mba essay tips

mba essay tips

Effective Strategies for Writing a Compelling MBA Admissions Essay

1. Introduction to the Importance of the MBA Admissions Essay

The MBA Admissions Essay must be written. (Application forms and letters of reference do not usually give the selection committee the depth and personal aspect of the candidate. Advice from the selection committees would have us believe that they are trying to get to know the “whole” person. What kind of person are they considering? Usually, they are seeking people with: Intelligence and motivation, with diverse backgrounds and a history of unusual achievements. The kind of people who can become leaders. They are seeking candidates who are not only ready for the challenges of the rigorous academic program, but also the demands of the MBA program itself, including teamwork, organizational skills, and people skills. The reader is most likely an experienced business person. They have seen and measured leaders. They want to believe they are recruiting the future leaders.

The MBA applicant is indeed in a unique situation. The competition between applicants is often intense. The stakes are high. Monetary rewards are potentially significant. Career mobility is greatly enhanced. Many MBA programs have adopted requirements of increasing structuring and elaboration for the MBA admissions essay. This essay, which MBA aspirants write themselves and submit to the MBA program, is one method that the business schools employ to discriminate between different applicants. One of the more important sets of questions about the process of writing the MBA admissions essay are: “What makes a good admissions essay?” and “Is it possible to prepare for and write a good essay in a limited time such as four weeks?”

2. Understanding the Key Components of a Strong MBA Essay

A compelling MBA essay requires a great deal of careful thought, about not only what to say, but the way to say it. An MBA essay should not reflect just the theoretical elements of business studies but, rather, sound business practice has to underline the writing of each essay. Understanding the style of the MBA essays from the model answer is a real advantage for each student. Because even an extremely well-written essay can be dismissed by the admissions committee, whereas a poorly written work can be viewed favorably if it shares a reasoning and style that appeals to the committee. With this aim in mind, many MBA essays are developed within a framework that emphasizes success as the main reason for being granted acceptance. Furthermore, options and ideas must be discussed, with shared application and variety being a significant aspect and providing as much relevant real-world examples and personal touches as possible.

In your MBA application essay, you need to get your main points across to the admissions committee clearly, succinctly, and persuasively. Certainly, that means writing at the highest possible level. But more than that, it means writing in a way that will help the admissions committee to see you as an individual with the sensibilities, insights, and personal and professional accomplishments that would make you an asset both to MBA classmates and the business world. There are a few key strategies we recommend for making your essay engaging and memorable so that admissions officers recall your application over the many others they’re reviewing in their selection process.

3. Crafting a Unique and Authentic Personal Story

Make sure your story is authentic. Readers can sense a phony from a mile away. Be honest about what matters to you. A compelling story that appeals to their reader’s emotions is much more persuasive than a dry recitation of qualifications. Finally, make sure your story is specific. We will repeat this later on, but specificity matters. Be as detailed as possible in the choices you have made in your life. When have things not worked out the way you planned? What did you do in those situations? Asking for the help of an outside reader with your essay can be quite helpful. However, be fairly cautious about getting help with your ideas, as you want the essay to represent who you are.

This is the next step in the essay writing process. The personal narrative is what will make your essay stand out, so make sure to be as unique and genuine as possible. The admissions committee is reading thousands of essays, most of which are virtually indistinguishable or sound alike. Try to tell your story even if you’re not the most outgoing person. The most important thing is to steer clear of the beaten path and let your personality shine through. If your personal or cultural perspective has changed, tell that story. What do you care about or value clearly that has shaped some of the choices you have made in your life? What are your fondest memories? Have you been involved at work or in your community? Do you have a social cause you are passionate about? Don’t be afraid to bring in things that CMU, Harvard, Wharton, or Sloan are looking to see in a class you would be a part of. These schools are much more focused on what you have done in your life, and are likely to do in the future, than your abilities in the GMAT or your GPA.

4. Showcasing Your Career Goals and Why an MBA is Essential

Next, discuss how your current skills and experiences, in conjunction with the tools and knowledge gained during the MBA program, will allow you to achieve your goals. Finally, talk about the type of things that you want to accomplish as an alumnus. Based on your current skillset, you should be able to formulate an MBA admissions essay question profile that almost all of the top ten schools will ask. While we have advice to optimize the essays that you write about this answer, remember to change the answer for each of the different applications unless you want to go to the school where we have the easiest essays to write – that is, to just write nothing.

To help accomplish this, there are some lessons that should be written about that we can hand down to you: MBAs are looking at you to ensure that their spot in the program will be worthwhile, and in many cases are there to help recruit and lead others. As such, they want to see graduates who help give back, both to the program and the University as a whole (financially, as a peer, and the like). You should write about your long-term goals in your MBA admissions essay as well as how the program will help you reach these goals in the following way – first, talk about how you need formal training in each of your areas and an MBA would be ideal for recruitment and leadership (general skills training comes from other activities than an MBA).

Sharing your excitement about the challenge that lies ahead is an excellent way to communicate your overall desire to be part of a top MBA program. Talking about your excitement will show the admissions officers how eager you are to take on the MBA program and graduate school. Discuss those things that excite you about the individual classes, the networking opportunities that such a school has, the challenges that you know are ahead of you, and how you can be a part of the school. There are more than one or two of these characteristics that excite you, so make sure you keep a running list so that you can tailor essays to a particular school later down the road. And make sure to speak specifically about opportunities from each school when it comes to that essay in your MBA applications. And don’t forget that in addition to all these points, admissions officers will also look at esoteric things such as your communication skills, how well you can write, and your abilities to concisely answer questions in your essays.

5. Tips for Writing with Clarity, Conciseness, and Impact

They want to get to know you so present yourself truthfully. Accurate self-representation is more important than this week’s hot tip on first-class resorts to impress your friends. Write about Robinson Crusoe’s adventures on the deserted island, not the activities and interests of his tongue-tied narrators. Speak with clarity. Tell stories well. Your face isn’t a mystery book where poker players get their clues, so don’t write about your face. Keep the text conversational and not bombastic, give them the scenes that speak volumes about you in your life. What can you draw on from in your experiences for support and examples to give your narrative warmth and depth? Provide any necessary specific details. With vivid language, specific experiences provide emphasis. A movie of someone eating dinner in a tastefully appointed room may be a little boring.

Avoid in any use and any form. Verbs that are called transitive can take active forms and make ordinary sentences extraordinary by adding needed action. Passive constructions are believed to be cowardly little monsters, so permit them to exist outside of the admissions essay. Be able to edit down extraneous portions that have no bearing on the admissions decision. Act as though the admissions board members have a grizzly bear plopped down in front of them and are being graded on what they do with it. They won’t likely look kindly on anyone who scores a deb (dead even bear) by giving it a deb-award. Be passionate in what you are writing. Employing vivid language in writing makes for a more interesting and compelling essay. Cast the grizzly bear in an image that the readers will find compelling, particularly since it reflects your first forest encounters.