Tailoring Essays For Diff. Schools

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Tailoring Essays For Diff. Schools

by carried interest » Thu Feb 18, 2010 2:41 pm
What is the general opinion on tailoring your essays for different schools (outside of the standard advice, "be yourself")? Particularly, in response to the "career goals" and "why our school" essays. For example, employing a strategy such as:

Stanford: Enroll in the PMP program and ultimately start a social / non-profit venture
M.I.T.: Enroll in the Entreprenuership program, compete in the business plan competition, and ultimately start the next Google
Penn: Continue in private equity and start PE fund focused on emerging markets

These are hypotheticals, but I think you get the point...

I know AdComs are wise and can see through applicants that aren't being genuine, but would you say that, on the margin, certain schools that are known to prefer certain types of applicants or have strong areas of specialization would view such targeted essays more highly than an equally good essay that didn't pander to their school's particular niche?
Source: — Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant |

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by carried interest » Sat Feb 20, 2010 9:52 am
bump