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($) Probably the most common refrain you will ever hear from us.

November 27, 2017 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

That is, besides the one that’s all panic-inducing, about You don’t have much time! You need to start now!!!

😀

That’s the exhortation you hear most often here on the blahg.

When it comes down to the actual nitty gritty of what you’re writing in your essays, it’s a different refrain. There’s a few things that we say over and over in our Essay Decimator essay reviews. We say them so often because they’re identifying the really common issues that lots of BSers’ essays suffer from, and also because they’re so darned important.

At least, to us they are. Because they affect the reader’s experience. If you get this feedback from us, you may feel that it’s a little inconsequential. “I paid good money for some snark to tell me THAT?!??”

But these things matter. They factor into how your pitch will be perceived.

If you have an unhappy reader, you will have an unhappy outcome.

One of these very common points of feedback is:

Make your essays self-contained and complete.

What this means is, you don’t want your reader to have to know anything about you in order to understand what they’re reading in an essay.

You shouldn’t assume that they’ve memorized your background already, or that they’ve retained even the most basic facts of your profile.

When it comes to writing a strong essay, the essay should be autonomous.

It should not require that the reader consult with any other application materials to make sense.

It’s kinda what we’ve discussed previously on the blahg between the resume and the essays, or the resume and the MIT cover letter. Reading an essay is a specific experience; if the essay does not have all the info needed to understand what you’re saying, then the reader is lost.

Saying it that way sounds so flipping basic that you are probably wondering why we’re dedicating a post to it. But it’s a REALLY common issue.

People write stuff in the essay as if the reader has their background memorized. As if they’re picking up a conversation that they’d previously begun with the reader last week. Like they’re talking to their mom, who Knows All. They leave out some really basic bits. It makes the essay inscrutable.

An inscrutable essay is not user-friendly.

It’s not one that is easy to read.

It’s an essay that requires work. Mental effort. Study and concentration, and shuffling around between things.

If your essay forces the reader to pick up the resume in order to understand it, it’s not an essay. It’s a piece of a patchwork. By definition, it’s incomplete.

Don’t make your reader work to figure out what you’re talking about.

It’s exactly the same as reading a book, where the author has done you the disservice of using footnotes. Footnotes!! Gah! Don’t you just hate them? Or endnotes — even worse!!

Footnotes and endnotes are disruptive. The abort the flow. You have to interrupt your reading and go check something. It breaks you out of your happiness. It’s jarring. It’s not fun. If it happens too many times, you start to dislike the author, and eventually you put the book down.

Essays should be self-contained and complete.

Don’t force your reader to reference anything else in order to comprehend what you’re saying.

If it is worth including in the essay, include it.

Explain what you mean.

Help your reader to understand.

Don’t make your reader dislike you in the space of 500 words.

Filed Under: writing tips

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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.

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From a BSer January 2020:
"love the guide books!"


CLASS OF 2023 MBA APPLICATION STRATEGY GUIDES

     
    The 2020 Berkeley-Haas MBA Application Guide - updated for the Class of 2023 application!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Berkeley Haas - refreshed and updated, with brainstorming exercises and structured maps to help you focus your stories!
   
    The 2020-2021 NYU Stern MBA Application Guide that covers the main essay, the EQ Endorsement and Pick Six!
SnarkStrategies Guide for NYU - discusses your requirements for the Class of 2023 essays!
   
    The 2020-2021 Columbia MBA Application Guide
SnarkStrategies Guide for Columbia Business School for 2020-2021 applications
   
    The 2020 Harvard MBA Application Guide - completely overhauled and updated for the coronavirus era!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Harvard Business School!
   
    The 2020-2021 Duke Essay Guide - covers the 25 Random Things essay and all the rest too!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Duke Fuqua - up to date for the current season!
   
    The 2020-2021 MIT Essay Guide covers the org chart, the contacts for two references, and additional tips for the cover letter and 'introduce yourself' video -- and everything else you need to know!
SnarkStrategies Guide for MIT Sloan MBA - totally revised for the Class of 2023!
   
    The 2020-2021 Tuck Essay Guide has been refreshed with latest insights and advice for your essays about "investing generously" and "why Tuck"!
SnarkStrategies Guide for the Dartmouth Tuck MBA - completely overhauled for 2020, to help you demonstrate how you are nice, aware, etc stuff!
   
    The Yale SOM MBA Application Guide for Class of 2023 candidates!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Yale SOM - updated for 2020-2021
   
    The 2020-2021 Chicago Booth MBA Application Guide - ready to go to support your Class of 2023 essay strategy!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Chicago Booth for this year's MBA app!
   
    The 2020 Wharton MBA Application Guide - even more advice on how to get to a win with those essays!
SnarkStrategies Guide for The Wharton School - with new tips for 2020!
   
    The 2020 Kellogg Essay Guide - with a full methodology to identify your 'lasting impact' and your 'values' -- plus tips on 2020 world events and applicability to your essays!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Kellogg MBA - updated and revised for the new realities of 2020!    
      The 2020 Stanford MBA Application Guide - for "what matters most" in your MBA application!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Stanford GSB for the Class of 2023
   
    The 2020-2021 UCLA Anderson MBA Application Guide - updated for Class of 2023 on "impact"!
SnarkStrategies Guide for 
UCLA
   
   

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  • 2020: ($) Updating the admissions office on changes to your profile post-submit: GMAT/GRE/classes
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  • 2019: Harvard Business School is....
  • 2017: Military Candidate Question: "Why does Stanford have a smaller percentage of Vets?"
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  • 2016: Used to be, the waitlist meant you had a real chance.
  • 2016: ($) The biggest reason why Round 3 is not worth it.
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  • 2014: Consider broadening your horizons.
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