Blog Archive Monday Morning Essay Tips Avoid Platitudes

Blog Archive Monday Morning Essay Tips Avoid Platitudes Many business school candidates unwittingly start their essays with platitudesâ€"obvious or trite remarks that are written as though they were original. To give an example, when responding to  the Harvard Business School essay question  â€œTell us about a time when you made a difficult decision,”  a candidate might mistakenly write the following: “Managers constantly face difficult decisions.  Still,  everyone hates indecision.” The writer does not “own” this idea and cannot lay claim to this statement. A simple alternative would be to insert his or her personal experience and viewpoint into the sentence: “Yet again, I was in the boardroom with Steve, anticipating  that he would change his mind on  the mbaMission file.” By discussing your personal and unique experiences, you take ownership of your story and engage your reader. Avoiding platitudes and generalitiesâ€"and ensuring that you are sharing  your  experience,  rather than  one that could belong to anyone elseâ€"is a simple but often overlooked step in creating a compelling message. Share ThisTweet Monday Morning Essay Tips Blog Archive Monday Morning Essay Tips Avoid Platitudes Platitude (plat’e-tood) 1. Commonplaceness; flatness; dullness 2. A trite or obvious remark, uttered as  though it were fresh or original Many candidates unwittingly start their essays with platitudes. For example, when responding to  the HBS essay question “Tell us about a time when you made a difficult decision,” a candidate might mistakenly write the following: “Managers constantly face difficult decisions.  Still,  everyone hates indecision.” The writer doesn’t “own” this idea and cannot lay claim to this statement. A simple alternative would be to insert his or her experience and viewpoint into the sentence: “Yet again, I was in the boardroom with Steve, anticipating  that he would change his mind on  the mbaMission file.” By discussing your unique experiences, you take ownership of your story and engage the reader. Avoiding platitudes and generalities and ensuring that you are sharing your experience,  rather than  one that could belong to anyone else, is a simple but often overlooked step in creating a compelling message. Share ThisTweet Monday Morning Essay Tips