Here’s a roundup of our best MBA essay tips to keep in mind as you begin to write.
How to Write an Unforgettable B-School Essay
Business schools want leaders, not applicants content with following the herd.
2. Put yourself on ego-alert.
Stress what makes you unique, not what makes you number one.
3. Communicate specific reasons why you’re a great fit for each school.
Simply stating “I am the ideal candidate for your program” won’t convince the admission committee to push you into the admit pile.
4. Bring passion to your writing.
5. Break the mold.
Challenge perceptions with unexpected essays that say, “There’s more to me than you think.”
6. If you’ve taken an unorthodox path to business school, play it up.
Admissions officers appreciate risk-takers.
7. Talk about your gender, ethnicity, minority status or foreign background...
But only if it has affected your outlook or experiences.
8. Fill your essays with plenty of real-life examples.
Specific anecdotes and vivid details make a much greater impact than general claims and broad summaries.
You’re a real person, and it’s okay to show it!
BONUS: Don’t Make These MBA Essay Mistakes
10. Write about your high school glory days.
Admissions committees don’t care if you were editor of the yearbook or captain of the varsity team. They expect their
11. Submit essays that don’t answer the questions.
An off-topic essay, or one that merely restates your résumé, will frustrate and bore the admissions committee. More importantly, it won’t lead to any new insight about you.
12. Fill essays with industry jargon.
Construct your essays with only enough detail about your job to frame your story and make your point.
Admissions officers favor applicants who have well-defined goals. However ensure you are about your future, it’s critical that you demonstrate that you have a plan.
14. Exceed the recommended word limits.
This suggests you don’t know how to follow directions, operate within constraints or organize your thoughts.
15. Submit an application full of typos and grammatical errors.
A sloppy application suggests a sloppy attitude.
16. Send one school an essay intended for anothe
Admissions committees are (understandably) insulted when they see another school’s name or forms.
17. Make excuses.
If your undergraduate experience was one long party, be honest. Discuss how you’ve matured, both personally and professionally.
18. Be impersonal in the personal statement.
19. Make too many generalizations.
An essay full of generalizations is a giveaway that you don’t have anything to say.
20. Write in a vacuum.
Make sure that each of your essays reinforces and build on the others to present a consistent and compelling representation of who you are, what you’ve done, and what you bring to the table.
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