Application Essay- Please Help.

[ponyphish]

I am in the process of writing my essays for the application to a few graduate schools. I am a weak applicant, in that I have little work experience, a low GPA, and a low GMAT score. I want to convey in my essay that I have turned things around and that I am taking the MBA program and its processes very seriously. Any suggestions on how to convey this in my essay or should I leave my shortcomings out? Thanks for all of your help

[Bryant@VeritasPrep]

Well, a great essay can only do so much and if you are truly weak in these three key areas of your application, I am sorry to say it will be difficult to "write" your way out of it. You should instead look to how you can counter balance each weakness individually. Taking things seriously will not get you into grad school. For example, if you have a weak GMAT and GPA, you will need to demonstrate practically why the committee need not be concerned for you academically. How can you do this? Perhaps you will need to supplement your degree with a few continuing education courses in math, accounting or statistics for example and get good grades. Another way would be to prove that you can handle rigorous quantitative gymnastics by giving examples from your job. However, if your work experience is weak too this may prove difficult. Sorry i don't have better news for you, but there is a program out there for everyone if you can demonstrate leadership potential and drive. Cast a compelling vision for why you need theMBA, why you need it now (vs. in two or three years when you have more experience) and you can sway an admissions committee. Look for schools with early decision incentives and also consider part time programs which are more lenient on admissions requirements. Good luck.