Great Application Essays for Business School

by Bodine, Paul

• ISBN13: 9780071452991
• ISBN10: 0071452990
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-11-15
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Summary

Expert guidance to help you write the essay that gets you accepted by the best business schools If you're applying to a business school these days, you need more than good grades, high GMAT scores, and an impressive resume. You need to write attention-grabbing essays that express your individuality, identify your goals, and play up your talents and strengths. Written by a renowned admissions consultant who has helped applicants get accepted into the nation's top schools, this all-in-one guide will show you what today's top-level admissions offices are looking for. Filled with clear guidelines, insider tips, and winning samples, it will lead you through every step of the application essay process. You'll learn how to organize and structure your writing, avoid common pitfalls, and market yourself like a pro. The book includes: The 8 most common essay questions--and how to answer them 22 actual essays by successful applicants to top schools Interactive exercises and self-quizes to guide you in the right direction Self-marketing strategies to highlight your individual talents Candid insights from admissions officers at top-ranked business schools

Author Biography

Paul Bodine is the Senior Editor at Accepted.com, one of the oldest and most successful online admissions consulting services. His clients have consistently earned admission to such elite business schools as Harvard, Stanford, the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), MIT (Sloan), Northwestern (Kellogg), Columbia, and the University of Chicago.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vi
Introduction	vii
Getting Started	1	(22)
Know Thy Audience	2	(1)
Finding Your Self-Marketing Handle	3	(2)
Data-Mining Your Life	5	(5)
Writing Your Essays	10	(4)
Revising and Editing	14	(1)
Letting Go	15	(1)
Admissions Essays: What Not to Do	15	(2)
Writing Prompt Exercise	17	(1)
Sample Outlines	17	(6)
Scoring the Goals Essay	23	(42)
What the Schools Ask	25	(2)
Writing the Goals Essay	27	(1)
So, What Exactly Are Your Goals?	27	(1)
Organizing the Goals Essay	28	(1)
The Lead Paragraph	29	(2)
The Career Progress and Influences Section	31	(4)
The Goals Section	35	(7)
The Whys	42	(6)
The Conclusion	48	(1)
Goals Essays: What Not to Do	49	(2)
Writing Prompt Exercises	51	(2)
Sample Essays	53	(12)
Getting to Know You: The Non-Goals Essays	65	(64)
One Good Deed: The Accomplishment Essay	66	(8)
Who Are You?: The Self-Revelation Essay	74	(10)
Vive la Difference: The Diversity Essay	84	(4)
Leading and Following: The Leadership and Teamwork Essay	88	(7)
Nobody's Perfect: The Failure Essay	95	(4)
Black and White or Gray: The Ethics Essay	99	(5)
Trick or Treat: The Creative Essay	104	(1)
Writing Prompt Exercises	105	(3)
Sample Essays	108	(21)
The Required Optional Essay	129	(18)
What the Schools Ask	129	(1)
To Write or Not to Write?	130	(2)
What Should You Write About?	132	(7)
Optional Essays: What Not to Do	139	(1)
Writing Prompt Exercises	140	(2)
Sample Essays	142	(5)
Credible Enthusiasm: Letters of Recommendation	147
What Do Recommendation Letters Do Anyway?	148
Length	149
Selecting Recommenders	150
First Letter: Direct Supervisor	151
``God'' Letters	152
Subsequent Letters	152
The Delicate Art of Approaching Recommenders	153
Writing Your Own?	155
Using the School's Form---or Not	156
Strategies for Recommendation Questions	158
Structure	159
Letters of Recommendation: What Not to Do	166
Writing Prompt Exercises	167
Sample Letter of Recommendation	170
Parting Thoughts	177
Bibliography	178