Hospitality Entrance Essay - What Qualities needed to succeed.

This is for a hotel management school. The question is - What qualities do you think are needed to succeed at EHL and in the hospitality sector? Why do you think you have what it takes to succeed?

I am applying for admission to L'ecole Hoteliere De Lausanne bachelor programme in Hospitality. To be able to succeed at EHL and in hospitality I believe you need to be the sort of person who is committed to performing their best at all times. You need to be as thorough and precise with your work. The little details are what make or break peoples experiences at a hotel. Additionally, I think you need to be organized. You have to stay on top of everything that is coming your way and not miss important specificities. Being organized will facilitate your work/studies and it will show people that you are serious about what you are doing. Furthermore, you must be very talented at multitasking to ensure that you can handle everything that is happening. As well, it helps you manage your time efficiently. Ultimately, I think one of the biggest qualities you need to succeed is good leadership skills. You have to be able to make decisions quickly, effectively and on your feet. You must contribute to your work environment to help make matters smoother and more effective. A good leader will make a work environment positive and be proficient at communicating with clients, co-workers, etc. Overall, I think these qualities will help you succeed in this industry. Furthermore, to be excellent at anything they need to be open to criticism, learning and to new ways of doing things. An open mind will help you go far.

I believe that I have the right qualities to succeed at EHL and in hospitality because I have excellent communication skills not only in English but in French as well. Recently, I have also started taking German conversation classes. My knowledge with language gives me the advantage of being able to communicate with a wider spectrum of people and that is especially important in the hotel business because it is an industry that functions off of people from different parts of the world. I have gotten to experience many different cultures since I have lived in North America and Europe and have traveled quite a bit. I would be very respectful of cultural diversity and cultural needs of the people around me. In addition, I always try and keep an open mind and so I know there is always room for improvement. I am always open to criticism so that I can try and improve myself.

These are a few of the qualities I think a person needs to really succeed at EHL and in hospitality. I have stated why I believe I am a good candidate and hope that I get the opportunity to attend your school. I have always enjoyed learning and to have the chance to pursue my education further in a program that I am passionate about would be such an amazing opportunity.

Hi Blah87! I'm EF_Season and I hope that my thoughts on your essay are useful for you as you revise. First, I'd like to state that the qualities you choose to include seem like they would be important to this kind of work. Good for you!

Let's take a look at a couple of syntax/grammar concerns that might help you to write a stronger essay, okay? An example is when you write, "I believe you need to be the sort of person who is committed to performing their best at all times." First, if you're talking about a single person (ex: you, right?) then you should match the pronouns in tense. So "you" and "their best" does not work together grammatically. Instead, you should either replace "their" with "his or her" OR revise the sentence fully to avoid that kind of clunky phrasing.

Second, and I'll use the same sentence as an example, perhaps you'd like to use your writing to SHOW the entrance auditors that YOU are a go-getter. You can do this by using active language. Instead of saying "I believe you need to be the sort of person who is committed to performing their best at all times," you could simply make the strong statement that "I am a person committed to performing my best at all times" and THEN give a GREAT example about when you've committed to doing so. This short essay is your opportunity to sell yourself.

Here is another example of an instance in which you might use more active language to suggest how active YOU are. Instead of writing "I believe that I have the right qualities to succeed at EHL and in hospitality because I have excellent communication skills not only in English but in French as well. Recently, I have also started taking German conversation classes," you could write something along the lines of "I HAVE the right qualities to succeed. For example, I have excellent communication skills in English, French, and I am learning German." Do you see how this more succinct language paints you as a person who clearly and quickly gets your ideas across?

"Would you be respectful of cultural diversity" or are you already? It sounds to me like you already are given your travels and the sheer fact that you thought to state this as a redeeming quality for entry to the school.

Instead of using the last few sentences to sum up this short essay, why not use those words to give some time of great example of when you've been hospitable or have illustrated the qualities you say you have? Examples are usually good ideas because they show that you really do practice what you say you value.

Good luck with your application! I enjoyed reading your essay tonight. Best wishes, EF_Season.

Thank you so much, this really really helped!