{"id":32443,"date":"2016-03-15T00:55:57","date_gmt":"2016-03-15T07:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=32443"},"modified":"2016-07-27T15:45:41","modified_gmt":"2016-07-27T22:45:41","slug":"3-tips-for-showing-strengths-in-your-application-essays-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/3-tips-for-showing-strengths-in-your-application-essays-2\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Tips for Showing Strengths in Your Application Essays"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Learn<\/a>
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Paint a picture that truly depicts the creative workings of your mind.<\/p>\n

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of most important pieces of advice I can give you regarding your personal statements and application essays is this: Show, don\u2019t tell.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are three tips to help you achieve this must-have writing goal:<\/p>\n

1. Show the steps you\u2019ve taken.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are writing about a goal<\/a> you achieved or a project you completed, providing the step-by-step process you followed will add depth and validity to your claims. \u201cWithin six months I was promoted to Junior Account Manager\u201d is not nearly as compelling as spelling out the specific measures you took to obtain the recognition that landed you your fast-tracked promotion. Similarly, don\u2019t just tell<\/em> the adcom that you have overcome your weakness of procrastination; instead, show <\/em>them by giving concrete examples of specific things you\u2019ve done to become a more efficient person.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Provide examples of strengths and skills. <\/strong><\/p>\n

You say that you are creative, mature, and an excellent leader. But how? What have you done specifically and what impact have you made on your teammates\/co-workers\/company\/community\/world-at-large? Saying that you\u2019re creative won\u2019t cut it; instead share a story<\/em><\/a> or paint a picture <\/em>(with words) that truly depicts the creative workings of your mind.<\/p>\n

3. Offer details whenever possible.<\/strong> Your story of success will be more believable and more memorable if you provide a few details. Remember, when showing<\/em> instead of just telling<\/em> about your achievements, your readers are going to want to see<\/em> a picture of who you are and what you\u2019ve done. Add vibrant details \u2013 talk about the number of people on your team; the amount of money you raised; the eager and nervous feelings you experienced while launching your new product; the fear you felt, followed by the extreme remorse, and then the resolve to do better that you experienced when you botched a project \u2013 all these details will add color and life to the picture you\u2019re painting for the adcom.<\/p>\n

Boastful claims like, \u201cI am a team leader\u201d or \u201cI have excellent communication skills\u201d won\u2019t do much to convince the adcom of your strengths if they\u2019re not backed up with evidence. Remember when writing your essays: show, don\u2019t tell<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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

\"Linda<\/a>By\u00a0Linda Abraham<\/a>, president and founder of Accepted and co-author of the definitive book on MBA admissions,\u00a0<\/em>MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools<\/a>.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

\u2022 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid on your Personal Statement<\/a>
\n\u2022\u00a03 Essential Components of a Personal Statement<\/a>
\n\u2022\u00a0First Drafts Of Personal Statements: Let Yourself Go<\/a><\/p>\n

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

Applying to a top b-school? The talented folks at Accepted have helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to their dream programs. Whether you are figuring out where apply, writing your application essays, or prepping for your interviews, we are just a call (or click) away.<\/p>\n

Contact us, and get matched up with the consultant who will help\u00a0you\u00a0<\/em>get accepted<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of most important pieces of advice I can give you regarding your personal statements and application essays is this: Show, don\u2019t tell. Here are three tips to help you…<\/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":[784,147,998,325,282,87],"class_list":["post-32443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","category-blog","tag-mba-admissions-essay","tag-mba-application","tag-mba-application-advice","tag-mba-application-essay","tag-mba-application-essays","tag-personal-statement","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32443","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=32443"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32444,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32443\/revisions\/32444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}