Wharton just announced a new MBA essay question for its 2018-2019 application.

Meanwhile Yale SOM, Kellogg, Tuck, Ross and UCLA Anderson announced admissions deadlines for the class of 2021 (See all deadlines for top b-schools in the chart at end.)

The timing of Wharton’s essay release is terrific for anyone looking to get a head start now on their applications, so let’s talk admissions strategy. As Wharton’s former head of Admissions, I’ll corroborate that its new essay question is a great one – not just for the Admissions Committee but for candidates themselves. Here’s why, along with my top tips for how to tackle this new essay for a standout application. First, here’s a little context.

First, Wharton really means it when it emphasizes in the intro of its essay section, “The Admissions Committee wants get to know you on both a professional and personal level.” The first essay question is the same as past years, asking “What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA?” (500 words). This is your chance to connect your coherent and powerful career vision to how the Wharton MBA – in particular – will position you for success. In essence, Wharton wants to know what you’ll get out of being there.

The new second question is an opportunity to offer up something more personal. It’s an invitation reflect, and share additional insights and information that don’t show up anywhere else in your application:

“Describe an impactful experience or accomplishment that is not reflected elsewhere in your application. How will you use what you learned through that experience to contribute to the Wharton community?” (400 words)

If the first question, then, is asking what Wharton will give you, the second question is getting at this: What will you give Wharton in return? This is the bottom line for the admissions committee. They want to know what you’ve learned from your life experience, and how shape your contribution to the Wharton community and the classroom. The art of this type of combination question is to convey an example from your past experience and connect it directly to your future experience at Wharton (and beyond). And the challenge is to do so in less than 400 words, which requires both deep understanding of the community you’re hoping to join and deep self-awareness. This question isn’t just about what happened or how, but what you took away from the event, the ways it shaped your awareness and why it matters to you.

Prepare for crafting a great response with these three tips:

1. Don’t waste valuable real estate with lengthy storytelling.
Rather, frame your story and leave ample space to articulate the valuable lessons learned. The emphasis should be less about the example you choose – although it should be compelling and salient – and more about what you took from the experience, and how this awareness impacts your potential contribution to the Wharton community. Be sincerely reflective as well as discerning about your key learnings and their meaning, both for you and the future community you hope to join. As I’m sure you’ve realized by venturing to draft other essays, keep in mind that 400 words goes fast.

2. Demonstrate your understanding of the program as you answer the question.
This means writing from a deep understanding of Wharton’s culture and values. With more than 860 students in its incoming class, Wharton is not only team-based, but deeply community based. You’ll be entering a much larger organism than your cohort or your learning team, so be discerning about how your unique experiences stand to influence the experience of your fellow students, the program and the school writ large.

3. Share details.
Don’t fizzle out your essay with generic platitudes about how you gleaned ‘better communication skills,’ or how your experience will ‘continue to build your teamwork skill.’ Instead, show your reader how the experience prompted you to grow, and get specific. The Admissions Committee wants details. What specific insights are you bringing and how might they impact the community? Be clear about specific interactions, classes or experiences that will allow you to bring your self- knowledge to the campus.

The bottom line: Don’t fall into the storytelling trap, and remember, with 400 words, queue up your essay to emphasize the take away, and the impact of the experience on you, and, by extension, on Wharton.

MBA ADMISSIONS DEADLINES

First Round Deadlines for the 2018/2019 admissions season

Deadlines for the 2018/2019 admissions season: European Schools

Stay tuned to Fortuna Admissions for updates as more admissions deadlines are announced in the coming weeks. For the most essential facts and stats on each program, check out Fortuna’s Business School Profiles.