Only 5 Things Really Matter in the Best MBA Admissions Essays and Applications
We interviewed our top MBA clients. Studied winning apps. Tracked adcom behavior. And here's what we learned:
Highly competitive applicants get rejected from Top Business Schools all the time.
Long shot applicants defeat the odds and somehow get accepted.
The only way a competitive applicant edges out another competitive applicant and gets accepted is by telling a Great Story.
The only way a long shot applicant can transform into a competitive applicant and get accepted is by telling a Great Story.
Only 5 things really matter when crafting the story behind your game-changing MBA applications:
DIFFERENTIATION
#1 - You must immediately set yourself apart from other applicants:
It’s really tough to break the “pattern-matching” of looking like other applicants or coming from overrepresented pools (ethnic background, finance, banking, military, etc.). You need to break out of your industry & overall applicant pool.
You'll only do it by telling a story that nobody else can. We’ll help you pick just the right story element and placement that incorporates SURPRISE in order to hook admission officers.
ATTENTION
#2 - You must grab and hold their attention:
Applicants without expert story knowledge submit boring applications to ad-com far too often. But together we’ll pick the perfect story that creates SUSPENSE and a “knowledge gap” at just the right point to compel admissions officers to keep reading until the very end in one sitting.
They’ll be way more curious about you than other applicants because we’ll make it impossible for them to put your application down.
MEMORY
#3 - You must be so memorable they can’t forget you:
With all the tough competition, it's SO crucial to stick like glue to admissions officers' minds. After discovering the ideal framing device, personalized from your background, we’ll show you how to create a “set-up” and “payoff,” and select unforgettable language and imagery, so you become an MBA candidate they can’t get out of their heads.
And here’s the truth: if they remember you, they’ll keep talking about you to the rest of the admissions committee.
EMOTION
#4 - You must establish an emotional connection to get invited to interview:
You're NOT just a number, stat or resume. Win the admissions game through human connection. Put a smile on their face. Move them. Make them laugh. Inspire them.
Using just the right emotional language and “voice” in your MBA applications is crucial to making you pop off the page and humanizing you. Most MBA applicants have no idea how to achieve this. And if done the wrong way it can feel forced and tank your application. If done the right way, it can seal the deal on your interview invite.
IMPACT
#5 - You must demonstrate your post-MBA impact:
Other applicants have goals - but most of them can't explain why their goals are important. The facts alone aren’t convincing enough. You have to go deeper than everyone else and use story building blocks that demonstrate action and impact. When done right, you’ll instill confidence in the admissions committee, so they’ll be excited to send you an acceptance letter.
