name-dropping in essays- tacky?

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coffee5251: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 35; Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 5:14 am

by coffee5251 » Fri Dec 19, 2008 10:17 am

Is it tacky to drop names of alumni I've spoken to in an admissions essay? They're my current coworkers who have a BA and an MBA from the school I'm applying to, but I don't know if I should mention them by name in the essay or if I should keep it generic.

I don't want to make it seem like I am trying "too hard" by name-dropping, but I also want to avoid makign it sound too generic.

Are there any general guidelines regarding this?

Thanks!

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant | Fri Dec 19, 2008 10:17 am

Cindy Tokumitsu: Legendary Member; Posts: 590; Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:51 pmFollowed by: 7 members; Location: New York; Thanked: 47 times

by Cindy Tokumitsu » Mon Dec 22, 2008 5:03 am

Hello,

It’s a good question. If name-dropping is ONLY name-dropping, it’s bad. On the other hand, if you mention a person by name and then briefly discuss some insight about the program that you’ve learned from the person, or show how they’ve shed light on the program in ways you couldn’t get from the web site or other marketing avenues, it’s very good!

I hope this helps.

Cindy Tokumitsu
Senior Editor, Accepted.com
www.Accepted.com

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