“Although a native New Yorker, citing the city's value from an MBA application's perspective felt overwhelming. What I assumed to hold interest felt disconnected from the specific value that AO evaluates in the goals essay. The multiple examples constructed and written with unique motivations helped me see the smooth transitions inherent in the prose despite the diversity of the profiles covered in the sample essays. The previous year's PPIL essay was simple. I referred to last year's essay guide to understand the narrative, but felt stuck after drafting ways to connect the EIR and Learning Cluster's value propositions. I knew very little about many of the specific motivations behind the programs and even aspects of New York that would have a direct impact on my career progression. As you can imagine, the book is extensively researched and well-written. Good work! “ – Verified Purchase (2023 Columbia MBA Entering Class)
“The favorite book, movie, or song sample essays are beautifully written. The love of the creative work is apparent in each line of the interpretation, and the style gave me the inspiration to emulate. I appreciate the switching of styles with each essay from goals to fit to favorite book/movie/song essays. I had unnecessarily added quite a lot of narrative that made the answers less fluid than a direct approach that was sufficient for the goals essay. The fit sample essays had the right balance. I understood the strategy to balance language with relevant life & career developments. A valuable guide on writing Columbia MBA application essays and writing a good story in general. “ – Verified Purchase (2023 Columbia MBA Entering Class)
“Tracing the courses, experiential learning, and application of each course for a post-MBA goal was an interesting exercise that I picked up from the guide. In some places, it was too detailed that a casual quick-fix reader like me had to pause and reflect to truly understand how to answer the fit essay. The concept of differentiating between theme and USP for each question helped me edit my answer about goals. Before that, my fit and goals essay looked similar. What didn't fit the goals, I moved to the fit essay. The guide showed me how to completely rewrite the essay with specific outlines and themes that are unique to my story. Although I haven't read the books and songs quoted in the sample essays, I understood how to describe and show the ways in which at least two books changed my perspective on life. The storytelling tips were top-notch. “ – Verified Purchase (2023 Columbia MBA Entering Class)
“I'm a fan of Victor E Frankl. So when I saw the sample essay mentioning the author, I began exploring the previews for the samples. As a person who went through the trauma of a childhood event that redefined my values, the Essay was a tough one to write, but there was another essay about death that mirrored the theme of the book covered in the sample. I picked on that tone while writing a serious theme about my life. The change made my story application friendly. I could do that because of the styles and voices captured in the sample essays. I read the essay guide twice, and it was super helpful! “ – Verified Purchase (2023 Columbia MBA Entering Class)
“In all my writing goals essays for over seven schools, I never felt that the goals required rework. My draft seriously lacked the nuance and professional tone to connect my story deeply with the new-york-driven experiential learning, networks, and club. The exhaustive value from the learning experience helped me see for the first time the deeper meaning of 'motivation' in an MBA application. The story of the profiles covered in the essay guide gave me the realization that the exciting part of the story is always to break away from an expected narrative style that acts as filler or feels like a template. The stories penetrated into my heart. The samples on books, songs, and movies helped me see new meanings in books and movies I considered as entertainment. I actually learned something new in addition to submitting a satisfying application. “ – Verified Purchase (2023 Columbia MBA Entering Class)
