Why TAW?
In January 2025, I applied for my dream MBA college — ISB. The application had five major pre-requisites — Bachelor’s Degree, GMAT/GRE Score, 2 years of experience, essays and a recommendation. While my degree, experience and recommendation were in place, two areas remained — GMAT and Essays.
I began GMAT preparation in July ’24, while managing office work. However, getting laid off left me with no choice but to focus all my energy on GMAT. Soon, the exam day arrived, and the result? 635 — a score well below the current cohort’s average (~661). Determined to improve, I re-attempted the exam, only to score another 635. The worst part was an 18th percentile in the verbal section both times.
Realising GMAT improvement would take longer, I shifted my focus to essays. The essay topics were designed to understand how the applicant’s personal and professional journey led them to an MBA. I wrote my first draft. Upon reviewing, I learned that it was overloaded with personal anecdotes, making it confusing and hard to follow. Taking this feedback, I rewrote the essays multiple times — concising and structuring them with the help of ChatGPT. Continuous feedback confirmed that I was improving and only after ~50 attempts, the essays were ready to submit.
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Meanwhile, I was also preparing for GMAT. With renewed confidence I attempted it a third time and scored 645. While still miles behind my 675 target, I was relieved that my verbal score had improved to the 60th percentile. With a bleak hope, I applied to ISB, but as expected, I didn’t receive an interview invite.
Though I received an invite from another good B-school, I considered re-applying for ISB next year. Full of doubt, I questioned if it would be a prudent decision. What value could I add in this short time? While some things were out of my control, I could still improve my GMAT score and writing abilities. And both can be improved with practise. This is when the idea of TAW (The Anonymous Writer) hit me.
The primary reason for keeping it anonymous is because it’s born out of a selfish goal to improve my writing abilities and verbal score. Not to become a viral sensation with thought provoking insights. Having said that, I would try my level best to add value through this “medium” with my limited knowledge and experiences.
See you next week with a random 400-word article.
