MAccing Your Life Essayer!

Welcome back, future accounting superstars! This week I’ll be talking about the most fun part of your application--the essays.

Seriously though, essays are a lot more fun than working Data Sufficiency GMAT problems and drilling through practice tests. They are a chance to tell your story and make a personable impression on the MAcc admissions committee.

Write good essays so you can get in and make great friends!

When I was writing my essays last year, I took some time to reflect on my life experiences and brainstorm what I wanted to write about. I used the prompts to write essay outlines and didn’t write my essays until I was happy with the outlines. I tried to make my voice come through in my writing. Don’t write what you think the admission committee wants to hear--write what you’re genuinely passionate about!

The essays for the Class of 2018 are as follows:

Question 1:

What attributes of the Ross MAcc will assist you in achieving your short- and long-term professional goals? Who influenced your decision to apply to the Ross MAcc? (500 word maximum)

Question 2:

If you could travel back in time, where and when would you go and why? (500 word maximum)

Optional Essay:

If there is any other information that you believe is important to our assessment of your candidacy, feel free to add it to your application (500 word maximum)

As you can tell by the time travel question, the essays are really about getting to know you as a person and gaining insight into how you think. The admissions committee wants to assemble a MAcc class full of people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. This is a perfect place to show your creative side! The admissions committee is not looking for “I would go back in time to the signing of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 because I like internal controls” (although if you’re super passionate about internal controls no one would judge you)!

The optional essay really is optional. If there is anything in your application that you think the admissions committee may question, it’s a good idea to briefly explain why. This could be used to explain low grades in a class due to extenuating life circumstances or other factors.

Once you’ve drafted your essays, have a trusted friend, professor, or mentor look over them for spelling and grammar mistakes. If your school has a writing center, that can be a great resource. For University of Michigan undergraduate students applying to the Ross MAcc program, check out the UM Sweetland Writing Center.

Essays are a key part of a successful application--do well so you can get in and make great friends next year! Best of luck as you prepare your applications and GO BLUE!