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Figuring out how to get started

November 17, 2020 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

Yesterday we talked about why we don’t publish sample admissions essays — and yet, we totally get why you’d want them! You haven’t written an essay in years!! For some of you, maybe you’ve NEVER written one!

If you’re an international applicant coming from an educational system where mostly they use standardized testing as the process for admission to college, then you may be like, “What’s an essay?!!?” That might be even more true if you studied something like engineering in college, where essays weren’t really part of the mix. Even if you were a liberal arts major where you did essays all the time, you’ve never done essays for admission to graduate business school in a hypercompetitive environment where there was so much riding on them.

So yeah! With that as the backdrop, it totally makes sense why you might want to see a sample of a so-called “good” essay, to figure out the destination that you’re trying to get to, with this daunting assignment of writing essays for grad school.

But, that’s a misguided impulse! Seeing a polished end product is probably not going to help you! It could even HURT you!!

Instead, let’s see what might be the cause of your distress, overwhelm, or feeling stuck or stalled.

Is it:

Because you just don’t know where to start? As mentioned above, you’re someone who’s not written essays in, like, ever? Telling you to write an essay is like telling you to fly a plane*: You know people do it, you’ve seen it happen, heck, you know how to drive a car… but fly a plane? Where to even begin??

Or, is it:

Because you’re a procrastinator, and you know it, and you wish you weren’t, but it’s just something you’ve had trouble with your whole life?

If that’s you, please don’t feel bad!!

American culture is incredibly productivity-based, and it can create a sense of shame or guilt when you end up messing things up for yourself yet again, by missing a deadline or doing that last-minute scramble. Procrastination creates so much stress, and it seems avoidable, yet many people end up caught in its jaws over and over. During that frenzied push, you know you’re not doing your best work, and often will feel guilty, but as much as you tried, you just couldn’t help yourself by getting started earlier.

There are many, many reasons why people suffer from procrastination, and we want to normalize it for all of you today! Procrastination is not a moral failing! There are many psychological and even biological processes that conspire against us when we’re trying to do something hard. It’s daunting! It can be super difficult to overcome them.

If you know that you’re a procrastinator, well… Stick around! We’re here to help you get and stay motivated! Today and every day from now until the deadlines!!

Here’s the biggest secret of all:

How to write an MBA essay
1. Fire up Microsoft Word or go to Google Docs and get a fresh blank file opened up.

2. Paste the essay question at the top of the page — we post all the major schools’ prompts in our directory of MBA essay questions

3. Start typing.

 
 

Yes, we said it. Open that doc and start typing.

Now, this goes against all the advice that we offer everywhere here on the blahg, about the power of OUTLINES as your key to the kingdom for final essay success.

But, the reality is, if you don’t know how to write an essay, you probably don’t know how to write an outline, either!

Another reality is that if you’re stuck with procrastination, then STARTING is the most important thing. Even if that means starting with something you end up throwing away.

Because the truth of the matter is, everyone’s first drafts will suck. That means you, him, her, everyone. First drafts always suck, for all writers. So, one key strategy to implement is to get through the first drafts as fast as you can so that the non-sucky drafts can start to emerge.

It’s just like when you don’t feel like working out. You’re sitting on the couch, and the afternoon is waning, and you know if you don’t do it now, you’re not gonna. But you just don’t wanna.

So what do you do?

The solution is to put on your running shoes.

That’s all that’s required in the moment of not wanting to work out.

PUT ON YOUR SHOES.

If you get the shoes on, more often than not, something will kick into gear. You’ll start to move towards the door. You’re committed.

And then you’re at the gym — or, hopefully right now, you’re foregoing the gym and doing a run around the neighborhood instead.

You didn’t have to talk yourself into doing the run. You just had to get your shoes on.

An object in motion stays in motion, right?

Let’s leverage that same opportunity here:

Don’t know how to start your essays for Round 2 applications?

That’s okay! All you have to do is start SOMETHING.

Open up a doc and start typing.

Literally, that’s all that’s required today! Before the day is over, you can get that part done!!

And then, just like putting on your running shoes, you will have the hardest part behind you: You will have started!

 
 
 

UPDATE: Oh look, we continued this topic again here!
 
 
 

*Unless of course you’re one of the many pilots who are here getting help through our military program!!! In which case, maybe substitute instead a project of making a wedding cake, as being similarly daunting of an ask?

 
 

You may also be interested in:

  • Writer’s block
  • How to write an MBA essay

 

Filed Under: writing essays Tagged With: cheerleading, procrastination

« Previous: Why we don’t provide sample essays — and even a warning from Duke about it
Next: ($) Going beyond that first tentative step: Starting in on the ideation phase »

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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