The introduction is a very important part of your MBA personal statement . With all the essays the admissions officers have to read, piquing their interest and grabbing their attention could really be a challenge. Through an excellent intro, you can urge them to read further. This is why you really have to put an effort in writing your introduction. To write an eye-catching intro, you have to know first the qualities of a bad one. Below are some of the qualities of a lousy intro.
Starting with cliches and meaningless prose
Cliches and meaningless prose are a major turn off for the admissions committee. They can be an eye sore to your readers. This is why you really have to avoid lousy beginnings. An attention-grabbing intro should be fresh and unique. You can make a better intro by using simple words that appeal to the emotion or to the intellect of the readers, instead of using trite expressions.
Using a quote or analogy that is irrelevant to the essay topic
In the effort to make their essay creative, some applicants incorporate quotes and analogies. This is good. However, there’s a grave danger in using quotes and analogies that are not related to the content of the essay. So before you use a quote and analogy, make sure that you use them the right way, to tie up all the other ideas in your essay and present arguments for the theme of your essay.
Sounding like a desperate salesman or another sleazy ad
Your MBA personal statement is your chance to sell yourself. But you don’t have to sound desperate in selling your qualities to the admissions committee, especially in the intro. You have to be subtle as possible. Instead of telling the readers about your good qualities, why not show instances in which you have exhibited these good qualities?
Related links:
Kitchen Sink Strategy – What to avoid when writing your MBA personal statement
Bad MBA Essays – All about things that make up a bad MBA personal statement
Business School Profiles – About top business school profiles
MBA Essay topics – About the McCombs essay topics
Personal Statement Checklist – All about making excellent personal statements
