The MBA application essay is your opportunity to shine and make a great first impression with admissions committees. With a compelling story and thoughtful responses, your application essay can help you stand out from the rest of the applicant pool. Crafting an outstanding essay takes work. Here are some key tips to keep in mind as you write yours:
Understand what admissions committees are looking for
Admissions committees want to get to know you as an individual and assess your fit for their program beyond just your resume and test scores. In your essay, they want to see evidence of your leadership abilities, communication skills, intellectual curiosity, resilience in the face of challenges, and motivation for pursuing an MBA. Make it clear how your background and experiences have prepared you for business school and the career opportunities after.
Select an accomplishment that shows off your strengths
Rather than merely listing your responsibilities in previous roles, choose one accomplishment you can discuss in-depth that exemplifies your capabilities. Think of something you achieved that may have required leadership, problem-solving skills, creativity or initiative. This is your chance to tell a compelling story with details that will stick in the minds of admissions officers.
Relate it back to your career goals and fit for the program
After describing your accomplishment, discuss how it relates to your chosen career path and motivates you to attend their MBA program. Explain how their program in particular will help you achieve your future professional objectives. This shows introspection and convinces them you have researched their school specifically rather than just applying generally.
Demonstrate self-awareness and room for growth
While emphasizing your strengths, acknowledge one or two areas for further development as well. Admitting limitations in a thoughtful, self-reflective way makes you appear open to feedback and willing to learn. It also reveals you can recognize opportunities for improvement without seeing them as character flaws. This balanced perspective of yourself tends to impress admissions officers.
Use active, descriptive language
Engage the reader by painting a vivid picture with descriptive details and specific anecdotes that bring your achievement to life. Employ dynamic action verbs and write in an active voice rather than passive. Rather than simply stating what happened, place the reader right alongside you in the situation. This makes for a far more compelling narrative than a chronological list of duties and responsibilities.
Emphasize impact and outcomes
Detail not just what you did, but the results it produced and value it created. Quantify your success or accomplishments whenever possible with metrics, numbers or measurable outcomes. Discuss how your actions positively influenced your team, company or other stakeholders. Focusing on outcomes demonstrates your initiative led to meaningful real-world impact, an important trait for business schools.
Organize logically and with a clear progression
Establish the necessary context and background, then walk the reader through a logical progression of events. Include a beginning, middle and end to narrate how you tackled challenges and achieved your goal. Elements should relate directly back to your stated skills, strengths and career fit rather than straying onto unrelated tangents. Maintain a cohesive flow to keep the reader engaged throughout.
Polish for proper spelling, grammar and tone
Write and edit your essay with care, getting feedback from several trusted readers. Proofread thoroughly to catch and correct any errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation or syntax. Ensure your tone is serious yet personable – never arrogant or casual. Business school is a serious investment, and little mistakes can risk undermining your professional image. Taking the time for polish shows commitment to presenting your best self.
Incorporate variety in your word choices
Avoid repetitive phrasing by actively seeking synonyms and varied sentence structure wherever possible. While consistency in tone and message is important, text with only a few words or sentence patterns rapidly becomes dull. Varied word choices keep the reader interested and improve the quality of your writing. Utilizing a thesaurus can also reveal new nuances to enhance details in your storytelling.
Consider supplemental essay prompts carefully
Schools often provide several short essay options to complement your primary response. Choose prompts that allow you to further develop relevant experiences aligned with your intended career path. Resist the urge to simply restate your main accomplishment; use supplements to share new insightful angles about yourself. Stay consistent with your overall story and brand while carving new angles.
Ask others for feedback and revision suggestions
Get multiple trusted people from diverse backgrounds to proofread and provide comments. Consider family, professors, supervisors, alumni of your target schools – those who know you well but can also offer objective critique. Incorporate constructive feedback and explain choices you disagree with to strengthen your perspective. This review process usually results in a more well-rounded, persuasive final product reflecting on others’ perspectives as well as your own.
Leave time for final review and small polish details
Even after multiple drafts and reviews, always leave yourself a day or more before the submission deadline to re-read with fresh eyes. This “cooling off” period allows for a more objective look to catch remaining issues. Perform small tasks like checking formatting consistency and personalized school addresses. These finishing touches communicate your attention to detail – a must for any aspiring business leader’s application story.
Present your best self within the agreed word limit
Resist the urge to exceed the allotted word count, usually between 500-650 words including spaces. Leave the reader wanting more by staying succinct yet impactful. If you continually edit down to the required length, admissions officers will better remember your overall story and message instead of skimming extraneous content. Presenting an ideally compact, highly polished narrative best positions you for acceptance.
Above all, be authentic in sharing your experiences and passions for why you want an MBA. With focused effort to showcase strengths, growth areas and fit through a compelling accomplishment story, your essay can give your candidacy an edge in a competitive applicant pool. Approach this opportunity as a chance to brand yourself and take advantage of all the tools available to wow admissions committees with who you are and your future potential.
Andrew Stroud