Writing The MBA Application Essay

"Writing the MBA Application Essay” is the latest post in our series, Navigate the MBA Maze.

You’ve decided which schools to apply to, and you even know what you want to write about, but you’re staring at a blank screen…What now? Follow these three steps to write your winning essay.

Step 1: Introspection – You are the first topic you need to know. After all, the essay will be about you. What do you want to do after your MBA? Why do you want to attend this program? When have you demonstrated the qualities this school appreciates, the qualities that show you belong here? Before you introduce yourself to the adcom, you must make sure that you know yourself well.

Step 2: Write Killer Openings – Don’t get lulled into writing a generic opening. It’s easy, but lethal. Instead, think through the story you wish to tell and grab the reader’s attention by opening with a moment at the height of the action.

Step 3: Be Positive – You want to emphasize the positive: Where are you going? What do you want to accomplish? What do you like? What attracts you to business? If you are asked to write about a failure or mistake, briefly and honestly describe that experience, but spend the bulk of the essay focusing on what you learned from it and how in a similar later situation you behaved differently as a result of those lessons. Think and write positive.

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