With deadlines looming for many candidates, we thought we would share a piece of advice that might help alleviate some of the deadline-related stress you might be experiencing. After you have completed (but not yet submitted!) your application(s), find a person you trust—whether a professional consultant or someone with insight into the MBA application process—to read your essays one last time and give you feedback. However, we strongly suggest that you request feedback from no more than two individuals.
Because the application process is subjective, you will discover that the more readers you consult, the more new and different opinions you will get. Soon, you will be facing a multitude of alternatives, and although none of these varying ideas will necessarily be “right” or “wrong”—considering that a single candidate’s stories can be marketed in almost countless ways—they can create unnecessary uncertainty. You do not want to find yourself second-guessing everything about your essays when the submission deadlines are imminent.
We are not suggesting that you ignore critical feedback, of course, but rather that you not complicate your final days and create doubt or confusion where it might not be due. If one or two readers support your ideas and feel that your application needs minimal additional work, that is probably a good sign that you can end your feedback loop there and move forward with submitting your application.
