With mba admissions essay requirements rapidly changing as schools and universities overhaul their mba application s, one thing has become incredibly clear: the essay just isn’t what it used to be. Some schools have added new components to their mba application – like the kellogg school of management’s new mandatory video essay – or removed, reduced, or made optional portions of the essay segment. Why the new formats and new lengths? soojin kwon, director of admissions at michigan’s ross school of business, told us news amp world report: so many people were spending a lot of time on the essays and probably not as much time thinking about the other things. The whole purpose of the essay and the interview is to just get a better understanding of where they’re coming from and where they want to go to.

So how does an applicant get these new changes to work to his or her advantage? the prospect of a shorter essay – or one in a completely different format – can be daunting. But with the right attitude and approach, these new mba admissions essays can actually provide a significant advantage. Kwon wrote that our total maximum word count has been reduced by 450 words, and hopefully you’ll be able to use that found time to craft the most compelling essays possible. Avi gordon, is the author of mba admissions strategy: from profile building to essay writing.

He reflects that, candidates always impress me most by delivering quick and genuine answers with great wisdom or humor. The essay is one of the best opportunities for an mba applicant to truly showcase character and distinguish him or herself as a valuable candidate. That’s why it’s important to avoid uniform mba cover letters and mba admissions essays, despite the temptation to re use them – particularly when other aspects of the mba application process, such as gmat preparation, appear to demand more time and attention. Standardized letters sent out to different schools are really obvious, says dirk buyens, academic dean at vlerick leuven gent management school. Essay space is not for reiterating information easily gleaned elsewhere in your mba application it is for highlighting the fit between the mba applicant and the school.

Be sure to craft each mba cover letter and essay with the school and program you are applying to in mind. Most importantly, says lynn thornber, marketing and development coordinator at durham business school, a failure to properly address the question asked is probably one of the most common mistakes, along with too much embellishment. Since space is at a premium, now more than ever it is necessary to practice succinct and thoughtful expression. sample mba essay 1 just like helen keller who attempted to attain the summit of her life through her incessant perseverance, i have also been doing my best efforts to achieve constant self improvement and to work toward my maximum self actualization. Both helen keller and i share one thing in common, that is, we adhere to the same spirit of perseverance and self perfection.

What helen keller was trying to do was to overcome her physical predicaments and constraints so that she could behave and do things like a normal person. Being a normal person, i would like to tap my potential to the fullest possible extent so that i can achieve academic and professional excellence necessary for becoming an elite of the emerging young generation. The rapidly growing chinese economy seems to be providing us with an unprecedented opportunity to our personal fulfillment. Under such circumstances, what we should do is to become fully prepared to embark on our journey of life, to venture into deep waters. As a matter of fact, i have already been making some of the most important preparations for my ambitious undertaking in the future. I completed my undergraduate education from 1998 to 2002 in the specialty of marketing at the business administration department of institute of xx. Although the institute is by no means the most prestigious one in china, i have been one of the best students in this institute.

Drawing inspirations from einsteins assertion that diligence accounts for 99% of a persons success, i have endeavored to prove this doctrine through my concrete action. At the very outset of my undergraduate program, i decided that i must make maximum use of all the educational resources available to improve and perfect my knowledge. By the time i graduated, i proved that my undergraduate life was a very rewarding one, embodied in my satisfactory academic performance, important extracurricular activities, a spate of honors and awards, well developed personal qualities, and recruitment by my alma mater.