Essay Strategy

UPDATES: The Most Important Thing To Do After You Hit Submit

UPDATES: The Most Important Thing To Do After You Hit Submit

After submitting your MBA application, the most important thing you can do is to keep engaging your target business schools. After you’ve completed all your submissions, you should still keep reaching out to your target MBA schools with substantial updates. This will make you stand out and look more competitive.

HOW TO START WRITING YOUR SECOND MBA APPLICATION ESSAY

HOW TO START WRITING YOUR SECOND MBA APPLICATION ESSAY

Once you’ve got your first MBA application essay to 95%-99% completion, start tackling your second MBA application essay. The second target school should go through the whole process again starting at around week four or five. A good rule of thumb is to estimate one-third less time for the second school than the first.

HOW TO START WRITING YOUR FIRST MBA APPLICATION ESSAY

HOW TO START WRITING YOUR FIRST MBA APPLICATION ESSAY

The first school could take around eight to ten draft iterations, again this is at a bare minimum. You the MBA applicant are going to touch it around 5 times and the consultant is going to touch it another five times. Each week you work on a set of MBA application essays for days one to three, and then you flip it over.

Why You Shouldn't Shop Your MBA Application Essays Around Too Early

Why You Shouldn't Shop Your MBA Application Essays Around Too Early

Shopping your MBA application essays around to your friends, family, and colleagues may seem like a good idea - but be careful. For several reasons. You have every right to show your MBA application essay around. Most admissions consultants should want you to do that. But here’s the thing - do it at the end.

Start B-school Apps in Order of MBA Application Deadline Date

Start B-school Apps in Order of MBA Application Deadline Date

You have that list of five business schools you really want to apply to. Now, list your five target MBA business schools in order by the application deadline date. The earliest date should be the first MBA application to be worked on. You may be tempted to work on similar essays in parallel, but this is not advised.

7 QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN DIALING-IN GOALS USING LINKEDIN

7 QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN DIALING-IN GOALS USING LINKEDIN

The most important thing what every MBA applicant should know before starting their MBA application journey this year: is to know who your audience is. This includes being aware of the yin and yang element in the application process. Let’s bring you closer to create your competitive MBA application using LinkedIn.

Why Aristotle's Poetics is relevant for your MBA application essay

Why Aristotle's Poetics is relevant for your MBA application essay

Here’s why MBA applicants should know Aristotle’s guidelines: If a story, in this case your MBA application essay, is not working, and you can’t put your finger on why — the reason usually is that you left one of Aristotle's rules out, or you broke them. Let’s try to diagnose why with these ten structural tips.

How to make your MBA application package competitive in 2021

How to make your MBA application package competitive in 2021

How to make your MBA application package competitive in 2021? Engaging in virtual MBA events is crucial. If you have waived the standardized tests, demonstrating quantitative analysis skills is even more important. Showing resilience and growth during the pandemic is an opportunity to make your MBA application shine.

What are the MBA application readers looking for?

What are the MBA application readers looking for?

What are the MBA application readers looking for? Get into the mind of how MBA application readers think. Avoid too much jargon. Understand how the admissions committee is constructed. Remember that you are APPLYING to attend b-school & not yet graduated. Do NOT submit the same resume you would for a job opportunity.

Who is Reading Your B-school Application?

Who is Reading Your B-school Application?

One mistake applicants often make is to misunderstand their audience.  When crafting a winning MBA application package there is much to consider, but how much thought have you given to who will actually read your essays?  Who is analyzing your resume? Common sense may dictate that an essay about going to a top MBA program should be crafted for an MBA crowd, but did you know that most essay readers at the top schools never attended an MBA program and don’t have an MBA themselves?  Remembering this in the application process can help you communicate your story in a much more effective way to the adcom.   Read on for tips…

The Value of Your Unique Perspective in MBA Applications

The Value of Your Unique Perspective in MBA Applications

I was working on our Michigan Ross Strategy Memo over the weekend, when it occurred to me just how overlooked a "unique perspective" is when it comes to MBA applications.  Even here at Amerasia, where we work hard to push our clients away from thinking in terms of "impress the reader" and towards "connect with the reader," we sometimes lose sight of how just what an easy and effective way that can be to frame introspective writing.  Because Michigan Ross has the MAP program and everything funnels towards what perspective you bring to the class, it became a good reminder and something that felt worthy of passing along. 

Columbia Business School Strategy Memo Excerpt: How to Write Essay Question 2

Columbia Business School Strategy Memo Excerpt: How to Write Essay Question 2

Every so often, we like to put an excerpt out there from one of our school-specific Strategy Memos.  Full disclosure, the main reason to do this is to show off how we approach the process and to give potential clients a sense of what they might get (across the board, with all their schools and all the questions) if they become clients.  But we also try to coordinate these with moments where we can get some really helpful strategy out there - basic, core ideas that will help people avoid pitfalls, even if they don't have help in executing perfectly.  In this instance, Columbia Business School's Essay Question 2 is a nice overlap that allows us to do both.  So let's dive in.  

How to prepare for Application Season

How to prepare for Application Season

While for those who just finished off their third round b-school applications, it’s already time for others to begin thinking about “next season.”  Application season begins in earnest after all of last year’s applications are processed, and every final offer of admission is made and filled. 

A Decision Tree for Michigan Ross Essay 1

A Decision Tree for Michigan Ross Essay 1

We did this last year when breaking down the new Ross essays, so let's run it back.  We thought it would be helpful to post the decision tree I am going to be asking my clients to use this year.

Why would I just share this with the public, you might ask?  In part because the real value of our services with Ross (unlike with some other schools) is going to be in implementation rather than in the setting of strategy - so I don't feel I am cheating my clients at all.  Further, we just don't have that many clients select Ross, to be honest.  This is confusing to me, as Ross is an amazing school and a true value pick ... but that's a column for a different time.  Today, I want to present a really simple way to work through Ross' seemingly wide open "what are you proud of" essay.  I'll be using one part common sense and one part program knowledge, but both are born out of lots of experience just being someone in this world (by "in this world" I mean working in "higher education" and with "people trying to maximize their lives and abilities").  Let's get into it.