INSEAD Library

Includes bibliographical references

Digitized

Great Application Essays for Business School Contents Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. vi Introduction ............................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED ....................................................................................1 Know Thy Audience ............................................................................................................ 2 Finding Your Self-Marketing Handle ................................................................ 3 Data-Mining Your Life ..........................................................................................5 Writing Your Essays ........................................................................................................... 10 Revising and Editing .......................................................................................................... 14 Letting Go .............................................................................................................................. 15 Admissions Essays: What Not to Do ............................................................................ 15 Writing Prompt Exercise ................................................................................................... 17 Sample Outlines .................................................................................................................. 17 CHAPTER 2: SCORING THE GOALS ESSAY ................................................................... 23 What the Schools Ask ........................................................................................................25 Writing the Goals Essay ....................................................................................................27 So, What Exactly Are Your Goals? ................................................................................ 27 Organizing the Goals Essay iii 28 Iv Contents The Lead Paragraph........................................................................................ 29 The Career Progress and Influences Section ................................................. 31 The Goals Section ............................................................................................ 35 The Whys ............................................................................................................ 42 The Conclusion ............................................................................................... 48 Goals Essays: What Not to Do ...........................................................................49 Writing Prompt Exercises ................................................................................ 51 Sample Essays ..............................................................................................53 CHAPTER 3: GETTING TO KNOW YOU: THE NON-GOALS ESSAYS ..................... 65 One Good Deed: The Accomplishment Essay..................................................66 Who Are You?: The Self-Revelation Essay........................................................ 74 Vive la Différence: The Diversity Essay ............................................................ 84 Leading and Following: The Leadership and Teamwork Essay......................88 Nobody's Perfect: The Failure Essay................................................................ 95 Black and White or Gray: The Ethics Essay...................................................99 Trick or Treat: The Creative Essay .............................................................................. 104 Writing Prompt Exercises ............................................................................................... 105 Sample Essays ................................................................................................................... 108 CHAPTER 4: THE REQUIRED OPTIONAL ESSAY...................................................... 129 What the Schools Ask ...................................................................................................... 129 To Write or Not to Write? ................................................................................................ 130 What Should You Write About? .................................................................................... 132 Optional Essays: What Not to Do.................................................................................. 139 Writing Prompt Exercises ............................................................................................... 140 Sample Essays..................................................................................................................... 142 CHAPTER 5: CREDIBLE ENTHUSIASM: LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION ................................................................................... 147 What Do Recommendation Letters Do Anyway? .................................................... 148 Contents V Length.................................................................................................................. 149 Selecting Recommenders ............................................................................ 150 First Letter: Direct Supervisor .................................................................. 151 "God" Letters .................................................................................................... 152 Subsequent Letters ....................................................................................... 152 The Delicate Art of Approaching Recommenders .............................. 153 Writing Your Own? ........................................................................................ 155 Using the School's Form--or Not ............................................................. 156 Strategies for Recommendation Questions .......................................... 158 Structure............................................................................................................ 159 Letters of Recommendation: What Not to Do ...................................... 166 Writing Prompt Exercises ........................................................................... 167 Sample Letter of Recommendation .......................................................... 170 Parting Thoughts ................................................................................................ 177 Bibliography.......................................................................................................... 178