Damage Control: A Lesson in Self-Marketing

For those of you who don’t regularly check my Facebook page or who aren’t on my mother’s speed dial list (Is speed dial even a relevant term any more?), I’m happy to report that I’ve been accepted into Northwestern University’s Integrated Marketing Communications graduate program, within the university’s Medill School.

I couldn’t be more excited to learn from some of the true pioneers in this field. This is a tremendous opportunity for me to arm myself with the technical tools to take my career to a whole new level.

I found the application process particularly intriguing, as I was faced with the task of “marketing” myself to a “marketing” program.

In my mind, the biggest obstacle I would have to overcome was a subpar grade point average from back in my undergraduate days. I felt it was in my best interest to acknowledge the issue but not focus too heavily on it.

Once I decided upon that approach, I set about trying to figure out where in the application I could best accomplish it. I found my opening in Essay #3: “What do you see as the biggest challenge you would face as a student in Medll’s IMC program?”

In 298 words of a maximum 300, here was my answer:

“The biggest challenge I will face as a student in Medill’s IMC program will be adjusting back into academic life after eight years in the professional world. So much has changed in my life since I earned my undergraduate degree. But, in my professional career, I’ve risen to meet many challenges, and I will approach this new chapter with the same confidence and determination that have led me to previous successes.

“In the end, I believe my time away from the classroom will prove to be far more of a positive than a negative as I immerse myself anew in the educational arena. Without the lessons I’ve learned in the professional environment, I could not submit myself to you as the strong candidate I believe I am today.

“In fact, I can honestly say that in the years immediately following college I would not have been ready to make the most of the Medill experience. Evidence of this can be found with one look at my undergraduate transcripts. When I think about the grades I received back then, I am truly ashamed. Those grades are not an accurate reflection of my academic abilities, but rather an indicator of my lack of focus as a young person during that stage of my life.

“The reason I can assure you that I will overcome this challenge and thrive upon my return to the classroom is the very same reason it may appear to be a challenge in the first place. I’ve now had enough distance from my undergraduate experience to focus myself entirely on this program. I’m now mature enough to truly understand the value of the top-notch education I will receive at Medill and what a priceless opportunity it offers to help me reach greater heights in my career. “

As they say, all’s well that ends well. I got in, so naturally I’m happy with how I addressed what I viewed as a potentially devastating weakness in my credentials for the program. But at the time of completing the application, I tortured myself over whether I was handling the situation appropriately.

How much effect did this essay have on my acceptance into the program? I’ll probably never know. Whatever the case, at the very least, it was an invigorating exercise in self-marketing and one I won’t soon forget.

Comments

[Undergraduate Dissertation]

I liked this post very much as it has helped me a lot in my research and is quite interesting as well. Thank you for sharing this information with us.

[Daniel Hindin]

No problem, Ana. I'm glad you found it useful. Good luck in your application process. Keep me posted on how it turns out!

[Ana]

Thank you for sharing your approach to that question. I am exactly trying to find out about what should I write in this section for my IMC application. In my case I fortunately do not have the same GPA weakness you hold.I believe the money factor will be the most challenging for me actually, but I am really not sure if that will be well interpreted by Medill or if they will consider it to be irrelevant. Thank you for sharing your answer anyway. It is useful to have an idea into what others who succeed to be accepted had in mind.