I heard that admissions officers don’t read essays. Is that true?
Generally speaking, top schools are pretty good at reading every application that comes in the door. In an interview printed in Montauk’s How to get into the Top MBA Programs, Judith Goodman, Michigan’s Director of Admissions said in response to the question, why do the essays matter so much, said, “The essays provide a test of succinctness: how well you can write them in a short space and still stand out. Business writing of course is typically short. On the practical side, the essays are meant to be kept short because there is a limit to how much we as an admissions office can get through.” Fran Hill from Berkeley’s Haas School said, “The skill in writing, the skill in organizing, and the content all show people’s intelligence and the extent to which they have considered where they are headed and why.
