Advice Column: Common MBA Essay Mistakes

The Round 1 business school deadlines are fast approaching, and this cycle is shaping up to be super competitive. If you’re applying, you’re likely finalizing your essays. As you review your materials, be sure that you aren’t making these common MBA essay mistakes.

• Name Dropping

When applying to business school, it’s a good idea to connect with current students and alums. Some schools, like Columbia, even ask you to tell them about your contacts, in the application form. However, while networking is a good idea, it’s a terrible idea to just list names of people you have spoken to in your essays. Instead, make judicious use of information that you have gotten during these conversations, to demonstrate knowledge and points of alignment with the school. (Bob told me about playing Tripod hockey at Tuck, and I would love to join the team to push myself outside my comfort zone.) 

• Being Too Vague

This continues to be the #1 mistake that I see, and it manifests in several ways. Often, people are waaaayyyy too vague about their goals. It’s not enough to say that you want to go into “finance” – what, specifically, do you want to do? And WHY? Other times, the vagueness is inadvertent. You, as the applicant, know your story super well – and might not even realize that you aren’t filling in the blanks. Spell out what you did to earn that award, explain why you love entrepreneurship, tell them how you spent the three months between jobs. The committee is evaluating how well you sell yourself, and they will also make up explanations for you if they can’t understand your trajectory. Wouldn’t you rather own your story? Also, in the era of AI, overly superficial essays are more likely to get flagged for improper tech use.

• Telling the Committee What You Think They Want to Hear

This is another classic mistake, that I continue to see. Do NOT choose goals, motivations, or activities just because you think that they “fit” your background – what do you ACTUALLY want to do? If they don’t get to know you, authentically, you won’t get in. Plus, don’t you want to go to a school that can help you get what you really want out of the degree?

• Generic “Why Us” Responses

Many schools will ask you to explain why you want to go to their program, specifically. If you can replace “Wharton” with “Booth” and the essay still makes complete sense, it’s too generic. Also, it’s crucial to weave in classes, clubs, experiential learning opportunities, etc., that are specific to each school. Make sure that your essays convey how you will use the school’s resources, that you understand the culture, and how you will contribute to the community. 

It’s not too late to avoid these common MBA essay mistakes, even if you are about to submit. Consider asking a consultant or objective third party to take a last-minute look. It’s worth thinking critically about your materials – the essays continue to be a great opportunity to shine. 

Karen has more than 12 years of experience evaluating candidates for admission to Dartmouth College and to the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Since founding North Star Admissions Consulting in 2012, she has helped applicants gain admission to the nation’s top schools, including Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Wharton, MIT, Tuck, Columbia, Kellogg, Booth, Haas, Duke, Johnson, Ross, NYU, UNC, UCLA, Georgetown and more. Clients have been awarded more than $85 million dollars in scholarships, and more than 98% have gotten into one of their top choice schools.

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