What makes a truly outstanding sample admission essay? Here are three elements that you should be aware of when turning in your MBA admission essay to the committee of admissions:
Good essays get straight to the point
Rather keep your essay short but sweet. However, this doesn’t mean that you can ignore the minimum number of words and page limit. Do not be redundant and avoid cliches. Both would just lengthen the essay unnecessarily. Even if you are not under the pressures of a word count, avoid going in circles. This is not a case of “the longer, the better.” The selection panel won’t waste their time reading an essay with long paragraphs that seem to be going nowhere. Be clear with your intentions and purpose of writing right from the start.
Good essays avoid confusion in thoughts and transition
Avoid the following:
- using unfamiliar terms and jargon
- exaggerated claims in hopes of impressing the screening committee
- errors in sentence structure, punctuation, spelling, and grammar
- trite expressions and cliches
Good essays are thought-provoking and appeal to the emotional side of the readers
When you say emotional side, it does not mean trying to make the admissions officers laugh like hyenas. One funny or witty sentence in the essay is OK; do not turn it into a script for Rowan Atkinson’s stand-up comedy. A short narration of a family tragedy (minus the heavy drama) followed by an explanation on how it instilled new values in you is an example of good content. Of course, you can skip family problems and focus on your aspirations and motivations. Let them in to your own world and be open to share personal views. Just keep it simple, unique, and interesting enough for them to remember your name and consider your qualifications.
Related links:
Essay writing process – About MBA admission essay writing process
Editing your essay – Tips on revising and editing your MBA essay
Career goals – Discussing career goals in your MBA essay
Personal statement advice – Tips on admission essay writing
Grad school guide – Guide to getting into grad school
Let us face it, you belong to multitudes of applicants vying for the limited slot for the MBA program. Some of these people would be more accomplished or intelligent than you, but this does not mean you have to lose. You can actually steal the spotlight from highly qualified applicants by turning in a compelling, well thought of admission essay. Here are some pointers for MBA essay writing that will gain approval from the selection panel.
Forget about lame introductions
Please, if the first two lines of the introduction would make the admissions people yawn and want to crawl under their bed, don’t expect to get admitted to the program. Make them want to keep on reading until the last paragraph of the admission essay. Make interesting intros that will grab their attention and make them want to consider your points. You can start with a personal anecdote, quote, or any fresh insight you can impart to your readers. Don’t make lame introductions if you want to get noticed by the selection panel of the
MBA school.
Provide juicy details in the body
Do not wear a mask– that’s another way of saying be yourself. Simply, don’t try to be someone you’re not. Instead of presenting an ideal candidate, be honest about who you are. With this approach in writing your MBA essay, readers will sense some sincerity in you. Elaborate on why you think you deserve to be part of the MBA program by discussing your personal views and work experiences, aspirations, and plans.
When you say juicy details, they don’t have to be controversial. They should at least be thought-provoking. You can use imagery for a more vivid form of writing. Just remember to weed out irrelevant information and focus on the main theme of the essay.
End with the feeling that readers have to know more about you
The conclusion is really important. It should sum up everything you’ve pointed out in the essay. So the selection panel will remember your application, try to end with a bang. Make them want to know you more by revealing an interesting part of you.
Related links:
Grad school guide – Guide to getting into grad school
Value of education – About goingt to college and the value of education
Editing your essay – Tips on revising and editing your MBA essay
Career goals – Discussing career goals in your MBA essay
Career switch – Writing about your plans for a career switch in your essay
Pursuing an MBA degree is not easy. You have to invest money, time, and effort. The admission process itself is arduous, and the competition for the spot in the the MBA school is tough. This is why in preparing for your MBA school application, you have to know the barriers to your MBA admission.
Not knowing the right MBA program for you
One of the common mistakes of applicants is not knowing the right MBA program for them. Some decide on the program based on peer pressure or pressure from their family. You have to keep in mind that obtaining an MBA school admission and spending years in MBA school will be your responsibility. Your friends and family could not do the job for you. This is why you have to decide on your own. You can consider their advice, but you have to also base your decision on your interest and skills. Your former professors and colleagues can also give advice on the MBA program that would suit you best.
Disregarding the requirements of the MBA school
Every requirement of the MBA school is very important. This is why you have to make sure that you submit each required document. With regard to your MBA admission essay, you have to know first if the admission committee requires you to answer some questions in your essay. If there are questions, make sure that you address each of them in your personal statement.
False expectations from the MBA degree
What do you know about MBA school? Before you apply to an MBA school, you should know what to expect. Ask MBA degree holders about their experiences. Don’t ever expect that the life of an MBA student is a bed of roses. Getting an MBA degree is difficult. You should know this to prepare for the challenges ahead.
Related links:
MBA career goals – All about ways to gain admissions to the MBA school that you want.
Bad student habits – About the barriers to success in MBA school
Winning essays – All about getting into your chosen MBA school
Online MBA – About pursuing online MBA degrees
MBA application essay – How to pass the MBA admission process
Setting Your Sights to Getting an MBA and Coming Up with a Winning MBA Admission Essay
The focal question asked by many nervous applicants to any MBA school is this: “will the admission essay ultimately decide whether I will be accepted or not?” One way to increase your chances of getting accepted into your dream school is to come up with a winning MBA admission essay. The MBA admission essay is a crucial part of the whole application process, but there are still other considerations. What the admission essay does is to serve as a tool for the admissions people to know the applicants better. An effective way to let the admissions people see a more personal side of you is to discuss your career goals in your essay.
However, so many MBA applicants commit the blunder of just turning the resume entries into complete sentences, consolidating all these sentences, and then call it an essay. The following are tips on how to come up with a winning essay.
Show your communication skills in your essay.
One thing that admissions committees look for is an applicant who has the ability to communicate. The admissions officers are cognizant of the fact that not everybody is an excellent writer, but if they see a personal statement that is riddled with punctuation blunders and spelling errors, they would simply make a conclusion that the applicant does not have what it takes. Excellent communication skills are very important, especially if you want to achieve your corporate goals and climb up the corporate ladder. Indeed, one could be motivated and intelligent, but if he or she could not properly impart his or her ideas to others, then the ideas are useless.
The good thing about the admission essays is that it (in a way) levels the playing arena. This means you can increase your chances of getting accepted into your dream school even if you don’t have the highest grades by coming up with an excellent essay. As such, the admission essay helps in determining if an applicant has the commitment, motivation, and communication skills needed to be a success in the business world later on.
Be truthful and sincere when writing your essay.
Another common blunder of so many applicants is that they think they should present a perfect picture of themselves through the essay. What the applicant must do is to focus on experiences that developed or showed his or her initiative to excel, to improve his or herself, and to contribute to the society. MBA admission committee members want individuals who could rise above the pack, while at the same time exhibiting qualities that show suitability to a particular MBA course.
Discuss your career goals in your essay.
Discussing your career goals in your essay is one way to add a more personal touch to your personal statement. Once the admissions panel see that you already have career goals, they’ll know that you are a person who has a direction in life and is determined in reaching your goals.
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Make Management Proud by Landing a Spot at Your Dream MBA School with a Winning MBA
Admission Essay
Almost all colleges and universities consider the admission essay as a crucial part of the application procedure. A very bright student who submits a half-heartedly written admission essay would be in for a rude awakening when he or she gets rejected because of it. In the same vein, a student who doesn’t have the highest GPA can increase his or her chances of getting in if his or her essay is original, compelling, truthful, and interesting. Having said all that, here are some tips to turn that MBA admission essay into a winning one, and impress your boss and colleagues by getting accepted into a top-notch dream MBA school.
# The MBA admission essay is not a list of achievements. A lot of applicants commit the sin of including all their achievements in the essay, even including irrelevant achievements. There are other documents (transcripts or records) to be submitted for your application, and as such, these lists of achievements would be best included on those documents. An essay that is compelling to the admissions board is one that tells a story, yet has a clear topic as opposed to something that goes in circles like a snake with a hangover. A relevant and interesting discussion of a very difficult time in one’s life is better than a recitation of all competitions won way back in high school.
# Just a tiny bit of humor is best. The admissions essay is an application essay, not a script for a comedian’s skit. A witty discussion would do well, and is appreciated by the admissions people. Sex-oriented or racist jokes are definitely a no-no, and if you make the mistake of including one in your admission essay, expect your chances of getting accepted to plummet faster than the speed of light.
# Your character must be revealed in the essay. Positive attributes such as honesty, integrity, and maturity should be reflected in your essay. While there is something to be said about straight A’s, this is not the sole criterion being sought by most colleges and universities. They need students who have shown and proved themselves as responsible citizens and matured individuals, and not just smart students with high grades.
# Pay attention to the technical side. Punctuation blunders, grammatical errors, and even spelling mistakes would make your essay look unprofessional. If every other sentence in your admission essay has one of the aforementioned blunders, the admissions officers would come to the conclusion that either you lack the perseverance to edit your work, or you are just a very poor writer. Whichever it goes, it is a bad mark as far as the application is concerned. Assuming writing excellently is not one of your assets, seek help from others such as your previous English professor in college or a mentor.
Getting into an MBA school could do wonders for one’s career, especially if one wants to impress bosses and colleagues at work. However, it all starts with the application process, with the MBA admission essay being a significant part of it. Make sure that your essay does not repeat data already included in other documents, and that it is well-written and edited.
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Writing an MBA Admission Essay Focusing on Your Business Communication Skills
Why should an applicant for an MBA grad course emphasize his or her business communication skills on his or her MBA admission essay? The reason for this is that business communication skills are one of the most important skills a successful corporate executive can develop. According to several surveys, some of the most important skills a business executive could have or develop in order to climb the corporate ladder are oral and written communication skills.
Focusing on the importance of having excellent business communication skills can be a topic for a winning MBA admission essay. The following are tips on how to come up with a well-written essay that focuses on these skills.
Discuss your goals clearly.
Keeping the importance of communication skills in mind, the quality of the applicant’s essay would depend greatly on his or her ability to convey goals or experiences in a reader-friendly manner. Among the first queries to be answered in an admission essay is “Why pursue an MBA degree?” When answering such a question, it’s important to discuss your goals or reasons clearly and concisely. As much as possible, give specific examples of goals or plans you have after graduating.
Include experiences that helped develop your business communication skills.
In your MBA admission essay, it’s beset to include experiences that helped hone your communication skills as a future business executive. These experiences can include being part of the debate team or school paper.
Avoid using technical jargon in your essay.
Good communication skills are not necessarily equivalent to being knowledgeable about technical jargon. As such, use simple but effective words in your essay. Bear in mind that the admissions committee members read hundreds of essays. So if you want to keep them interested, make sure to write an essay that is clear and free of technical jargon that are irrelevant to the topic of your essay. When discussing your leadership experiences, problems solved, and career path, make sure that the readers will be able to understand your essay without having to open a dictionary.
Keep your admission essay as interesting as possible.
A sign of having excellent communication skills is the ability to convey your ideas without boring your audience or the readers. Admissions officers have read hundreds or even thousands of essays, so make sure that your essay stands out from the rest. Thus, start the essay with something that would instantly capture their attention, instead of making them yawn. Remember, they do not expect you to give them a creative literary piece. What they want is an essay that’ll set you apart from the rest of the applicants.
Avoid being too wordy in your MBA essay.
A wordy essay tends to confuse the readers. Plus, it may make you exceed the specified length for the admissions essay. Having good written communication skills means you can convey your ideas using the most appropriate words without sacrificing the coherence and content of the essay.
Communication skills in the business world have become very necessary for someone to become successful. This is why it’s very important to focus on these or show the readers of your essay that you have excellent communication skills and that you are willing to use such skills to excel in the corporate world and contribute to the school.
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