MBA Essay Flow: The Essay Preparation Process

A strong MBA essay usually develops in stages. The process starts with the ideas and experiences behind your answer, then moves through outlining, drafting, and editing until the essay is clear, focused, and still sounds like you.

If you have already started writing, you can either move straight to editing or begin again with the outline process. The right choice depends on how strong the existing content is and how much of the essay’s direction still needs work.

Choosing Where to Start

If you started writing your essays before starting to work with your application consultant, you have 2 options:

  • You can jump immediately to stage 4 described below. If your essays contain strong content – this will be the most efficient and cost effective option.

– or –

  • Start from stage 1, without showing your written essays to your application consultant. You may use parts of them during stage 3. If this option leads to changes in essay content (compared to the original essays you wrote), there is a likely chance that your essays will end up stronger.

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The Four Stages of MBA Essay Preparation

The outline is the skeleton or abstract of your essay. The outline is normally written in a form of short bullet points and its purpose is:

  • To create a logical flow of content.
  • To make sure you don’t miss crucial information/points in your essay.

The outline interview is conducted by the ARINGO consultant, and its purpose is to create content for the outline. The interview usually begins by determining the relevant content for the essay. This is done by using the original “Admissions Drivers” system, which was developed by our team and is constantly being updated based on our research.

The subject of the essay (for example ‘describe your greatest achievement’) is the focus of the interview. During the interview, your consultant will interview you about the essay topic and take notes of your responses in a form of an outline for the essay.

The consultant takes into account the topics most likely to be emphasized by each admission committee, based on the ARINGO research.

The purpose of the outline is on one hand, to be the basis of an authentic essay, and on the other hand to have an optimal effect on the admission committee. Therefore, to maintain authenticity, the outline will only be structured from the actual words you used.

If your time or budget is limited, or if you possess reasonable writing skills, please consider optional tips for streamlining the outline writing process.

Following the outline interview, the consultant will write the outline of the essay. In many cases, the outline will include short bullet points or exact quotes of content points that you raised during the outline interview. The consultant will send you the outline once it has been written.

Once you’ve received the outline, write the first draft of your essay based on the outline. Then, send it to your consultant through the Client Interface.

In applicable cases, the Client Interface will also provide you with the option to send the essay to the relevant school analyst. Every ARINGO school analyst is a graduate (or soon-to be graduate) of the MBA program to which you are applying. The school analyst’s job is to ensure your essays contain the specific nuances relevant to your target program.

Please note: the outline contains only the ‘dry facts’, the content anchors. However, it is important that you add “your personal touch” and personality to the essay, and only you can do that! It is important that your essays be moving, personal, honest and true – this will help you evoke empathy within the reader.

Once your consultant receives your essay draft, he/she will first focus on the content. If the consultant reaches the conclusion that strategic or structural changes are required in your essay, he/she will point them out to you.

Often, the process is gradual, and it usually requires 2-6 editing rounds until a satisfying version is achieved. However, in terms of cost effectiveness, one or two editing rounds are often enough. The added value of each editing round is normally smaller than that of the round preceding it.

Make sure you send your essay drafts to your consultant through the Client Interface. This will ensure that you will receive all the instruction you need during the process.

What Makes an MBA Essay Effective?

An authentic essay is a personal, honest, original, interesting, and occasionally moving or daring essay. Its purpose is to show that behind the words of the essay there is a human and unique person. An authentic essay evokes interest within the reader. It is memorable, and quite often arouses sympathy towards the applicant.

One of the main purposes of your ARINGO consultant is to assist you in different ways to write authentic essays.

Our conversations with admission committees show that authentic application documents are often more effective in terms of admission chances. Therefore, ARINGO instructs its application consultants to maintain your original language when editing the text. This includes small foreignisms (indicators that English is not the first language of the applicant) to maintain authenticity. In the case of foreignisms, if you feel that this approach should not apply to you, please instruct your application consultant accordingly.

A focused essay has the content and the logic that increase your admission chances. A focused essay doesn’t have to be a literary masterpiece. It has to show that you have the characteristics (“Admission Drivers”) that the specific program your are applying to likes its students to have.

According to our experience, a focused essay is not necessarily a super-impressive essay, however it “gives you points” on the qualities that the Admission Committee is looking for in its MBA candidates.

In order to write effective application essays, take another look at Work Effectively with ARINGO Tips, before starting to work on your essays. Also, it is recommended that you take a look at the article Successfully Negotiating the Essay Maze.

Frequently Asked Questions: MBA Essay Preparation Process

Not necessarily. If your drafts contain strong experiences and useful content, moving directly to editing may be the most efficient option.

Starting again can still make sense when:

  • The essay does not answer the question directly.
  • The story feels scattered.
  • The main point is difficult to identify.
  • The draft sounds generic or unlike you.

The decision depends on the quality of the content, not simply on whether a draft already exists.

The outline interview is a conversation about the essay question and the experiences that might answer it. You discuss what happened, what you did, why it mattered, and what the experience says about you.

That conversation is then turned into a workable structure. The outline may identify the opening, the main example, the reflection, and the point you want the admissions reader to take away. It is not a finished essay and it should not sound like one. Its purpose is to give the first draft direction.

This stage can be useful even when you already have ideas. Many applicants know which events they want to mention but are less sure about what those events actually demonstrate. A conversation can uncover the detail that makes an ordinary-sounding experience more revealing, or show that a different example would answer the question more directly.

The process also helps prevent a common problem: writing an essay that lists achievements without showing judgment, growth, or self-awareness. The consultant may ask follow-up questions about your choices, mistakes, relationships, or the effect your actions had on other people. Those answers often give the essay its personal quality.

The finished outline is a practical guide. It helps you write with a clearer sense of purpose while leaving room for your own wording and voice to develop naturally.

The Admissions Drivers system is used during the outline interview to help identify the qualities and experiences that may matter for the essay and the admissions committee.

The consultant considers the essay question, your actual experiences, and the topics that may be relevant to the target school. The aim is to create a stronger direction without inventing content or putting words in your mouth.

No. You provide the experiences and ideas; the consultant helps with questions, structure, clarity, and editing so the final essay remains personal and believable.

There is no fixed number. Some essays are ready after one or two rounds; others need more work because the structure, focus, or examples change during the process.

In applicable cases, yes. ARINGO may provide the option to send the essay to a school analyst through the Client Interface. Their role is to check whether the essay includes relevant nuances for that particular program.

Not automatically. ARINGO’s stated approach is to preserve the applicant’s original language, including small foreignisms, when doing so helps maintain authenticity.

If you prefer a more traditionally polished English style, discuss that with your consultant. The important thing is that the final version sounds natural for you and remains clear to the reader.

An authentic essay sounds like the applicant and is grounded in real experiences. A focused essay answers the question directly and emphasizes the qualities the school wants to understand.

The strongest essays usually do both. They feel personal without losing direction, and they make a clear point without sounding manufactured.

The best MBA essays are not simply polished. They are personal, focused, and supported by real experiences. A thoughtful outline, an honest first draft, and careful editing can help you communicate your story without losing your voice.

Much luck with the process,
The ARINGO Research Team

Related MBA Resources:

MBA Application Process Tips

The MBA Application Work Process Components

The ARINGO Experience

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