay reads as a somewhat informal one, do not take this to imply that the essay can be completely casual and you could write the same in a way as if you were chatting with a classmate. The essay should still take the form of a semi-formal piece of conversation, touching upon the key aspects of your candidature.

A good way to think about the essay is that it should sound like an introduction you might give in class if asked to do so by a professor. In such a scenario, you would not want to talk only about the MBA or your work experience. Instead, this essay is supposed to be a more personal narrative of you. It is a good approach to use this essay to talk more naturally about yourself and include more content about your personal thoughts – content that may not find a place anywhere else in your application.

You should start with a good hook; share an interesting or unusual fact about yourself; something that sounds entertaining as well; thereon, you could write about the place you come from, your personal history, your personal beliefs etc. Once the same is done, you could move on to your academic and professional career. However, while speaking about your career, do not make it sound like a repetition of your resume or your other essays. This essay should speak about your experiences in a formal yet personal manner. This is the place where you should speak deeply about your inspiration and a platform where you give a macro view of your background and explore as many dimensions of yourself as you can. Use this essay to deliberate on whether there is anything you want to say about yourself - something that you have not been able to communicate in any other part of the application.

You must also use this essay to briefly touch upon a desire to evolve into a better version of yourself while learning from the experiences of your classmates, as well as contributing to theirs in your own unique way. After touching upon all the relevant points pertaining to your candidature as well as focusing on presenting the various aspects of your personality, you may close out with an invitation to your hypothetical classmates to join together in a wonderful learning experience, in which you hope to forge lasting friendships.