Write an MBA Application Essay That Gets You Shortlisted

"Don't overthink, overcraft and overwrite." This is the statement that Harvard Business School (HBS) makes immediately beneath the Class of 2019's single MBA essay question. Yet the first MBA application essay you write is going to be, without any doubt, the most difficult (note that the word 'grueling' has not been inserted here). Do not be alarmed if you devote as many as 40 to 80 hours preparing the essay section of your four to eight business school applications - dedicating this much time can provide a tremendous boost to your odds in winning a place in your dream MBA program.  

Be the requirement a single MBA application essay (as in HBS’s case), or as many as four, help is readily available – beginning, in this very instance, right here.

For advice direct from the mouths of the experts, and the opportunity to ask questions you have top of mind, why not sign up for QS’s webinar on the subject of the business school application essay that takes places on Wednesday, October 12? In the meantime, below are some foolproof MBA essay application tips that should get the ideas flowing and set you on course for being pen (keyboard) ready. 

Know the rule of thumb - the two MBA admissions essay themes

As a starting point, it's good to know that business schools are, by and large, looking for two things in the MBA admissions process; your post-MBA career goals, and how you fit into their ethos and culture both professionally and personally. From the moment you decide that going to business school is for you, carry these two themes with you in your day to day. With the expectation that you answer these two topics by interweaving your credentials as a leader, team player, problem solver (and so on), MBA admissions directors also yearn for a candidate that stands out but who is, most importantly, themselves. A recurring word used by admissions directors in the TopMBA.com's admissions Q&A series is 'authenticity.'

With your business school application deadline set at a comfortable date in the future, start jotting down inspiring quotes, write out thoughts on lectures you listened to, a book you read, projects you worked on (consider the successes, but also the challenges) and build a list of themes and ideas that will make your MBA application essay distinctive. These will be the details that flesh out and give life to the bullet points on your CV (and more). The earlier you begin preparing, the better and greater the plethora of ideas you can draw from, and the more relaxed you'll be when pen is finally put to paper (or fingers to keyboard).

There is no mold for the perfect MBA candidate

Part of authenticity is the admission of imperfection, which re-raises HBS's 'overthink, overcraft, overwrite' statement.

"One mistake we see applicants make is tailoring their application to what they ‘think’ the admissions committee wants to hear, rather than presenting themselves authentically throughout their application,” says Melissa Fogerty, Yale School Of Management’s deputy director of admissions, for example. The admissions committee is not looking for an infallible superhero, and is therefore more open to someone who is able to express how they surmounted challenges, improved upon a weakness or overcame a failure. Being able to show your human side makes you relatable. At the same time, this is no excuse to take fallibility to extremes and 'undercraft.' The basics of accuracy are required - answer the question(s) asked (crucial), check your grammar, weed out spelling mistakes and adhere to the word count if one has been set.

The sin of repurposing an MBA application essay  

MIT Sloan’s associate director of admissions, Jeff Carbone says it straight: "Never repurpose an essay from another business school." MBA admissions directors frequently underline the importance of an applicant being the 'right fit.' It is imperative that you do your research and evaluate how you can make yourself appeal to the institution's ethos. Raquel Lison, associate director of MBA recruitment at Oxford Saïd, says that, “mentioning other schools’ names in application essays and applying with a generic letter are big mistakes." This rehashing of old MBA application essays will inevitably trigger a chorus of sad sighs from the MBA admissions committee and your essay will find its place at the bottom of the proverbial stack. As David Simpson, MBA admissions director at London Business School, explains, “we want people who are not just looking to get into a top program, but who see us as the school of their dreams.” If getting into a top business school is your dream, there is no alternative but to go the full hog and make that dream shine on paper.

• For more advice on this topic, join our free webinar: ‘Business School Application Essay’, on Wednesday, October 12 at 5pm PT / 8pm ET.