In an exclusive interview with… well, herself, Linda Abraham shares some advice that she’s learned over the course of almost two decades of application essay editing. Listen to the full recording of this excellent episode to learn concrete steps you can take right now to ensure that your essays are working for –and not against…
Personal Statement Tip: Story Time
The moment I found the lump, I suspected my life was about to change—in a big way. Good enough for an opening line? Want to read more? I hope it’s yes on both counts. Because I’m going to tell you a story. A short one. A true one. Not so much for the sake of…
Weakness, What Weakness?
I saw it. The question was looming in an essay and hiding behind a corner in the brain and/or instruction sheet of my interviewer. “So Natalie, tell me about your weaknesses and what you did to overcome them”? Gosh, there are so many, I don’t even know where to begin. Ding! What do you do…
Personal Statement Tip: Use Vivid, Active Verbs
I watched a candle burn a few nights ago. It happened to have a particularly nice flame that conjured up many different images: • The flame stood erect. • The flame danced. • The flame cavorted. • The flame pranced. • The flame swayed. • The flame flickered. • The flame fluttered • The flame twinkled. • The flame glowed. • The flame glittered. “The…
New Webinar: Introducing…The Editing Funnel!
Sure you need good content in your MBA essay, but you also need your essay to look good, read well, and have a logical and coherent structure. Learn important editing secrets during our upcoming webinar, The MBA Essay Editing Funnel. During this 1-hour webinar, Linda Abraham, Accepted.com founder and CEO, will teach you how to…
Spotlight On You MBA Admissions Q&A Available Online
Thank you to everyone who participated in our recent Spotlight On You MBA Q&A, an open forum during which Linda touched on a wide range of topics. Here are some snippets from Linda’s responses that we thought you’d enjoy. 1-Year Programs vs. 2-Year Programs “In general, for career changers, internships really, really facilitate that career…
A Six-Item Checklist before Hitting “Submit”
You’re eager to click “Submit” after spending so much time working on your college application…but WAIT! Don’t hit “submit” before going over your application one last time and making sure each of the following six items are checked off your to-do list: 1. Your application presents an accurate, holistic picture of you. Check (and then…
Fatal Flaw #3: Clichéd Writing
Don’t hide your lucid answers to essay questions behind meaningless verbiage and abused clichés. I once read an interview with a recent grad. (To protect the guilty, I won’t link.) “As a new company in a new space, we need to exceed client expectations, so first and foremost I drive client projects in the health-care…
Happy Thanksgiving!
In the spirit of this American holiday, one of my favorites, I would like to share a few things with you: One of my favorite posts on this blog is a post I wrote for Thanksgiving several years ago. I like the story, and it also manages to convey a few important techniques that you…
Business School Application Advice From an MBA
A guest post from the Classy Career Girl, Anna Runyan, who earned her MBA from the Rady School of Management. The business school application can be a stressful process and one that often leaves applicants disappointed and frustrated. Hopefully these tips will make your application process easier and you can use what I have learned…
Fatal Flaw #5: Muddled Thinking
I am not sure why I made muddled thinking the last flaw. Good writing starts with good thinking and ends with lots of editing, but editing is a topic for another series. Let’s stick with thinking in this tip. One of the biggest causes of muddled thinking: Writing what you think the admissions committee wants…
Fatal Flaw #4: Superficiality
When you write superficially you tend to blend into the great mass of applicants who on a superficial level are very much like you. They have the same goal. They have prepared similarly to gain acceptance. Of course, blending in is exactly what you don’t want to do. How can you distinguish yourself? Use specifics…
Spots Running Out for MBA Editing Funnel Webinar!
The MBA Essay Editing Funnel webinar will take place TOMORROW on Thursday, September 20th at 10:00 AM Pacific Time / 1:00 PM Eastern Time. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn must-know editing and proofing tricks that will boost your essay’s appeal and your chances of getting accepted! Spaces are limited! Reserve your spot for The…
3 Tips for Showing Strengths in Your Application Essays
One of most important pieces of advice I can give you regarding your personal statements and application essays is this: Show, don’t tell. Here are three tips to help you achieve this must-have writing goal: Show the steps you’ve taken. If you are writing about a goal you achieved or a project you completed, providing…
I’m About to Make Your Day…
…by giving my essay a catchy opening line that doesn’t turn you away or bore you to tears. See, I could have started this tip post with “Today I am going to tell you how to create a compelling essay opening,” but you probably would have skipped over something as drab as that. How about…
Writing A Lead That Pops
How many times have you wandered through a bookstore, opening up a book to read the first few lines only to quickly close it again? How often have you read one of those free samples on your Kindle, only to decide after a paragraph that you’re glad you didn’t buy it? Similarly, how many times…
Hello Adcom, It’s ME. Nice to REALLY Meet You.
Test scores and resumes can only do so much to reveal your distinct personality and unique voice. To truly grab the attention of the admissions committees, you’re going to need to step up your introduction a bit (or a lot!) more. The advice found in Accepted.com/MBA Podcaster’s newest special report, Twelve Terrific Tips for MBA…
Where’s the Poetry? The Secret Ingredient in Your Graduate Application Essays
Strategy will necessarily guide your selection of essay topics, anecdotes/examples, and structure. Yet an essay built on calculation alone, even if the strategy is spot on, will often disappoint. Logically it all makes sense. But it doesn’t take flight. Poetry can be the secret ingredient to make your application essay sing – right into the…
MBA Admissions A-Z: D is for Distinctive Writing
We’ve touched upon ways in which to highlight your uniqueness in “Be Yourself” (B in our MBA Admissions A-Z series). There we talked about the importance of expressing what you’re truly passionate about rather than simply enumerating those things that you think the adcom want to hear. Writing about your passions, as well as your…
Epidemic Among Applicants!
Your personal statements, application essays, and statements of purpose are suffering. It’s serious. And could be fatal to your application. This latest epidemic of vacuous, declarative sentences that either state the obvious or make non-credible claims has reached epic proportions in applicant essays, personal statements, and statements of purpose. The cure? Substance and specifics. Stories…
