5 Tips for your TMMBA Essays
Tina Bassir, TMMBA Associate Director
Are you suffering from writer’s block? Are you staring at a blank sheet of paper (or blank screen) and wondering where to start? As part of the TMMBA application, you are required to submit three essays. In 500 words or less, you need to answer each question below:
- Why have you decided to apply to the TMMBA Program? What are your career goals in the next 5 to 10 years and how will an MBA help you reach these goals?
- In essay format, evaluate and describe your career using the four factors of the SWOT analysis framework.
- Where in your background would we find evidence of your leadership capacity or potential? Describe the situation and the impact you had on a person, group or organization.
So, where should you begin? Here are 5 tips to help you get started and refine your essays.
- Shift your approach. Don’t think about writing the “right” answer. When it comes to the essays, there isn’t a right or wrong answer. We are looking for you to give a thoughtful response, and it will be different response for each individual. Be genuine.
- Write a draft then take a walk. Or at least walk away and take a break. Give yourself time to work on the essays over a period of several days.
- Proofread. The content of your essay is important. So are spelling, grammar and punctuation. Be sure to proofread your essays before you submit them.
- Answer the questions being asked. While this may sound obvious, sometimes when you start writing, one thought may lead to another thought and so on until you are actually answering a completely different question than what was asked. Specifically, on the third essay, be sure to answer the second part of the question (describe the situation and the impact)
- Ask a trusted friend or coworker to provide feedback. Once you feel your essays are nearly ready to upload to the TMMBA Program, solicit feedback from a trusted friend.
For more advice – check out this blog post by TMMBA Director, Tracy Gojdics as she explains the SWOT analysis essay.
And don’t forget, we are here to answer your questions. Contact us at [email protected] or 206-221-6914.
