23 Feb 2006

What's Unique?

The word 'unique' comes up again and again in the admissions criteria for the top business schools. But what exactly does it mean?

Schools talk about a typical student profile and the importance of fit in their selection process. But they also talk about ensuring diversity in admissions and ask applicants to say what's unique about their abilities and background. It's no wonder people get confused.

To be honest, 'unique' probably isn't the best word to use to describe what schools are looking for. We all know that there is hardly anyone on the face of the earth who is truly unique, in the sense that they have talents or life experience that no one else can duplicate.

Even if someone were truly unique -- for example, if they were the only living speaker of an otherwise extinct language and had been raised by polar bears in Greenland -- that doesn't mean that their uniqueness would be an advantage in the admissions process.

Better words for what admissions committees are looking for might be 'genuine' or 'integral.' They want to know what's unique about you in the sense that you've arrived at that thing through your character, life experience, and choices.

One of the difficulties in naming what's unique about you is that it may be so much a part of your life that you don't think about it much. Writing your essays will help you identify patterns and qualities you may not otherwise be aware of.

This self-awareness is a side benefit of the essay writing process. Like many applicants, you may come away from writing your essays with a very different picture of yourself than you had when you started – along with a compelling argument for why you are the perfect fit as an MBA student at your targeted school.

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