Why You Need to be Brutal with your MBA Essay Edits

When writing your MBA application essays, it's essential that you reflect on and share your best stories. However, don't let the fact that you've put your heart and soul on the page keep you from sending actually good essays. I'm Ellen, and after 10 years as a top MBA consultant, I've uncovered a lot of secrets. This is one of the best ones. After you've finished your first drafts, you need to be absolutely brutal with your essay edits. You specifically want to look for places where you're not addressing the prompt, maybe you're being a little wordy, or where you're sharing information that's not actually relevant. If you're struggling to gain this outsider view, ask a trusted friend or MBA consultant for help. There is a lot of noise out there. I've read a lot of unfocused essays and stopped halfway to move on to another candidate's application. On the other hand, I've also read a lot of beautiful essays that ultimately failed to show why that person belonged at business school. By removing these elements from your essays, you're going to send a stronger application that more clearly conveys your messages and why you stand out from the crowd. And that's a secret worth sharing.