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May 17, 2020

Reading Time: 4 minutes

“I Wish the Admissions Committee Had Asked Me…”

I Wish the Admissions Committee Had Asked Me...

“What is a question that you wish we had asked?” A number of business schools have variations on this question, and clients regularly ask what they are supposed to do with a topic like this. The answer: It depends. The role of the optional essay Ask yourself: Does the application offer an optional essay space… 

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Article by Accepted / MBA Admissions / Harvard Business School, mba application essays, optional essay

September 22, 2019

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Add-Ons and Extras: Supplements to Your Law School Application

Add-ons and extras- supplements to your law school application

If your law school’s application offers optional or extra opportunities for submitting supplementary materials, you are wise to take advantage of them and give the admissions committee more information about you, more reasons to admit you. When writing these supplemental materials, choose your topics carefully and write an essay that will make the admissions committee… 

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Article by Accepted / Law School Admissions / Law School Letters of Recommendation, optional essay

October 16, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Are the Optional Law School Essays Optional?

Many law schools include their own optional essays. For example, the University of Pennsylvania Law School provides the following optional essays prompts: • Describe how your background or experiences will enhance the diversity of the Penn Law community (e.g., based on your culture, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ideology, age, socioeconomic status, academic background,… 

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Article by Accepted / Law School Admissions / optional essay

September 20, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes

When the MBA Optional Essay is No Longer Optional

MBA Optional Essay is No Longer Optional

You’ve already written the required essays that most business schools ask for – do you really need to write the optional essay? If you’re a strong applicant who doesn’t need to explain weaknesses, low stats, or application inconsistencies, then you may be able to skip the optional question. But the optional essay is NOT AN… 

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Article by Accepted / MBA Admissions / mba application essays, optional essay

July 29, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes

How to Choose X Essay Questions to Answer from Y Choices

If you face multiple essay questions on an application, how are you going to choose which one(s) you should answer and which one(s) you should skip? What factors should you consider when choosing the best essays for you? Appreciate Your Options! First, options are good! But they do force you to think (a task we’re… 

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Article by Accepted / College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, Medical School Admissions / college application essays, grad application essays, law application essays, mba application essays, med application essays, optional essay

June 28, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes

3 Tips for Writing the Optional Essay in Medical School Secondary Applications

3 Tips for writing the optional essay in med school secondary applications

Many medical schools include an optional essay in their secondary applications. Obviously, this “optional” essay is not required, and the essay prompt sometimes emphasizes this point. Often, the question will include the stipulation that you cannot include anything that was already mentioned in your primary application or other essays. Some schools even state that most… 

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Article by Alicia Nimonkar / Medical School Admissions / optional essay, secondary essays

June 29, 2017

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Law School Admissions Tip #7: The not so optional “optional” essay

determined attitude toward your application

The Top 15 Things Every Law School Applicant Should Know is a series that will teach you the ins and outs of successful law school applications. Stay tuned for the remaining elements. This week we’ll discuss the not so optional “optional” essay. Almost every law school will ask for a personal statement as part of… 

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Article by Accepted / Law School Admissions / law school personal statement, optional essay

August 8, 2012

Reading Time: 2 minutes

UCLA Anderson 2012 MBA Application Questions, Tips.

The 2013 UCLA Anderson MBA tips are now available.  Click here to check them out! This UCLA Anderson 2012 MBA Application tip post is one of a series of posts providing MBA application and essay advice for applicants to top MBA programs around the world. Check out the entire 2012 MBA Application Tips series for… 

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Article by Linda Abraham / MBA Admissions, UCLA Anderson / 2012 MBA Application, Admissions Consulting, career goals, optional essay, reapplication, UCLA Anderson

April 18, 2012

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Making Your MBA Essays Do “Double Duty”

With the new MBA essay questions coming out, you may be starting to sketch out your answers.  Of course first and foremost answer the given questions thoroughly and thoughtfully.  But how can your essays work for you to the max, especially when the questions don’t seem to provide opportunities to portray experiences, skills, qualities, or… 

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Article by Cindy Tokumitsu / Columbia, MBA Admissions / Columbia Business School, EMBA, finance, goals essay, leadership, optional essay

March 25, 2012

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Optional Essays: When and How to Write Them

optional-essays-when-how-to-write

In this short video, Linda Abraham explores the two kinds of optional essays, who should write them, and what should go into them. Don’t miss the crucial warning at the end.   Related Resources: • 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Application Essays, a free guide • How to Edit Your Application Essays, a podcast… 

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Article by Accepted / Admissions, College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, Medical School Admissions / College Video Tips, Grad Video Tips, Law Video Tips, MBA Video Tips, Med Video Tips, optional essay, secondary essays

March 4, 2011

Reading Time: 2 minutes

MBA Admissions Tip: Approaching the Quant Aspects of Your Application

A low GMAT score or a low GPA is not necessarily an MBA deal breaker. No adcom is going to admit or dismiss a candidate based solely on one semester’s poor GPA or a low verbal GMAT score without also reflecting on other numbers as well as the rest of the non-quantitative parts of the… 

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Article by Linda Abraham / GMAT, MBA Admissions / finance, GMAT, optional essay

March 2, 2011

Reading Time: 2 minutes

MBA Admissions Tip: How to Handle a Criminal Record

You want to apply to business school, but you have a misdemeanor (or worse) on your permanent adult legal record. Can you still expect to be considered at a top business school? A criminal record certainly does count as a strike against you, but that’s not to say that the problem is insurmountable. There are… 

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Article by Linda Abraham / MBA Admissions / finance, optional essay

February 3, 2011

Reading Time: 3 minutes

CEIBS Application Essays, Tips, and Deadlines

This CEIBS 2012 MBA Application tip post is one of a series of posts providing MBA application and essay advice for applicants to top MBA programs around the world. You can access 2011’s series at https://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/tag/2011-mba-application-tips. CEIBS (China Europe International Business School), located in Shanghai, is the longest-running MBA program in China, boasting the largest… 

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Article by Jennifer Bloom / MBA Admissions / career goals, Financial Times, leadership, optional essay

February 1, 2011

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University 2012 MBA Application Questions, Deadline, and Tips

believes

Article by Jennifer Bloom / MBA Admissions / Financial Times, optional essay, Rankings

May 27, 2010

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Columbia 2011 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips.

Update: The tips for the Columbia 2012 MBA application are now available online.  Please review the tips and post questions or comments to the new post.  Check out the entire 2012 MBA Application Tips series for more valuable MBA application advice.  This Columbia 2011 MBA Application tip post is one of a series of posts… 

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Article by Linda Abraham / Columbia, MBA Admissions / 2011 MBA Application, Admissions Consulting, Columbia Business School, Fellowship, optional essay

October 28, 2009

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Georgetown McDonough 2010 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips.

UPDATE- THE TIPS FOR GEORGETOWN MCDONOUGH’S 2011 MBA APPLICATION ARE NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE. PLEASE POST COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS TO THE NEW POST.  Georgetown McDonough 2010 MBA Essay Questions My comments are in red: All essays should be double-spaced using 10 point font. Prepare your attachments offline in separate document files and upload them individually. Please… 

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Article by Linda Abraham / Georgetown McDonough, MBA Admissions / Admissions Consulting, Georgetown McDonough, leadership, optional essay

July 9, 2009

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Chicago Booth 2010 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips.

Chicago Booth 2010 MBA Essay Questions My comments are in red: Essays 1. How did you choose your most recent job/internship and how did this experience influence your future goals? What about the Chicago Booth MBA makes you feel it is the next best step in your career at this time? (750-1000 words) This question… 

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Article by Linda Abraham / Chicago, MBA Admissions / Admissions Consulting, AIGAC, optional essay

June 26, 2009

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Chicago Booth 2010 MBA Essay Questions

The tips for the 2011 Chicago Booth Application Tips are now available online. Please post questions or comments to the new post. Chicago has published its 2010 MBA deadlines and essay questions. Chicago has changed questions 1 & 2 and added a short reapplicant question. My tips will follow, but in the meantime, here are… 

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Article by Linda Abraham / Chicago, MBA Admissions / optional essay

October 27, 2008

Reading Time: 3 minutes

USC Marshall 2009 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips.

UPDATE: THE TIPS FOR USC MARSHALL’S 2010 MBA APPLICATION ARE NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE. PLEASE POST QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS TO THE NEW POST.   USC Marshall 2009 MBA Application Deadlines          Deadline              Notification *Early    Nov 1, 2008      Dec 15, 2008  Round 1 Dec 1, 2008      Feb 2, 2009 Round 2 Jan 15, 2009     Mar 30, 2009 Round 3… 

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Article by Linda Abraham / MBA Admissions, USC Marshall / Fellowship, optional essay

September 13, 2008

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Duke Law School 2009 Application Tips

Most law schools will ask for a personal statement that reflects who you are and why you want to go to law school. Resist the temptation to make this a one-essay-fits-all-schools personal statement. The more specific you can be about each school, the more interested your admissions readers will be in your application. For Duke,… 

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Article by Accepted / Duke Law, Law School Admissions / Duke Law, leadership, optional essay, personal statement

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