13 Dos and Don’ts for MBA Application essays

汉长明

Do:

•        Do proofread your essays.  Again and again.  And ask a buddy to as well.  It is amazing the number of essays that are turned in with typographical and grammatical errors.
•        Tell your story – tell it as a story if it helps.   You want to be memorable and unique.  And while you may not think that you stand out from the crowd, we all do in our own way.  Find your voice.
•        Do ensure that you are answering the question. Don’t get so wrapped up telling your story that you miss the point of the essay.
•        Definitely do your research.   There are a lot of blogs with expert advice (including Veritas Prep’s!) that will give you great information and strategies on crafting your essays.
•        Research also includes information about the specific program that you are applying to.   Make sure to tie specifics about the program to your goals.
•        Do dig deep and be vulnerable.  Many Type-A’s are afraid to let people see their softer side.   Several top business schools challenge applicants now to let that side come through.
•        Do write your essay initially without too much thought to the word limit.  Get it all out and then worry about editing it afterwards.


Don’t:

•        The Admissions Essays are much more than the writing assignments you faced in grade school.  Don’t treat it as a Q&A session and regurgitate part of the question as the opening of your response.  “My long-term goal is….”
•        Don’t try to tell a sob story to get pity points unless it really answers the essay question (which is rare, but occasionally does), otherwise, your essay may end up as part of the body count.
•        Don’t disregard word or page limits entirely.   While there can be some flex in the limit, don’t turn in three pages if the limit is one.
•        Don’t blatantly change the font size, margins and spacing to get it to fit the page requirement (unless you do it for all the essays).  It is pretty obvious when one essay is in an entirely different font type and size than the others.
•        Don’t use a lot of acronyms or industry jargon.   If the reader can’t understand what you are saying, they may miss the point of your story (and this doesn’t showcase your communication skills very well).
•        Avoid the “find and replace” essay.  Find name of school and replace with name of another school.  While it is more work, you need to customize your essays to each school you apply to.

atto

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