What to write and what not to write in your MBA essay?
In the MBA application process, the academic record, GMAT ratings, and GPA are significant factors. But, more than that, in the end, business schools think about who you are and whether you will be a good match for their course. This is where it comes on the MBA essay. So, when composing these essays, give it your best shot. You're communicating your skills with someone whose decision could be a crucial point in your life. In order to catch their attention and generate an impression, you have to give it your best shot. There are a whole lot of applications for review by those on the admissions board; how is your application special and what distinguishes you from your competitors?
The admissions committee officers are searching for the best potential profiles of applicants. They need to see how you can not only add value to yourself, but also to their MBA batch. In explaining to the admissions committee why they should choose you over thousands of other candidates, your essays will play a crucial role. Before they see you at your interview, the essay will form a picture in front of the admissions committee.
Write, review, and edit. In your article, make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors. You would like to be crisp and transparent in your portrait. Ask a trusted friend, or mentor, to read it until you are pleased with your essay. Sometimes, a fresh pair of eyes can see something you can't.
What to mention in your MBA essay?
Start early and get acquainted with the fundamentals of writing essays. A gradual and progressive approach should be the key for an MBA essay. It helps if you can allow yourself enough time to refine your essays and fine-tune them. So, starting early is always a good idea.
Give yourself ample time for introspection. Jot down the thoughts when they emerge and when they arise. It will enable you to achieve the full output by being in the right state of mind and selecting a moment when inspiration, attention and concentration are at their peak. Strategizing on particular areas of your profile will assist you to carry out information that you have not previously considered.
What’s your background?
Use this chance to show your beliefs and character, the challenges that you have faced, and the seminal interactions that have transformed you into the person you are today. No two people have a past that is the same. In order to illustrate what makes you unique, use anecdotes and examples to make your context bright and stick out. Analyze how you have been taken to this stage by your past and what is there in your history that pushes you at this moment to seek an MBA
The perfect word count
Don't take it lightly. You are supposed to follow the word count when you are given a limit for an essay. A minor deviation might be appropriate, but try as hard as possible to stick to it. Some colleges might note that a deviation of ±5-10 percent is appropriate. We would also recommend, however, that you should not accelerate it. And on the other hand, do not under-use it either. The reviewer might feel that you don't have a lot to talk about. Avoid repeating facts you have already provided in your resume or suggestions. Let your essay be as straightforward as possible.
Walk in the right direction
Based on practice and preparation, take this opportunity to demonstrate that you have clear vision and intent. Business school isn't just another chance to "find yourself." Even if you have one career trajectory and will use your MBA to start another profession, the factors behind your new career, your new goals, and how the course will help you accomplish them must be explained in this essay.
Shed some light on the negatives also
If your GPA was lower than you would have liked in your undergraduate studies, use your essay to explain how you gained from this experience. We all make mistakes. Confidence, commitment, achievement, persistence, and breadth of experience are attributes that will serve you well in your MBA studies and later in life, and how you deal with your mistakes reveals a lot to the admissions committee. Show that as a result of processing the experience, you realized the mistake you made, evolved from it and improved. The reaction demonstrates maturity. Justifying is a symbol of immaturity, instead of understanding or improving. MBA systems want adults to be mature.
Stick to the point
During each admissions round, admissions committees read thousands of essays. To help your claims and to make your essay meaningful and readable, you need examples and stories. Every single one of these needs to be to the mark. Such experts are qualified to spot an essay full of silliness and without substance. The reader would infer from a non-substantive essay that you, too, are without substance.
What’s your passion?
You want to instantly catch the reader and build an essay that will hold their interest to the very end, have them eager to meet you and get to know you even more. Find a pattern, construct it in your essay. You'll have an informative, readable essay if you can recognize a passion that you had from an early age and pursue it through the various stages of your life. Link your excitement, your professional and extracurricular activities and successes with your childhood. Show how your passion affects your future career.
Experiences and achievements
Not everybody has a passion in their lives that they have kept with them. However, since you intend to attend an MBA program, you must have achieved technical and personal achievements. Highlight your technical talents and achievements, as well as personal achievements. Show how you have been brought to this stage by these experiences and successes, and how they have shaped your long-term goals and motivations for pursuing an MBA.
Things to avoid in your MBA essay
Some points that you should avoid in the essay are as follows:
- No focus on the present
Admissions committees don't care whether you were the yearbook editor or the varsity team's captain. They hope to have pushed their candidates to more recent, competent achievements.
- Not being on point
The admissions committee would be irritated and bored by an off-topic article, or one that simply restates the résumé. More significantly, it's not going to lead to fresh perspectives about you.
- Exceed the word limits recommended
This means that you do not understand how to obey orders, work under limits, or organize your thoughts.
- Send an application full of grammatical errors and typos
Without a shadow of doubt, it suggests a very ignorant attitude.
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