Writing can be challenging for many business school applicants, and some have particular difficulty changing their essay structure from one essay to the next. For example, a candidate might choose to use a quote at the beginning of an essay to create a sense of urgency:
“This cannot be fixed. This cannot be fixed!” I stared blankly at the broken machinery and knew that the next few hours would be crucial….
Using this kind of attention-grabbing technique can be acceptable under certain circumstances, but a candidate should never use the same technique twice (and definitely not three times!) in one application. By starting more than one essay the same way, the writer is effectively sending the reader the message that he/she understands a gimmick but does not truly know how to tell a compelling story in his/her own way. This is also a quick way to lose the admissions reader’s interest! So be sure to vary your approach with each new essay within a single application. We work with our candidates to ensure that their ideas are presented in fresh and different ways, to captivate the admissions committee with each introduction and, indeed, each essay.