MBA Essay Editing 3-Steps: Simplify. Relevance. Readability

Two assumptions stand in the way of rewriting an essay. One - storytelling is a mash up of flowery phrases. Two - complex sentences and narratives with jargons are required to prove your expertise.

When you combine flowery phrases with jargon-filled complex sentences, the results can be an eyesore for a reviewer.

First Step - Simplify

While recruiting writers for F1GMAT, I ask candidates (Technologists, Consultants, Finance Professionals, Journalists, and Marketing majors) to write an article on a random subject. Specialization limits a candidate's breadth of reading and inevitably, the quality of the writing, but interestingly candidates with Journalism had the worst writing skills.

Engineers and Finance professionals rose above the initial hiccup and understood the requirement. Their first draft was mediocre and in some cases worse than the journalist, but their attitude towards learning a new skill made them easy to work with. Marketing majors were the best at writing. Memorable opening came naturally to them, but they dipped in the middle where the meat of the subject was addressed. For technologists/finance professionals, the opening and the conclusion were poor, but they dug deep into the subject at the middle. I know it is an oversimplification to categorize writing skills by profession, but the trend continued with my clients as well.

Influence of our Reading Habits

We retain phrases from our favorite authors, and the tendency to emulate them is strong. A novel is either about the experience or the plot. The more you have read writers with brilliant prose, the more likely you are going to use flowery phrases. And guess what - it is tough to acquire skills and write like someone who writes 200,000 words every year. They have gone through the troughs and valleys of writing before gaining the expertise to belt out enchanting phrases. You can't compete with them neither you have to for creating a Winning MBA Essay.

I am giving you one advice that I gave all my clients - remove all adjectives.

An essay without adjectives might sound silly at first. Some sentences need them, but most don't.

Second Step - Make it relevant

After simplifying the essay with limited adjectives, it is time to ask yourself, "Is the sentence relevant for the narrative?” Each line should build the case for the question or offer context to the "show don’t tell" strategy that you should follow for your essays. Applicants assume that what is positive in a job might be relevant for MBA Admissions. Although professionalism, teamwork, communication, leadership, and maturity are valued in any context, expertise in a job function might not always influence your admission chances.

Selective use of your achievements is as important as hooking the admission team with an interesting narrative. Unfortunately, after a few iterations, we become attached to our words. You need an unbiased eye to trim the fat. Family and friends tend to be polite with the feedback, but an honest evaluation can improve your admission chances.

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Relevance is not just about fitting the word limit. The personal story can quickly turn into a revelation of your private life. Connecting with the admission team does not mean you have to reveal your darkest secrets. Even the candidates who sailed through the admission process had a few weaknesses. The difference was that they acknowledged it. I have yet to see a client and confidently say - he/she is a Harvard, MIT, or Booth candidate. Everybody needs some work. Despite the tendency to categorize applicants on common traits prevalent in the group (nationality, undergraduate degree, age and job profile) – mostly the weaknesses, the admission team also associates positive attributes with the group.

Your job is to reflect the positive attributes and break the stereotypes with the essays. Applicants have limited awareness about their personal and their group’s weaknesses. Only through honest reflection can they know what to include and exclude from the Essays. I hope you have created an IMPACT table before choosing the most relevant experience for your essays.

See How to Create an IMPACT Table - Winning MBA Essay Guide

Third Step - Rate for Readability

The focus on each sentence and paragraph can bring the structure that your essay needs, but take a step back and evaluate the overall readability of the essay. The transitions shouldn't look forced, and the tone of the essay should be friendly and respectful.

If you need help with the three steps in editing your MBA Application Essays: Simplify, Relevance and Readability, Subscribe to our Essay Review Service.