{"id":31305,"date":"2017-03-21T02:36:32","date_gmt":"2017-03-21T09:36:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=31305"},"modified":"2021-12-05T05:21:06","modified_gmt":"2021-12-05T12:21:06","slug":"one-easy-way-to-personalize-your-mba-essay-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/one-easy-way-to-personalize-your-mba-essay-content\/","title":{"rendered":"One Easy Way to Personalize your MBA Essay Content"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Amerasia<\/a>By Adam Hoff, Amerasia Consulting Group<\/a><\/p>\n

This is a post I write basically every year because it comes from what I'm seeing each round, every day, on basically every application.\u00a0 That drum beat is really rigid, hard-to-read Why School X sections on essays. \u00a0I give the same note to every single client so now I'm giving it to everybody: the simplest and most important thing you can do to improve your Why School X portion of career goals essay is to personalize<\/strong>\u00a0any and all content. \u00a0 This is a great way to avoid writing something off-putting, as well as a quick and easy method for making your essays warmer, more personal, and easier to connect with.<\/p>\n

So, what do I mean by \"personalizing\" this part of the app? \u00a0Simple: make anything you write about the school specific to you, your experience, your desires, or what you require from a program. \u00a0Never just state absolutes, generalities, or even known truths and facts - always make them personally-held viewpoints. \u00a0Examples are the best way to understand this (after the jump):<\/p>\n

Example #1<\/strong><\/p>\n

GOOD - \"I am seeking an intense MBA experience, which is why INSEAD is my top choice.\"<\/p>\n

BAD - \"INSEAD is one of the most intense MBA programs in the world.\"<\/p>\n

WHY - The first sentence is a statement about what you want (an intense experience), which is used as justification for pursuing the school. \u00a0It doesn't matter whether you are right or wrong in your assessment, so long as you believe it and can then base a decision on that belief. \u00a0Whereas in the second sentence, you are simply stating a fact. \u00a0There are multiple problems with this: A) you might be wrong, B) even if you are right it might sound lecturing (which can irritate a reader who is far more of an expert on the subject than you are), or C) even if you are right and the reader is not mildly irritated, you still miss a chance to express something about you. \u00a0Anything in any essay that doesn't tell the reader more about you, your world, and what you want is wasted space.<\/p>\n

Example #2<\/strong><\/p>\n

Good - \"One thing that drew me to Duke right away was the small class size, which has always been the ideal setting for me to grow and learn.\"<\/p>\n

BAD - \"Small class sizes are the best way to learn, which is why I love Duke.\"<\/p>\n

WHY - This one has a wrinkle, which is that the \"bad\" sentence sort of seems to personalize the statement with the \"why I love Duke\" part. \u00a0The problem is that the revelation is still not based on a personal belief, but rather a statement of fact. \u00a0Indeed, this statement of fact is even more egregious than the INSEAD statement above because it's offering up as concrete fact something that is highly debatable. \u00a0Maybe large classes are the best way to learn. \u00a0Maybe it's online. \u00a0Maybe it's one-on-one. \u00a0Who are you to say? \u00a0Who am I to say? \u00a0None of us are experts in the sphere of ideal learning models, so this just sounds completely arrogant. \u00a0Whereas in the \"good\" example, we see that it's simply a personal preference that is the basis for further interest in Duke.<\/p>\n

I could go on and on and write 10 examples, but two is probably enough. \u00a0The main thing is to read every single sentence you write about a program and make sure that it's always personal - told from your perspective, your opinion, your beliefs, and your desires. \u00a0If it dissolves into \"brochure writing\" - just statements of fact, no matter how benign or flattering to the school - there is zero upside and plenty of downside.<\/p>\n

It's a small thing, but we see it crop up in probably 90% of the essays we read, so it's obviously a fairly widespread problem. \u00a0And while it may not be the entire difference between being admitted or denied, it can definitely be the difference between getting a good or a bad read of your file. \u00a0And in our experience, *that* is often the difference between being admitted or denied.<\/p>\n

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<\/p>\n

If you are interested in making sure your essays are personalized (as well as everything else they need to be),\u00a0hit us up at mba@amerasiaconsulting.com. \u00a0<\/em> \u0437\u0430\u0439\u043c \u0431\u0435\u0437 \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0435\u0440\u043a\u0438 \u043a\u0440\u0435\u0434\u0438\u0442\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u0438\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0438\u0438 \u043a\u0440\u0443\u0433\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0443\u0442\u043e\u0447\u043d\u043e<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Adam Hoff, Amerasia Consulting Group This is a post I write basically every year because it comes from what I’m seeing each round, every day, on basically every application.\u00a0…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[368,63,11,3,4,6,8,1,795,775,113,10,363,1336,243,766],"tags":[1826,1071,184,1907,1198,24,150,1280,1201,121],"class_list":["post-31305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mobile-blog","category-books","category-mba","category-b-school-life","category-career-reviews","category-current-events","category-fun-stuff","category-uncategorized","category-amerasia","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","category-interviews","category-mba-fair","category-mba-school-event","category-blog","category-top-stories","tag-adam-hoff","tag-admissions-advice","tag-admissions-consulting","tag-amerasia","tag-columbia-business-school-mba-essays","tag-essays","tag-goals","tag-how-to-write-an-applications-essay","tag-mba-essay-topics-2014","tag-tips","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t\n