EssaySnark

  • about
  • contact
  • help
  • sign up
  • login
CLICK FOR MORE!
  • Essay Questions
    • Harvard
    • Stanford
    • Wharton
    • Chicago Booth
    • Kellogg
    • MIT Sloan
    • Tuck
    • NYU Stern
    • Columbia
    • Yale SOM
    • Berkeley Haas
    • UVA Darden
    • Duke Fuqua
    • Michigan Ross
    • UCLA Anderson
    • Cornell
  • Strategy Guides
    • MBA Reapplicant Guide
    • Pitching Entrepreneurship as Your Post-MBA Career
    • Applying to European Business Schools
    • School-Specific MBA Application Guides
      • Harvard 2022 MBA Strategy Guide
      • Stanford 2022 MBA Strategy Guide
      • Wharton 2022 MBA Strategy Guide
      • Kellogg 2022 MBA Strategy Guide
      • Chicago Booth 2022 MBA Strategy Guide
      • Columbia 2022 MBA Strategy Guide
      • *MORE SCHOOL-SPECIFIC GUIDES HERE*
  • MBA Consulting
    • Free essay reviews
    • What stage are you in?
    • Military MBA
    • Testimonials & Reviews
  • My SnarkCenter
    • My Strategy Guides
    • My Favorite Posts

Oh, you did it “successfully”?

December 6, 2011 by EssaySnark 1 Comment

We see this all the time. On resumes, in essays. Brave Supplicants say that they “Successfully accomplished yada yada yada.” Or last week, we saw a new but identical twist: the person “Effectively achieved whatsihoozits.”

If your GMAT studies are not already too stale, you will recall that “successfully” and “effectively” are both adverbs. These are words that modify verbs. They are intended to add new meaning to the action of the sentence.

But in this case, they don’t.

Because think about it, Brave Supplicant… Would you be telling the adcom about your whatsihoozit if you had not achieved it “successfully”?!?

The words ‘achieve’ and ‘accomplish’ already are complete. They don’t need more modification to tell us that you actually did, in fact, achieve or accomplish the whatever-it-is.

(We’re not a fan of adverbs in general, as we mentioned in this post about trimming essays down, but that’s more a stylistic bit of advice than any rule, so we’ll just leave it at that.)

If you see such words on your resume, cut them, NOW. They also add noise to your essay but it’s perhaps less of a grievous sin in that context (it still makes us cringe when we see it). Rather than using adverbs to impart meaning, find ways to demonstrate your success. Give us numbers. What was the impact of your fabulous achievement? Who did it help? What were the benefits? How much money did it save the company, or what was the increase in revenues? Who got really happy because of your fine and noble deed? THOSE are the details that add pop and pizzazz and clarity to an essay or resume. THOSE are what will win you the game.

Ditch the “successfully”, and EssaySnark will thoroughly be impressed.

Filed Under: writing tips

« Previous: Best-laid plans; or, "What if it doesn’t work out?"
Next: Advice from the adcom: Letters of Recommendation »

So who the heck is EssaySnark, anyway?!

We're the snarky experts in MBA admissions!

Sometimes amused and often appalled by what candidates write in their MBA applications to top bschools, EssaySnark created this little blahg to share common mistakes. Learn from them and avoid making admissions directors laugh (or want to hurl) when they read your essays. If you are hoping to have your essay reviewed anonymously on the blahg for free, submit it for consideration.

Want EssaySnark's personal assistance with your MBA applications? Start with our menu of consulting services and please read the Help FAQ to learn how we operate. Still have questions after doing all that? Email Team EssaySnark at gethelpnow at essaysnark dot com.

Good luck on your apps, Brave Supplicant!

Here's what others have said about this:

  1. indianITguy says

    September 30, 2016 at 9:27 am

    Applicants may not have completely ditched such words yet, but the “user numbers” trend is in. What I often wonder is how positive the impact is when many of the applicants are saying “developed this new procedure of doing things that saved the company X amount of money / Y % of costs”. To me, it seems like the trend (I believe there is) of joining an NGO for the sake of “improving profile”.

    Reply

Tell us what you think. Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign up for the 'Snark via email

Enter your address to get weekday blahg posts by email.

UPCOMING MBA APP DEADLINES

  • INSEAD Jan '24 Intake Rd 2
    in 4 weeks
  • INSEAD Jan '24 Intake Rd 3
    in 3 months, 0 weeks
  • INSEAD Jan '24 Intake Rd 4
    in 4 months, 2 weeks
   
   

CLASS OF 2025 MBA APPLICATION STRATEGY GUIDES

From a former BSer:
"love the guide books!"




    The 2022 Stanford MBA Application Guide - for "what matters most" in your MBA application!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Stanford GSB for the Class of 2025
   
    The 2022 Harvard MBA Application Guide - updated for the Class of 2025!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Harvard Business School!
   
  The 2022 Wharton MBA Application Guide - even more advice on how to get to a win with those essays!
SnarkStrategies Guide for The Wharton School - with clear guidance for the 2022 essays!
   
  The 2022-2023 Columbia MBA Application Guide
SnarkStrategies Guide for Columbia Business School for 2022-2023 applications
   
    The 2022 MIT Essay Guide covers the org chart, the cover letter and 'introduce yourself' video, plus the new optional short-answer question on "the world you come from" -- and everything else you need to know!
SnarkStrategies Guide for MIT Sloan MBA - totally revised for the Class of 2025!
   
    The 2022 Kellogg Essay Guide - with a full methodology to identify your 'lasting impact' and your 'values'
SnarkStrategies Guide for Kellogg MBA - revised for 2022!
   
    The 2022 UVA Darden MBA Application Guide gives insights on the essays, Early Action, the possibility of a test waiver, and everything else going on here!
SnarkStrategies Guide for the Darden MBA - updated for the Class of 2025 requirements!
   
   
The Yale SOM MBA Application Guide for Class of 2025 candidates!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Yale SOM - updated for 2022
   
    The 2022 Berkeley-Haas MBA Application Guide - updated for the Class of 2025 application!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Berkeley Haas - refreshed and updated, with brainstorming exercises and structured maps to help you focus your stories!
   
    The 2022-2023 NYU Stern MBA Application Guide that covers the essays, the EQ Endorsement and test strategies!
SnarkStrategies Guide for NYU - discusses your requirements for the Class of 2025 essays!
       
   
   
Get started now - without doing any work! The Comprehensive Profile Review will help you start your strategy for your MBA applications.


EssaySnark® is a registered trademark. All content copyright © 2010–2023 Snarkolicious Press · Privacy Policy