How to Finish Your Business School Application Essay

If you are reading this article, you are probably getting ready to submit your business school application essays.

Published on 2016-06-08 Veritas Prep

You have spent a lot of time the past few months conceptualizing, outlining, and writing your responses to these challenging essay questions, and with so much time spent on these essays, you would assume that they are completely free of errors by the time they reach the admissions office. However, with so many different facets to the typical MBA application and with multiple essays and applications to keep track of, typos and mistakes are not uncommon to find.

The MBA admissions process is extremely competitive and although a couple small typos here and there will probably not affect your candidacy, numerous mistakes may give off the impression that you lack attention to detail, which can ruin your chance of admission during tough evaluation periods.

Let’s examine a few tips you should utilize as you put the final touches on your MBA application essays:

Read aloud

Candidates are often shocked to at just how many typing mistakes they find after reading their essays aloud – especially after they have already gone through multiple in-depth reviews of their writing. Sometimes, when you are so close to a document, you will overlook obvious errors. The simple act of verbalizing your writing can really reduce the likelihood that an awkward sentence or spelling mistake will survive the final review process. This approach will also allow your writing to have better flow and clarity, which will improve your submission, overall.

Take a break

It is also a great idea to take breaks between reviewing drafts of your essays. Usually, typing mistakes are more of a simple oversight than incompetence – no one knowingly overlooks an error. Separating yourself from your essay for a few hours or days can really sharpen your eye and make you more discerning in the review process.

Check out: 2017 Top European MBA Essays

Leverage personal reviewers

While it is helpful to have multiple peers who are familiar with this particular application process review your essays, it is also useful to utilize a few who are not familiar. These reviewers should be experts on “you” and able to ensure that your essays actually sound like the person writing them. Friends and family would be natural targets for this – leverage these people to make sure your writing is coming across as authentic and as true to your personality and life experiences as possible.

Proofread

This may sound like common sense, but you would be surprised by how many MBA applicants don’t run simple proofreading software or review their essays at all before submitting them. Remember, your business school application is one of the most crucial packages you’ll ever submit, so give it the consideration it deserves and be sure to allocate plenty of time to review it.

Follow these guidelines so that when the Admissions Committee reviews your essays, their content stands for itself!

Veritas Prep is an elite test preparation company specializing in GMAT and GRE prep, as well as MBA admissions consulting. At Veritas Prep, we offer an extensive array of in-person, live online, self-study, and private tutoring options for students from instructors who have all scored in the top 1% of test takers. For over a decade, we have worked with students helping them to excel on standardized exams, allowing them greater opportunities to be accepted into their top-tier dream schools, pursue higher education opportunities, and expand their academic knowledge.