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Be specific! Nothing loses a reader on the admissions committee more quickly than a difficult to read set of essays filled with generic claims and clichéd phrases. Most applicants view an essay as a race against the word count. "How can I put as much as humanly possible into 500 words?!" Well, relax, that isn't really the point. Of course, you want to convey information about your profile, candidacy, potential, and general, all-around awesomeness but that doesn't mean you have to shotgun your essay. There is a balance between content and specificity and that's the point of today's post.
Let's take one of the most common culprits as an example. What do you want to be when you grow up? A one sentence answer may have cut it in 2nd grade but that won't fly here. Yet, year after year, folks write incredibly short, highly generic responses that almost leave the adcom with less information than when you started! Let's say you want to go from Operations in Retail to Marketing in the same industry. Ok, that makes sense, right? You're staying in the same industry, after all. However, what you're missing is that people in ops don't make that transition too often. So you have to sell the career transition. You have to convey to the admissions committee you understand what it will take and that it is possible. Did you speak with alumni in your desired field of exit? Did you talk to folks in the industry who hire MBAs? Did you have coffee chats with mentors?
See where we're going with this? All of a sudden your short term goals aren't relegated to 1 simple sentence. They're going to take up 2 or 3 or even 4. But it shows you have thought things through and that you're really serious. It SELLS what you're saying and it lends a sense of credibility to your claims. This was a pretty simple example but when it comes to goals like Consulting, PE, VC, Banking, etc. these things really come into play. Otherwise, you're just another Joe trying to make the switch.
Every essay is a balancing act between content and specificity. You never want to go so specific that you leave out juicy content but don't try to throw so much at the application that none of it sticks!
When you have your essay drafted, remember - an experienced 2nd perspective can go a long way! At Critical Square, our Essay Editing services provide candid and tangible feedback - absolutely no fluff here. It'll be rigorous but trust us, you'll thank us in the end! Learn more [here]!
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Bhavik
