For those of you considering applying to UCLA Anderson, we’ve got some ideas for the main essay that they are asking you to write about, which is this: How have recent events influenced the impact you would like to make in your community, career, or both? (250 words maximum) We welcome reflection on any events […]
Continue reading...($) What your HBS essay should not be.
This came up when we were helping a very motivated Brave Supplicant with understanding feedback on our Essay Decimator essay review at the end of last season. This applicant had fallen into the trap that many, many applicants fall into: Their HBS essay was boring. And there was a very specific reason why it was […]
Continue reading...($) “Should I write about this horrible personal experience in my essays for business school?”
To continue the subject we started yesterday about disclosing personal stuff in MBA essays, but today on a different aspect: The difficult life event. If you’re coming from the military and have been deployed to combat, then it’s likely you have seen some awful things. Many people are currently dealing with the absolute tragedy of […]
Continue reading...($) “Should I write about my ADHD in my essays for business school?”
More and more, the schools are asking their applicants to get personal in the topics they choose for their MBA essays. We previously talked about aspects of your identity such as being Republican or Democrat, or religion, or being vegan, or a meat-eater so you can start with that post, especially if you’re trying to […]
Continue reading...($) essay critique: Booth “who you are” essay
Thank you to the brave Brave Supplicant who sent in this essay for a freebie review here on the blahg! You too can toss your essay into the ring if you’re similarly brave!! Today’s essay is for Chicago Booth and their question that goes like this: An MBA is as much about personal growth as […]
Continue reading...($) A question to explore before starting to understand why you want an MBA
Most readers of this blahg who are pre-MBA are in the age range of about 26 to perhaps 32 years old. There’s some older folks too but today’s post is more focused on this age range. When you’re trying to figure out what to say in your MBA essays about why you want to go […]
Continue reading...($) essay critique! Yale “biggest commitment” essay
Normally when BSers send in an essay for hopes of a freebie review here on the blahg right before deadlines, we have to let it languish while we’re fighting the good fight alongside those who are paying us to return feedback on their drafts super fast. Today is an exception! We got this Yale SOM […]
Continue reading...($) Here’s a test for Stanford “What matters most?”
Seems like we’re writing a lot about Stanford just lately. (Even those posts weren’t explicitly about Stanford — yeah, they’re about Stanford.) It’s because the Stanford essays are so hard! If you’re trying for Stanford, then first step is to pick up our Stanford Essay Guide. Because we go into a lot more stuff there […]
Continue reading...($) Essays about passion
What do you think might be the most important element of an essay that professes to talk about your “passion”? Hmmmm. Why don’t we start with excitement?? What’s missing from nearly every single instance of a “passion” statement in any essay we’ve literally ever reviewed is a sense that the person CARES about the thing […]
Continue reading...($) Essay Critique! Yale “biggest commitment”
A couple weeks ago a brave Brave Supplicant sent in a Yale SOM draft for us to look at for review here on the blahg — and here it is! Thank you to this BSer for doing so, especially for doing it so early in the season when it’s going to be most helpful to […]
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