{"id":29718,"date":"2015-07-26T13:34:38","date_gmt":"2015-07-26T20:34:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=29718"},"modified":"2015-07-26T13:53:58","modified_gmt":"2015-07-26T20:53:58","slug":"short-and-sweet-tips-for-writing-mini-mba-essays-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/short-and-sweet-tips-for-writing-mini-mba-essays-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Short And Sweet: Tips For Writing \u201cMini\u201d MBA Essays"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Click<\/a>
<\/p>\n

Make sure you\u2019re answering the exact question asked.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is an admission committee\u2019s message, intent, behind limiting an \u201cessay\u201d answer to 100, 200, or 300 characters? Just the facts, please.<\/strong><\/em> In fact, just the key<\/strong><\/em> facts.<\/p>\n

No adornment, no backstory, no extended rationale.<\/p>\n

Columbia Business School<\/a> has had such a goals question for a few years, Darden<\/a> has had a 140-character Tweet question, and now HBS<\/a> has a couple of these mini-essay questions. Yes, it\u2019s a trend.<\/p>\n

In working with clients on such questions, I\u2019ve been struck by how hard providing \u201cjust the facts\u201d really is \u2013 it\u2019s counterintuitive, it\u2019s letting go<\/a>. It makes the writer feel, well, a little naked out there. Adornment, backstory, rationale \u2013 those are the comfortable \u201cclothes\u201d now in a heap on the floor.<\/p>\n

OK, but how do you give them what they want \u2013 while simultaneously serving your goal of creating a compelling application that differentiates and distinguishes you?<\/p>\n

Here are some unadorned tips to answer that question.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Read the question carefully and weigh each word, to make sure you\u2019re answering the exact question<\/em>.<\/strong> (Seems obvious? I\u2019ve witnessed many very smart people misread the question, with predictable results.)<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Short doesn\u2019t mean easy.<\/strong> The opposite is often true. Allocate and devote some up-front thinking time to what you\u2019ll say. The fewer words you have, the greater weight each word has.<\/p>\n

\u2022 In this thinking process, decide the 1-3 key points you must<\/em> convey.<\/strong> Don\u2019t even consider anything else.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Also in this thinking process, consider the application overall.<\/strong> These mini-essays must work within a larger whole. For example, if you only have 200 characters to write about your goals<\/a>, and you\u2019re planning to shift careers, look for other places in the application to indicate that you have relevant skill sets, understand the industry\/function, etc.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0In drafting, write a little<\/em> over the limit and pare down.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Make sure each word is meaningful.<\/strong> Stick to nouns and verbs. Use short, direct sentences, which allow you to \u201csqueeze<\/a>\u201d the most out of the limited characters.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Avoid repeating the question<\/strong> (if it\u2019s about post-MBA goals<\/a>, the reader will know what you\u2019re referring to, you don\u2019t have to say, \u201cPost-MBA I plan to\u2026).<\/p>\n

You know the expression \u201cshort and sweet.\u201d Turn brevity to your advantage. A short statement can have great power, propulsion. The key is to do it right.<\/p>\n

\"5<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Cindy<\/a> By Cindy Tokumitsu<\/a>, Cindy Tokumitsu, co-author of The Finance Professional\u2019s Guide to MBA Admissions Success<\/a>, and author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants in her last fifteen years with Accepted.com.<\/a><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

Related Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Twelve Terrific Tips for MBA Applicants<\/a>\u00a0[Free Guide]
\n\u2022 School-Specific MBA Application Essay Tips<\/a>
\n\u2022\u00a0Choosing Topics For The B-School Essay<\/a><\/p>\n

This article<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>originally appeared on\u00a0<\/em>blog.accepted.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Accepted.com<\/a>'s\u00a0<\/em>experienced admissions consultants<\/a>\u00a0can help you create the most impressive application possible with\u00a0<\/em>comprehensive packages<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>or provide targeted assistance from\u00a0<\/em>picking perfect programs<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0<\/em>designing a dazzling resume<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>constructing engaging essays<\/a>, or\u00a0<\/em>preparing for intense interview<\/a>s<\/a>\u2026and more!\u00a0<\/em>Accepted.com<\/a>\u00a0has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top programs since 1994 \u2013 we know what works and what doesn't, so\u00a0<\/em>contact us<\/a>\u00a0to get started now!<\/em><\/p>\n

Accepted.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ~\u00a0The Premier Admissions Consultancy<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is an admission committee\u2019s message, intent, behind limiting an \u201cessay\u201d answer to 100, 200, or 300 characters? Just the facts, please. In fact, just the key facts. No adornment,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,939,775,113,243],"tags":[184,1048,90,621,227,1896,39,784,370,147,278,883,12],"class_list":["post-29718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","category-blog","tag-admissions-consulting","tag-advice-for-mba-applicants","tag-application-essay","tag-application-essays","tag-application-tips","tag-mba","tag-mba-admissions","tag-mba-admissions-essay","tag-mba-advice","tag-mba-application","tag-mba-application-tips","tag-mba-essay-tips","tag-the-mba-application-process","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29718"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29733,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29718\/revisions\/29733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}