NEW HERE? LEARN MORE
closeclose
Last visit was: 13 May 2024, 21:58 It is currently 13 May 2024, 21:58
Decision Tracker
My Rewards
New posts
New comers' posts

Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel

Essay Stories

SORT BY:
Date
Kudos
User avatar
terp26
Current Student
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 1212
Own Kudos [?]: 351 [0]
Given Kudos: 12
Schools:Chicago Booth '11
 Q50  V38
Send PM
Essay Stories [#permalink] New post   01 May 2008, 06:47
What is stopping people from lying on their essays and making some intriguing story about how they saved penguins and seals in like argentina or how they led a team to build houses for kids in africa? There is no background check on that. If people go out of their way to risk cheating on the GMAT and risk going to jail then there are certainly tons of people lying on essays that cannot be verified to get you into school.

Therefore this leads me to believe that the adcoms have to discount stories like that. I think they are more looking to how you express yourself and how your passion comes out in your essays. They are looking more at your strategic thinking and how you connect themes as well as putting into words support for your profile and being able to identify your weaknesses and address them. And to this point I do believe that they would compare writing style on the AWA to your essay. If they are totally off, and there is no verification about anything in your essay, then what's to stop people from paying money to people to create distinctive, amazing, essay stories, true or not?

Or maybe I am just sour because I haven't saved any penguins to write in my essay :-D
User avatar
MGOBLUE2
Current Student
Joined: 21 Oct 2006
Posts: 164
Own Kudos [?]: 19 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Essay Stories [#permalink] New post   01 May 2008, 07:30
They may not get caught, but some schools ask for the contact info of the organizaion that sponsored your service.

Maybe I am an optimist, but I doubt lying is profound in these apps. There is too much risk with the background checks, and frankly, I think the AdComs can sniff a fraud.
User avatar
ncp
Current Student
Joined: 08 Nov 2006
Posts: 1415
Own Kudos [?]: 309 [0]
Given Kudos: 1
Location: Ann Arbor
Concentration: Health Care Marketing
Schools:Ross '10
Send PM
Re: Essay Stories [#permalink] New post   01 May 2008, 07:47
Agree.
MGOBLUE2 wrote:
I think the AdComs can sniff a fraud.
User avatar
sm332
Current Student
Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 449
Own Kudos [?]: 39 [0]
Given Kudos: 16
Schools:F2010 - HBS (R1 - denied w/o interview ), INSEAD (R1 - admitted), Wharton (R1 - waitlisted & ding), Ivey (R2 - admitted w/ 60% tuition)
 Q47  V40 GMAT 2: 710  Q45  V42
GPA: 3.8
WE 1: 3.5yrs as a Strategy Consultant - Big 4
Send PM
Reviews Badge
Re: Essay Stories [#permalink] New post   01 May 2008, 07:49
the more i read about essays .. the more obvious it seems that aside from some polish, what one really needs is your passion to come through. Not all of us are going to solve world hunger or find the cure to cancer. But incremental improvements achieved through your dedication and passion for a problem (be it minor) will resound and be effective in communicating your potential.
User avatar
sam77sam7
Current Student
Joined: 02 Jan 2008
Posts: 597
Own Kudos [?]: 30 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Location: Detroit, MI
Concentration: Consulting
 Q49  V42
Send PM
Re: Essay Stories [#permalink] New post   01 May 2008, 07:52
I would like outright lying is probably not that wide spread. That said, these are some of the top institutions in the world, I am sure they have their ways of sniffing out frauds. Either through intuition, checking up on illogical details, or pressing hard in the interview for detail after detail.

I think slight exaggerations are FAR more likely. Saying you managed 15 people instead of 10, or that you drove revenues of 800k instead of 500k. These would probably be harder to check on and raise a lot fewer red flags than espousing how you built whale shelters out of coral in the east Indian ocean...

That said, Don't Do It! Getting into school because you stretched the truth will only lead to self-doubt and guilt.

~Sam

sm332 wrote:
the more i read about essays .. the more obvious it seems that aside from some polish, what one really needs is your passion to come through.
This is spot on I think.
User avatar
terp26
Current Student
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 1212
Own Kudos [?]: 351 [0]
Given Kudos: 12
Schools:Chicago Booth '11
 Q50  V38
Send PM
Re: Essay Stories [#permalink] New post   01 May 2008, 08:16
yea that makes sense. I hope you guys are right. That is why I am leaning against an admission consultant or essay service. I feel if I can't figure out and strategize my essays myself, how am I going to strategize for million dollar companies?
User avatar
sam77sam7
Current Student
Joined: 02 Jan 2008
Posts: 597
Own Kudos [?]: 30 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Location: Detroit, MI
Concentration: Consulting
 Q49  V42
Send PM
Re: Essay Stories [#permalink] New post   01 May 2008, 09:37
Terp,

As a flip-side.. would you ever consider running a million dollar corporation without a financial adviser, or tax adviser? Consultants won't write the essays for you (if you get a respected one), but they will help you make sure your essays are in line with your goals, resume, etc... They often know how the admission comm thinks better than we do from a much larger pool of experience, thus they can guide you around potential rocks in the river you may not even think of.

~Sam
GMAT Club Bot
gmatclubot
Re: Essay Stories [#permalink]
01 May 2008, 09:37

Powered by phpBB © phpBB Group | Emoji artwork provided by EmojiOne
Main navigation
GMAT Resources
Partners
MBA Resources
www.gmac.com|www.mba.com | | GMAT Club Rules | Terms and Conditions