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The Do's
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 . Unite your essay and give it direction with a theme or thesis. The thesis is the main point you
want to communicate. Make sure it answers the question.
. Before you begin writing, choose what you want to discuss and the order in which you want
to discuss it.
. Use concrete examples from your life experience to support your thesis and distinguish
yourself from other applicants.
. Write about what interests you, excites you. That's what the admissions staff wants to read.
. Start your essay with an attention-grabbing lead--an anecdote, quote, question, or engaging
description of a scene.
. End your essay with a conclusion that refers back to the lead and restates your thesis.
. Revise your essay at least three times.
. In addition to your editing, ask someone else to critique your personal statement for you.
. Proofread your personal statement by reading it out loud or reading it into a tape recorder
and playing back the tape.
. Write clearly, succinctly.
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The Don'ts
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. Don't include information that doesn't support your thesis.
. Don't start your essay with "I was born in...," or "My parents came from..."
. Don't write an autobiography, itinerary, or résumé in prose.
. Don't try to be a clown (but gentle humor is OK).
. Don't be afraid to start over if the essay just isn't working or doesn't answer the question.
. Don't try to impress your reader with your vocabulary.
. Don't rely exclusively on your computer to check your spelling.
. Don't provide a collection of generic statements and platitudes.
. Don't give mealy-mouthed, weak excuses for your GPA or test scores.
. Don't make things up.
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Should you write an MBA essay with an eye towards the other questions on the application?
Absolutely! Never think that you're writing this essay in some kind of a vacuum.
It is part of an overall picture made up of different pieces: your academic record, professional experience,
extra-curricular activities, hobbies, personal background, and of course, other essays.
Write an essay as one piece in a jigsaw puzzle representing you.
But wait. Before putting the pieces together, what if you are still not sure how to develop a unifying theme?
Or perhaps you don't know which experiences to focus on, or simply lack confidence in your writing skills,
or have suddenly developed an acute case of blank-screen-it is!?! | 
