The evolution of (y)our applications

Question

Am I the only one who feels like his applications are improving DRAMATICALLY from one to the next? I submitted Stanford on the 22nd and I dunno... it just felt like it could and should have been better. I submitted UCLA today and feel like it was a far superior app. It's hard to qualify why. Sure, Stanford's app is harder, but I don't think that's it.

I'm starting to feel like getting my head around the interface that Apply Yourself's schools employ has a lot to do with it. It wasn't until I was futzing with my submitted Stanford appl that I discovered that I could print an application in html, open it in Word, and spell-check everything! What a lifesaver! Had I know that I could do that during the Stanford app I wouldn't have let the word "engineeering" slip under the radar (dammit!). Also, you really MUST view your application in pdf at the very end. If you don't a good portion of what you've included may be truncated (for some silly reason the fields often allow more characters than are actually put in the final pdf that the school sees - sloppy).

My general "why am MBA" essay has also improved as well. For some reason, an additional 2 days has made a difference, never mind that I started on it weeks ago. Already, my Berkeley and MIT essays feel better than my UCLA and Stanford ones.

This may all be in my head, but it sure feels that way... anybody else?

My advice for people who are applying R1 in 2008: apply to Harvard just for the exercise (because of their early deadlines). Really.

aviroop · Answer

join the club.

All of us have seen marked improvement in our writing, thought process, organization and refining of essays.

I will wait a few months more before I post my rough drafts here - the essays are clear examples of how we evolve.

And the process never stops. I will take a break for a week, and approach all new essays with different angles and attitudes.

Have fun with essays.

ncp · Answer

avi, your shoes must be worn out by now. If you know what I mean ;-)

aviroop · Answer

Ya,
I feel like Gandhi now after the salt march

dahcrap · Answer

Leave alone doing other essays. After I hit the submit, my mind was critically analyzing every word in my essays. Damn this could have happened before I had hit that submit button. I now feel like I have insulted Stanford adcom's intelligence by submitted my app.

kryzak · Answer

oh those shoes... even *my* shoes are worn out because of Avi

But yes, I worked on Haas first, because it had 7 essays (including optional) and I covered all my topics in that one. My Haas one went through 2-3 reviews, and I used portions of it for UCLA and Stanford. After Stanford's 10+ drafts, and UCLA's 4-5 drafts, I came back to Berkeley this week, thinking that it should be good. My God! It was crappy, and this is even after some good reviews and comments! I couldn't believe how vague and unorganized my thought process was! I'm glad I worked on Stanford last out of the three apps, and I'm even more glad I got 2 more weeks to revisit Berkeley so that it wouldn't suffer the "first application" fate. Best of both worlds I say!

kwam · Answer

A friend of mine told me about this path. I hope I did a enough job with GSB as it was the first I applied for and it's top choice... I'm writing so fast right now, I can believe it... And I'm an engineer :lol:

Anyway, things are getting clearer and I could do Columbia's essay 3 almost in GMAT's AWA time :lol:

Just kidding, many revisions will happen. Oh Man, I wish I had started earlier all this process, now I'm really anxious with GSB.

aviroop · Answer

Columbia was my first app
Classic junk from the trunk.

I cringe when I read those essays now. In hindsight I blame myself for falling into the ED hoopla, but then again there is one application that is always the sacrificial goat.. in this case all my applications will turn out to be sacrificial goats that will go bleating down to their pitiful deaths (the waste paper bin or falafel wrap on times square).

But ya.. every essay gets to be better..like Jessica Simpson.. everyday a little nip/tuck and the essay looks sizzling.. but too much change.. and you have an essay like Joan Rivers, an epic disaster

kryzak · Answer

One recommendation that I hope to put in the (future) wiki, start with the application that you will submit LAST in the same round. In my case, Stanford and ULCA were late October, Berkeley is early November. I did Berkeley first, got my feet wet, applied what I learned to Stanford/UCLA. Then you still have a couple weeks to revisit that first application to incorporate what you learned from (effectively) three applications. Win-win situation!

gmatclb · Answer

That makes sense only if you're disciplined.

It takes me the deadline to get to write some essays.

kryzak · Answer

very true... even though I'm not really the most disciplined person on earth. I used to write my essays 10pm the night before they're due in class. haha! But I knew that this process would be painful and drawn out (as rhyme warned us), and I really wanted to start early. UCLA didn't have its essay questions out in August, and I did NOT want to start Stanford first, so I took a gamble and worked on Haas first. In the end, it turned out perfectly (I wish I could say it I knew exactly what I was doing

). Hindsight is 20/20, and I hope this piece of info will help the 2009-ers.

The evolution of (y)our applications

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