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What is good writing (at least for MBA applications)?
A common question I get from applicants is, “What makes a good MBA essay?”
The answer isn’t what most people think.
Good writing—especially for business school—has nothing to do with style, polish, or sounding “professional.” In fact, those habits from corporate life often hurt your writing more than help. If you’re used to writing polished memos and tidy emails, your brain might rebel when you try to write a first-person essay. Up becomes down, right becomes left.
Let’s reframe what good writing actually means for business school applications.
1. Clarity Is King
If your reader doesn’t understand what you’re trying to say, you’ve failed.
Your main point—whether it’s a career insight, a turning point, or a motivation—should be unmistakably clear. No corporate jargon, no vague gestures. Use plain English. Use short sentences. Say what you mean.
Tip: The simpler the word, the closer it usually is to the truth.
2. Specificity > Abstraction
Vague writing feels safe—but it’s forgettable.
Specificity creates impact.
Don’t just say you “led a strategic initiative.” Tell me what the initiative was, what you did, and why it mattered. Without specificity, your insights become generic and toothless. And if there’s one thing MBA adcoms hate, it’s generic.
3. Be Ruthless With Economy
This applies to both language and content.
Cut the fluff. If a sentence isn’t pulling its weight, delete it. If you can say it in 10 words instead of 20, do it. The more succinct your story, the sharper the impression.
Even published novelists trim aggressively—your 600-word MBA essay is no place for verbal bloat.
4. Sincerity Makes You Human
Tone matters.
The best MBA essays sound like a real person wrote them—not a PR department. That doesn’t mean being sloppy or casual, but it does mean letting your personality come through. Write like you’re talking to a friend—your smartest, most grounded friend.
Good writing sounds like you, not like you trying to sound smart.
What Doesn’t Matter: Stylized “Professional” Writing
Too many applicants try to sound “businesslike” because they think that’s what MBA essays demand. But the polished tone of corporate reports and PowerPoint decks is the opposite of what adcoms are looking for.
Corporate speak masks incompetence, deflects blame, and prioritizes spin over truth. Your goal here is the opposite: to sound like someone who has substance, insight, and a pulse.
Final Thought
You don’t need to be a “great writer” in the literary sense.
You just need to be a clear thinker.
If you’re clear, specific, succinct, and sincere—you’re already ahead of 90% of applicants. Forget what your office taught you about communication. The best MBA essays are written in your real voice, not your LinkedIn voice.
Ready to Write in Your Real Voice?
Get the MBA App Assistant — a Notion-based toolkit paired with an AI-powered advisor (“Ask Alex”) that helps you plan, write, and refine your entire MBA application.
No fluff. No gimmicks. Just a smarter way to apply.