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You are here: Home / Snarchives for writing tips

($) Sweating the small stuff: Formatting decisions on MBA essays

December 28, 2020 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

We have occasionally talked about formatting essays in terms of double spaced or single spaced and hopefully you already got the memo about font size. Because everything matters in your MBA essay submission. Premium content starts here… ———–   ———– Premium content ends.   As with so many aspects of your application process, a mistake […]

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Filed Under: writing tips

($) Job titles can be their own form of jargon!

December 24, 2020 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

More and more admissions teams are becoming more and more directive in how they present information and guidance to applicants like you, and more and more we’re seeing them be quite explicit on something important: NO JARGON IN ESSAYS AND APPS We say this so many times here on the blahg but it’s worth repeating […]

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Filed Under: resumes, writing tips

“I will exploit this opportunity to go on to build greater success.”

December 17, 2020 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

That sentence sounds innocuous enough, doesn’t it? At risk of turning into the hypersensitive language police, we have to offer a caution on it. Words like “exploit” or “dominate” or another word like “ammunition” are commonly used in the business world. “We’re going to exploit this market opportunity to dominate the competition.” Or: “We’ve got […]

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Filed Under: writing tips

($) This may be the most meaningful advice that we can offer for anyone trying to write powerful essays.

December 8, 2020 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

Yeah that’s a click-baity headline, and wwe’ve probably promised something similar in gobs of other posts in the past. But really, this one is important!   Our advice is to… Premium content starts here… ———–   ———– Premium content ends.       Ha! Apparently there’s a whole opus on these most-important posts from The […]

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($) Identifying stellar stories of leadership and impact for MBA apps

December 2, 2020 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

When you’re developing content for an MBA essay, or even for your resume, you’ll need to focus on stating what you did in the specific situation. That’s the essence of the “show, don’t tell” advice that you hear over and over here on the blahg. Speaking in generalities is never going to help the reader […]

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Filed Under: "show don't tell", writing tips

($) You can’t write your introduction first. It won’t make any sense.

November 20, 2020 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

Way back in September, we ripped to shreds a BSer’s essay for Harvard that started out talking about “curiosity” – and we wanted to circle back to that same essay today and discuss more on why the opening didn’t work. That BSer’s essay was written for Harvard, but the advice we’re offering here is relevant […]

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There are two parts to your pitch: What you say, and how you say it.

November 11, 2020 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

This may sound so obvious as to be useless, but hear us out. The way you write about your career goals is at least as important as what the career goals actually are. Or to put it another way: If the reader can’t figure out what you’re saying you want to do with the MBA, […]

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Filed Under: career goals, writing tips

($) “This is overwritten.”

September 23, 2020 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

This is a tough thing to self-diagnose but it’s really important to understand if you’re going to present essays of authenticity. If your essay starts getting very flowery — if you are introducing metaphors about life and your writing sounds earnest — it’s likely suffering from being overwritten. Premium content starts here… ———–   ———– […]

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Filed Under: writing tips

($) Storytime

September 18, 2020 by EssaySnark - Discusses Chicago Booth, Columbia Leave a Comment

You may have thought that we were going to tell you a story today, based on that title. But no. It’s more writing advice. And, you’re probably not terribly excited by hearing more writing tips from the ‘Snark — butchyaknowwhat? You’ll be writing essays this weekend, probably. And this technique around essay storytelling is actually […]

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Filed Under: writing tips Bschools: Chicago Booth, Columbia

($) Is it OK for your essay to be overlimit?

September 14, 2020 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

In most cases: Yes! By a little. Except in cases where it’s not. Last week we talked about whether it’s OK for your essay to be underlimit, and when you saw that, you were probably all, “Gee thanks EssaySnark but that is not the problem I have.” Let’s dig into some scenarios when overlimit is […]

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Filed Under: word limits

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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
   
   

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






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

  • 2020: ($) Coronavirus and the MBA: Kellogg changes the game
  • 2020: ($) MBA admissions and background checks
  • 2019: Volunteering and MBA applicants from the non-profit world
  • 2016: Success Story! Deciding between two offers: "I was surprised by how the more I thought about it..."
  • 2016: Are all the wanna-be lawyers trying for bschool instead?
  • 2015: Which schools release MBA essay questions when?
  • 2015: ($) The BSer's Dilemma (2015 edition, Part 2): You must be your own Sorting Hat.
  • 2014: Bschool is all about food.
  • 2014: Priorities.
  • 2013: ($) If your GMAT was over 730 and you didn’t make it into a school like Emory…
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