How to Write the Contribution Essay

While researching MBA programs, you will find that all of them heavily feature peer learning as part of their teaching methodology. Peer learning is indeed a central aspect of an MBA education; much of what you learn in your MBA will come from interactions with your batchmates as you work together on live assignments. The corollary to this situation is that the school also intends to admit only those candidates whose presence will be of value to their batchmates and will contribute to the institution as a whole; thus, your application must suggest you will be such a student, and many schools have specific “How you will be able to contribute to the class” essays.

The contributions essay question is typically something along the lines of "Peer learning is an important part of the MBA experience. How will your presence contribute to the learning experience of your peers?" In this article, we will discuss how to write a contributions essay that conveys that you will be a valuable asset to your cohort and school.

Factors that can be Included

Academic Bent

While the MBA is a professional course, having an academic bent of mind is also important. A strong propensity for academics in a candidate will contribute to the competitive nature of the class, as it will help the candidate excel in the academic assignments and analyze the case studies, thereby improving the overall performance of the class. As such, strong academic acumen is an excellent factor to mention in one’s contributions essay.

The following is an extensive list of elements that can be mentioned in your contributions essay to suggest that you possess an academic bent of mind; please go through it carefully and see which ones apply to you.

Strong Analytical and Quantitative skills | Robust Academic Record | Subject Matter Expertise | Cross-Functional Knowledge | Significant Academic or Professional Certifications | Scholarships, Awards, Honors, etc. | ...

Professional Maturity

MBA admissions committees favor candidates who display professional maturity, as that suggests that they have a wealth of experience that they shall share with the class; that is why admissions committees look for candidates with a diverse range of experiences, who will also, be open to contributing outside the classroom. Your level of professional maturity may be the most critical factor that must be included in your MBA contributions essay.

The following is an extensive list of elements that can be mentioned in your MBA contributions essay to suggest that you possess professional maturity; please go through it carefully and see which ones are a proper fit for you to mention.

Years of Experience | Industry | Functional Area | Performance-promotions, quantifiable impact, etc. | Exposure, roles, cultures, domains, Leadership Experience

Diverse Co-Curricular Experiences

In addition to your professional experiences, it is also advisable to mention any significant experiences that you have had outside the workplace, in your MBA contributions essay. In fact, including important extra-curricular activities in your contributions essay can actually help ameliorate gaps in your professional profile; for example, if you have not had the opportunity to take a leadership position in your work, you can mention significant projects that you lead or events that you organized in other contexts, or if you have not had the opportunity to engage with other cultures professionally, you can mention multicultural experiences that you have had outside the workspace.

By including a rich history of participating in such activities, in your contributions essay, you can suggest that you will be able to gel with the rest of your class and contribute to team projects and student activities.

Leadership Potential

MBA admissions committees highly prize leadership potential in their candidates; that is why your contributions essay should clearly state all of your leadership experiences thus far, both within and beyond the professional context. Your contribution essay should also convey your potential for making an impact in the times ahead, your capacity for leveraging your past experiences to do the same, your clarity of goals, and your willingness to make a positive change. Remember, try to include an "idea" to bring about such a change, if not a plan when writing your contribution essay.

Leadership potential can be used to suggest that the candidate shall take up leadership positions in student clubs and enhance student involvement in the same.

Other Virtues

In addition to the main virtues listed above, there a number of other virtues that you can include while writing your MBA contributions essay.

- Communication/interpersonal/presentation skills

Through these, you can suggest that you will be able to contribute to classroom discussions, team projects, and presentations.

- The ability to overcome adversity

Through this virtue, you can suggest that uncertain socio-economic conditions will not prevent you from becoming a worthy alumnus to the school.

- Excellent team skills

The MBA curriculum rests on team projects; team skills will help a candidate contribute to the collaborative learning environment.

An Effective Structure

As with all admissions essays, you must use a clear and effective structure when writing your contributions essay.

-A powerful opening (optional) 20%

-The first reason (20%)

-The second reason (20%)

-The third reason (20%)

-A powerful ending (20%)

Each of the three reasons can be a big bucket, clubbing together similar reasons; provide concrete examples for each reason, wherever possible. Remember, the ending that you write for your contributions essay must firmly suggest that your presence will enhance the learning experience of your batchmates.

Contribution as an Alum

Occasionally, a school might ask also you to mention how you will contribute to the school as an alum, in your contributions essay. Properly conveying this type of information can be tricky and many applicants do not know where to begin; the following is a good approach to answering this section of the class contribution essay.

Mention the contributions as an alum in a separate paragraph and be sure to provide a bouquet of reasons. Some potential contributions that you can make as an alum include visiting the campus to address the students and share your experience and helping students with their career development.

The information presented in this article will help you write an effective contributions essay that will present you as a worthy addition to any MBA cohort. For more useful information on the MBA application process please see the other articles prepared by Experts’ Global’s MBA admissions consultancy team.