From the hundreds of essays we have edited, only a few had unique phrases and expressions. Most of them were a rehash of sample essays or modified memos with no personal touch. A few that tried, changed the essay to narrative filled with dialogues. Maintaining a unique voice is tough but with these six guidelines, translating your uniqueness to words will be much easier.
1) Start Early
Applicants underestimate the time required to write, rewrite, and edit the essays. Each process requires a different mindset, skill, and quality control. Plan at least three weeks (21 days) for the entire writing process: 10 days for writing, 7 for rewriting and 4 for editing.
2) Write for Self-Expression
While writing the first draft, stop pre-judging every word that comes to the paper. Let your subconscious take control of the process. This advice might seem weird for someone working in a Quant heavy environment where brevity is rewarded over comprehensiveness, but if you self-censor your expression, the phrases are not your original thought. It is the version that you feel the admission team should hear. When you do that, the essay becomes just like hundreds of other essays in the Reviewer’s desk. It will lack any ingredients for long-term recall. Read the question. Start from an event in your life that reveals the answer. Use the SHOW Don’t Tell Approach we have shared in Winning MBA Essay Guide.
3) Don’t Read Sample Essays Before Writing
Even in our Winning MBA Essay Guide, we have recommended not to use the essay but read them only for inspiration. Writers are voracious readers. They get inspiration from multiple sources. You should too but don’t read them in hundreds as patterns of phrases from the source will start appearing in your original essay. Ideally, don’t read any Sample Essay before your first draft. Read our storytelling section before writing the first version.
4) Rewrite for the Admission Team
The writing process should be considered as an opportunity for self-expression, but the rewriting is your chance to narrow the scope of the expression to the audience. In this case - the admission team. Research about them. Visit the Staff Page. Most top Business Schools have one.
List out the name of the admission team and create an excel sheet capturing:
• Nationality
• Gender
• Pre-Admission Job
• Qualification (MBA/MA/Other Degrees)
Let us say the size of the admission team is four. What you rewrite should address the majority. Most reviewers share the responsibility of reading the essays. Some take a second opinion from their colleagues before dinging or accepting your profile.
For an Admission team with majority Arts background and work experience in publishing, Jargons is an absolute no-no. From someone from an IT or Finance background, quantifying results should be a priority. You can’t guess who will read your essay but categorizing the majority as Quant-heavy or Expression-heavy will help you tone down numbers or use them judiciously throughout the essay. Rewrite the essay based on the persuasion tips we have demonstrated in Winning MBA Essay Guide.
5) Edit for Original Voice
An editor can bring an unbiased perspective to your narrative. Family and friends don’t want to hurt your feelings. That two lines where you bragged how you overcame obstacles can be rephrased but your close associates assume that mentioning them might be bad for your self-esteem. For the Admission Consultant/Editor, the goals are to remove clichés and inconsistencies while maintaining the original voice. They want you to succeed as their reputation depends on your success. Use the services of the Editor/Consultants early as last minute edits can leave little time for brainstorming and debating about each line.
6) Volunteer to Rewrite after Each Review
We underline what needs to be rewritten and includes the reasons for the change in our Essay Review Service. To avoid our voice and style from interfering the applicant’s original voice, we almost always ask the applicant to rewrite in their voice. Most of us are lazy to write, let alone, rewrite, but keep an open mind about the process.
We suggest rewrite for 10 reasons:
1) Style Mismatch
2) Flow Mismatch
3) Concluding too Soon
4) No Proper Middle in the Essay
5) Poor Opening
6) Poor Conclusions
7) No Supporting Data (Resume/Essays)
8) Clichéd or Unfeasible Motivation
9) Uninspiring
10) Mismatch between motivation and Post-MBA Goals
Whatever be the reason, address them in your next rewrite. Don’t assume. Ask us again to understand why the sentence or paragraph needs rework.
Submit your Essays here or contact us to learn more about F1GMAT’s Essay Review/Editing Services. For writing the first draft, use Winning MBA Essay Guide.