Occasionally, I’ve been asked which part of the application I enjoy the most and the least.
It’s simple. What do I enjoy reading the most? Essays. And what do I tend to dread? Essays.
It seems a bit contradictory, I know. I truly enjoy reading essays that demonstrate creativity and express one’s personality, especially since it helps me envision who an applicant is and how an MBA at Anderson fits in with his or her future plans. However, we do encounter essays that are rather dry, tedious, and (do I dare say this) boring. Those are not so fun to read.
The Anderson application essays questions are purposefully left somewhat general to give our applicants the opportunity to think about and express in writing who you are as a person, your character, your experiences, your hopes and future aspirations, all within a given set of parameters. And this is definitely a challenge. You have a finite and sometimes an excruciatingly short amount of space to convey this information. So here are some tips that can hopefully help you in case you get a serious case of writer’s block (or find yourself suffering from an attack of being overly loquacious):
Self-reflection is key! Spend some time thinking about the qualities you want the admissions committee to know about you.
Create an outline, jot down notes, then create a framework for what you plan to write about for each question.
It’s easier said than done.Try to keep within the parameters designated for each essay – those instructions are there for a reason. We want to you to be clear and concise in your writing.
Use reasonable sized fonts and margins. Some people try to get away with cramming as many words as possible by using miniscule font and 1 millimeter margins. Any reason to not resort to using a magnifying glass to read an essay is always appreciated by the admissions committee.
Have a friend proof your writing. Sometimes, it can be difficult to catch spelling or grammatical errors after reading and re-reading an essay over and over again.
So when all’s said and done, use your allocated essay space wisely! Admissions officers come from all walks of life, so write in a universal tone to appeal to a vast audience. Remember that Anderson’s diversity is one of the main attractions of our program, so convince us of how you can add to this tradition as a part of the Class of 2011.
Looking forward to getting to know you (on paper)!
Jessica C.
Hello Jessica,
I couldn't agree more on what an essay should reflect, but having said that I believe it's sort of ironical to go through the "model" essay samples from successful candidates. I feel in the present scenario it is more important that having noted down a skill set, to build a quantifiable case which glorifies the achievement [at times stretching the truth] than to try out a creative and a not-so-backed-by-specifics case.
How does a candidate develop the confidence and courage to describe him/her-self without getting burdened by the process of devising an "interesting" story around their achievements?
I understand the philosophy around the essays is to "market" ourselves in an effective manner, but can we as candidates have full faith that a worthy case/story doesn't get lost amongst its glittering sample group?
Just curious.
Thanks,
Anirban
INDIA
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