My consultant told me persuasive writing for MBA apps is totally different—and she was right!

Gort

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Hey everyone! I'm deep in the MBA application trenches (R2 deadlines approaching AHHH 😱), and I wanted to share something that completely changed how I approach persuasive writing for business school essays.

I hired a consultant (expensive but worth it IMO 💸) and our first session, she said something that blew my mind: "MBA essays aren't creative writing. They're marketing documents. You are the product, and the adcom is the customer." 🤯

Suddenly everything clicked. I'd been trying to write beautiful, literary prose about my feelings and growth. But she explained that adcoms read thousands of essays. They're exhausted. They want to know, quickly and clearly: "Will this person succeed in our program and make us look good afterward?"

So she taught me a persuasive writing framework specifically for business school:

1. The Hook (10%) 🎣 - Not a story about childhood dreams. A STATEMENT. "I will launch a healthcare startup that uses AI to reduce diagnostic errors in rural hospitals." Boom. They know exactly who I am.

2. The Evidence (60%) 📋 - Every claim backed by specific achievements. Not "I'm a leader" but "I led a team of 12 to launch a product that generated $2M in revenue." Numbers. Results. Proof.

3. The Connection (20%) 🔗 - Why THIS school? Not generic praise. Specific professors, courses, clubs that will help me achieve MY goals. Show them I've done my homework.

4. The Future (10%) 🚀 - What I'll DO with their degree. Not "learn and grow" but "return to my community and fund scholarships for first-gen students like me."

The results? I've gotten interview invites from 3 of my target schools already! My consultant says my essays stand out because they're confident, clear, and convincing. Persuasive writing in business contexts is about credibility and clarity, not creativity.
 
I'm also in the R2 trenches (applying to Booth and Kellogg), and I've been struggling with the exact same thing. I keep writing these heartfelt stories about my nonprofit work, but something always feels... off. Like I'm trying too hard to be deep.

The "you are the product" mindset is honestly revolutionary. 🤯 I've been thinking about essays as "show, don't tell" creative pieces, but you're right—adcoms don't have time to interpret. They need to see the value immediately. I'm definitely reworking my goals essay with your framework this weekend.

Can I ask a follow-up? For the Evidence section, how do you handle it if your achievements aren't super quantifiable? I work in community organizing, so my wins are more like "built coalitions" and "changed local policy" rather than "$2M revenue." Any tips for making that sound equally concrete? Congrats on the interview invites—that's amazing!
 
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