Playing Up Athletic Accomplishments in Your Business School Applications

For the MBA admissions game, applicants often feel that the content they should be including in their business school applications is limited to their professional and academic highlights. However, impressive personal details such as athletic achievements and experiences   can also come in handy when building up ones  profile. Just as a beauty pageant contestant would want to impress the competition judges with both intelligence and physical beauty, an MBA applicant will do well to win admiration from the Admissions Committee with  different aspects of his or her personality, as well. I know you are applying for a top MBA program (and not an NBA team!), but sharing that you are part of a  national team or that you hold (or held) regional, age-level records in your chosen sport will still help your application. Apart from differentiating you from other candidates  within your same industry, your accomplishments  can also be used to show consistent character traits that have been common in your successes, which you can bring with you as you make the move to business school. For example, you may highlight the leadership skills and drive that have allowed you to excel as captain of your soccer team as the same strengths  that have been key to your success as a project manager. This will  help you be more convincing when you say that these skills will enable you to be successful  at the prestigious MBA program you are targeting.  Likewise, accomplishments in competitive sports can also be effective in strengthening your personal brand   they could be additional illustrations of your reputation as an achiever or as a team player. Sharing interesting personal anecdotes of how a particular athletic event changed your mindset or helped you grow as a person is another way to  leverage  your athletic background. Rich materials abound in this field   you can  demonstrate your ability to collaborate with teammates,  your resilience in overcoming personal setbacks (such as injuries or failures), and other positive traits. One inherent advantage to showcasing your athletic background is that your stories will be  easy to visualize (like an ESPN highlight reel), and the Admissions Committee will be able to better  relate to the highs and lows that you share. Thus, your stories become  effective set-ups  for presenting lessons you have learned and how you have become the person you are today. Aside from strengthening your message by demonstrating it across various contexts, this also presents you as a multi-faceted individual. Lastly, when presented properly, your passion for sports can be an effective â€Å"ice breaker† for your interviews or to help you build relationships with your future business school peers. Sharing a keen interest in a particular sport can develop rapport. Being associated with positive qualities such as strength, agility or gracefulness can only help you as you reach  for that coveted spot at a top MBA program. Applying to business school? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or take our free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation  for personalized advice for your unique application situation! And as always, be sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+  and Twitter. Written by Edison Cu, a Veritas Prep Head Consultant for  INSEAD.