{"id":54123,"date":"2022-02-06T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-06T16:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=54123"},"modified":"2022-02-03T14:46:16","modified_gmt":"2022-02-03T21:46:16","slug":"identifying-the-ingredients-of-a-winning-essay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/identifying-the-ingredients-of-a-winning-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"Identifying the Ingredients of a Winning Essay"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Ex2Ex_1_2022\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As you gear up to write your application essays, you may have looked at sample \u201cwinning\u201d essays published in books or on websites, only to ask yourself afterward, \u201cSure, these are great, but what do these essays have to do with me?\u201d This blog series will show you how to plan for, draft, and edit outstanding essays. By the end of this series, you will approach your writing with confidence, as you apply what you have learned to your task. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready to get started? Great! Let\u2019s learn how to go from example to exemplary right now.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s jump right in and get started by looking at two sample essays to see what makes them so effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first essay, The Public Health Student<\/a>, opens with a question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat if people lived healthier lives, practiced preventive medicine, and took precautions against illness and disease?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cwhat if?\u201d opening immediately engages the reader and at the same time tells us that the writer aspires to a career in the healthcare sector. We do not have to wait to discover the theme of the essay; it\u2019s right there in the first sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Click Here to Read the Full Essay]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at this great first paragraph: notice how every sentence builds on the sentence that precedes it, adding context for the applicant\u2019s decision to apply to a public health program. By the second sentence, she begins to present her background in the healthcare field, and by the third sentence, she explains why she now doubts that her initial, chosen field of physical therapy will be satisfying in the long-term. She demonstrates self-knowledge in this realization, self-knowledge that has come from her experiences thus far in the healthcare field. By the end of the paragraph, we clearly appreciate the applicant\u2019s motivations for wanting a career on the bigger, broader stage of public health, rather than as a PT. Her decision reflects a logical progression in her career and in her thinking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the essay continues, she continues to\u00a0build her case for admission<\/a>\u00a0by linking her prior work and education to their relevance to the public health field. She writes about relevant coursework she has taken, followed immediately by a succinct discussion of her field work experience. She doesn\u2019t simply list what she did; she goes deeper, discussing what she learned and how these experiences and insights have solidified her commitment to earning the MPH degree.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her conclusion is also very effective because she has returned to her opening \u201cwhat if?\u201d theme. Here she asks a new question: \u201cWhat if an aspirin a day could prevent heart attacks?\u201d <\/em>emphasizing that everything she has learned and done so far keeps her riveted by the challenge of finding answers to significant questions in public health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This essay works because the prose is clear and active. Every sentence offers something new or additional information; there is no fluff. She demonstrates mature self-knowledge, a logical career progression, and offers relevant, specific facts that add strength to her candidacy. This clarity and momentum keeps the pace moving, effectively building the writer\u2019s profile as a promising and serious MPH applicant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now let\u2019s take a look at the Returning to School essay<\/a> from Accepted\u2019s law school section. This essay opens with a colorful, compelling scene that immediately places the reader in the story:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFourteen grumpy doctors stare across an enormous oak conference table at me. It is seven o\u2019clock in the morning, and most of the group is still wearing wrinkled green scrubs indicating they worked through the night. None of the doctors look ready to digest the extremely technical information contained in the eight studies stacked neatly in front of them. My job is to present each study, review all relevant economic data, and answer any questions in such a way that the audience will conclude that the new drug I am selling is better than the one they have been prescribing. One of the physicians gruffly informs me, through a mouthful of Danish, that he is leaving in ten minutes so I had better start my pitch.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t you already feel for this writer and his formidable challenge? I don\u2019t know about you, but he had me hooked right away, and I was rooting for him to win over this very tough audience. That last sentence is also colorful and wonderful, really setting the tone for the essay and the writer\u2019s frustrations at the limitations of his role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Click Here to Read the Full Essay]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This four-paragraph essay really packs a punch. While only half of the length of the MPH essay, it still delivers the same winning elements, including specific highlights of career achievements (the writer was Rookie of the Year at his company) and clear and convincing reasons for a career change. He clearly explains his disappointment and fatigue: \u201cMy job became less challenging as I had to repeatedly remind the doctors of what I had already discussed with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As \u201cone of the industry\u2019s top representatives,\u201d we can understand his quest for a higher-level intellectual challenge, and cites his work experience and science background that will transfer to a new career in medical law. He makes a convincing case that he is capable of achieving this goal. In the last sentence, he effectively refers back to the \u201cgrumpy physicians\u201d we had already met, though with some softness, which keeps him from appearing arrogant. Both writers so far have brought their essays full circle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having read and analyzed these essays, you will now have a better grasp of the types of experiences that can build a case for your grad school candidacy. Start making a list of the experiences you have had that will create a compelling scene that will grab your readers\u2019 attention from the first sentence and not let it go until they have reached the final, satisfying conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary Tips:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n