TIPS ON WRITING AN MBA ESSAY
Essays are an extremely essential part of the application process. Outwardly uncomplicated questions necessitate a big deal of introspection. The student has to make sure that he takes out time to draft and redraft, tries innovative approaches and cautiously edits the essay so that every line packs in the utmost punch. This article lists out some important points that the student can keep in mind while writing an essay to get into a top b-school. Keep a Notebook As soon as the student knows that he is going to apply to business school, he should start to prepare in a low-stress way. It is important to keep a notebook and jot down anything interesting that comes to mind. An inspirational lecture, a inadequate performance review, an informative discussion with an acquaintance, a travel incident, running a marathon, a motivating book can all be marvelous matter for essays. He should not agonize over whether it will make a great topic or not and should just jot it down. He will find that that he has a excess of material to choose from. Compile a Brag Sheet As the student begins to approach essay-writing time, e should consider putting together a “brag sheet”. The student should write down all of the things about him that would not necessarily appear on a résumé like languages that he speaks all extracurricular involvements, family traditions and more. This can also be mined for essay content. Map Out General Topics Before the student actually sits down to write the essays, he should take the final step of mapping out the general topics that he will cover in each essay. As he maps a topic to a question, he should check it off on a master list of stories he wants to cover. This way, he can make sure that a given school is receiving all of his key stories, and that he is spreading out different stories across an application and not being repetitive. Develop a Plan Everybody works in special ways: some people work well first thing in the morning while others are night owls. Some need to sketch concepts on paper; others go directly to the laptop. So it is important to develop a plan that supports one’s individual style. Many find that the first application can take around 40 hours of work from brainstorming, to drafting, editing, and refining. As one approaches this process, he should make sure that he has the time. He should tackle one application at a go and should not take work leave or attempt it in a single week. Essays require time to gel. Therefore one should make sure that he has plenty of time to do it right. He may require six weeks, or maybe even want 12. Add Important Keywords and Support Claims It is essential that one researches his target schools and understands how to appeal to each of them. Each will have a slightly different ethos and look for something different in their students. There are certain qualities that all business schools want to see in a successful applicant like leadership, team skills, ethics, and communication skills. Every claim that he makes must have supporting stories that help the reader believe him. He does not need to check off every quality on the list. Hence, he should select a few that applies to him and should reinforce those in an honest and compelling way. Don’t Avoid Talking about Failures Nobody is perfect. The schools know this and the student needs to show them that he is realistic and self-aware. Revealing his humanity in the form of quirks, weaknesses and flaws can often help the admissions committee to like him. A story about how he learned from a failure, improved upon a weakness or struggled with challenges can be compelling. The other side of this is the ability to demonstrate that ne can really benefit from the MBA degree. Get some help Even the most meticulous writers benefit from a second or third set of eyes. It is important to ask someone to review the essays, look for typos and tell if the student is hitting all of the points in the right way. Someone is needed to see whether the attempt at humor coming off correctly and whether he seems too humble, too cocky, too serious, and not serious enough. After one has been masked with his essays for weeks, a new viewpoint can time and again help one see the application as an admissions-committee member does: for the first time. Therefore, it is very important to solicit someone who knows about the application process and makes sure they in fact giving one some quality feedback. Give Yourself Time Nearly all schools necessitate a few different essays, so students should explore the topics and questions in advance and start brainstorming. The student should think about maintaining two running lists. One should be about him like his passions and accomplishments (leader, team player, values) and the other one should be about the specific school that he is applying to. Answer the Question Asked The student may not like the essay question, but it is important to answer what has been specifically asked for. Keep it simple Admissions officers want to know who the student really is. The student should use real-life examples of career, educational and personal accomplishments. He should not worry about the size of the accomplishment; and should share something that will provide a glimpse into his character and values. While describing how he tackled a tough situation and made himself successful, it is vital to put it in one’s own words, and to use specific stories and examples. Students should follow the common suggestion that one should show and not tell. Share Your Achievements In some cultures it’s considered poor etiquette to boast about oneself. However, in these essays, it is very important to do this. The student can’t be humble. He should not overdo it so that he sounds like he is bragging. Instead, he should talk about the amazing things he has done and learned, and should tell the university why they should accept him as a student. Know What You Want to Achieve The student should know that where do you want to be in a month or in five years. This could include a combination of career goals and personal objectives. He should share in his MBA essay his plans for the future like does he aspire to do international work or is he aiming for a senior executive position. This is a great time for self-reflection. Make it a Two-Way Street Thinking of the essay as a job application is a good way to go. The student should understand where does he need to demonstrate how his skills will help a company achieve their goals and how will that specific school help him achieve his goals, and what will he contribute to the program. Add the Extras Many universities, let students submit an additional optional essay around the idea of “tell us anything else you think we should know.” However, only about 80 percent of applicants complete that essay. This is another opportunity to tell the admissions department something important about oneself. Why should they accept the student; what do they really need to know; and what will help the student stand apart from the crowd are some stories are so memorable that they stick with the committee years later. Follow the Required Word Count If the word count is 500, the student should on no account, submit a 2,000-word MBA essay. The student should question that does he really need that much room. It throws a negative light on the student’s written communication skills and ability to follow directions. On the flip side, if the student can answer the question in four sentences, he may need to put a little bit more thought into it. If it’s too short, the admissions committee may not take the student too seriously. Check Spelling and Grammar The biggest mistakes that people make are in the little details. Things like making sure whether the spelling of the admissions officer’s name is correct, doing a spell check and have someone proofread the essay are all highly recommended to avid the tiny mistakes. Get the Name of the College Right This may seem like a no-brainer, but if the student is applying to multiple schools, then he should be sure to change the name of the college on each essay. Use Simple Formatting The font should be professional, as opposed to artsy. The student should stick to fonts like Times New Roman, Courier New, Helvetica, and Arial. The student’s portfolio is a platform that allows for more creative formatting, if necessary. Relax The student should remember that while the essay is a very important part of his application, it’s not the only part. His transcript, interview, recommendation, etc. all impact the committee’s decision. If the student is not a great writer or his English isn’t perfect, he can still get into a graduate or MBA program.