For some reason, this
essay question is a PITA (pain-in-the-a) for all candidates. Most don't have powerpoint skills, and the
ones who do (consultants?) are never happy with what they end up with. So, here are some tips to help you out:
- Lots of pictures. The whole point of being given the allowance to send in a PDF or PPT is that you can be creative and include pictures of you doing things, instead of writing about it. We strongly recommend including at least 5 - 8 pictures in the deck.
- Creative art / cartoons: Candidates often complain about not having enough pictures that are presentable. Then mock it up! Use a creative illustrator and create some art that can showcase the fun side of you.
- Required: Fun! This essay is supposed to be mostly addressed to your future classmates. Please reserve your professional accomplishments for your written essays, and use this one to show your fun side. If you don't have a fun side (ahem), at least display your personal attributes - pictures of your family, of you growing up, doing silly things, etc. Good way to show that you can laugh at yourself!
- Themes: If you are completely out of ideas, use a theme that defines you for each page. E.g., "Family Man", "Adventurer", "Researcher", "Athlete", etc.
- Tell a story! The easiest thing to understand is a chronological story, from when you grew up to where you are now. An easy format that has been leveraged nicely by many candidates.
Other ideas:
"day in my life", flash card format, letter format, etc.
Good luck!
