Writing essay for a Business School
Although essay writing is only part of the application form, it is one option that you have total control of to impress your prospective university authorities, avers
All over the world, admission officers regard essays as an opportunity to find about you as a person since the rest of your application tells them your educational history, your grades, your test scores and your achievements. As they already have a quantitative picture of you, they would like to know what makes you qualitatively different from other applicants. So, in a nutshell, a successful essay will show them that you are an articulate and distinctive person.
The essays you submit and the references you include are the vital parts of your application. While references are information about you told by someone else, essays give you the opportunity to tell the admissions committee what you are. Essays are an opportunity for you to ‘talk’ to the committee. Imagine yourself addressing real people and telling them what you hope to achieve and convincing them of your potential. The keynote here is sincerity. Just as a person can judge you by the way you talk to them, the admission tutors can read between the lines to see what kind of person you are. They are experts at detecting lies, omissions and exaggerations, so it is always best to write to the point. The admissions committee at Stanford wrote last year, “Reflective, insightful essays help us envision the individual behind all the experiences and accomplishments that we read about in the application. Please remember that we are reading the essays taking into account all the information contained in your application. Our goal is to understand what motivates you and how you have become the person you are today.”
Five steps to crafting a superior set of essays
Step one
Each business school application requires you to write two to six essays. The first step is to print out the list of topics for each school and study them carefully. It is of utmost importance to understand the questions and answer them properly. You cannot get away with submitting a generalised essay. Each component of the question must be addressed and you must not stray off the topic. For example, consider an essay that asks: Discuss an accomplishment that required an earnest effort from you. What intermediary steps where necessary? How did you overcome challenges along the way? You must cover not only what you did, but also how you did it.
Step two
Take each essay in turn and think about your response. You can discuss your ideas with friends, colleagues, advisors and parents before starting to write. Each essay should convey a correct balance between factual information and analysis of the information. The essays are there to get at something more than your experiences; they should reveal your passion, aspiration, ideas and values.
A misleading piece of advice you often hear is, "Tell the admissions committee what makes you unique." This can lead students into thinking that they have to write about exciting events (skydiving, appearing on TV, winning awards, etc.), and some are even led into inventing experiences. However, this is not at all what is required. What actually makes you unique is the way life experiences, even of the more mundane kind, have made you what you are. A typical essay might ask you ‘Describe a difficult personal or professional challenge you have faced. What did you learn from this experience?’ Do not be tempted into inventing something dramatic: focus on introspecting about what you learned from a real experience.
Step three
Write a first draft of each essay. Take a look at the draft again the next day and if you are convinced, show the essay to someone whose opinion you value. Once you have feedback, you can think about re-writing. Before re-writing ask yourself whether you have spent enough time on explaining how your outlook on life has been influenced by whatever situation your are describing, or how you have arrived at crucial decisions.
Take a typical essay that asks you ‘Present a 5-year career plan, including your professional goals and how you intend to implement them. Discuss how you believe your education at our school will influence your plan.’ The committee is looking for a “thoughtful self-assessment” of your goals. Not all of your plans will be worked out to the last detail, but a realistic examination of what you hope to achieve is needed here. Do not forget that the business school wants to see that they can actually help you achieve your goals.
For a similar topic a Stanford tutor wrote, “You don't have to have your entire life mapped out, but applicants often find it difficult to address why an MBA is required to achieve their goals if the goals themselves are ill-defined.”
Step four
Rewrite your essays in light of the feedback you receive, then get a final edit of punctuation, grammar etc. from an expert. This way the essays portray you and your original work, and are not spoiled by distracting errors. Check that you have not exceeded the word limit on any of your essays. If you have gone over the word limit, do some pruning at this point. Being concise is one of the qualities they are looking for!
Step five
When you believe you have finalised all the essays for one school, print out the whole set and read them all at one sitting. Evaluate the entire set in light of the whole application. Ask yourself whether the set as a whole conveys all the necessary information. Have you told the committee everything that they need to know? Most schools offer an optional essay in which you can write about anything else that you need to explain to them: use this opportunity only if you feel sure there is an important need for it.
Once you are satisfied with your content take a final look at the presentation. If you are submitting an application by mail, check that you have used the best quality paper and followed a standardised layout. A 12-point font and standard typeface (Ariel or Times New Roman) are probably the best. Make sure you number the essays properly, put your name at the head of each sheet, and follow any other directions you are given exactly. If submitting online, follow to the letter all directions about formatting.
One final point: make sure you allow enough time to complete the essays to the best of your ability. Never leave them to the last minute or you will be jeopardising your whole application. Do not underestimate the importance of essays; they can make or break your chances of going to the business school of your choice.
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