MBA Essays: Avoid Last Minute Panic Edits

1 to 2 weeks before the deadline is a nervous time for most applicants. Rightly so. You have crossed numerous hurdles, most notably GMAT & Shortlisting the right MBA program, before starting your essays.

If you have gone through the methodology we have suggested, you might have ruthlessly listed your weaknesses. With strategic storytelling, your story will justify the weaknesses, not hide it beneath Jargons or excuses.

All the hard work on the narrative can be undone with last minute edits. I am not talking about edits on sentence structure but changes in story and motivations. Even unnecessary edits on the carefully chosen phrase can affect the flow of the narrative and eventually the cumulative impact.

In our review service, we go back and forth with the clients to uncover their weakness and then use the most relevant weakness for each school. There are no universal weaknesses that are acceptable in all top MBA programs.

Some schools have biases in favor of applicants who are Quant heavy while others value extraversion. Tweaking your resume and essays for each school is as important as editing your essay for interesting opening and a clear conclusion.

So here is how you avoid ambushing your essays with last minute panic edits

1) Don't ask your friends and family to read your essays

This might seem counter-intuitive but Friends & Family are not invested in the process nor do they understand the numerous iterations you have gone through before reaching this version of the essay. Unless you bring the work persona home, our well-wishers have no idea who we are at work.

Preferably, ask an essay reviewer or a current student or alumni - in that order, for feedback. Reviewers like me edit and review essay often, and recognize narratives that lacks consistency or a credible story arc. Current students are fresh with the application process, but the daily demands of a top MBA might limit their ability to critique. Alumni should be the last resort, but they are better than Family and Friends.

2) Read it aloud

After you have written your essay, read it aloud. Record it. Does your story sound interesting? Does the use of a certain phrase look out of place? Stories with an element of surprise have a high recall, but you can easily go overboard with narrative exuberance. Winning MBA Essay switches between formal writing and storytelling, masking the transitions like a professional.

Reading the essays aloud is a tool to catch clichés and monitor the energy of the story – moments when it dips and moments when it picks pace.

3) Familiarity breeds Contempt

Another lesson I learned while writing over 15 best-selling books is that we hate our words after the 3rd or 4th review. I read client's essay at least 30-40 times along with suggestions to change a phrase, word or a sentence or in rare cases the entire paragraph. Since it is not my words, I can be brutally honest. Most applicants have the Emotional Quotient to take in criticism, but some give up on rewriting and hope that the admission team will see the brilliance despite the words.

It never happens.

If you are stuck in creating an interesting narrative or feel that you need an expert eye, I can help you with F1GMAT's Essay Review Service.

Remember

1) Inviting criticism for your essays can bring in unexpected questions about your journey, qualification and even the veracity of your story.

2) Don't evade the questions. Address them head on.

3) Improve your story.

4) Improve the narrative arc.

5) Remove events that do not help your candidacy.

6) PREPARE to Re-write a lot. I mean a lot. Be patient. The result will be spectacular.

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4) Know when to Lock the Essays

The difference between an essay that is perfect as a persuasion tool from the one that sounds perfect but has no soul is just 1 edit away. Resist the urge to make last minute panic edits. If you have gone through each sentence - several times, debated with expert reviewers and found the best version, it is time to stop tinkering with the essay.

Lock it for a couple of days.

Come back and read it again.

Does the story sound authentic?

If it does, then you have the Winning MBA Essay otherwise use our services or learn how to create one.