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You might be
surprised at how much your answer to this question can
say about you. The role model you choose is not nearly
as important as your description of that person and the
way you relate this back to yourself. Here are some
principles to keep in mind when writing this essay.
1.
Choose someone with whom you have had a meaningful
relationship. Don't pick a more important but
distant figure. No one will be impressed if you
choose, for example, the CEO of your company, but
have nothing to say about him beyond listing the
credentials in his company profile.
Note: There are some questions that prompt you to
identify a "hero" and others that ask you to
describe an ideal manager. In those cases you should
alter your choice accordingly, but the below
principles still apply.
2. Express thoughtful admiration. Glorifying
your role model makes you sound naïve. Focus instead
on describing the person in an insightful manner and
explaining why you value what he or she represents.
You might even have reason to differentiate yourself
from your role model in specific ways, though the
overall purpose should be to describe what you
admire and want to emulate.
3. Describe and illustrate specific qualities.
Avoid relying on vague language that merely depicts
your role model as "brilliant" or "compassionate."
Instead, aim for a more penetrating portrait that
captures your role model's complexities. Moreover,
just because you're not writing about yourself does
not mean that you don't have to back up your claims.
Show your role model in detailed action to convey
the qualities that he or she embodies.
4. Tell stories. Using specific anecdotes is
the best way to achieve depth in your description.
By describing the details of a particular episode,
you can convey much more about a person than you can
by listing any number of characteristics.
5. Show the role model's tangible influence on
you. The best way to demonstrate the importance
your role model has played in your life is to
recount changes you've made based on that person's
influence. Of course, you should not come across as
a sycophant or a blind follower. But you can show
how your role model provoked ideas that then
initiated a course of action.
This applicant writes a
very effective portrayal of a woman who overcame gender
constraints to become a successful professional. The
writer illustrates Erika's qualities by describing her
specific actions. The applicant concludes by
articulating exactly what she admires most about Erika
and showing how her life has changed as a result of
knowing her.
This applicant offers a
meaningful portrait of his father in just 300 words.
Unlike the previous applicant, he chooses to name the
qualities that he admires right from the outset, but he
then goes on to justify them with concrete examples. |
