To continue on with Writing Week – Monday’s post 1 here and Tuesday’s post 2 here if you missed them…
There’s this thing where writers start stuff in the middle of a story.
It even has a name: in medias res
Please don’t do that in your MBA essays.
Premium content starts here…
———–
So why do BSers write like this?
Well, part of it is simply that this essay-writing thing is so new. Sure you’ve been writing practically your whole life or at least since they put crayons into your chubby little hand as a three year old, but even if you do a lot of writing at work, like if you’re a consultant or analyst, you still have probably not done THIS KIND of writing much before. (And don’t get us started on how the education system really does a craptastic job of teaching students how to write. Many people just never get good training, whether in high school and often not even in college.)
The other reason applicants try this cagey opening thing though? Because there are MBA admissions consultants out there telling their clients to do it.
Ugh.
That’s all we have to say about that.
Clarity.
Simplicity.
Pave the way to understanding for your reader, Brave Supplicant.
Those are your marching orders.
Don’t get fancy with what you’re trying to say!!
It’s totally okay if you thought that’s what you were supposed to do. It would seem like that would create a “better” essay. And, here’s a direct quote from someone who’s just like you, who struggled through this before!
Oh yeah also: THIS IS WRITING WEEK! ARE YOU WRITING?!???
Another post coming tomorrow. How much progress will you be able to report on your essays by then? Write down your goal for the next 24 hours! Put it on paper – make it tangible – which new draft will you finish by the time you next come back to read the snarkness again? (and…. here’s that next post!)
SO FAR IN WRITING WEEK
Tell us what you think.