If you haven’t already done this, then do it now: Go create an account to start an application at one of your firm targets. Or if you have already done so, then go log onto that app and actually read it. Like, read it carefully. Don’t just skim. Do you see all the fields there? […]
Continue reading...Special Feature: (Last Year’s) Journey Complete!!!
Last year we shared with you the journey of one Brave Supplicant who was reapplying to top U.S. schools. This came in the form of audio posts where he recapped what he did differently and how his approach changed after not making it in the first time. In case you missed it (which most of […]
Continue reading...($) essay critique! Storytelling and the Darden MBA essay: “A time when your opinion evolved”
We’re still in catch-up mode, cleaning out the piles of junk mail sitting on the kitchen counter, sorting through the mounds of laundry that piled up in the corner, trying not to forget to pick up the dry cleaning when we’re out doing errands, and working diligently to knock out all the less-urgent but still-important […]
Continue reading...($) Look back over your life
Writing essays may be akin to navel-gazing. You need to understand who you are and where you’ve come from. One of the most difficult parts of writing many essays is coming up with the “lessons learned” out of a story. Schools like Tuck and Kellogg specifically ask you what you learned from an experience. It’s […]
Continue reading...Doing the right thing.
Today we’ll tell you a story. This one time, EssaySnark was coming home from a business trip, and we were on that little bus that takes you to the airport after you drop off your rental car. Right when the bus driver was about to close the door, a woman came running up behind. EssaySnark […]
Continue reading...($) essay critique! Stanford “What matters most and why” military version
Hello BSers! It’s time! We have a submission for a Class of 2020 essay for the Stanford GSB that we’re going to discuss today, sent in by an earnest Brave Supplicant who’s undoubtedly thinking that this is a good essay. 🙂 We hate to be the one to dispel the illusion, but… Here’s what we […]
Continue reading...($) Authenticity Test
In our series on authenticity we posted a great video with co-speakers David Aaker and Jennifer Aaker which we hope you watched. No? Didn’t get a chance to? Here it is again: The whole thing is absolutely worth viewing in its entirety — especially now that Haas has released its essay questions which focus on […]
Continue reading...($) How to show your authenticity: Storytelling
We’ve been talking about authenticity as part of the MBA application process this week – in case you missed it, here’s the first post, and then one specific to Stanford but which offers an exercise that may prove interesting in general. Then we had another on sharing who you are with the adcoms, and finally […]
Continue reading...($) Lessons learned in essays: “This experience taught me…”
Ah those well-meaning BSers. They’re always trying to say the right thing in their essays. Here’s a snippet of an essay that we get all the time: When I started being a better listener, and not being so assertive with my opinions, I started realizing that my teammates were guided by different values and experiences....
($) Timewarps in MBA essay storytelling (aka “timewiggles”)
Yes it’s Labor Day here in the States but it’s also the official beginning of deadlines! EssaySnark is on duty reading essays. Are you writing them? We had a full week’s worth of support on that recently: During WRITING WEEK we warned you about all sorts of issues that we see in essays, including TIMEWARPS....