Writing An Original Essay: A Snapshot Of MBA Applicant Trends

WRITE AN MBA ESSAY THAT STANDS OUT BY USING UNIQUE AND DESCRIPTIVE LANGUAGE

So at first blush, these drafts seem very similar, just by virtue of the overlapping content.

Does it mean everyone’s the same??

Absolutely not. Remember, this is about words — which are the only things that you can overuse.

Much like saying “I’m detail-oriented” or “synergy,” some words are super awesome only the first time, but their power waters down with repeated uses. Back to photography. The word should indicate:

“Hey, I don’t just wear a suit and crunch numbers — I’m creative, I have an eye for aesthetic, I look at the world around me …”

“I do something that everyone else does too …” (or, if we want to be really cynical, it could say: “Oof, coming up with 25 things is way harder than it looks, what should I do for the last few points … I do Instagram, there’s a camera on my phone, I think that counts as photography …”)

So, does that mean photography is off limits? Of course not! But have you thought about sharing things like this?

• Your love of teaching underprivileged kids darkroom developing;
• That you curated a gallery exhibit of black-and-white portraits of chinchillas to promote awareness of cruelty to animals that raised $5K;
• You have a burgeoning portfolio of wedding albums that you’ve parlayed into a nice side business and your work has been featured by 7 wedding and lifestyle blogs?

Notice something? Yep, the word “photography” was not used once.

So what’s the upshot? Unique and descriptive language will get you past the predictable, and into the “Oh, rad, this guy sounds awesome!”

by Ann Ford of Admissionado

Admissionado is an undergraduate and MBA admissions consulting firm.