How to Write Great Admissions Essays: Step 4

(This is part of a new series that we will roll out over the next several weeks, introducing our readers to our proven 10-step process for writing great admissions essays. Check back often for more MBA admissions essay tips!)

Step 4: Diversify Your Style
When handing out advice on essay writing, many experts encourage applicants to use short sentences. Others demand essays to be rich in detail, which require a longer sentence. So which is the most effective approach?

The answer, of course, is both. The mark of strong writing –- of interesting writing –- is stylistic diversity, blending short and long, simple and complex sentences. Words have power and the way we string them together can call attention to the most important themes or points.

What follows is a short breakdown of the types of stylistic devices you want to incorporate into your work:

Simple sentences. The anchors of any essay, short, simple sentences are the surest bet when conveying an important message in a small space. Simple sentences keep the reader interested and afford your work clarity, as you reduce the risk that a thought will go on too long and run out of steam. Perhaps most importantly, using a shorter sentence lowers the odds of committing a mistake likely to occur in a more complex sentence. It also goes without saying that simple sentences are the friend of any author battling a constrictive word count.

Compound sentences. Linking two simple sentences together is a great way to diversify your style, but compound sentences can also bridge ideas and lead into a powerful conclusion. These sentences are also useful to mitigate a weakness allowing that the final thought expressed by the sentence is the solution or takeaway rather than the weakness itself. Remember that compound sentences always feature a coordinating word such as and, but, nor, for, so or yet.

Complex sentences. We’ll avoid the word “long” here, because there is no value in drafting a sentence that is long just for the sake of being long. However, there are times when you should use complex sentences that articulate multiple ideas. A well-crafted and artful complex sentence is suggestive of strong writing ability, which is one of the traits being evaluated in your application essays. Remember that a complex sentence is not merely the joining of two simple sentences (that is a compound sentence), but rather the joining of an independent clause and a dependent clause. Look for subordinating words such as since, after, although, or when.

Use of a series. One of the most common questions with regard to writing style is how to make the words in a series stand out to the reader. Again, diversity is ideal, but be careful not to go too far. Applicants see the power of simple sentences and go overboard in listing out a series of thoughts as individual sentences. Listing a series of ideas as separate sentences is a device that has become increasingly common and effective in fiction writing, but is dangerous ground in a professional document.

An example of what not to do:

"My goal is to graduate from a top program with the necessary tools for success. Business acumen. Management experience. Vision."

Play it safe and express this notion in a more conventional way:

"My goal is to graduate from a top program with the necessary tools for success, which include business acumen, management experience, and vision."

Whatever you do, never decide to list the serial items as individual paragraphs. Time and time again, this tactic has proven ineffective with essay readers.

Stay tuned for Step 5, in which we'll show you how to tastefully exercise your vocabulary. In the meantime, if you need help with your MBA admissions essays or personal statements immediately, give us a call at 800-925-7737 and talk to one of our admissions experts. And, as always, be sure to follow us on Twitter!