Final touches for your MBA application: The best tips and tricks

As admissions consultants, the team at Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC) takes great pleasure in helping our clients chart their life path at each of the MBA application touchpoints. One of the former HBS Admissions Officers (AdCom) on our SBC team shared with us: “I think it’s true that everyone, and admissions committees, love a great story. It’s a great way to breathe life into your application and show who you really are during what can be a dry process.”

In addition to direct advice to MBA applicants former AdCom consultants Help jokeHour Flight Test™ They provide the final assessment of applications for each of our clients, contribute their insider knowledge of the admissions process to our internal message boards (so our entire team can benefit from their experience), and also comment on program- or client-specific questions when needed.

We asked these valuable AdCom resources on our team to share their insights with those of you currently working hard to finalize your first-round application materials. Here are five important facts to keep in mind:

1. The AdCom will spend a total of approximately 20 minutes reading through your entire application documents.
2. During the first phase of the selection process in each round, AdCom members may review up to 50 to 100 applications per day. Details and unique stories about your personal background can make you stand out from the crowd.
3. Each application is read by at least two people: either by two AdCom members or first by a contract reader and then by an AdCom member.
4. Admissions teams often compare applicants from the same industry, same company, or even the same office location. Your toughest competitor may be someone you work with.
5. The application questionnaire (or data form) is one of the most overlooked opportunities to highlight your accomplishments. Many applicants simply copy text from their resume into the application. Instead, think of it as an opportunity to add in-depth details and expand on the few bullet points on your resume.

Given these facts, the personalized parts of the application are crucial to your chances of admission. As the first round deadlines approach, we assume that all of your candidacy development, brainstorming, and writing are already done and now it’s just a matter of finishing.

SBCs B-School Hostess Erika has a deep insight into the “finishing touches” in our podcast. Below, we’ll share their advice on finishing touches to the MBA application to help business school applicants make their answers as impactful as possible.

Basics of editing MBA applications: Avoid overused words and phrases

Not every MBA applicant is a born writer, so we want to draw your attention to some hackneyed words and expressions that you should avoid. In general, avoid adjectives and adverbs that do not add value to your story and could weaken your message. A non-exhaustive list of examples that you should mark with a red pen:

Another common trap for MBA applicants is writing flowery sentences full of descriptions. Often, you can find shorter ways to say the same thing. For example, instead of saying, “My long-term career goal is to run an ed-tech company,” you could say, “Eventually, I want to run an ed-tech company.” Also, watch out for the unnecessary “of.” The statement “I wanted to exceed my client’s expectations” could have been written as “I wanted to exceed my client’s expectations.”

These seemingly small omissions can add a lot of weight to your answer. By making simple changes like these, you can ensure that every word in your essay has an impact and contributes to your narrative.

Finally, MBA applicants often wonder if it’s OK to go over the specified word or character limit. Answers typed into a text box within the application usually have a set limit. Some schools require applicants to paste their essay answers into such boxes, so you must stay within the prescribed limit.

While we caution applicants against exceeding the word count, you do have some leeway with PDFs. Remember, admissions committee readers know what 500 words looks like, so do your best to stick to the rules.

Curious about your chances of getting into a top business school? Contact us to start a free 15-minute consultation with an SBC Principal Consultant.

Short text fields in the data form

We have a whole Podcast episode about the MBA Data Formso check that out because you’ll find some helpful tips there. Here we’ll focus on the fields where you’re asked to describe your achievements, biggest challenges, or extracurricular activities. You often have no more than 200 characters for these text fields.

So the most important point is not to answer in full sentences. When asked about your responsibilities, don’t write, “My responsibilities are…” or “I am responsible for…” In fact, you don’t even have to start your answer with “I.”

Here is an example from a real SBC client. You will notice that these are direct statements that begin with action verbs:

• Oversee global finances and operations for youth development programs in five countries.
• Manage company-wide accounting matters, assist management with invoicing and reporting to donors, monitor company-wide cash flow, and advise management on restrictions.

Ideally, you should use wording that is different from that used in your resume. This is your chance to tell the AdCom something new or provide different details. Also note that the number five is not spelled out. While grammar rules dictate that you must spell out digits from one to nine, this does not apply to situations where you are limited by the number of characters.

You should use such abbreviations whenever possible. So for the words million, billion or thousand, use the capital letters M, B or K instead. Instead of writing PlusUse + whenever possible. Commonly used words like “startup” and “nonprofit” also don’t need a hyphen.

Finally, we have a few thoughts on Oxford commas – the final comma between the last two items in a list. It’s OK to leave them out in your MBA application materials, and it’s beneficial to do so when you’re limited on characters. Save those extra spaces for more substantial content.

Make a thoughtful choice of topics

Sometimes MBA applicants want to tell anecdotes that are compelling but require a complicated or lengthy build-up. In this case, you may need to choose a different accomplishment or story. It’s best to choose a simpler example whose build-up doesn’t take up 80% of your word count.

Look critically at your essay and ask yourself, “Is every single word in my answer necessary to make my point and answer the question?” Am I showing—not telling—something that reveals what I would contribute to the program? for the benefit of my classmates? If the answer is no, look for other stories where you can spend the majority of the word count describing your contributions and results.

When it comes to working on an MBA application, we recommend putting your completed essay drafts aside for a few days. Then you can go through them again with fresh eyes and you’ll likely spot words or phrases that aren’t critical.

While editing may not become your new passion, we hope this article and accompanying podcast have provided you with valuable strategies for optimizing your MBA application editing process. Business schools value concise communication, and cutting out unnecessary words and focusing on impactful storytelling will strengthen your application.

Remember: When you communicate your experience and goals clearly and effectively, every word contributes to a compelling narrative. If you need further help, don’t hesitate to contact our experienced consultants for personalized advice. Good luck!

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Stacy Blackman Consulting’s B-Schooled Podcast is hosted by Erika Olson, Harvard MBA, and Chandler Arnold, Stanford GSB MBA. B-Schooled now has more than a quarter of a million downloads and over 200 episodes. Search and sort our 200 B-Schooled Podcasts.

Stacy Blackman is the founder of Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC). We are the only consulting firm in the industry that has a full panel of former MBA admissions officers from the top US and European MBA programs. SBC is the #1 in MBAinsight, CollegeConsensus, ClearAdmit, BeattheGMAT, ExamStrategist and we are #1 out of 11 companies for having former MBA admissions officers on our SBC team by PoetsandQuants. Sign up for SBC’s e-newsletter to get valuable insider information from the former MBA admissions officers on our team and real-time insights: stacyblackman.com/newsletter Request a Free MBA Consulting Call: www.stacyblackman.com.