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ss87
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Can same essays be used for different b-schools? 06 Dec 2011, 08:01
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Essays involving career goals, or why an MBA or articulating leadership experiences - can the same essays be used for different b schools?
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cheetarah1980
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Can same essays be used for different b-schools? 06 Dec 2011, 08:04
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I don't think the same essays can be used verbatim as each school's questions have their own nuances. I will say that the same stories can be used in multiple essays. The most important thing about any essay you submit is that it ANSWERS the question that is asked. Just because two schools have essays revolving around leadership it does not mean that they have asked the same question.
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Can same essays be used for different b-schools? 06 Dec 2011, 08:44
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You can use big portions of one school's essays for another, but it doesn't happen often when two schools ask you to write an essay to answer the exact same question to a T.
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Can same essays be used for different b-schools? 06 Dec 2011, 09:23
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Since this my second year doing apps (and hopefully more successful) let me share my experiences. Last year I wrote a schools essays and then copied them over for other schools tried to adjust to meet that specific schools needs. That landed me 0 admits and 1 WL for 7 schools.

This year, I focused on one school at a time. worked through the re-writes for each draft until I was happy with the essays. Upon submitting that school, I moved focus to the next school. I would write each initial drafts from scratch. Knowing what I wrote previously stories would be similar. When I had the flow of each essay complete, I would compare to other similar essays from the past. Weak parts of current essays would be updated with details, ideas from the old ones. Often times I noticed my stories got stronger with each subsequent re write.

Long story short, re-use in the verbatim sense is not going to work. Using themes and concepts will work. After you get strong drafts, you may even get away with copying sentences or paragraphs. I would tackle each essay as its own. After you get through 1 or 2 schools it does get a lot easier. I am currently 0 for 1 but got an interview invite for that school after being rejected without interview from the school last year.

Hopefully this helps out! Good luck with the process