Monday 1 August 2011

Essay Nightmare

I decided to take a little break from my GMAT today and work on my applications. I will be graduating next year and thought I should get a start on the essays required for both job applications as well as admission into top business schools. The great thing about job applications is that no essays are necessary. Academic records, test records, previous experience, and your CV – these are the documents that do the convincing. And because of this, job applications take a lot less time and energy than a school application.

I worked on my CV and cover letter in the morning, and after dinner, I sat down to face an school application essay; the first out of seven essays that I must write and complete by beginning of January. And after staring at the blank page for more than 20 minutes without a single idea forming in my head, I realized that January is just not too far away anymore.  

What do I write?!?!? These schools are kind to you, in the sense that they give you the topic as well as a word count, but that’s as far as they are willing to go. There’s just no more information regarding what they’re expecting to see. We want to know the real you – that’s what their website states. Eh?

The topics themselves aren’t very difficult, which makes my task somewhat harder in a way, as the easier the task, the harder it is for you to stand out. For you to show you’re better than anyone else applying, and for you to convince the admissions committee that you’re worth accepting. You want to impress them. You want to intrigue them. But how do you do that?

Well I need to figure it out. And fast. Time’s running out.

3 comments:

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  2. Hi there,

    Have you tried free writing? Just start drafting an essay and then go back to revise. You'll find some things you like and others that you don't in your draft. Repeat the cycle.

    Hope that helps!

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  3. Night Owl: Yea that's what I did today - just basically wrote down every small detail in my head, even if the sentences didn't make any sense together. Quite a first draft, I must say, it'll need plenty of weeding! But thanks, and I agree, its probably the best strategy.

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