During this essay-writing process we get to praise ourselves, to brag, to point out our unique understanding of complex issues and just generally paint ourselves as the ideal human. But in order to balance out the admissions karma, we also have to give ourselves a couple of body slams by critiquing our own skills, motivations, etc.

Kellogg asks candidates to provide an “evaluative assessment” of their own file. I’ve seen some candidates riddle themselves with critique after critique. In their minds, they thought “assess: meant to “point out of your weaknesses.” They become their own worst Simon Cowells. Don’t make this mistake. We can assess both the strengths and the negatives. When you include an honest assessment of your negatives, you gain credibility for any strengths you raise.

In addition, try to illustrate that you have already improved somewhat on your negative traits through hard work and that you specifically have a plan for further improvement at business school through classwork and activities.

Harvard also asks candidates to critique their own leadership abilities. Some candidates wax eloquently about an unmitigated victory for their leadership skills and then chime in with a fairly minor critique. Often, this critique is totally unrelated to the narrative of the leadership tale they’ve just recounted. The best stories for this essay usually have a couple of bumps on the road to leadership that we could have avoided if not for our blindspots. And make sure to relate this critique to the elements of leadership (defining agendas, communicating, insipring, managing up, etc.); don’t make yourself out to be a master motivator and then merely critique your Excel modeling skills.

By Jeremy Dann

You gotta love the b-school application process.  For most of us, it will be the final time in our lives where someone lets us brag on and on about ourselves—and will actually read what we write and listen to what we have to say.

But as fun as this bragging process can be, let’s make sure we brag about the right things.  Some applicants don’t focus their essays properly when it comes to their accomplishment and leadership essays.  Many folks view these as nearly interchangeable essays, but they definitely require different approaches.

A few months ago, I wrote about the aspects of a winning leadership essay.  One of the central tenets of leadership essays is showing that you can enable the actions of other people.  You bring out their passions.  You educate them.  You help them see organizational priorities in new ways.  And then they share in the achievement.

Accomplishment essays can include leadership experiences, but there are many scenarios applicants recount in the “leadership” essays that really do not belong under that heading.  Just because you did something great does not mean leadership was involved.  Some people try to get around this issue by inserting the tried and true “I led by example” gambit.  They write about some really cool thing that they accomplished on their own and then assert that it was actually an episode where they inspired others who had the privilege of basking in the glow of this tremendous achievement.  If one of your essays portrays you as a lone warrior undertaking a noble quest until the final paragraph when you play the “leading by example” card, you have missed the boat.

The best leadership essays will have heroes other than yourself.  If you helped Terri in accounts receivable realize her full potential on a project you led, showcase her as a hero in your leadership tale.

In the best of all worlds, people create a good balance between these types of essays at the beginning of their application process, even before they commence writing.  The good news is that, in many instances, you can adjust your application fairly late in the process to achieve the appropriate balance between individual achievement and leadership.  A few sentences here and there about enabling others, educating and defining priorities for group endeavors.  Many achievement essays can be transformed into glorious examples of leadership when you shine the spotlight on others who were a part of a great collective accomplishment.

By Jeremy Dann

Second round applicants are now in the stretch run—the final thirty days or so before their apps are due.  Some are tempted to take up the offer of every friend, family member or co-worker who has volunteered to chip in his perspectives on what makes the perfect essay.

Do not fall into this trap.  It can lead to cluttered essays, garbled messages and strained friendships.  For every typo they catch, they could very well inject an extra dose of pain or complication into your process.

Outside advisers can and should be a part of this MBA application process, don’t get me wrong (c’mon, I wouldn’t be writing all of this stuff if I didn’t believe it).  But this should be a very small circle of advisers.  A professional adviser—like the sort available through this service—can be invaluable by helping set a “branding” strategy, by enforcing a schedule/process, and by judiciously editing essays in accordance with the “own work” standards laid out by business school admissions committees.

“Amateur advisers” are often employed by people who are not utilizing a professional adviser and even by some people who are.  I recommend applicants not take on a horde of volunteers.  True, many of these people may be showing their enthusiasm and belief in you by offering up their services, which is flattering—but a lot of these people might not be good writers or editors and may not have the necessary wisdom about the MBA application process.  So, I recommend approaching one or two very trusted folks, people who have a very good sense of you as a person and know how to use the English language to good effect.

Instead of tapping into 30-60 minutes of free work time from four to six individuals (or more), get one or two people to invest 4 to 6 hours of their time over a multi-week period.  They will be more knowledgeable about your overall strategy and your “brand” and this will be reflected in the applicability of their comments.  If you approach this friend or colleague soon, he or she can be a guide over the next four weeks.  You can make it worth their while: take them out to lunch or dinner during each feedback session.

With a horde of advisers, you may find yourself “chasing your tail,” pursuing new sections and even new essays based on the whim of a person who read your essay on a crowded bus on the way to work.  Don’t get caught up in this.  Employing just one or two well-briefed outside advisers will allow you to execute a more efficient process.  At this stage of the game, you should be locking down on your essays topics and just working out ways to better explain the points you need to prove.  Late December and early January is not the time to be questioning your approach based on a couple comments from Jim in accounting; rather, it’s the time to slam home the points you’ve been working on and for final polishing and proofreading.

Good luck and happy typing!