I have a question about what exactly Essay A and Essay B are looking for. Essay A asks to discuss how my background will help me achieve my goals and be successful at CMU. Essay B asks to give my background in finance, computer science, math, and statistics, with a detailed discussion of my background in calculus-based probability theory. So, both essays are essentially asking me to give my academic background. Because one could easily give the same laundry list of academic history for each one, I'm thinking that CMU is hoping for students to notice the subtleties in answering both essays. My approach right now is to give some highlights from my academic background for each of the core areas requested in Essay B, but with most of the essay being about my calculus-based probability knowledge. I'm also making most of Essay A to be about my goals and how I will be successful at CMU, but somehow linking my academic and professional background to support these statements. Am I understanding these essays correctly? Or am I totally off track here?