{"id":44812,"date":"2019-02-28T09:00:42","date_gmt":"2019-02-28T16:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2019\/02\/using-thought-bubbles-to-eliminate-cliches-in-mba-application-essays\/"},"modified":"2019-02-28T09:00:42","modified_gmt":"2019-02-28T16:00:42","slug":"using-thought-bubbles-to-eliminate-cliches-in-mba-application-essays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/using-thought-bubbles-to-eliminate-cliches-in-mba-application-essays\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Thought Bubbles To Eliminate Clich\u00e9s In MBA Application Essays"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This may very well be the single most common concern of hopeful MBA applicants\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cIs talking about (x) in my application essays going to come across as too clich\u00e9?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

And we usually have a very simple answer for that question:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you think you\u2019ve gone and sparked up something truly original, think again.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Brand New Concepts Are Impossible To Invent<\/h3>\n

Trust us when we say that whatever idea you\u2019re considering writing about\u2026 someone has already beaten you to the punch; you can bet the farm on it.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say I decide I\u2019m going to write a screenplay for a movie\u2026 perhaps a story about the triumph of good over evil.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood one,\u201d<\/em> you say sarcastically.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with that?\u201d<\/em> I ask.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeh, that\u2019s been done. It\u2019s too clich\u00e9.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, let me ask you this: If it\u2019s the 1970\u2019s, and I\u2019m about to write Star Wars<\/em>and I decide to junk<\/strong> the entire project because I think the whole \u201cgood versus evil\u201d things has been overdone\u2026 well, then I\u2019m obviously missing a big point, right?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another example. Let\u2019s say that I\u2019m a novelist. And I\u2019ve been kicking around this idea about a troubled teen for a while now\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cMeh, how many times have we read THAT book, am I right?!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

So I tear up my manuscript called\u2026 The Catcher In The Rye<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n

In a final example (and I know you\u2019re already getting the point, but this is kind of fun so indulge me for just a few more seconds), let\u2019s say I make automobiles. And my last name is Mercedes. And I say\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like very much to make a nice car that has four wheels.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMeh, it\u2019s just been done to death\u2026 this four wheel paradigm! Cars with four wheels are so clich\u00e9.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The Idea Doesn\u2019t Need To Be Original, The Execution Does<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s not the novelty of the idea that mattered for any of the examples listed above. Mercedes executed better than most of its competition. No one cares that it, like many other cars, has four wheels and one steering column, and windows, amongst many other incredibly common components of a vehicle.<\/p>\n

And guess what. At its core, Star Wars<\/em> is about\u2026 good and evil. Are you kidding me? It doesn\u2019t get much simpler and boring than that, right? Wrong. George Lucas captured the imaginations of millions of people around the world because of the novelty of the design and detail and nuance and overall execution (I could go on and on). Such that it took the most common concept imaginable\u2026 and made it not so common. I promise I\u2019m not just rambling on about how much I love Star Wars right now. What I\u2019m getting at is that you\u2019re shooting yourself in the foot by wondering if your idea has been done before, or too often.<\/p>\n

You won\u2019t reinvent the wheel with what you write about. You\u2019ll reinvent it by HOW you write it.<\/p>\n

Helping The Reader Get Inside Your Head<\/h3>\n

Now. What exactly does \u201chow you write it\u201d mean? \u201cHow\u201d has everything to do with what you reveal about your attitude. The way you write, your style, your tone, your structure<\/a>, your editorial comments, your rhythms, your phrasing\u2026<\/p>\n

In other words\u2026 what are your\u00a0thought bubbles<\/strong>\u00a0at any given moment?<\/p>\n