Essays That Worked for Business School: 35 Essays from Successful Applications to the Nation's Top Business Schools

Unlike most graduate programs, business schools prefer that their students have previous work experience. This does not mean that your goose is cooked if you haven't put in two years on Wall Street. In fact, according to the editors of Essays That Worked for Business Schools, B-school admissions officers are growing weary of investment banking. "Given comparable work experience and success," says one, "I'd much rather take someone who has run a farm in Iowa than an investment banker."

Boykin Curry and Brian Kasbar have arranged these application essays by subject matter, and their introductions to each section are as helpful as the essays themselves. When writing about your strengths and weaknesses, they warn, don't choose weaknesses that are actually strengths in disguise (e.g., "I work too hard," "I'm too much of a leader"). "Such 'weaknesses,'" they say, "can tag a writer as insincere and sly." On the subject of the MBA itself, they advise, "If you can provide examples of previous accomplishments and show that you need more business education for continued success, your application will be hard to ignore." Like most red-blooded Americans, B-school admissions officers admire a bold, entrepreneurial spirit, so when you're relating your finest accomplishment, say the editors, "try to look for an instance when you solved a tough problem with an unconventional insight." And one last thing. Don't fret too much about your writing skills. "We aren't looking for future authors or even scholars, necessarily," say the admissions folks. "We're looking for future business leaders." --Jane Steinberg