A Guide To Writing Your MBA Application Essay

While earning an MBA could end up greatly improving individuals’ prospects within the profession of their choice, it is important that individuals keep in mind that these are very sought-after positions, which means that it is very likely they will have to have a strong application. One of the ways that an applicant will be able to strengthen this application is to submit a very good application essay, and this can be tricky. In order to have a better chance of accomplishing this, individuals might want to consider putting a few tips into practice so that they can turn a standard essay into something truly exceptional, hopefully earning them a place in an MBA course.

Meeting You on Paper

The first thing a candidate will need to keep in mind when it comes to submitting an MBA application essay is that this is the admissions committee’s way of meeting them, even if it is simply on paper. The committee is looking at getting to know what motivates the individual, as well as what makes them unique. They also want to know about their career goals, as well as how they plan on going about achieving these goals.

This essay isn’t just about students saying what they think the committee wants to hear, although in some instances, when used correctly, this won’t hurt. It is about revealing who a student is on paper. Basically, this essay is the opportunity for the student to convey what admissions to an MBA program will mean to them, as well as what they will bring to the course.

Focusing on Your Inner Strengths

Before sitting down to write this essay, students should take some time to seriously consider their goals, strengths, goals and weaknesses. It is important that students get an object view of themselves as a student so that they can then identify how the school will be able to help them in accomplishing their goals.

Focusing On Your Goals

It is imperative that individuals have a good idea about what they want to accomplish in their careers, because this will most likely be included in the essay. Some professionals know exactly where they want to be five, ten or twenty years from now, while others simply have a general idea about the position they want to hold. Either way, it helps for professionals to take some time to consider why they are applying for an MBA, and how they hope this qualification will work for them in the future.

Campus Culture

Just before writing the essay, students should make themselves very familiar with the courses and programs being offered by the institution, as well as the overall culture on campus. This information will help students identify the sorts of individuals the campus is looking to attract, whether these are studious researchers or boundary-breaking entrepreneurs. Students should keep in mind that it is not always a good idea to conform their essay to the sorts of individuals the campus is looking to attract, because if this isn’t in line with the sort of professional they are, it might not be the right fit. This could end up causing them to struggle to get as much from the course.

Keeping It Fun

Many of the professionals advise that individuals shouldn’t consider their applications paper as the opportunity for them to discover who they are. Instead, they should ensure that they have some fun with it and make it as enjoyable to read as possible. The professionals recommend that students consider using anecdotes and avoid those spelling and grammatical mistakes that could end up distracting the reader.

Answering The Questions Being Asked

Quite often, individuals who are writing MBA essays tend to go off topic and end up rambling on for pages about events or ideas that had no relevance to the essay in question. These individuals might put a lot of time and effort into their essay, but ultimately, they often don’t get anywhere because the essay didn’t answer the question at hand. These questions are asked for a reason, so it is important that individuals consider them very carefully before attempting to answer them.

It might be a good idea to pinpoint all of the relevant questions before outlining the essay. This will allow students to stick to the original questions without feeling the need to drift off in irrelevant tangents. Students should also remember that there are a variety of questions that are two-part and three-part in nature, so students should go over the questions again at the end to ensure they have answered each and every one.

Writing The First Draft

The first draft of an MBA essay is usually a relatively quick draft that includes all of the major points that a student wants within the document. The draft is usually written after the outline has been completed, and it brings to light those important facets that the student wanted to include in the essay. It is important that students focus on sentence length, including the way that they transition between ideas within the essay, otherwise they could end up struggling with the flow. Students should have the word count in the back of their minds so that they don’t end up writing way too much and having to cut down drastically between the first and final draft.

Reading The Draft

Reading the draft is important because it gives individuals the chance to pinpoint issues with flow, punctuation and even accuracy within the document. Students will need to read over their essays many times before they even consider submitting it, and in some instances, they might find that they need to rewrite the entire thing in order to make it more appealing. As students read through this document, they need to make sure that the essay is logical, thoughtful, truthful, and most of all, compelling.

Asking The Right Questions

One way to analyze the essay is to determine whether or not it answers a certain set of important questions. Some of the questions that students will need to ask themselves are; “Am I answering each question?”, “Is the essay coherent?” and “Is the essay a sound representation of who I am?”

These questions will go a long way in helping individuals to determine whether their essays are clear, consider and of a high quality. If the answer is negative to any of these questions, the student will most likely need to go back to see what they can alter so that the essay is a more fitting addition to their application.

Editing And Polishing

Editing and polishing the essay comes right at the end. By this time, the student should have read through their essay many times, but they might have missed out on certain mistakes that only become clear after multiple readings. At this point, students might want to turn to others to have them read through their essays. This is a great way to get some objective feedback, although individuals will need to be open to criticism, just in case something needs to be changed.

Once a student has received their feedback, they will then need to put all the changes into action before reading it a final time. At this point, the essay will be ready for submission.

Additional Documents

Many applications to MBA courses are thrown out each year because they are incomplete and this is something that individuals can prevent by reading through the submission requirements just before submitting the application. A great essay might not get a student very far if their supporting documents aren’t in order, so this is something that individuals will need to take seriously. Additional documents include identifying documentation, reports and even recommendations, depending on the specific course that the student has in mind.

Optional Essay Questions

There are usually optional essay questions included in application packs and these provide students with a space to provide the institution with extra information. In instances where students are looking to provide clarification on a specific aspect of their application, this is the place in which to do that and most students will be able to use bullet points to cover this. Students should keep in mind, however, that this part is completely optional, so students won’t be required to fill it out if it is not necessary. This is most certainly not the space to write another essay, so students will want to try and avoid that if necessary.

Writing a great essay isn’t always easy, but it could mean the difference between success and failure when it comes to gaining entry into an MBA course. Ultimately, it is usually best for students to take a considerable amount of time to prepare for this challenge, because it will make the actual writing of the essay a lot less daunting. While there are those who will still find it somewhat challenging, knowing what is expected of them will go a long way in providing individuals with the motivation and the clarity to write an outstanding essay.