UNC Submitted

Phew, three applications done and submitted! My interview for Kenan-Flagler isn't until next Monday (the 15th) so I have ample time to prepare for that. Anyone gone through their interview there yet? I'll head down on Saturday and spend some time with my brother and girlfriend beforehand, to relax a bit and avoid paying for a hotel.

The UNC essays weren't terribly difficult. They asked the standard questions, just in a different way and with a smaller word limit. The typical "Walk me through your resume" question was reworded, asking for a few characteristics that have driven your career success to date and any future characteristics you'd like to leverage. I used teamwork and challenging myself as my main points, which allowed me to walk through and hit the high points of my resume. I felt pretty good about this one.

The second essay is the career goals question. I've got a firm grasp on what I want to do, so I wrote about my short and long-term goals, why they appeal to me, etc. It's basically a shorter version of my McDonough career goals essay. This is probably the easiest of the four required essays.

The third essay was interesting. It basically asked what life experiences or personal qualities make us a unique candidate, and how these will equip us for the K-F experience. Interesting! This is the one I had to widdle down the most, as once I got started the writing just kept on coming. My readers suggested several changes to more aptly answer the question, which I followed. The final version came through late last night and I'm happy with it. It's a slightly different tone than previous essays. I feel this one is the differentiating factor among applicants. Sure, resumes and career goals may be different, but the "Unique Person" essay gives you 500 words to state exactly how you're different, why you're different, and what this'll do for the K-F community.

The last required essay was the "Why Kenan-Flagler" question, with the added twist of measuring the ROI. I knew why I wanted K-F, so I talked about the courses, projects, organizations and professors that I want from the school. Again, if you know why you want that school, it's a fairly easy question.

So, that's it for the UNC application! I can attest to the fact that apps get easier the more you do. Next steps are to prepare for my interview and work on my Duke and Wake Forest applications.