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 Interviewing Guide
    • Getting Off the Waitlist
    • Applying in Round 3 mini-guide
    • Applying to European Business Schools
    • School-Specific MBA Application Guides
      • Columbia 2020 MBA Strategy Guide
      • Harvard 2020 MBA Strategy Guide
      • Kellogg 2020 MBA Strategy Guide
      • MIT Sloan 2020 MBA Strategy Guide
      • Chicago Booth 2020 MBA Strategy Guide
      • *MORE SCHOOL-SPECIFIC GUIDES HERE*
  • MBA Consulting
    • Free essay reviews
    • What stage are you in?
    • Military MBA
    • BIPOC Program
    • Testimonials & Reviews
    • Guest Posts
  • My SnarkCenter
    • My Strategy Guides
    • My Favorite Posts
    • Discounts & Offers

Reading your friends’ essays may hurt you.

July 8, 2020 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

Let’s talk about the idea of reading sample essays or going through your friends’ application from last year. Is it a good idea? Well, we’re not convinced. There’s even evidence it can hurt you.

Them reading yours might, too. Friends don’t let friends…

We understand the urge to want to read an essay that someone else used. It can be suuuuuper tempting to want to see what other people have written in your attempt to figure out this essay writing business. After all, when you’re staring at the blank wall that is your empty Word document, the brain can get a little panicky. It can seem tempting to want to find a model or a sample of some sort, to understand how others conquered this Herculean task and found success.

We just have to warn you though: That’s unlikely to lead you to admissions nirvana.

Instead, it’s likely to actively discourage you.

See, here’s the deal: As we’ve blahgged about before, research shows that reading a high-quality end-product can make the novice writer feel discouraged.

A big factor in this is that the path to a strong essay is usually a very circuitous one. It often feels like one step forward, two steps back. The first few steps especially can be rocky indeed.

If you look at a totally finished, highly polished, sweated-over end product, and you look back at your own ideas for a first draft, it can be really unnerving. You may have in your head this idea of how you might present yourself to the adcom. But unless you write essays for a living (and even if you do: we see horrid essays come out of those pay-to-play essay farms, please don’t be tempted by the unethical services on offer out there) — even if you did write essays for a living, it’s unlikely you know how to write a good essay for admission to a top MBA program. If you’ve never gotten into bschool before, then you’re by definition an early learner of this process. And if you’ve never written a personal essay that was introspective and insightful, and appropriately detailed, and clear, with proper structure, yada yada yada… But then you read someone else’s “essay that won” as we often hear them touted…. Then yeah, you’re likely going to misunderstand the process, and not recognize the amount of personal effort and sweat and tears (hopefully not blood though we have heard of smacking heads on desks at times) and all of this can undermine your own state of mental and emotional wellbeing and turn you into an even greater procrastination monster than you already are.

So yeah. No. We don’t recommend it.

And, we totally get why you’d feel like you need it. Having a model or a template or something sounds really enticing, like, “If only I saw what I’m supposed to do, then I’d have a better sense of how to do it.” It’s unlikely to be the case, though.

As an alternate approach, we recommend starting with outlines.

(“Yuck,” you say. Yes, we know you don’t like outlines.)

Do a bunch of research on your school, do some doodling, do some brainstorming. Write down lists of possibilities.

Almost all of the info-products that we sell, from the App Accelerators to the SnarkStrategies Guides, contain exercises like this for you to engage in.

Start with those. Let your mind explore the topic. Take notes.

Then, sit yourself down and start to structure out your ideas.

Our Essay Ideas App Accelerator has guidance for ways to do exactly that.

It’s going to take some digging in and getting your hands dirty to figure out what to say and how to say it.

And that’s OK.

Seeing other people’s final product isn’t really going to help you in your process of making this essay your own.

Also it’s very common that people get in despite their essays. How do you know if the essay you’re reading is any good?

You can always take your turn at submitting a draft for possible discussion here on the blahg by the ‘Snark.

This project simply takes TIME. There may be some pounding of the head on the table involved. It’s a creative process and ask any artist, and they’ll tell you, there’s some true pain involved in coming up with something that you’re proud of.

Want some input along the way? That’s what we’re here for! Let us know if we can help you find your way out of the morass of essay-writing h3ll. We will get our hands dirty right along with you!!

 
 
You may also be interested in:

  • Talk to students. Just not about your apps.
  • Be a sponge but have a filter

 
 

Filed Under: writing tips

« Previous: ($) Coronavirus: Everything is politicized. Including your education.
Next: How refreshing. »

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!

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 '22 Intake Rd 2
    in 1 month, 2 weeks, 3 days, 19 hours
  • (expected) HBS Class of 2024 app requirements released
    in 2 months, 0 weeks, 0 days, 20 hours
  • (expected) Columbia J-Term/ED app to open
    in 2 months, 4 weeks, 1 day, 20 hours
  • INSEAD Jan '22 Intake Rd 3
    in 3 months, 1 week, 5 days, 19 hours
   
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
   
   

Brave Supplicants' latest reviews on The 'Snark


Feb 11, 2021
by hopeful on MBA Interview Prep: Custom Practice Questions
Helpful

Just wanted to say thank you for these questions! A lot of them were really tailored to my profile, ... Read more

Apr 10, 2020
by George on EssaySnark
Great Starting Point

I thought getting over the GRE/GMAT hurdle was fairly straightforward--disciplined study then test execution... Read more

Apr 10, 2020
by George on Single Shot Express MBA Essay Review
Worth Every Penny

I used the Single Shot Express to decimate essay #1 at my first-choice school. Paired with the school... Read more






Not sure where to begin with EssaySnark?
Our Snark Selector
will tell you!



What were we snarking about at this time in past years?

  • 2020: The Fed and the virus
  • 2020: What you control in life
  • 2019: ($) "What can I do to improve my chances?" GMAT edition
  • 2018: Quote of the Day
  • 2018: The main argument in favor of a larger school
  • 2017: New "Add to Favorites" blahg feature
  • 2017: Plea for Help! "Maybe I'm not as qualified as I thought..."
  • 2015: *NOW* what are your reasons for going for an MBA?
  • 2015: ($) Everybody's at a disadvantage in admissions
  • 2014: Someone is starting early!
My Tweets

See the Top U.S. Business Schools on a Map!


EssaySnark is currently available! We're accepting new clients! Standard turnarounds apply. If you're in a hurry, Speedy Review is available!

EssaySnark® is a registered trademark. All content copyright © 2010–2021 Snarkolicious Press · Privacy Policy

Where should you start with EssaySnark?

Which EssaySnark service is right for you? Answer a few questions to find out!

This field must be set to Everyone - then in the Settings -> HTML -> After Fields screen there's JavaScript to hide it.
Sending