One thing that INSEAD MBA Managing Director shared in a recent interview with me was that he discourages any editing of essays that destroys the original voice of the applicants.
In his words, "with thousands of essays reviewed every year, the MBA Admission Committee can tell to the point as to which top consultant has edited the essay."
Wow! I thought.
I didn't contest his point of view as when we edit, that is the exact idea I convey to our clients - "Our editing will maintain your original voice"
Bland Narrative
But there is a genuine challenge that I see with essays written by technologists, bankers, and consultants. The phrasing is too..how you say it - bland. The uniqueness of their personality is never captured. But the moment I talk to the person on the phone, the personality always shines through.
On a few occasions, when I felt that the applicant is sticking to some pre-conceived notion of writing an essay and creating a cookie-cutter narrative, I encouraged them to record the answer with the uuh..ahh..and all the inconsistencies of a casual conversation.
Talk
The imperfections don't matter. Just talk, answer the question, and record it. Transcribe your answer. Read what you have said. I can guarantee you that you will find at least 30-40% unique phrases that are unlikely to be found on any sample essays.
Three Steps to Find your Unique Voice - MBA Application Essays
If you were contemplating writing the MBA Application Essay for this year, I would highly recommend that you practice one of the ideas:
1) Record your answers first before writing the draft version of the essay
2) Start a podcast about a topic that interests you (industry, hobbies, economy, or values/philosophy that guide you every day).
Create 1 podcast (5-minute length) a day for 30 days. It doesn't matter whether you publish it, but the anticipation of creating something for the public will improve the quality of your recording. If you don't want the unwarranted attention, just record it without publishing.
3) Write a 250-word (half page) observation about life, economy, or future, every day, for 30 days
Within a month of writing every day or recording a podcast, you will find a unique voice.
It is unlikely that an Editor like me would ask you to rephrase the essay. The MBA Admission team desperately seeks unique phrases in a pool of clichéd narratives.
To help you create a memorable MBA Application Essay, I have written Winning MBA Essay Guide. Download it here.
About the Author
Atul Jose is the Founding Editor of F1GMAT. He is the author of the best-selling book: Winning MBA Essay Guide – a how-to guide on using elements of storytelling to create a unique MBA Application Essay.
About the Author
I am Atul Jose, Founding Consultant of F1GMAT, an MBA admissions consultancy that has worked with applicants since 2009.
For the past 15 years I have edited the application files of admits to the M7 programs: Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Wharton School, MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth, Kellogg School of Management, and Columbia Business School, together with admits to Berkeley Haas, Yale School of Management, NYU Stern, Michigan Ross, Duke Fuqua, Darden, Tuck, IMD, London Business School, INSEAD, SDA Bocconi, IESE Business School, HEC Paris, McCombs, and Tepper, plus other programs inside the global top 30.
My work covers the full MBA application deliverable: career planning and profile evaluation, application essay editing, recommendation letter editing, mock interviews and interview preparation, scholarship and fellowship essay editing, and cover letter editing for funding applications. Full bio with credentials and admit history is here.
I am the author of the Winning MBA Essay Guide, the best-selling essay guide covering M7 MBA programs. I have written and updated the guide annually since 2013, which makes the 2026 edition the thirteenth.
The reason I still write and edit essays every cycle: a good MBA essay carries a real applicant's voice. Writing essays for F1GMAT's Books and Editing essays weekly is how I stay calibrated to what current admissions committees respond to.
Contact me for school selection, career planning, essay strategy, narrative development, essay editing, interview preparation, scholarship essay editing, or guidance documents for recommendation letters.