Business Jargon Or What You Should Avoid in Your MBA Application Essays

One of the mistakes that MBA applicants make in their admission essays is that they include jargon in the mix, whether intentionally or unintentionally.  When done willfully, people think that jargon can make them look more professional and knowledgeable about their fields.

When done unwillingly, these people just forget themselves and write like how they would when communicating with people in their workplace. Whatever the case, it spells out carelessness, lack of preparation, and poor communication skills on their essays.

But this is no longer a problem. Indeed, on the Internet you can find many writers who can help you with writing an essay.

MBA School

As you know, getting to an MBA school means you want to learn managing a business in a specific field.  Basically, you’re gunning for a leadership position.  And when it’s about leadership, it’s necessary that the qualities of good communication skills and forethought are present in a leader.
If you use jargon intentionally, that shows that you can’t express yourself in other words besides jargon.  It also shows a lack of creativity and originality when you rely on jargon to get your message across.

So instead of making you look smart, using jargon just makes you look as if you’re using technical words to hide your poor communication skills and to intimidate your readers into believing you’re an expert in your field.

If you’re a real expert on a subject, then you can find ways of explaining yourself in a clearer way.  For those who use jargon unwittingly or just through daily use, it shows that one is not fully aware of the purpose of the essay.  You display inconsideration to the reader and use your language haphazardly.  Now these are hardly the qualities that you would look for in a leader, much less from an MBA applicant.

What should I avoid in an essay?

Here are some jargons that you should avoid in making your mba application essays:

• Acronyms, especially the ones that are known only to your organization
• Industry-specific technical terms
• High-sounding but vague terms (for example, online enterprise development, human resources utilization)
• Clichés. Though these belong to a different category, they can stand as jargon for the business language.  You always hear terms like “best of breed” and “value chain” in your organization.  They may sound nice, but they also sound rundown.

How to avoid jargon

Whether you’re writing for an MBA essay or your high school essay, the elements of good writing are the same.  You need to be clear yourself on what you want to express, work on the right expression, and get feedback on what you wrote.

1. Make an outline before you write.
2. Remember the purpose of the essay and your readers.
3. Watch your jargon.
4. Consult sample MBA application essays for some tips and mistakes to avoid.
5. Read and edit your work thoroughly.
6. Have someone non-technical read your essay and get feedback if it is an easy read.
7. Read and edit again for jargons and cliché.

If you have good communication skills, you don’t need to use jargon to make you look smart.  You’d even look smarter if you get your message across without relying on technical terms.  By doing so, you show your confidence in your communication skills.