Your MBA application essay is one of the factors that could make or break your dream to study in a business school. Writing grammatically clean essay is not enough to guarantee a spot in your chosen MBA school. Remember, there are a lot of people like you who dreamed of getting into a prestigious business school. To have get better chances for admission, here are some tips on writing a winning essay:
Speaking directly to the reader
Your essay is your way to present a four-dimensional image of yourself. Through your essay, you can show the admissions commitee your personality. In which case, your approach truly matters. A personal approach is the best way to speak to the admissions committee. You should use “I” but you have to make sure that this first person point of view is not overused. If you use the third person, you will have the tendency of writing a wordy essay. You also have to ensure that you don’t get TOO personal that you’re missing the real purpose of the essay.
Getting straight to the point
Do not beat around the bush. When writing your business essay, get straight to the point. You have to remember that the admission officers would likely be bored if you keep talking in circles. The pages of the business essay is limited, so you really have to deliver your points directly.
Writing in clear but convincing words
Clarity is one of the elements of a good essay. You don’t have to use high falutin words to impress the readers. All you need is to write a clear, interesting essay. A well-written essay would convince the admission officers of your worth more, compared to an essay filled unfamiliar terms that cause confusion. You have to read your business essay several times and watch out for the clarity of the ideas.
If you keep these things in mind, you will surely get better chances for admission to the business school of your dream.
Related links:
Avoiding Business Jargon – Tips on how to write a business essay
Customizing Your Essay – Tips on writing an essay for MBA
MBA Program Application – Tips on getting into an MBA program
Essay Writing Tips – On how to write an effective admission essay
Clear Essays – Tips on how to write a clear and concise essay
Going to MBA school can be one of the major decisions in your life. Aside from the school expenses, you also have to find time to juggle work, family life, and your journey to an MBA degree. You need to set a direction to follow through to make all these work for you. Even in the application process, you need to be well prepared for the challenges. There should be goals as well as plans on achieving them. Below are what experts would recommend in setting direction for your admission application.
You have to know what makes the program and school suitable for your plans
Do you already have an MBA school in mind? Why did you choose this school or this specific program? These are some of the questions you have to ask yourself first. What kind of career do you want to have? Can that MBA school give you the right training? You have to ask yourself these questions to know if you are going to tread on the right path.
You need to set realistic expectations
Why are you going to obtain an MBA degree? To have an easy way climbing the ladder of success? If yes is your answer to the this question, experts would say, get real! Although an MBA degree would offer better career opportunities, it does not guarantee a sweat-free success in your field. This is why setting realistic expectations is very important. It also pays to be realistic with the admission application process. Expect a very tough competition. You have to anticipate success, but you should also prepare for failure.
You need to find the right motivations
The life of an MBA student is not easy. You really have to balance your personal life and the demands of MBA school. Expect your life as an MBA student to be full of ups and downs. Because of this, it is necessary for you to find the right motivations. Your motivation will keep you going on despite the obstacles. Let this be your guide when writing about your MBA application essays and pushing through with the application process.
Related links:
Stating Preferred Specialization – ips on getting an MBA degree
MBA School Networking – What to do in MBA school
MBA Degree Programs – All about MBA degree programs and application
MBA Application Forms – All about MBA school application
http://www.bschooladmissionsformula.com/participate-in-clear-admit%E2%80%99s-free-mba-admissions-strategy-webinar-%E2%80%93-last-one-of-the-season/ – All about MBA school admission and application
Writing a good MBA application essay is like making a good sales pitch. Essentially, your application essay should be about selling yourself to the MBA school that you are applying to. This article will give you some great tips on how to convince the admissions committee to buy into your essay and accept you into their school.
Avoid unrealistic claims
The first mistake you can make in any kind of sales pitch is to make unrealistic claims that will come back to bite you. This principal is the same when it comes to admissions essays. Do your best to avoid making unrealistic claims about you, your experiences, your grades, or anything else in your application package. Admissions officers can and probably will find out if you tell a lie in your application package, so it’s best not to even try. Instead, be honest, sincere, and accurate about the information that you provide in your essay.
Show them what you can do instead of merely recounting all your achievements
In a sales pitch, you basically have to show potential clients everything that they can get out of your product within a short amount of time. The application essay is very similar in the sense that you have a limited number of words or pages to explain what makes you a good candidate as a student in the school. To do this, you will have to be a little creative. Instead of just enumerating all of the achievements you have made, try to tell a story that brings the reader along on the journey. Get the reader interested in who you are, what you have been through, how you have developed (personally), and why this all makes you a better person who is ready for the challenges of MBA school and life, in general.
Don’t get cheesy with your writing style
Finally, avoid sounding too cheesy or up-in-the-clouds in your application essay. Some people make the mistake of trying to sound like a poet, an intellectual, or a literary genius. Try not to use big words that are verbose, or else it may come off like you are just trying to show off your vocabulary and writing skills. Instead of focusing on being someone or something else, focus on being yourself. Let your personality and character shine through in your writing. Try to write as naturally as you can, but still pay attention to the objectives of your application essay, which is basically to get the school to accept your application.
Related links:
Staying Focused – Staying on track in your admission essay
Using Samples – Making effective use of essay samples
Specializations – How to state your preferred specialization in your essay
Avoiding Jargon – About avoiding jargon in your essay
School Profiles – Profiles on top MBA schools
Sample Essays – How admission essays can help
Rhetorical Questions – Using rhetorical questions for an introduction
Entrance Essay – How to write an entrance essay
Helping your Child – Helping your child with the admission essay
Better Admission Essay – Making your admission essay better
The first sign that indicates an MBA school’s interest in your application will probably be a call-up for an interview. Some people get very intimidated by the interviews because they are unsure about what will be asked, how to answer, how to dress up, and how to handle themselves in front of the interviewer. Here are some great tips to get you through your MBA admissions interview:
List down all possible questions you can gather from your application package
The first step is to do your research by finding out what questions the interviewer will be asking you. The best place to start is right on your application form and essay. The interviewer will most likely be asking you questions based on the information that you gave in your essay and application form. Be prepared by listing down some of the questions that they are likely to ask based on your application package. You may also want to do some research online to find out what types of questions are commonly asked by MBA school interviewers.
Do an honest assessment of yourself
Now that you have a good idea of what to expect, you can start focusing on how you are going to answer these questions. To do so, you will have to do a little self-assessment and reflection. Try to get a clear picture of who you are, what you have accomplished, and why this makes you a good candidate for the school you are applying to. Make sure that you are honest in your assessment and, more importantly, show honesty during the interview.
Be clear with your goals and intentions
Finally, another great tip for acing your interview is to be clear about your goals and intentions. Figure out why you want to go to MBA school, what you want to accomplish in life, and why you intend on enrolling in this particular school. This will help you in showing the interviewer that you are goal-oriented and that you have aspirations that you are working towards. Remember, though, not to come-off as too arrogant or boastful during the interview.
Related links:
Staying Focused – Staying on track in your admission essay
Specializations – How to state your preferred specialization in your essay
Using Samples – Making effective use of essay samples
Avoiding Jargon – About avoiding jargon in your essay
School Profiles – Profiles on top MBA schools
MBA interview strategies – Strategies for acing your interviews
Interview News – The latest in interview news for MBA
MBA interview – A blog about MBA interviews
Self-assessment and Tips – Using self-assessment for better understanding
Interview Recommendations – Some recommendations for your interview
The MBA Channel blog is part of a bigger site with the same name. The blog part is just a tab in the bigger MBA Channel. The blog, as with the whole website, is directed toward MBA students and businesspeople. While the whole site is host to several interesting articles that tackle MBA schools, business news, business events, and other related topics, the blog is fairly new. The blog is actually a share button, wherein people can put in their own business- or MBA-related articles and greetings.
What’s commendable
The MBA Channel is rife with MBA articles. The tab/button feature is a clean way to make navigation through these articles and categories fast and easy. Each tab has a drop-down menu that contains subcategories of the highlighted category tab. Browsing the MBA Channel does not only provide you with static information but also connects you with the rest of the business world. News and events all over the business world provides you with a buffet of ideas that may be incorporated into your business or education. MBA Channel even has a search engine that can pore through the site based on a particular category: articles, schools, or events.
The design is clean and professional-looking. It also features very little ads, and whatever ads are present are related to what MBA channel is all about: business and business schools. Not all articles, however, are given titles that are neither drearily formal nor uncreative. The article An Embarrassing Story sounds like it could have come from a personal blog site, but it is not. It is actually a business news article. By the time you have clicked it, you are hooked. You must be if you are into MBA schools and business yourself.
The downsides
Though MBA Channel is a great site to explore, the true blog part is still in need of more entries. Given that most of the information is already featured in the rest of the site, readers may need more readable entries as those in the MBA Channel blog.
The GMAT Club blog is a collective effort of current and past business students, GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) experts, and other people who are just interested in business schools and GMAT itself. The blog entries aim at helping GMAT examinees get higher scores and preparing GMAT passers for business school. Those who have gone through both processes–GMAT exam and business school applications, that is–contribute to the wealth of knowledge of the GMAT Club blog.
What the blog is all about
The GMAT Club blog is not just a random set of GMAT-related articles. The blog really intends to help those who want to score high at GMAT to get into business school. A proof of this is its user-friendliness. The articles are divided into categories. Instead of going with the diary-style monthly divisions, the GMAT Club blog makes use of a different set of links. It even has a “How to Use” inside link. This link directs the visitor to a clean page, which basically makes him or her choose his or her interest in the site. Here, the site’s resources branch out into three categories: GMAT takers, business school enrolees, and contributors.
The blog does show that what you learn at business school should be implemented. In fact, its entrepreneurial side reveals itself through the GMAT sample tests that are available for a fee. The GMAT Club also provides free tests, reviews, and other resources.
A few suggestions
Much have been said about the plentiful resources of the GMAT Club blog. It even has a GMAT score estimator. The comments that arise are generally positive. A possible improvement, however, could be selling its own recommended and reviewed books so that payment for the premium GMAT tests and the books can be done at one go.
FIND MBA BLOG is directed toward prospective and current MBA students. It features articles on various MBA programs across and outside the country. There are even interviews of MBA students and of those who are already in the world of business.
The highs
The articles in the FIND MBA BLOG are organized by categories and the months that they were written. An article can belong to more than one category. The article A Sneak Peek at Stanford’s Annual Cool Product Expo can be found under California, Media & Design and Energy & Natural Resources.
While other MBA guide blogs will focus more on different MBA schools, Find MBA BLOG provides you with the opportunity to know what actual people think of the MBA program that they are or were in. The interview articles are great additions to this MBA blog. The interviews beat out school reviews in that the person interviewed is actually experiencing or have experienced what the program and the school are like.
Other interviews provide insights on what students have to expect after they graduate. There is also an emphasis on the right values and attitudes that should accompany an MBA degree in order to succeed in business. Readers will then know whether they are in the right field or not.
Aside from the impressive interviews, Find MBA BLOG offers a book review section. Of course, the focus is still on MBA. An interactive MBA school map for Asia is also included. The map helps you find MBA schools per country in Asia.
The lows
While there are many helpful articles and interviews, the categories are less than helpful. The categories are only helpful to those who are only looking for a few articles here and there. But for those who want to use the blog extensively, it may not be as helpful. This is because place categories can include a jumble of topics whose only connection is the place. The categories are more like tags. There should be a separate set of categories to set apart events, interviews, book reviews, and maps. There should also be more maps and book reviews included.
Find College Cards is a blog that is created to provide a general guideline for college and graduate students. There are even resources for those who have just finished high school. High school graduates will know what to expect from college while being guided as to what schools they can go to, given their chosen fields.
What sets it apart
Usually, guides about college exclusively focus on college life. There would be info on apartment houses, dorm rooms, cheaper books, and the like. However, Find College Cards went further by also providing reviews of universities for the most popular fields. Of course, the top universities of the country have also been featured. High school graduates won’t only know what college living is like but will also determine the right university for them. Even those who are already in college may realize that there is a better school out there for them. Find College Cards only confirms it for them.
An interesting article that found its way into Find College Cards’ archives is Obama’s Community College Plan. Find College Cards is not restricting the college students’ and future college students’ point of view within the walls of an Ivy League school, or even within the walls of a community college for that matter, but is also expanding their thoughts toward the greater picture. Students will know how education is being regarded by the government.
The blog is easy to navigate. The articles are divided by categories and also by the months when they are written. The background design is simple.
What are the glitches
While the blog is very easy to navigate, the categories should be tweaked a little. To be specific, there is a category named “College Life,” but many of the other categories are actually aspects of college life. Some of the articles included in this category could actually also belong into the other separate categories. What I suggest is that the “College Life” category be removed from the list, and the articles placed in the specific, separate categories. For example, there are dating articles under “College Life.” They can be moved to the category named “Dating.”
F1 GMAT is basically what its name suggests, a help blog on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). It is directed toward students who are planning to take the GMAT. The site contains articles, blog entries, inside resources, and links that will help prepare students for the big management entrance exam.
What makes F1 GMAT different from other GMAT sites or blogs?
The blog site features not only articles that prepare you for GMAT but also features articles on the MBA culture. These articles can be found under the “Interesting Reads” section. There are also links to tips, tutorials, and techniques. The blog actually shares specific techniques such as fast multiplication. The writers of the site take the different aspects of GMAT preparation in consideration. The MBA culture articles get future GMAT examinees a taste of their future in MBA schools and beyond. If the culture presented is not that appetizing, there is a chance to back down.
The blog is really very resourceful. It includes business trends that provide insights to upcoming and current students who dream of having their own enterprise one day. F1 GMAT is actually a whole dream in a package. The dream is made more tangible by all the technical help provided. It has a directory of outside resources, articles, tutorials, and the like. Having all of them in one page of the F1 GMAT blog saves time for a GMAT reviewer. It is a whole library of GMAT resources.
Are there things to improve on?
While there are tons of helpful links within the F1 GMAT, getting to those links when you are an actual reviewer is more challenging. You can always go through everything if you want to take advantage of every bit of information. However, if you are in a rush and need just one thing, you may have a hard time looking for that topic or resource. The entries are all over the page. There may be a section on popular content and interesting reads, but you have no idea if they are all that the site has when it comes to articles. Other sections point to videos and outside links, instead of articles. Better categorizing is recommended to the site with probably, a user’s manual for serious visitors.
