Mr. X / he

IN ESSAYS

Where the subject of the previous sentence was something other than the subject of the current sentence, use the full form of the subject (here, “Mr. X”) instead of a pronoun (“he”), since the pronoun will seem as if it refers to the subject of the previous sentence (here, "many people”).

IN LoRs
Your recommender only needs to use your first and last name (Mr. Vince Ricci) once, at the very beginning of the letter, the first time he refers to you. Thereafter, he can refer you to as Mr. Ricci, or Vince. 

Differentiate, or die!

Never write something that someone else could write.

Too often, clients in their essays with something like, This will allow me to achieve my long-term goal.

Why do you even assume that the reader remembers your long-term goal? That was pages ago :) Seriously, use every single opportunity to remind busy readers of what you are trying to achieve and why you care about it. 

Like all humans, admissions office readers learn through repetition. Learn how to say the same thing in a different way. Paraphrase your specific goals. Never use a generic phrase like "my short-term goal" or "my long-term goal." Just because that phrase appears in the question you don't need to repeat it in your essay. You have specific goals. Remind them what your specific goals are at every opportunity. 

Show them the money

One of the hardest things from my Japanese clients to understand is that American people want to hear a hopeful story. It's okay to talk about Japan lagging behind in this area or that area when trying to convince your company to sponsor your MBA or when applying for a Fulbright scholarship or a similar grant. However, when writing for or speaking with admissions officers, tell them a story about the opportunity that you hope to capture.