HOW TO START WRITING YOUR FIRST MBA APPLICATION ESSAY
The next step in your MBA application process journey is to start writing your first MBA application essay. This blog post is just an overview of what it should look like working with a friend or consultant on your essays, but honestly it deserves a whole presentation. Luckily, Paul Lanzillotti, founder and admissions expert of Amerasia Consulting, has a GMAT presentation coming up this week! Here is a link to last week’s presentation: Writing a Perfect Wharton Application.
After you have your MBA target schools, you have found out their deadline dates and you are attacking them in order, the next step is to start writing your MBA application essays. Let’s take the example in the previous blog post, where we decided we will tackle Harvard first because its deadline is the earliest.
Keep in mind that the first school is going to be rough!
Remember you have never really written these kinds of essays before. Or, perhaps you’re a little rusty from writing essays in general. You have probably never taken a professional creative writing class either, but don’t worry, neither have most other MBA candidates. And, if you’re working with a consultant, you’re in a new working relationship. Just know that the process will be rough.
According to Paul, when he works with his clients from Amerasia Consulting, the timeline looks something similar to the following example below. Bear in mind that you are tackling the complexity of the Harvard essay What Matters Most to You and Why? Therefore, this could take a very long process and the following example is at a bare minimum time-wise.
SIDE-NOTE: The more straight forward essays, such as your goals essay, will take less time. You have probably done most of the research prior to this step. Or, in the essay: Give Me A Time Where you Were a Leader and What did you Learn? This is also a straightforward essay and would take slightly less time.
Timing example for your first MBA application essay:
The first school could take around eight to ten draft iterations, again this is at a bare minimum.
That said, you the client (or MBA applicant) are going to touch it around 5 times. Then Paul (the consultant) is going to touch it an additional five times. So each week you work on a set of MBA application essays for days one to three (or four). And then you flip it over to the consultant. They will work on it from days three (or four) through day six (or seven).
You may flip it over to whomever you may be working with.
If you decide not to work with a consultant, maybe your writing parter is your mom, your buddy, or an alumni. Give them at least three or four days to work on your essay. If they give it back the same day, either they have nothing to do at work or in life, or they are not thinking critically enough about your MBA application essay. It always helps having a writing partner but if you’re struggling, strongly consider hiring an admissions consultant. Want to read what you need to know before hiring an MBA admissions consultant? Here are a few key thoughts to help you decide.
On day seven, swap. This happens each week.
Aim to spend at least ten hours per week on your first MBA application essay
At any given week you should probably spend about four hours on a 500+ word essay. And about two or three hours on essays that range from 200-500 words. This of course, depends on how long you’ve been working on your essays. If you near the deadline you will just need to review and polish and therefore, take less time.
So, in the beginning (at a minimum) if the school has a total of 1500 words, (three 500 word essays), you should aim to at least spend ten hours of writing per week. And if you have a consultant, they should be aiming to spend that much time on your MBA application essay too.