MBA Admissions Essays – What Can I Recycle?

I get it, you're tired of writing and rewriting. But no matter how much you want to, recycle with caution. Adcom is very old hat at this and will smell it out instantly.

What is possible, however, is borrowing pieces or aspects of various essays, which I call content blocks. However, absolutely make sure they are very on-target in answering the question – shape the recycled content as needed.

When you answer a question directly and specifically, it shows serious intent and more interest. They want to see a demonstrated interest in their program, in part, because it means you are likely to “pick” them if they “pick” you.

The best candidate for recycling is generally Why MBA. Almost every school has some derivation of asking 1) why you, 2) why MBA and 3) why this school. Meaning, why should we pick you, why do you want/need an MBA, and why do you want an MBA at this school.

Why you?

Generally, about the same for each business school with regards to unique contributions you can make to the program, your value proposition. However, we also want to include what you bring to the program in terms of fit: this relates to how you fit with their culture and share their values.

Why MBA?

This story should also be pretty similar from one business school to the next. It needs to connect the dots between your past and future – meaning, you haven’t just pulled this idea out of the sky. At the same time, it needs to show that you need an MBA to accomplish your goal.

Why this school?

This is all about school research – leveraging the networking you have done in many forms. This is the part that’s totally unique to each school.

Make sure to answer all parts of the question. For more tips on how to connect these essays and make them (and your app) really compelling, check out my previous post here.