Who reviewed my essays?  

Posted by Dino in ,

Before the schools get to review your application, it's probably wise to hand pick some from your own gang to unleash your essays on. Just be wary of what you are letting yourself in for...

As I started churning out the essays over the last few months, I called on a number of people to review my essays. I asked maybe a dozen people. Of these, only four consistently read everything I sent them. Strangely they were all girls. I thought I would write a little bit about these four...

My Sister:
Why she was great: Because she knows so much of my life in bits, she has a second view on some things in my background / life.
How she helped: She really helped draw out a personal story or two that I might otherwise not have given a second thought to.
Best feedback: Brought to the fore two stories that I would otherwise not have emphasized.

The Corporate:
Why she was great: Been around MBAs, and so has a feel for what the typical MBA applicant might say...
How she helped: Spotted at least one blooper that could be embarassing in a business story.
Best feedback: "Surely work-life balance is most important for you?!". Errm. That's what the other applicants are writing. So, no.

The Impact Receptive:
Why she was great: helped me push my stories to create more impact / drama / interest.
How she helped: Helped me spot the bits that were boring versus interesting. After reading the same essays / stories over and over, this can be very difficult.
Best feedback: There is half-story about my life at university which she thought was not very impressive. Her insistence on removing it forced me to reframe it in different ways until she did find it impressive.

The Grammarian:
Why she was great: She writes legal articles for some US legal publication.
How she helped: did a final check on my essays against US grammer.
Best feedback: You haven't changed the 's' to 'z' here, either!

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4 comments

Jon Pospischil  

Any insight on what got those 4 to do the leg work (or why you think the 8 said no?)

Also, not intending to spam here, but a perfect fit...
For those who may not have the luxury of great reviewers readily available check out mba application reviews at appmentor.com.

Here you can pick a mentor who got accepted to a great school and has a similar background to your own (so they understand your story).

GOOD LUCK! :)

19 October 2008 at 02:13
Jon Pospischil  

Any insight on what got those 4 to do the leg work (or why you think the 8 said no?)

Also, not intending to spam here, but a perfect fit...
For those who may not have the luxury of great reviewers readily available check out mba application reviews at appmentor.com.

Here you can pick a mentor who got accepted to a great school and has a similar background to your own (so they understand your story).

GOOD LUCK! :)

19 October 2008 at 02:13
D. G.  

Hi Jon. The other 8 did not say 'no'... they just did not get back to me. For example, my uncle would say 'apply, apply, apply!", but then couldn't find the time to look at the essays.

In hindsight, I think the factors that determined who helped were...
- how busy they were: less busy, more likely to help
- how often I saw them: the more often, the more informal reminders they had
- and how interesting they themselves find the whole thing.

19 October 2008 at 02:56
D. G.  

Hi Jon. The other 8 did not say 'no'... they just did not get back to me. For example, my uncle would say 'apply, apply, apply!", but then couldn't find the time to look at the essays.

In hindsight, I think the factors that determined who helped were...
- how busy they were: less busy, more likely to help
- how often I saw them: the more often, the more informal reminders they had
- and how interesting they themselves find the whole thing.

19 October 2008 at 02:56

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