When writing your admissions essay, you have to come up with something that will reflect your personality but at the same time impress your readers the right way. The use of certain inappropriate words is always a bad idea. Keep in mind that a well-thought out admission essay should contain concise statements that use the right words to effectively convey what you want to say to your essay readers.
Admission essay myth 1: using high-fallutin words is impressive
Using highfalutin words in your admission essay is not a good idea. After all, what your essay readers would like to know about you is your suitability to the school’s program and student body, and not your vocabulary skills. Because the aim of your admission essay is to reveal the real you to the admission panelists, you would have to keep everything real by sticking to words that you know best. Admissions staffers won’t really enjoy reading application essays that look like scientific papers. Let your essay remain simple, and let its sincerity and effective arguments convince the readers that you deserve a spot at your dream school.
Application essay myth 2: using the spellchecker alone is enough when editing
Thanks to the latest advancements in computer programs, we now have all forms of editing software, with the spellchecker as one of them. However, don’t solely rely on this program when editing and proofreading your application essay. A good technique is to spellcheck your essay first using a word processing program, and then manually check it by reading your essay several times. This way, any grammar or typo error not captured by the software will still be corrected. Keep in mind that a well-written essay shouldn’t contain obvious grammar and typo errors. Submitting such an essay will create a bad impression among your readers.
To realize what the myths are in writing your MBA admission essay is the first step towards an excellent application essay. By keeping the truth behind these tips in mind, coming up with a well-written essay becomes easier.
Related questions:
1. Why is it better to use simpler words on the admission essay?
2. Are Admissions officers critical in your choice of words on the essay?
3. Is there a downside to using the spellcheckers?
Even before the writing of the first word in your MBA application essay, there is something important that needs to be done- the outline. Having an outline gives a number of benefits to the applicant.
The importance of an outline for your essay for admission
An outline for the admission essay is like the overall gameplan of a sports team. From this outline, you could begin the writing process with confidence, since you have a map to be used and you would not be winging it. With an outline, your thoughts would be structured, logical, and coherent. This would also show you in a glance (it should just be a page ordinarily) what your areas of focus would be. Also, you could immediately see if there are loopholes in the arguments or if one aspect of the essay has been saturated. Be flexible though, since an outline could and should be corrected as you go along; it is not a tabled commandment that could not be altered.
Tips when preparing an outline for your admission essay
In the essay paragraphs, indicate on the outline how you plan to go about it. As much as possible, every paragraph should have elements of your own and researched data. Assuming the paragraph talks of a life experience, then no research is necessary. But still, a logical sequence of events should be narrated.
Indicate how long (two paragraphs?) or short (just 3 lines?) your conclusion would be. It is a summary of all the high points of your essay, and gives a satisfying closure to the essay question (prompt).
At the end of the day, it would boil down to organization. Having a good outline would make sure that you would not go in circles and that unnecessary facts would be omitted. Don’t neglect doing an outline, as it would be the foundation of the whole essay.
Related questions:
1. What are the reasons for creating an outline for the application essay?
2. Should research possibilities be noted down on the outline?
3. What should the outline indicate regarding the essay’s conclusion?
There are certain things that make an MBA admission essay a really bad essay. Before you write your own MBA application essay, it’s best that you arm yourself with the right information regarding things admission officers don’t like to read in a personal statement. Always remember that these officers have so many essays to go through, that only the well-proofread and interesting essays have a chance of standing out. Read on to know what you should avoid when writing your own.
MBA application essays that have boring sentences
This doesn’t just apply to the opening paragraph, but also in the succeeding statements as well. When writing your essay, you should aim to be interesting. Here is an example of a sentence that could be improved: My parents died when I was just thirteen, and it was a period of mourning. To catch the readers’ attention, include more details and change the sentence to: When I was just thirteen, a drunk driver rammed his truck right into the family car, turning me into an orphan. I was so devastated during that time of my life that I sincerely thought it would have been better if I was in the car with them when the accident happened. Now, the second version is longer, but even if you cut it down a bit, it is still more interesting. When writing your personal statement, let some flair get into your words and avoid boring statements, which includes cliches.
MBA essays that contain grammar errors
Now, even if your essay has been presented in a dramatic fashion, but if it is crammed with all kinds of grammatical errors, then it’s still bad writing in the eyes of the admissions staffers. After all, you are applying for an MBA slot, and that means you should make sure that simple grammar rules have been followed, such as subject-verb agreement and structure and composition.
By making your essay both error-free and compelling, you accomplish two things – the readers will remember your piece long after they’ve read it, and they would be impressed with the editing that you exerted on the final draft.
Related questions:
1. What is an example of a boring narration in the admission essay?
2. Is using a lot of cliches good for one’s admission essay?
3. How can one prevent a lot of grammar errors?
Some applicants get the wrong notion that they should write something earth-shattering in order to impress the Committee members. Truth is: most, if not all of these evaluators could be impressed by three short adjectives: short, original, and honest.
Keeping everything short but sweet when writing admission essays
Every main argument/point that you raised on the essay should be supported by any of the following: facts, theories (on some instances only), experiences, or statistics. Still, be direct to the point and avoid going in circles. One thing the Committee of Admissions members really hate is an essay that has no direction, no focus and shoots off useless trivia. Don’t fall for this trap- it would be your undoing in the application process.
Being honest and original in your application essays
To be honest does not mean you have to put down each and every weakness you have. It’s actually a common question on essays (what is one of your glaring weaknesses?), and the key here is to answer it. Answer it simply, don’t apologize, and impress upon them how you are working on this particular failing. To be honest also means avoid exaggerations in reference to your accomplishments. This is an amusing question but worthy of your attention: if it was an accomplishment worth writing, then no additional honking of your own horn is needed right?
As much as possible, go for originality. In narrating experiences, go as deep (personal) as you could make it. This would assure you the Admission officers have not heard it for the hundredth time.
To put it all in a cap: brevity would keep your narration easy to read, honesty would allow the readers to know you much better, and the originality would help your document stand out from among the countless essays.
Related questions:
1. What is meant by an admission essay that is out of focus?
2. Why is honesty a must on one’s MBA application essay?
3. In the essay, should one apologize for his/her weaknesses?
