4. Blow off the essays.  I mean the business school essays, not the ones on the GMAT (though since your scores are reported with the AWA, you shouldn’t blow that off either).  As always, a stellar GPA, work record, and GMAT score may get you admitted to the programs you want even if your essay is not great, but you don’t get to be a high-powered executive in command of your own destiny by leaving easily-fixed things to chance.  Take some time to think about what you write, and look online at what others have written.  The directions for the essays are usually quite specific (though some may just want a “statement of interest” with no further details given), and many have word limits.  Your ability to pad and B.S. your way through papers at the high school and college level (if you had that) will directly and powerfully hurt you here; you need to give them clear, concise reasons to set up an interview.  Use friends and colleagues for input on content (and editing, if they have that skill); write your essays, let them sit at least overnight, then look at them again and see whether they still make sense.

Test your GMAT skills with this GMAT verbal practice question.

5. Wait to “find yourself” in your MBA program. The Masters in Business Administration is for people who have a certain amount of business experience (the actual amount varying according to the type of MBA program), enough experience to know exactly what skills they lack to move on to, well, whatever it is they want to move onto:  a higher position within their firm, a lateral move into another field, or off to start their own company.  The MBA is absolutely, positively NOT for somebody who is still looking for a career that inspires him or her, who is hoping that the core curriculum or cohort of fellow business leaders will be the impetus for a career change.  If you go so far as to say that you’re “still deciding” in your application, that will actually hurt your chances of admission; if you conceal it and are admitted, you are only hurting yourself.  MBA programs are not cheap, use them for their intended purpose.  If you are hoping to find your way via another degree, consider some other master’s degree or even a second undergraduate degree.  Some schools and colleges limit or do not allow second undergraduate degrees — they are interested in serving the students who are still working on their first undergraduate degrees — but others will consider it or allow you without limitation.  The point of diminishing returns with undergraduate degrees is the first one, though in certain fields and positions, the only way in is via an undergraduate degree.

We covered doing nothing in this one; in the next installment, we’ll show you ways to take things too far one way or another, which is a great way to convince MBA admissions counselors that you aren’t right for their program.

See other articles in this series:

10 Best Ways to Ruin Your MBA Applications, pt 1

10 Best Ways to Ruin Your MBA Applications, pt 2

The first step you need to take it to differentiate authenticity from aspiration. The best way to do this is to keeping reminding yourself of your strong attributes and evidence that supports this. To find these attributes, identify the qualities, traits, strengths and talents that you think of most frequently. Write each one of these down on a post-it-note in no more than 10 words. Find an empty area and begin putting up these notes. The advantage of using post-it notes is that you can continue to reshuffle them and move them in different areas.

Here are some examples from applicants we have worked with:

• I have worked extensively abroad

• My communication skills are outstanding

• I am a turn-around specialist

• I am the best negotiator in my class

• I lead teams to innovative solutions

• I can motivate my team with my energy

• I love the newest technologies

• I give back to my community

On your first try you will probably tend to repeat certain statements, but these can always be corrected later.

For more robust guidance on your MBA application essays, check out the Stacy Blackman Consulting Essay Guide Series – school specific guides with essay tips, sample essays, information on what your target schools value and more.
Visit http://www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/ to learn more.

Founded in 2001, Stacy Blackman Consulting has helped thousands of MBA applicants gain admission to the most selective business schools in the world.  The Stacy Blackman team, comprised of MBA graduates, former admissions officers and expert writers, editors and marketers, helps clients develop and implement a winning marketing strategy.  Stacy Blackman clients have a significantly increased probability of admission to top schools and are frequent recipients of merit scholarships.  The company is regularly featured in publications such as BusinessWeek, the Wall Street Journal and the Economist.   Visit the Stacy Blackman blog for daily news updates and admissions tips, and check out the company’s e-publications for more in depth school-by-school guidance.

• How many languages are you fluent in?
• How many countries have you traveled to?
• Does your family have any interesting traditions?
• Have you encountered any significant obstacles in your life?
• Do you have any patents?

Etc.

Once you have filled out your brag sheet, you can sort through it and select the themes that stand out. Would you consider yourself as a leader? An innovator? These attributes come together to create your overall brand. Once you have four to five attributes, you need to support them with something that companies call “reasons to believe.” The “reasons to believe” are your real-life examples. As you write your business school essays, you will need to use very specific stories to support your brand. When you discuss specific essay questions for a given MBA program, you can refer to your brand document and run through the list of stories to decide which stories fit in with which essays. Many stories are flexible and can provide evidence for a number of attributes. Once you have coordinated these stories to particular MBA essay questions, you are ready to begin writing your essays.

As An Example:

Brand Attribute 1: Excellent Communicator

Supporting Evidence:

1)    Founder of Toastmasters club

2)    Led incoming training class at JPMorgan

3)    Chosen as lead negotiator

Brand Attribute 2: Global Experience

Supporting Evidence:

1)    Worked in four continents over past four years

2)    Lived in six countries during adolescence

3)    Fluent in three languages

4)    Career interests focused on international expansion of current employer

For more robust guidance on your MBA application essays, check out the Stacy Blackman Consulting Essay Guide Series – school specific guides with essay tips, sample essays, information on what your target schools value and more.

Visit http://www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/ to learn more.

Founded in 2001, Stacy Blackman Consulting has helped thousands of MBA applicants gain admission to the most selective business schools in the world.  The Stacy Blackman team, comprised of MBA graduates, former admissions officers and expert writers, editors and marketers, helps clients develop and implement a winning marketing strategy.  Stacy Blackman clients have a significantly increased probability of admission to top schools and are frequent recipients of merit scholarships.  The company is regularly featured in publications such as BusinessWeek, the Wall Street Journal and the Economist.   Visit the Stacy Blackman blog for daily news updates and admissions tips, and check out the company’s e-publications for more in depth school-by-school guidance.

“What is the most difficult professional experience you’ve had and what did you do about it?” (300 word maximum)

While I worked for AdVentCentureCo Inc. from 1997 to until its eventual acquisition by ConHugeCo in 2006, I faced many challenges as I built my skills and reputation, and thereby rose through the ranks.  As a team lead on such projects as SlideChart and the comprehensive KitchenSync, I developed my managerial skills with teams of as many as fifteen people directly under me, including many off-site workers in other offices on the other side of the globe.  There were many challenges associated with a distributed workforce — collaboration on projects with workers in different time zones, language barriers, morale and supervision, even things as simple as team meetings had unexpected obstacles.

My most difficult professional experience came from these global team-management responsibilities.  In one case, our team had to work with some contractors in different country, a place different still from the international offices of AdVentCentureCo Inc.; suddenly, problems seemed to magnify.  Supervision at a distance was hard enough, but without much authority or means of supervising the independent contractors, we encountered many unexpected delays due to misunderstandings and miscommunications.   We were behind schedule, and my reputation for bringing in the team’s contribution on time and under budget was in danger.

My solution in this case was a combination of additional reporting from them and much more frequent communication with that other group; even though it took much more of my time personally, it dramatically reduced the time we were spending on cleanup and revisions.  The independent contractors even found a way to save 10% on the final cost; while I can’t claim that my shift in strategy produced that, the better working relationship I had with them certainly facilitated the transmission of the information.  The fact that our part of the project came in on time is mostly the result of my team’s hard work in the final weeks rather than because of anything I did, but I learned a lot about goal-setting and obstacle-removal in the process, and carried that experience with me into future management arenas.

1.  Did I follow the directions, especially regarding word count? The essay is slightly over the specified word count, but there are extra words and longer phrases that could be cut down or out.

2.  Did I answer all elements of the question? Yes, this essay answers the question, though not as specifically as it could.

3.  If I mentioned facts about myself, did they help make me a more compelling applicant?  If I mentioned facts about the school, did I take the extra step of making them relevant, or was I just “name-dropping”? There is often a struggle between “they can see it on my resume” and “I don’t know how well they read my resume, I should say it again.”  A good rule is to restate something if it helps you, but only to the extent that it helps you; if they want more, they can flip to the resume.  Think of the resume as the charts and tables and appendices at the back of a report:  not needed to understand the report, but there for those who want to dig into the data more.

4.  While I worked for AdVentCentureCo Inc. from 1997 to until its eventual acquisition by ConHugeCo in 2006, I faced many challenges as I built my skills and reputation, and thereby rose through the ranks. This is a good example of too much resume information; if it’s important that they know you worked someplace for nine years, then say that; if it’s important that they know your job ended because of a restructuring, then say that, but throwing it all in is space better devoted to making you look awesome.  It would have been enough to say During my nine years with AdVentCentureCo Inc., I faced many challenges as I built my skills and reputation, especially after I was promoted to team lead.  If they need more, they have the resume.

5.  As a team lead on such projects as SlideChart and the comprehensive KitchenSync . . . If you have reason to expect that your readers will have heard of the products, either in real life or in other essays you’ve written as part of your application, then by all means mention them as you go.  It is often a mistake to assume that, though, so if there is any doubt,  provide some context and relevance.  One of the goals of these essays is to show how you’ve handled responsibility; if the readers do not know how big or how important or how complex the project was or the product is, you’ve missed a chance to impress them.  Better would have been As team lead on such projects as SlideChart, the industry-leading customer management and billing software used in 90% of the 21,000 funeral homes nationwide . . . You can’t assume they know your industry as well as you do.

6.  My reputation.  The author’s reputation appears twice in this essay.  Reputation is important (even very important to some people and some industries!) and can be a valid theme for your essays, but we don’t have context to support that.  As it is, reputation is a self-focused and even self-centered measure of success; better to focus on more external and concrete consequences of a project coming in on time or late.

7.  My solution in this case was a combination of additional reporting from them and much more frequent communication with that other group; even though it took much more of my time personally, it dramatically reduced the time we were spending on cleanup and revisions.  Here, the essay could have been much more specific, giving us a sense of how big the change was.  By quantifying the distance between Point A and Point B, the essay can show the enormity of the problem and the author’s innovation, leadership, and dedication.  Specifics are good to the extent that they show extent or originality:  My solution in this case was a combination of daily reporting in addition to the already-weekly meetings and an emoticon-based real-time shared status system, resulting in a 63% reduction in man-hours spent on cleaning up mistakes.

I hope this post gives you some ideas for how to talk about yourselves; next time, I’ll cover the optional essay!

“What is the most difficult professional experience you’ve had and what did you do about it?” (300 word maximum)

While I worked for AdVentCentureCo Inc. from 1997 to until its eventual acquisition by ConHugeCo in 2006, I faced many challenges as I built my skills and reputation, and thereby rose through the ranks.  As a team lead on such projects as SlideChart and the comprehensive KitchenSync, I developed my managerial skills with teams of as many as fifteen people directly under me, including many off-site workers in other offices on the other side of the globe.  There were many challenges associated with a distributed workforce — collaboration on projects with workers in different time zones, language barriers, morale and supervision, even things as simple as team meetings had unexpected obstacles.

My most difficult professional experience came from these global team-management responsibilities.  In one case, our team had to work with some contractors in different country, a place different still from the international offices of AdVentCentureCo Inc.; suddenly, problems seemed to magnify.  Supervision at a distance was hard enough, but without much authority or means of supervising the independent contractors, we encountered many unexpected delays due to misunderstandings and miscommunications.   We were behind schedule, and my reputation for bringing in the team’s contribution on time and under budget was in danger.

My solution in this case was a combination of additional reporting from them and much more frequent communication with that other group; even though it took much more of my time personally, it dramatically reduced the time we were spending on cleanup and revisions.  The independent contractors even found a way to save 10% on the final cost; while I can’t claim that my shift in strategy produced that, the better working relationship I had with them certainly facilitated the transmission of the information.  The fact that our part of the project came in on time is mostly the result of my team’s hard work in the final weeks rather than because of anything I did, but I learned a lot about goal-setting and obstacle-removal in the process, and carried that experience with me into future management arenas.

1.  Did I follow the directions, especially regarding word count? The essay is slightly over the specified word count, but there are extra words and longer phrases that could be cut down or out.

2.  Did I answer all elements of the question? Yes, this essay answers the question, though not as specifically as it could.

3.  If I mentioned facts about myself, did they help make me a more compelling applicant?  If I mentioned facts about the school, did I take the extra step of making them relevant, or was I just “name-dropping”? There is often a struggle between “they can see it on my resume” and “I don’t know how well they read my resume, I should say it again.”  A good rule is to restate something if it helps you, but only to the extent that it helps you; if they want more, they can flip to the resume.  Think of the resume as the charts and tables and appendices at the back of a report:  not needed to understand the report, but there for those who want to dig into the data more.

4.  While I worked for AdVentCentureCo Inc. from 1997 to until its eventual acquisition by ConHugeCo in 2006, I faced many challenges as I built my skills and reputation, and thereby rose through the ranks. This is a good example of too much resume information; if it’s important that they know you worked someplace for nine years, then say that; if it’s important that they know your job ended because of a restructuring, then say that, but throwing it all in is space better devoted to making you look awesome.  It would have been enough to say During my nine years with AdVentCentureCo Inc., I faced many challenges as I built my skills and reputation, especially after I was promoted to team lead.  If they need more, they have the resume.

5.  As a team lead on such projects as SlideChart and the comprehensive KitchenSync . . . If you have reason to expect that your readers will have heard of the products, either in real life or in other essays you’ve written as part of your application, then by all means mention them as you go.  It is often a mistake to assume that, though, so if there is any doubt,  provide some context and relevance.  One of the goals of these essays is to show how you’ve handled responsibility; if the readers do not know how big or how important or how complex the project was or the product is, you’ve missed a chance to impress them.  Better would have been As team lead on such projects as SlideChart, the industry-leading customer management and billing software used in 90% of the 21,000 funeral homes nationwide . . . You can’t assume they know your industry as well as you do.

6.  My reputation.  The author’s reputation appears twice in this essay.  Reputation is important (even very important to some people and some industries!) and can be a valid theme for your essays, but we don’t have context to support that.  As it is, reputation is a self-focused and even self-centered measure of success; better to focus on more external and concrete consequences of a project coming in on time or late.

7.  My solution in this case was a combination of additional reporting from them and much more frequent communication with that other group; even though it took much more of my time personally, it dramatically reduced the time we were spending on cleanup and revisions.  Here, the essay could have been much more specific, giving us a sense of how big the change was.  By quantifying the distance between Point A and Point B, the essay can show the enormity of the problem and the author’s innovation, leadership, and dedication.  Specifics are good to the extent that they show extent or originality:  My solution in this case was a combination of daily reporting in addition to the already-weekly meetings and an emoticon-based real-time shared status system, resulting in a 63% reduction in man-hours spent on cleaning up mistakes.

I hope this post gives you some ideas for how to talk about yourselves; next time, I’ll cover the optional essay!

1. Did I follow the directions, especially regarding word count?
2. Did I answer all elements of the question?
3. If I mentioned facts about myself, did they help make me a more compelling applicant?  If I mentioned facts about the school, did I take the extra step of making them relevant, or was I just “name-dropping”?

There are many other things to consider in writing and revising your essays — spelling, grammar, punctuation, style, tone — but in my experience, most MBA applicants have a decent sense of those, even if they are not always able to produce them on their own.  What many applicants struggle with is what to say, rather than how to say it (though many need a little help with that too).

I’ve made this essay a little less “bad” than the last one, but there are still some things that should be changed or could be improved.

“What is the most difficult professional experience you’ve had and what did you do about it?” (300 word maximum)

While I worked for AdVentCentureCo Inc. from 1997 to until its eventual acquisition by ConHugeCo in 2006, I faced many challenges as I built my skills and reputation, and thereby rose through the ranks.  As a team lead on such projects as SlideChart and the comprehensive KitchenSync, I developed my managerial skills with teams of as many as fifteen people directly under me, including many off-site workers in other offices on the other side of the globe.  There were many challenges associated with a distributed workforce — collaboration on projects with workers in different time zones, language barriers, morale and supervision, even things as simple as team meetings had unexpected obstacles.

My most difficult professional experience came from these global team-management responsibilities.  In one case, our team had to work with some contractors in different country, a place different still from the international offices of AdVentCentureCo Inc.; suddenly, problems seemed to magnify.  Supervision at a distance was hard enough, but without much authority or means of supervising the independent contractors, we encountered many unexpected delays due to misunderstandings and miscommunications.   We were behind schedule, and my reputation for bringing in the team’s contribution on time and under budget was in danger.

My solution in this case was a combination of additional reporting from them and much more frequent communication with that other group; even though it took much more of my time personally, it dramatically reduced the time we were spending on cleanup and revisions.  The independent contractors even found a way to save 10% on the final cost; while I can’t claim that my shift in strategy produced that, the better working relationship I had with them certainly facilitated the transmission of the information.  The fact that our part of the project came in on time is mostly the result of my team’s hard work in the final weeks rather than because of anything I did, but I learned a lot about goal-setting and obstacle-removal in the process, and carried that experience with me into future management arenas.

Next time, we’ll cover how to make the essay better!

Why have you chosen to pursue a Part-Time MBA? Why is this the appropriate time for you to begin? (300 word maximum)

Ever since I was a child, I have admired those who took risks to achieve their goals. People who pursued their dreams. Even though both of my parents are divorce lawyers and expected me to follow in their footsteps, my path has always been focused much more on technology and computers. I can remember helping my grandmother send her first e-mail much more clearly than I can remember my mistaken desire to fight a parking ticket in court, which says a lot about me I think. I have always wanted to work at the intersection of technology avenue and people street, and I think a part-time MBA from Awesome Business College will give me the tools to achieve my own goals, to pursue my own dreams.

A part-time MBA from ABC gives me the opportunity to get the much-needed “general” knowledge about the business world that I will need to take my career to the next level, whatever that is. I’ve always dreamed of owning my own company, and something related to technology seems like a perfect fit given my strong background in both programming and the end-user experience. I’d like to learn how to design services and products, test them, market them, launch them, collect feedback on them, strategize corporate positioning, and just learn how to office correctly. The classes at ABC are of course the familiar centerpiece of its world-class education, but the amazing faculty and diverse and highly-qualified students at ABC are as much a part of the learning process! The classes in a vacuum would simply not convey as much information. I find that I learn a great deal from both books and other people, so having an academic program that does both will give me the best of both worlds.

As for “why now?”, I am at a point in my career where it makes sense. I can’t really get promoted at my current employer because the next level of management is far from retirement in this economy (but then, that’s true of most people). I will almost certainly get a better job on completing my ABC MBA because of its fantastic network of distinguished alumni and international movers and shakers, like G.S. Bailey, whom I saw was a graduate of ABC in the recent CNN article about him. ABC is the right school for me right now, and I am excited to be a part of it.

1.  Following directions.  The first question I always ask myself is “Did he or she follow the instructions?”  Does the essay answer the question fully?  Does the essay fit within the stated word count?  I can’t imagine any of you pasted this into a word processor to check, but this essay is well over the maximum word count.  Of course if the school wants you, they’ll disregard an essay with 33% excess; the point is that there is never a good reason to do so.  Why risk it?  The essay also never answers the question “why a part-time MBA?”  The question is very specifically asking about that program, as opposed to an intensive executive program or a full-time one.

2.  Weak intro.  This is one of the holdovers from pre-college education; the shorter the essay, the less “time” you have to get to the point.  There is no problem with using a personal anecdote, including something from your childhood, but the “lifelong interest in business” is less well suited to an essay specifically addressing the timing of a part time MBA.  The first two sentences of the first paragraph could be deleted entirely without affecting anything.  Grab your reader (optional) and make your point as efficiently as possible!  This is also true of AWA essays.

3.  Tone.  As some of you pointed out, the tone is very casual.   There is more than one tone valid for MBA essays — you can keep things simple and straightforward, you can tell interesting (and even funny) stories that show off your leadership style and innovation.  You can even be somewhat casual — you want to stand out, remember?  Too casual (and here unevenly so) though, and you sound as though you aren’t serious, and aren’t ready for the MBA.  I’ll point out the intersection of technology avenue and people street in particular as unnecessary and overly casual.  Even though human-computer interaction and focusing on the end user are very real and important aspects of business, a 300-word MBA essay is not the place to break out a wordy and useless metaphor.

4.  The dreaded “general” business knowledge.  There’s no good way to say this:  they aren’t admitting you so that you can “find yourself” or find direction in your career.  If that’s where you are, you probably should not be applying for the MBA; there are MA programs out there that have a more interdisciplinary approach, if you need to do some exploring.  How will you know what electives to take if you don’t know what you lack for your next step?  How will you know with whom to network while there?  How will you know which projects to take on, when you have no idea what you’ll do when you graduate?  People with a path in mind are much more attractive to them, people who know as exactly as possible what they need from their MBAs.  You can change your mind once you are there, but have a plan!  Do you intend to start your own firm?  Do you intend to move into an executive position with your current firm?  What specific content knowledge would you need to do that job well?

5.  Telling them what they already know.  This is not automatically bad.  There are times when you want to show you’re very familiar and very interested in their program, and do so by mentioning some aspect of student life or the curriculum that really gets you excited.  The trap, though, is mentioning those things without mentioning what they mean to you.  Telling them that you’re excited to work with Professor Smith because your area of interest coincides exactly with her published and ongoing research is fantastic; telling them that they are #16 in the country or have a diverse and accomplished student body or that some alumnus was on CNN is not, unless you can relate it back to you and your application.

6.  The answer to “why now?”.  I almost deleted this point but it’s worth saying:  stay positive.  Rather than “there’s no way I’ll get promoted”, say “I’ve exhausted my options in my current situation and am looking for opportunities for more responsibility elsewhere.”  Instead of “I’m bored here” say “I’ve mastered the requirements of my current position and am ready for new challenges.”

We will tackle another essay topic next time:  “What is the most difficult professional experience you’ve had and what did you do about it?“

This is the first of a series highlighting the issues with some common business school essay questions. These essays are not models of good behavior! These are creative collections of the errors, issues, and problems I’ve seen over the years, the principles I’ve used to edit them, and fixes I’ve suggested. They will not be one laughable mistake after another though – these small works of fiction are meant to be real-ish examples of what people give me when they ask me to edit their work. Since blogs are much more interesting when there is some back-and-forth, I will post the initial essay here and ask you, the MBA aspirant, to tell me what you think the issues are. I plan on avoiding spelling mistakes and typos (point them out if they slip in!), though other Sentence Correction issues like modifying phrases and unclear pronouns may make occasional appearances just for variety.

The question prompts are real prompts with some small edits, though in some cases I’ve changed the word counts.

Here we go!

Why have you chosen to pursue a Part-Time MBA? Why is this the appropriate time for you to begin? (300 word maximum)

Ever since I was a child, I have admired those who took risks to achieve their goals. People who pursued their dreams. Even though both of my parents are divorce lawyers and expected me to follow in their footsteps, my path has always been focused much more on technology and computers. I can remember helping my grandmother send her first e-mail much more clearly than I can remember my mistaken desire to fight a parking ticket in court, which says a lot about me I think. I have always wanted to work at the intersection of technology avenue and people street, and I think a part-time MBA from Awesome Business College will give me the tools to achieve my own goals, to pursue my own dreams.

A part-time MBA from ABC gives me the opportunity to get the much-needed “general” knowledge about the business world that I will need to take my career to the next level, whatever that is. I’ve always dreamed of owning my own company, and something related to technology seems like a perfect fit given my strong background in both programming and the end-user experience. I’d like to learn how to design services and products, test them, market them, launch them, collect feedback on them, strategize corporate positioning, and just learn how to office correctly. The classes at ABC are of course the familiar centerpiece of its world-class education, but the amazing faculty and diverse and highly-qualified students at ABC are as much a part of the learning process! The classes in a vacuum would simply not convey as much information. I find that I learn a great deal from both books and other people, so having an academic program that does both will give me the best of both worlds.

As for “why now?”, I am at a point in my career where it makes sense. I can’t really get promoted at my current employer because the next level of management is far from retirement in this economy (but then, that’s true of most people). I will almost certainly get a better job on completing my ABC MBA because of its fantastic network of distinguished alumni and international movers and shakers, like G.S. Bailey, whom I saw was a graduate of ABC in the recent CNN article about him. ABC is the right school for me right now, and I am excited to be a part of it.

Editorial comments next time!

While there is no way to predict which topic from these 22 pages you’ll see on test day, by following the same process and using the same template for each practice essay you write, you’ll be well-prepared. The topics may change, but your approach never will. Let’s look at one of the official GMAT topics:

Portrayals of violence have proven commercially successful in television programs, movies, songs, and other forms of popular entertainment. Therefore, those who create popular entertainment should continue to incorporate violence into their products.

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

The first step towards strong essay examples is to understand the two sides of the issue. You must either strongly agree or strongly disagree with the presented issue. Unlike real life where most of your opinions are probably a mix of gray, the GMAT Issue essay requires you to take a strong stand on one side of the issue. You won’t be able to adequately argue a middle-of-the-road approach in 30 minutes, and you risk appearing indecisive and muddling your essay.

Check out this post on how the GMAT essays are scored.

First state the two sides of the issue in your own words:

• TRUE: More violence should be incorporated into entertainment.
• FALSE: More violence should NOT be incorporated into entertainment.

Now you can begin to brainstorm examples for both sides. Look at the language of the prompt. It mentions “television programs, movies, songs and other forms….” Those are big clues to some of the areas from which you can draw examples!

Examples of successful popular culture entertainment that incorporate violence:

• TV: WWF programs, MXC on SpikeTV, Gordon Ramsey on Hell’s Kitchen (he throws plates!)
• Movies: Kill Bill series, adaptations of graphic novels like Sin City, the Saw franchise
• Songs: rappers like Eminem, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, etc.
• Other forms: videogames like Grand Theft Auto, Resident Evil, etc.

Remember that you won’t use every single one of these examples, but making a list and expanding upon the topic will help you brainstorm what points you’d ultimately like to make. Now it’s time to decide how you’d like to use these examples. Do you want to say that Saw and Grand Theft Auto are detrimental to society or do you prefer to argue that they represent harmless escapism? Don’t simply choose the side with which you agree. Let the examples and your own knowledge and background dictate which side you support.

For example, someone with a lot of knowledge about psychology may argue persuasively that exposure to violence leads to increased violent behavior in children, whereas a history buff may put forth that violence as entertainment has historically always been a normal part of human expression. You will not be scored on your opinion, but on how clearly and forcefully you make and defend your argument. Choose one or two main points based on your own knowledge, and then choose specific examples from your brainstorm list to support your conclusions.

Get Customized Feedback on your Exam and Admissions Essays from a Grockit Tutor.

Adcoms, however, don’t know you. All they have to go on is your GPA, some test scores, some letters from some people who know you, and these: your application essays and/or personal statement. With that said, your essays and personal statements are, well, personal. So I can’t (or won’t) tell you what you should write.

What I can–and will–tell you is what characteristics your essays should and should not have. There are reasons adcoms ask specific questions: 1) to figure out how well you can follow directions, 2) to learn more about your writing and communication skills, and 3) to find out more about your specific qualifications for their programs. Here’s a good starter list of dos and don’ts:
DO: Be honest.
DO NOT: “Stretch” the truth.

Never, ever “stretch the truth” in an application essay or personal statement. More often than not, these kinds of things have a way of coming back to bite you. Think of it this way: the applications process is tricky enough on its own. You’ll have enough to keep track of with your various schools and myriad essay questions and personal statement guidelines and deadlines. You’ll need to make sure you’re naming the right school, sending the right targeted letters of recommendation, meeting the right deadlines, answering the right essay question, and keeping to the appropriate margins and word counts for each school’s essays. Telling the truth means you have that much less to remember.

There are ways to deal with the less-than-pleasant elements of your past as they apply to b-school applications. There are few things that are absolute deal-breakers. Should you need to address something like a grade slump, an altercation with the law, or a blemish in your employment past, adcoms want to know that you learned a valuable lesson from the experience and that the problem is in your past and won’t happen again.

Besides, admissions folk see enough applications to develop some pretty good instincts on honesty, fluff, and outright falsehoods in applications, and I’ve heard plenty of stories about applicants being asked about elements of their applications in interviews. If you have to lie to get into a program, it’s not the right program for you. Trust that the admissions people know who and what they’re looking for, for reasons that are quite often beyond an applicant’s knowledge and/or understanding. They’re professionals. Trust them; if you’re who/what they’re looking for, then you’ll get in… and if not, well… that just wasn’t the school or program for you.
DO: Use spelling and grammar checkers.
DO NOT: Submit any writing samples with spelling errors or grammatical mistakes.

In the age of built-in spelling and grammar-check, there is absolutely no valid excuse for submitting a writing sample that contains spelling errors or grammatical mistakes. Such blunders are often considered inexcusable, and rightly so. If you’re applying to graduate studies, your most basic writing skills should display competence. A lack of such attention to detail also reeks of laziness and shoddy work, traits not so highly sought after in the business school admissions process.

But beyond mere lack of error, there are other crucial elements to keep in mind.
DO: Follow directions.
DO NOT: Exceed the allotted word limit, page count, or margins.

You are not the first person to feel like you are worth more than 500 words or two pages or whatever the particular limitations might be. I know I might sound repetitive here, but trust that the adcoms know what they’re doing (not to mention that they’re really, really busy).

Great writing necessarily involves great editing. A truly great story includes all of the relevant story elements and nothing superfluous. Need more tangible examples? Think about what happens to a joke’s punchline when you flub the build-up with too much padding, or recall a bad movie you’ve seen that seemed to carry on and on for hours with little plot development (”Swept Away” comes to mind), only to leave you feeling underwhelmed at the end (and robbed of three hours of your life).

But don’t take my word on it: When asked why he wrote a particularly lengthy letter, Mark Twain allegedly replied, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” A little bit of editing can go a long way.
DO: Answer the questions asked.
DO NOT: Stray from the topic.

To do so, your submissions must be on-point. Failure to do so can cause adcoms to think one of two things about you: 1) you didn’t think the question asked was worthy of an answer, that you know what they want better than they do, or 2) you’re unable to comprehend directions. Neither portrait is a desirable one.

Here’s something important to consider: In the applications for many different schools offering similar programs, you may find a high degree of overlap in essay question prompts. While it is definitely okay–and smart, even–to consolidate your efforts by using some of your answers to similar questions from previous applications, you should make absolutely certain that you have adequately tailored the response you submit to the particular question asked on the correct school’s application.
DO: Communicate skillfully.
DO NOT: Answer the question(s) like a simple Q&A.

This is a writing sample–a rare chance for you to shine–and, as such, your writing should positively exhibit your communication skills. Being free of spelling or grammatical mistakes is a start, and staying on point is also helpful, but you’ll need to exhibit some real panache if you want to stand out from the crowd.

In regards to tone, know your audience. Schools are looking for serious students, so you’ll want to convey maturity and commitment in your writing. The structure of your writing should illustrate your ability to introduce, develop, and conclude an idea. Your language and sentence structure should be complex enough to exhibit your linguistic skills, but shouldn’t be plugged with excessive displays of esoteric language.
DO: Be true to yourself in your writing sample.
DO NOT: Copy someone else’s personal statement or write your essays “by committee.”

Remember that this might be a school’s best chance of getting to know the real you. Be yourself in your essay. Speak in your own voice. Don’t retool the essay of someone else who got into XYZ school, and don’t get the input of your twelve closest friends and family members. Doing so only makes it more likely that your writing samples, when considered as a whole package, will sound disjointed and confusing. They’re not applying to XYZ school; you are. You know your reasons better than anyone. You know why this is the perfect school or program or field of study for you better than anyone else does. No one will be a stauncher advocate in this process.

Trust your own voice and run with it. Many applicants choose to write personal narratives, others choose to write persuasive essays, while others feel that neither option fits and choose a style more personal. There is no right or wring way to write, so long as you stick to the dos and don’ts above. Find the best way you can use this opportunity to prove to schools why you’re the right fit for their program and get to work.

Finally…
DO: Write several drafts over time.
DO NOT: Procrastinate until you have only two days to submit your essays.

Trust me on this one: you’ll need time to be able to edit your essay(s) properly. Even the best writers can’t edit their own material without giving the brain some time to recover from writing mode. Give your head a little time to distance yourself from the first draft. Come back a few days, maybe a week later, and give it a fresh look. You’ll be much better equipped to find the problems in flow that need to be fixed or the linguistic oddities you’ll want to smooth out. I recommend dedicating the same day every week for a month to the process. On your application calendar, maybe block off every Saturday morning for the month before you intend to submit your applications. Use this time for drafting, writing, editing, revising, and finalizing your essays. You’ll be glad you did.

Now go get inspired! Read a few pages from your favorite book or poem or speech. Take some notes. Print out the essay questions or personal statement guidelines and start outlining what you want to say. When you’re ready to move on, we’ll get on with the business of submitting those applications you’ve been working on for so long!

Check out other articles in this series:
The Business School Application Process Part 1 – Building Your To-Do List
The Business School Application Process Part 2 – Managing the Application Process
The Business School Application Process Part 3 – Test Preparation
The Business School Application Process Part 4 – Transcripts and Paperwork
The Business School Application Process Part 5 – Recommendations