I recently provided feedback on a student's brainstorming questionnaire. This is a prewriting exercise that I assign before they start crafting essays. The student asked me a question about her writing style. Since this is not the first time I have addressed this question, I am sharing my response here :
Candidate: What is your opinion on my writing? Was it structured or well-written? Was the sentence formation proper? Should I approach the essays the same way?
Me: I don’t focus on organization, sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation at this stage. The purpose of this questionnaire is to help you brainstorm and generate content before tacking essays. It encourages you to deep dive into your personal and professional experiences, accomplishments, and goals. Hence the title- “Questionnaire for brainstorming ideas/ stories for essays’.
As to whether you should approach your essays in the same way, yes, you can. But please don’t worry about writing perfectly concise and polished sentences in your first draft. I always advise candidates not to limit themselves by word count initially as this will prevent them from telling their whole story. Refining, structuring, editing, and trimming all come later in the writing process.
Remember, first drafts are never perfect. The essence of writing is rewriting. Even accomplished writers admit that their first drafts often fall short. Enjoy the writing process and you will be surprised by how it evolves.
Best of luck to everyone working on their applications😊
About MER (myEssayReview)
Poonam Tandon, the founder of MER (myEssayReview), is a Ph.D. in English with 13 years of MBA consulting experience and three decades of teaching experience in India and the US. Poonam has successfully guided hundreds of students from around the world to gain admission into the esteemed MBA, EMBA, and specialized master's programs in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Throughout her four-decade-long professional career, she has reviewed 11,000+ essays written by applicants worldwide. Poonam was among the top 5 most reviewed consultants on the GMAT Club from September 2012 to December 2023.
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