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March 9, 2010

The Trouble with MBA Admissions Writing

There are unique, specific considerations to be made for all types of admissions writing. It comes as no surprise that the expectations of a college applicant will be very different than those of an MBA applicant, illustrated by the very nature of most MBA essay prompts. However, what makes MBA admissions writing so daunting for most is the challenge of presenting a thoughtful, self-reflective narrative in a very directed way worthy of an MBA program.  Consider the following MBA essay prompts:

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February 21, 2010

Business School Essay: The Do’s and The Don’ts

Business school admissions committees are going to use the essay section of your application to really get to know you and make a connection. They want to know who you are and why you belong in their school.The essays are your best chance to sell the person behind the resume. They should tie all the pieces of your application together and create a comprehensive picture of who you are.

Here is a list of do’s and don’ts to keep in mind as you begin to write:

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January 19, 2010

The Pros & Cons of Social Media Networking for MBA Applicants

By Avi Gordon, Founder of MBA Admissions Studio

Part of the holy grail of a good application to business school is to show why the particular nature of the b-school you are applying to fits with you and what you want out of your MBA. That is, each program has a slightly different ’signature’ in terms of curriculum, type of students, faculty interest, clubs and extramurals, internship-recruitment opportunities, alumni network and so on, and the task is to show that you understand what that signature is and why it fits with you.

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January 14, 2010

Business School and The Avocado

By Avi Gordon, Founder of MBA Admissions Studio

In my book ‘MBA Admissions Strategy’ I offer the following advice: ‘Proofread to show your hunger’ (that is, hunger for admission, a real desire to be selected.) Typographic or other careless errors in your text immediately clues Adcom in as to how (un)careful you were with your text, and this tells them not only how organized and detail-oriented you are — whether you are a ‘finisher’ — but also how much you actually really care about your application to their particular school.

In this sense MBA admissions works just like a resume you send out for a job. If there’s one error in it, eyebrows will be raised. Two errors and you may as well not have sent it.

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January 12, 2010

The Common “Criticism-Weakness-Failure” Essay Question

By Avi Gordon, Founder of MBA Admissions Studio

The ‘criticism-weakness-failure’ essay is common in MBA Admissions essays because it is a test of an applicant’s maturity, self-knowledge, honesty, and ability to learn from mistakes. It is, in other words, the biggest indicator of real leadership ability and potential.

Sample questions are:

Tuck 3. Discuss the most difficult constructive criticism or feedback you have received. How did you address it? What have you learned from it?
Wharton 3. Describe a failure that you have experienced. What role did you play, and what did you learn about yourself?
HBS 2. What have you learned from a mistake?
Columbia 3. Please provide an example of a team failure of which you’ve been a part. If given a second chance, what would you do differently?

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November 24, 2009

What NOT to do on Your Application: Avoiding MBA Application Pitfalls

It’s amazing how many business school applicants make avoidable application mistakes. It’s unfortunate, but hardly surprising, that these avoidable mistakes can result in an application being rejected. In fact, submitting an error-riddled application just makes life easier for MBA admissions committees. If they can put your application in the “no” or “maybe” pile, it frees them up to focus on the well-researched, substantive submissions – applications in which all parts of the application complement each other and when taken together, present a complete, holistic picture of who that applicant is, why she is pursuing an MBA, and why the school she’s applying to is the best place for her to pursue her educational and career goals.

What can applicants do to avoid the avoidable mistakes, and not only submit an error-free application, but the best application possible? Read on.

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