If you don't believe in your goals and story, no one else will!

When I help a client craft their essays, resume, and other application components and/or prepare for interviews, one thing I am constantly asking myself is whether I believe what they have written or said.  If I don't I let them know. Then we work on making sure that not only I believe, but my client does too. Here is some general advice the importance of belief as it relates to the MBA admissions process.
 

Believe in yourself.  If you don't believe in yourself, no one else will.   "I Believe in You" from the musical "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying" gets at the essence of this.  If you have confidence issues, you might want to make this song your own personal mantra:



If you can't say it with confidence when you look into the mirror, what will happen in an MBA admissions interview?  If the content in your resume and essays would not be something you would like to be questioned on by a person looking into your eyeballs, there is a problem with your content.


Assume the admissions committee member reading your file, as well as the alumni interviewer, student interviewer, and/or admissions officer meeting with you is no fool.  Assume, instead, that they have highly developed bullshit detectors.  No one likes to be lied to, especially a gatekeeper at an elite educational institution. So whatever you write and say make sure you believe it. That probably means it is some believable variation of the truth.  

There is the world of facts and there is the world of interpretation.  Successful business school applicants connect those worlds together in a way sufficient to be convincing.

-Adam Markus

アダム　マーカス
I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide. If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please complete my intake form, which is publicly available on google docs here, and then send your completed form to adammarkus@gmail.com.  You can also send me your resume if it is convenient for you.  Please don't email me any essays, other admissions consultant's intake forms, your life story, or any long email asking for a written profile assessment. The only profiles I assess are those with people who I offer initial consultations to. See here for why. Please note that initial consultations are not offered when I have reached full capacity or when I determine that I am not a good fit with an applicant.