So you’ve decided to go for an MBA! Congratulations! Earning a master’s degree in business administration is a major step in your career and a powerful qualification that can open doors and create new opportunities for you as you seek to advance in your business career. But there is one daunting challenge on the track to an MBA that can stop you before you even leave the gate: the application essay. Many applicants have difficulty presenting a compelling essay that showcases them in the best possible light. In this article, we’ll take a look at the MBA application essay and some tips from experts to help you create a compelling personal statement that will get you noticed.
Tip 1: Read the question carefully
First, it’s important to consider the type of application essay you are writing. Before you do anything else, be sure you read the essay question carefully. It might seem like an obvious thing to do, but you would be surprised how many applicants only glance at the question and then write an essay based on what they assume the prompt wants rather than considering carefully what the prompt actually says. The admissions office will look to see that you can follow directions, so you want to be sure that you are showing your ability to read carefully and respond thoughtfully to written instructions. This is a key skill for graduate school and one you need to demonstrate early on.
Tip 2: Think about what you want people to know
When you respond to an MBA essay prompt on your application, you should consider what you want the admissions office to know about you. Many students are tempted to turn their admissions essay into a prose version of their résumé or CV, restating their various qualifications at length. But qualifications alone don’t tell you much about a person. Instead, you need to think about a story or a situation that communicates something important about who you are as a person, as a businessperson, and as a student and a leader. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a literal story about running a business, but it should tie in to the kinds of skills, talents, and intellectual traits that would benefit a business leader.
Tip 3: Avoid bragging too much
Everyone knows that an application essay should make the applicant look good. But resist the urge to turn your essay into a non-stop brag-a-thon. Your essay shouldn’t be just about bragging about how great you are. That can make you look arrogant rather than confident. Don’t be afraid to show a little humility and vulnerability as you create your essay. Show the admissions office that you are human, not a superhero. Too much bragging can come across as fake or overcompensating, so instead try to mix in some moments of real humanity to show that you understand you have vulnerabilities and areas for improvement. After all, if you were perfect, you wouldn’t need their program!
Tip 4: Consider using an emotional hook
Everyone loves a good story. If your essay is simply a list of facts, it will be less compelling than if you wrap those facts in a good story about yourself. A great story will have a compelling emotional hook. Consider thinking about a key moment in your life when you overcame adversity, experienced adversity, or discovered something new about yourself. By discussing an emotional moment in your own life, you can help your readers to form an emotional connection to you. This, in turn, will help them to become invested in you and to want to know more about who you are as a person.
Tip 5: Develop a strong opening strategy
First impressions matter. How you choose to open your essay will make a major impression on your readers and shape how they think about the essay they are reading. That’s why it’s so important to choose the right introductory strategy to capture your audience’s attention from the very first line. The right introductory strategy will vary depending on the topic of the essay and the content of the essay, but there are a few tried and true methods. One is to start with a compelling quotation or a shocking statistic. However, for most personal essays, a great choice is to open either with an anecdote from your life or an in media res opening where you dramatize a key moment in an event you experienced before circling back to talk about how you got to that point. Whatever you choose, consider your audience and whether they will find it interesting.
Tip 6: Consider professional help
You don’t need to write your MBA application essay alone. You can always pay someone to write papers for you online – it is fast, cheap and safe. When you contact an online paper writing service like WriteMyPaperHub.com and ask them, “Can you write my essay for me from scratch?” you will find yourself on the receiving end of the quality essay writing assistance you need. You should feel free to take advantage of the insight that experts can offer. Sometimes, having a writer who isn’t directly involved in your application process offers a new perspective which can be a jump to start your need to see yourself in a different way and create an application essay that will wow the admissions office with a unique and compelling take on who you are as a student and a person.