by Sundas Ali
Finding a Theme for Your Statement of Purpose
All original essays have a unique theme, and it can take time and careful thought to identify what yours should be. If you go back to the essays we examined in the previous post in this series, you will see that the public health program applicant opened her essay by cleverly presenting her theme in the form of a question: “What if people lived healthier lives, practiced preventive medicine, and took precautions against illness and disease?” This theme reflected her passion for finding answers to significant public health issues.
In contrast, the law school applicant’s theme was his yearning for greater intellectual challenges while remaining in the healthcare field. While he persuasively built his case in his opening paragraphs, he saved the clincher for the final one: “I feel that my successful work experience and rigorous scientific training will allow me to debate with the best attorneys. Since medical technology and the law in this area are developing rapidly, I am also confident that this field will be constantly challenging.”
Today, introspection isn’t as popular an activity as, say, yoga or streaming TV shows and movies, but it’s an invaluable part of this process. Give it the time it deserves. Your essay will be much better for it. If you are beginning to think about what the themes for your essay(s) should be, the following questions will help you identify and define your essay’s main message. Your answers will also guide you in expressing your goals, your values as they relate to your career choice, your motivations for pursuing your MBA, and your professional dreams.
- Why are you passionate about – or at least committed to – your career choice?
- Exploring the previous question more deeply, what experiences in your life (personal, educational, professional) have influenced your career goals most powerfully?
- Has any individual played a major role in helping you discover these goals or values?
- What do you hope to achieve in your career?
- Can you visualize what career success will look like in five years? Ten years?
- What personal strengths, such as communication skills, empathy, and persistence, do you bring to this career?
- What professional skills, such as organizational abilities, clinical knowledge, teaching, and mentoring, do you bring to this career?
- What experiences can you share in your essay that will showcase these strengths?
- After the adcom reads your essay(s), what three words do you hope they will use to describe you? How about “driven,” “intelligent,” and “creative”? Or “dedicated,” “leader,” and “focused”? Whatever the image is that you want to create, focus on sharing experiences from your life that will illustrate those qualities.
As you think through these questions, some answers will come to you quickly, while others will need time to develop. Write down your ideas, memories, and insights as they come. Eventually, they will build into a satisfying little inventory, and you will be able to identify the ones that are colorful or dramatic enough to serve as your essay introduction.
If you are writing multiple essays, such as for different MBA programs, each one must have its own theme. Adcoms want to see you as a multifaceted individual and have therefore crafted their essay prompts accordingly. These questions provide you the opportunity to showcase various aspects of yourself, your values, and your personality.
Summary Tips
- Carve out some time for introspection on your career goals, values, and motivation. (That means leaving your phone in another room or at least in “do not disturb” mode.)
- Develop a distinct theme for each essay required by any program that demands more than one. Use each essay as an opportunity to present yourself as a multifaceted individual.
In the next post in this series, we’ll share insights on how to write an exemplary MBA career goals essay.
Work one-on-one with an expert who will guide you through the process of creating a slam-dunk application. Our admissions consultants have read thousands of essays and know the exact ingredients of an outstanding essay.
Check out the other posts in this series:
