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
