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Many MBA Students Get Their Admission Essays Professionally Edited 2010-07-06

Reviewer:

The big secret this book doesn't reveal is that many MBA program applicants get their admission essays professionally edited.

That gives them a huge edge.

Take a look at Craigslist someday in the write/ed/tr8 category under services. You will find dozens of professional editors offering their services to college applicants.

For as little as $50, students can hire a professional to polish their essays to perfection.

Non-native English speakers, particularly, benefit from this kind of editing. Almost all graduate school students now hire pros to edit their essays.

No book is going to teach a student how to craft a compelling, clever and concise essay. Students should be warned how competitive college admission essay writing has become.

great book 2010-03-04

Reviewer: Andrew Chan

i don't know if its a must read, but it certainly helps. it really gives you a good idea of how to prep for the mba process: recommendations, volunteer work, essays, etc.

Good for positioning and strategy, but take with a grain of salt. 2009-12-29

Reviewer: A. Lin

I'm currently in the application process now, and I've found the book helpful. (I may have other thoughts depending on the outcome of the process.) It's good to help frame your thinking (e.g. how to position yourself, what to ask your recommenders for) and to understand the perspective of your admissions reviewers. For these purposes, the book has been useful.

That said, some of the specifics are outdated and based on the paper application process (most of the examples appear to be from the late 90's). I certainly found this irritating, especially given the constraints posed by online applications.

For example, the numerous sample essays are mostly from pre-2000. Their content is useful for broad-brush instructional purposes, but there are significant limitations to their value. A particularly glaring example is one of the sample Stanford essays, which checks in at an astounding 4.5 pages and is approximately 1700 words. Recent applicants will know that 1800 words is the allotment for the school's _entire essay section_, and 1700 words is 2.5 times the recommended length of 750 words. In this particular case, it does a disservice to the teaching--given 1700 words for a single essay, many people could cite a litany of compelling reasons why they're a great candidate.

Another similar problem is the sample recommendation letter. The recommendation letter is 5 pages long in the book and borders on ludicrous. It's instructional insofar as the "type" of thing that should be said, but it poorly manages expecations as to scope/breadth. For most candidates, an understanding of how to manage the latter would probably be helpful. There are several other such (admittedly specific) anachronisms which make the book seem a little bit outdated.

Overall, though, recommended--just manage your expectations on what the book can provide (i.e. high-level, strategic advice).

Useful overall guide to the MBA admissions process 2009-12-29

Reviewer: Sapna Mehra

I read an earlier edition and this one has been updated considerably - especially the sample essays. This book includes tons of sample essays to get your juices flowing. I recommend this to anyone serious about getting into a top program.

A practical guide for any b-school applicant 2009-11-11

Reviewer: Monisha Charania

Having had the opportunity to speak to many admissions officers/directors and get their advice about the application process, I found that a lot of what they told me was captured in this book in greater detail. It's a great guide for anyone trying to maneuver this difficult and competitive process but as with everything in life, you must take it with a grain of salt.