Before you read examples of real essays here the top 25 most common essay writing mistakes. These are mistakes that students commit every year and that have a disastrous effect on their chances of getting admitted. Learn from their mistakes so you don't commit any of these errors in your own essays. So without further ado, we present to you our list of the 25 most common essay writing mistakes:

1. Not answering the question. It may seem like an obvious mistake, but many applicants don't answer the question. Or they answer part of the question but not all of it. If you are asked about a time that you've been a leader and the impact that your leadership had, don't just describe when you've been a leader. Make sure you also address the impact of your leadership. This is a mistake that many students make when recycling their essays or using the same essay for one school for another. If you do recycle your essays, edit them carefully to make sure that they completely answer the questions asked.

2. Showing that you know nothing about the school. Business schools take pride in the fact that they each have their own strengths. They want to see you address those strengths and how you will benefit from them. While it can be tempting to copy and paste your essays from one school to another, you'll want to instead make sure that each essay addresses the strengths of each school. Admission officers can tell when your essays are so general that you have used them to apply to multiple schools or haven't done your homework about the strengths of their program. In at least one of your essays, be sure that you show how the school's particular strengths match your needs.

3. Parroting back what's on the website or brochure. To try to show their knowledge about a particular business school, some applicants go to the school's website or brochure and copy text from them into their essays. Admission officers are oftentimes the ones who write this material and it does not impress them to see their own descriptions of their schools in essays. You need to do your own research. Visiting a school and talking to some of its students and faculty is critical. By doing so you can include in your essays what you have learned from sitting in on classes, interacting with students or observing an activity. This kind of insight demonstrates that you have taken the time to research the school and understand what it has to offer you.

4. Assuming the persona of whom you think the school wants. Some applicants try to be who they think the admission officers want them to be. They may say that they want to go into a field that they are not excited about, exaggerate strengths that they think will impress the school or even try to flatter the admission officers by declaring that their school is the only one for them. Unless you mean it, the admission officers will see through this hyperbole. It is better to reveal your honest intentions, strengths and opinions. You will pro...