“5 Effective Techniques to Improve Your Writing” is excerpted from the Accepted.com special report, Ace the AMCAS Essay. To download the entire free special report, click here.

So far in this series we’ve talked about the WHO, WHY, WHAT, and HOW of creating an exemplary AMCAS essay. Now we’re going to offer some bonus tips that will help elevate your essay so it’s not just covering the right material in the correct order, but it’s actually written WELL.

1. Use active, lively, vivid verbs. You can “go” somewhere, or you can “meander,” “wander,” “race,” “rush,” etc. Variety enhances your verbiage!

2. Use metaphors and images to enliven your writing. This will help your reader jump into your experience.

3. Avoid clichés. Saying that you “think out of the box” isn’t really the most creative way of stating that you are creative. It’s just too overused.

4. Use suspense and irony. These elements show depth to your writing and to your personality.

5. Be succinct.

By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted.com and co-author of the new, definitive book on MBA admissions, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools.