Beginning to Realize You Can Never Write the Perfect MBA Essay

There’s nothing like touching up an essay you think is perfect, sending it to one of your reviewers, and seeing it covered in red comment updates when they return it. I guess one thing I’ve learned from this process is that everyone seems to know how to use the “track changes” feature in Microsoft Word now.

Don’t get me wrong, I definitely value the feedback. It’s definitely improved my essays and at the end of the day, I’m still the head chef: I get to decide what goes out. But no matter how many times I go through this, it’s always an arduous experience. Most of the updates are small, such as grammar catches and rephrasing suggestions. However, some point a big question mark at your entire essay and make you think about whether you’re going in the right direction.

Up to this point, I’ve only trashed one essay completely, and that was only so I could use the example in another essay within the same app. But I’m getting to a point where I realize that my essays will never be perfect. No matter how many times I revise a 300 word count essay, there will always be some flaw that some person can point out. I’ve accepted that. But before I head into the final leg of updates this weekend, I think I’m going to focus less on the technical aspects and more on whether my essays stand out. You can write the most technically sound essay in the world, but if it’s not interesting, you’re just going to be another essay out of the thousands the adcom needs to read.

This post is adapted from Random Wok, a blog written by Mako from Silicon Valley. You can read all of his posts at Random Wok.

Previous posts by Mako at PoetsandQuants:

Why I Want an MBA

Climbing the GMAT Mountain: 630 to 710 on a Practice Test

Do Consultants Have An Unfair Edge Over Other Applicants?

Falling Behind & Stressed Out

My New Critical Reasoning Strategy

Figuring Out My Odds of Getting Into Harvard, Stanford, Wharton

With My GMAT Classes Over, It’s Now Just Me and the Test

Making a GMAT Test Taker Feel Like A Complete Pansy

With a Month to Go Before His GMAT Test, It’s Time to Focus

Is The GMAT Really Designed To Break You?

I Took the GMAT Today and Rocked It!

Charting All My GMAT Scores Over Time With Lessons

After Scoring My 750, It’s Now All About Applying

MBA Applications Wisdom from Muhammad Ali

Facing A Gauntlet of Round Two Deadlines

Should Everyone Apply to Harvard Business School?

The Final Click Is The Hardest Click: Sending In My Application

A Punch to the Gut: Bad Reviews On His Draft Essays

MBA Essay Writing: Draining the Life Out of Me