need help with essay...please :)

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alexissy: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 6; Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2011 2:08 am

by alexissy » Tue Dec 13, 2011 6:38 am

Hi,

I’m having trouble writing up my essay because I have neither full-time work experience nor competition awards. It’s like you don’t have anything much to write about compared to the MBAs (I just read some of their essays). My profile is not so fancy but I would like to apply for MSF (WUSTL,BC,OSU are my top list). I only could write about my internship experiences and overseas education (exchange program and high school). I don’t know if that would be valid and convincing since I read some articles on the internet that you shouldn’t write stuff that is already on the resume. Could you please give me some suggestions? Thank you very much.

Here is a bit of my profile:
Thai female
GMAT:
1st attempt 570(Q45,V25) AWA 4.5
2nd attempt 550(Q44,V24) AWA 5.0
IELTS:7.5
3 internships (2months at BIG4accountancy firm, 2months at e-commerce company, 1 month at thai bank)

Source: Beat The GMAT — The Application Process | Tue Dec 13, 2011 6:38 am

essaysnark: Legendary Member; Posts: 795; Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:41 amFollowed by: 85 members; Thanked: 177 times

by essaysnark » Tue Dec 13, 2011 8:45 am

Hi alexissy --

That advice about not writing about stuff that's on your resume is misguided.

Everything in the essays should also be on the resume; these two application elements need to complement each other. The trick, of course, is identifying the right stories to build out into full essays - and we can understand the stress of that task!

Here's a story from a successful candidate who may help you a bit:
https://essaysnark.blocked/2011/12/ ... bit-o.html

If you're applying to grad school straight from university, then writing about your internships is totally legitimate. You'll want to show how you brought value to that environment, maybe through introducing a new idea or taking the lead on a project and bringing results to the company/team/client.

It's probably not a good idea to go all the way back to high school for your essay material, only because that's so long ago, but talking about your experiences in another country is usually a very good strategy.

It sounds like you've got a great resume built up already with those three internships - the adcoms will be interested to hear about what you did with those opportunities. See what you can do with those, they are absolutely valid and relevant for discussing in your essays.

This stuff isn't easy - many people find that it's harder than the GMAT!! We've got lots of resources on our blahg (https://essaysnark.blocked) that may also help you with determining your strategy.

Let us know what you come up with and good luck!!!
EssaySnark

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