Hi Jon/Raj

Tintin again...this chicago question is bugging me a lot..

 

Describe a time when you wish you could have retracted something you said or did. When did you realize your mistake and how did you handle the situation?

 

what does text in bold exactly mean... to handle the situation on spot or if i regret something and could not do anything at that time when i regretted and after some time i tried to mend the ways...

 

will it be fine??

 

Tintin

Tintin--

Hm... there may be a way to spin what you're suggesting, but this is more of a twist on the typical "mistake" question you'll see in other apps. Rather than ask simply "tell us about a time you made a mistake," they're wondering... when you realized you'd MADE some type of mistake, what exactly was it that you wanted to take back (either in the form of something you'd said or done), and how did that realization spur you to action?

So, best to describe a more or less self-contained episode where you discovered your mistake in a timely fashion such that you were able to act on it in some meaningful way.

While it COULD theoretically work for a thing you've regretted saying or doing for months or years, the action taken to "handle" the situation won't necessarily reveal the type of leader or person you are as well as it would for that self-contained episode.

Hope that helps, my friend.

RP

Hi,

 

I have a question regarding using dialogue in essays. For example, consider these two versions:

 

Version 1: My boss said that I would never be able to convince them because they were too traditional.

Version 2: "You can't convince them, Jake," my boss said. "They are just too traditional."

 

Do you think that Version 2 is preferable? I found that by using dialogue my essays sound simpler, less wordy and more personal. Of course, I wouldn't overdo it. But do you think that if used in moderation, this approach could be helpful.

doctor stuwright--

awesome question. this comes up very, very frequently.

dialogue CAN  be an incredibly effective device. but, should be used not only sparingly but also only when warranted.

1) Sparingly---this one's obvious. don't overuse it. maybe you can get away with one or two... maybe three sprinkled throughout? as soon as it starts to feel like a crutch, you're sunk.

2) Only When Warranted---this one's trickier. the stuff in the quotes should be something that would LOSE a ton of value if translated into prose.

there's a lot to pick at in your example. i'm not sure the stuff in quotes is so sparkling you'd wanna waste a bullet on it. so we'd recommend a third or fourth option.

Option 3. identify the core point of the sentence and focus on IT. something like "I confronted the board with my grievances, despite my boss's warning that no one on Earth could convince a group with such traditional views." ----> the key is the warning right? not so much that he SAID those words.

Option 4. your boss said something a little snazzier, like "Well, if you're able to change the minds of those folks, I'd like you swing by my house tonight and speak to my wife about a few things."

yours lies somewhere square in the middle where the dialogue isn't necessarily so sparkling that we're transported, but the prose version also doesn't take advantage of the core idea there, which is the warning.

hope that helps....
rp

Hi guys!

good job guys! I like your advice, they are always very smart!

I have a question about MIT essays.

I don't understnad very well the first one..the cover letter. The number of words i can use is quite limited but they ask a lot: Introducing myself, why I'm seeking a seat in the program (I guess), accomplishments, and example of inpact on group or organization.

and also the fact that the letter should conform to standard business correspondence what does it mean?

does it mean that i shoudl be very concise and do not use the narrative style that usually is good in traditional essays?

and finally in any other MIT essays they seem asking me for my mba goals....should I talk about them in the cover letter?

I read some posts suggesting to use the optional essay to talk about my goals...but i don't like it ! I want to state sound and clear at the beginning of my application why I'm going through all this hell! it's the most important thing

what do you think?

thank you

and then....what the hell does it mean "noon Pacific Time"???

how many hours more or less to greenwich?

thanks!

Thank you for your insights. They were definitely helpful. As for the sentence I used as an example, I just wrote the first that came to my mind. I wanted to use dialogue for reported speech not to sound too monotonous - He said that... Then he added that... etc. I also wanted to decrease the number of words. A dialogue is in the present tense and thus eliminates past tense helping verbs. But I guess I will use it for no more than 2-3 sentences.

Best,

SW

Giangi, this one's easy so I'll crank it out real quick--noon Pacific Time just means "West Coast Time."  So if it is 3PM in NYC, it is noon in California.  "Noon, Pacifric Time."

: )

Piece of cake.  If that is your biggest concern dude, youre in great shape...

Hope this helps, and we will respond to your other question shortly.

JDF
Founder, PE

Giangi,

Hey there, Jon Frank here to answer your question. Yes, the cover letter is a bit tricky--your main challenge there is to be wise with your choice of words.  Essentially, what you have is a plaaaain and simple Career Vision essay...loosely construed.  So, can you crank one of those out in 500 words?  Sure you can--HBS makes you do it in 400!  The only differences are a more standard letter-type introduction "I am writing to present my candidacy," etc., and the one specific story that they request.  Piece of cake.

"Standard business correspondance" only means that there should be an actual letterhead, with an address and date etc., signature block--all that good stuff.  It should read like an actual cover letter, with the actual letter formatting you would use in an actual cover letter to a company, from top to bottom.

And whoeeeeever is telling you to use the optional essay to discuss your goals...dont listen!  : )  There are more and more pseudo-experts out there, as the Bweek Forums clearly illustrate! Only use that extra essay, in the event that you have something very specific that needs explanation.  Your goals should be in your cover letter.  Period.

Hope this helps my friend, and keep in touch!

JDF

Friends,

I am writing today because in our work lately, we have found a number of people testing applications' word limits.  Let me add juuuust a bit of color to that debate.

Generally, most people have argued that an overage factor of 10% is acceptable.  And yes, generally we tend to agree.  However, this is not to say that for every single essay, you can shoot for a full 10% overage!  First of all, when schools say that the essay should be between 750-1,000 words...don't overshoot the 1,000!  They have already provided the overage factor for you.  Dont push your luck.  If you need more than 1,000 words in this case, as they said in Mr. Mom..."you're doing it wrong."

Secondly, you should not push for an overage in every single one of your essays.  If your 1,000 word essay is 1,100, and all your 500 word essays are 550, your application may grow to be thousands of words longer than your peers' would be--and that will NOT work in your favor!  Your app will be too long.  Period.

Do yourselves a favor, my friends.  Shoot for the word limits.  If you need to be 10% over, that is fine.  But 5% is better.  0% is the best.  Given two perfect essays, one at 500 words and the other 10% over at 550, I would pick the 500 word essay seven days a week, and twice on Sunday.  Why?  Because it will go quicker.  And the adcom is, I promise you, in a hurry.

Best of luck,

JDF