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by
ADMISSIONADO
Admissionado Guide
Hello there!
Welcome to Admissionados 50 MBA ESSAYS THAT WORKED - Volume One.
So youre applying to graduate school and, my my, youve chosen some of the
most selective, elite and hard-hitting top programs in the world. You feel you can
shine at these prestigious institutions and now (you cant believe it) youre actually
applying. Whoa.
Perhaps its a career change that has set you on this path. Youve been climbing
the ranks as a specialist at a premier financial institution for the better part of a
decade, directing millions of ducats where they belong, but you cant put your
dream on hold for another second. Youre ready to go full-time with your blooming
side business, to take your innovative web designs and start that IT firm you
know you can rock in your sleep if only you knew about day-to-day operations
management.
Perhaps youve taken over your grandfathers hotel chain and opened three new
luxury locations in the last five years across your native country. As the growing
companys heir, you want to harness all your new authority to expand into new
business areas with different concepts, using your resources to make the right
choices but you find you lack the know-how to maximize your margins and
reposition for the future. You arent quite sure how much further you can take it
without applying the fundamentals of modern business.
Or perhaps as the rising star analyst at one of the worlds premier biometric labs,
you just executed the merger of a lifetime, leading the charge with work ethic,
techno-savvy, and sheer will. Youve gotten the attention of the CEO who wants
to make you the go-to mind for all major tech decisions. But first, they need for to
you become a well-rounded executive, which means getting that business-based
education you always dreamed of.
Well, heres what we say: good for you! And at Admissionado we believe in the
power of the written word to help you get there. Or, as we like to call them, a set
of precision essays. After all, just about every business school in the world, from
Harvard to INSEAD to LBS, will require you to dust off your quill and ink to pen
together a coherent, interesting and convincing argument for your candidacy.
Youll be asked for statements of purpose, career assessments and goals, personal
narratives, and most importantly, clear examples of your leadership skills in action.
Gulp.
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Can you convince the admissions committee that you are one of the CEOs of
tomorrow? Will you impact the world with your leadership and leave it a better
place? Have you confronted failure and disappointment? Have you the ambition to
make your vision a reality, and are you organized and disciplined enough to see
it through? What have you done so far that should make anyone believe you can
even pull it off? Are you prepared to show me the money!? Indeed, the time has
come to put the answers to these questions and more on paper. And thats where
Admissionado comes in.
Youve taken the tests, gotten your scores, and picked your schools. Assuming you
are sharing similar credentials as the thousands of other applicants, how do you
set yourself apart? Whatever your particular reasoning is for getting an MBA, its
crucial that you play your cards as expertly as possible by presenting essays that
make a compelling case in an unforgettable way. After all, you may not be the only
stock market genius hoping to jump start an equity career.
Does all this seem daunting, if not impossible? Maybe the thought of writing
anything about yourself sends you into a cold sweat. Trust us, with a little patience
and good old-fashioned effort you, too, can be one of the thousands heading off
to a top-ten MBA program next year after impressing an admissions committee with
your story.
To prove it, weve put together this collection of real essays from applicants who,
once the dust settled, had their pick of top schools. As youll see, they all have
different careers and experiences. Some of these inspiring folks were applying to
U.S. schools from as far away as Seoul, Istanbul, or Rio De Janeiro. In other cases,
they were moving in the opposite direction, wanting to leave American shores for
Europe and beyond.
Nevertheless, after working with Admissionado, all were able to produce these
grade-A works even though, in several cases, English was their third or fourth
language in life. We helped these young go-getters take the raw material of what
they had and compress and polish it into a diamond. We worked with the client to
create an individual representation that cannot be copied or faked. These were their
stories, their ideas, and ultimately their accomplishments. We poked and prodded
them, strategized with them, and asked all manner of thought-provoking questions.
We gave them the tools to improve the clarity and effectiveness of their writing.
Together, we present you with the following essays to read, essays that ultimately
unlocked the schools of each authors dreams.
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Youll find these essays are models of economy and clarity. They are free of
linguistic clutter, eschewing chunks of adjectival clauses for precise ideas. They are
trying to connect with the reader, not bog them down with lists. They all feature
an ease in readability, a wide range of unique voicing and styles, and at times,
even singular senses of humor. Their authors were able to take a step back and
demonstrate the ability to see the big picture; they aimed high and strove to feature
themselves shining brightly from the center of an impressive past and ambitious
future.
They were leaders of people and said so. Sure, there were mountains of revenue,
but monetary results were not the only thing they wrote about. They righted the
ships of sinking companies, spoke their minds to persuade bosses, and sometimes
even saved lives. Their visions were bold, and the personal detail included is
frequently courageous and, if nothing else, refreshingly honest. And often, less
was more: while detail and context were certainly necessary, each essayist more
or less hits the expected word count by sticking to whats important. Through it all,
Admissionado was there, providing feedback and guidance. In the end, we all
discovered something about ourselves, and in the process rendered essays that are
interesting, compelling and fun. (And they worked!)
We hope you enjoy this volume as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Lets
take a look at what some of tomorrows leaders wrote. Are you next?
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PART
L eadership A nd
A ccomplishments
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In Part One, we take a look at what they did, how they did it, and how they
told it.
At work or at play, at home or abroad, they got their hands dirty, they rolled
up their sleeves and made something happen. They fixed something broken.
They created something never before seen. They followed a dream, plugged
a hole, or saved a life. They brought in truck loads of dough. How did they
lead that special something? What did they actually DO ya know, literally?
With their hands and their minds and their time, what actions were taken?
If it was a personal achievement, what did it entail in terms of effort? What
tasks were required? What did it lead to?
The essays tend to maintain a strict focus on one topic in defined time
and space. Location is clear, duties are specific, schedules are clear and
compelling results are plentiful. They also took the time to set up the
problem. Or in other words, what was going wrong before they stepped
in. It is clear their worlds would have ended up in worse condition had they
not stepped up to the plate. And more often than not, they strove to start the
essays off with a bang.
MBA programs are looking for the leaders of tomorrow, which means
leading people not projects, not products, but leading PEOPLE to great
things.
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plan to attract people to attend the auction: every attendant would have
a chance to draw lottery to win an electronic gadget. Moreover, I invited
a community arts group to perform in the auction. I also asked my father,
who can amazingly play five different music instruments including flute and
harmonica, to perform.
The event was so successful that we had auctioned every item and raised
$10,400. Meanwhile, my salesmen worked hard to promote May revenues,
which rose by 8% from April to $90,000+. In the end, I raised $13,000+,
much more than expected, and helped shelter an entire small town together.
This experience showed me how to achieve an objective by breaking it down
to specific parts, methodically. Moreover, it revealed to me the power of a
great idea in the service of others ultimately, the best ideas bring people
together with seemingly unrelated resources to find solutions that matter.
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paid off when I pitched our services to prospective investors. I acquired four
prestigious clients and spearheaded three strategic global partnerships.
From a one-man-team to twelve people today, from zero to 14% of the
firms overall revenues and the accreditation of Google Ad-Words Qualified
Company, my division and I have come a long way.
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proactive partner to applicants, assisting them in their search for their dream
contracting job. In six months, the websites revenues grew by 40%, restoring
the founder to the industry-leading status he deserved.
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Tell us about a time when you took a risk and what you
learned from that experience.
Yes, the firm is still currently being investigated by the SEC. And yes, its CEO
was on the FBIs most-wanted list. But my recommendation for the deal
stands, I said.
Scrutiny filled the room full of veteran bankers from the Loan Committee
of Bank of America (BOA) Global Banking. I knew they would come at me
hard, but I was ready.
Several months earlier, I had just been promoted to Relationship Manager
(RM) into BOAs startup Global Banking office in New York. My job was
to build our client base lending money to multinational middle-market
companies and large corporations and then cross-selling banking services to
them. Those additional services make up the meat of our profits. But since we
were a start-up group and lacked pre-existing clients, I had trouble finding
new borrowers to cultivate. It was tough, so I hatched an unusual idea.
Rather than chasing new leads, what if I looked in BOAs own backyard?
I started screening a shared internal database of existing clients that other
BOA divisions were terminating.
One telecommunications company jumped out. Four years ago, its CEO
was convicted for stock-option backdating. This cost the company its AMEX
listing and an accumulated loss of $1Bn in the past three years. Surprisingly,
the company survived these trials. In fact, last year its profits were already
recovering with steady sales of $1.2Bn and plenty of cash in the bank. Rather
than terminate the relationship, I began to wonder, What if we stood by this
company through its hard times? If we took a fresh look at the firm, perhaps
we might be able to cross-sell more banking products, and build a lasting
relationship as well.
The risk was high. If I vouched for the deal and the telecom failed, all
eyes would be on me as the new RM who gambled with BOAs money
and reputation. I would risk my credibility earned over the last 28 months,
overseeing more than 100 loans and restructuring over 30 without a single
loss through the credit crisis. And all for a company that was just delisted,
and was under SEC investigation? I had to be crazy.
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I set out to do more diligence. I met with the company, and they were very
open with their financial statements. As I had expected, the numbers checked
out, and the company had clearly stabilized. I next visited with the companys
CEO to understand the lawsuits that the company continued to battle. After
all, they might impact BOAs reputation. The CEO candidly disclosed the
settlements progress, and after a few months of cross-referencing with his
attorneys and our experts in compliance and legal, I was comfortable. This
company was more than stableit was growing.
Hopeful and excited, I shared the potential recognition with my team
and regional superior, who was also a member of Loan Committee. As I
explained how I tackled the key issues, their skeptical frowns slowly turned
into approving nods.
Three months after identifying this unusual opportunity, I presented the deal
to the Loan Committee. They asked for the opinion of BOAs compliance
chief, and I relayed it, just as he had relayed it to me two weeks before. They
scrutinized my analysis and I illustrated how I had mitigated the risks. The
discussion evolved and became more heated, and my superior jumped to
defend the case too. Thirty hard-fought minutes later, we gained approval.
Taking risks does not mean going in blind, or rolling the dice. In fact, the
only risks worth taking are those that are carefully measured, and those with
sound logic that doesnt falter under scrutiny. We also do not have to fly solo.
With my regional supervisor on board, I knew that my chances of getting
through the loan committee were good. Through this experience, I have
learned the importance of a team that shares not only the rewards, but also
the risks on a deal. The sum of these experiences has taught me the power
of intrepreneurism. In other words, by navigating corporate politics to
gain buy-in, one can leverage the deep resources of a large bank to create
exciting, new opportunities.
Our continued partnership with the telecom saved the company from
liquidation and, 5,000 jobs. As the company rebounded, our annual profits
increased from $1M to $1.4M, and now our relationship with the bank could
not be stronger. A business relationship, like a marriage, is deepened by
faithful partners in sickness and in health.
A few weeks later, I encountered a similar situation, where the subsidiary
of a Fortune Global 500 company produced phenomenal returns but
disclosed no financials. While most banks passed on the deal, I dug deeper,
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help key accounts such as J&J, and P&G. But these pale in comparison to the
feeling I had, when six months after I first met Mai, she shared her grades
with me: Mai scored 83/100, up from 25/100. Sometimes, leadership is
more than managing a team; it is setting an example, and inspiring someone
to achieve something that they never thought they could do.
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PART
F ailures , S etbacks ,
and D isappointments
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The essays that make up Part Two keep it real. The best way to talk about
failure is to talk about failure. Sounds redundant, but every year, schools
are bombarded by failure essays written by applicants who are not
demonstrating the analytical wherewithal to identify a failure in life, or who
are lacking in the honesty to really deliver it. Or worse, they write about a
success in the slick mustachioed disguise of a failure
This one time, I was too smart and instead of making the company $4
Million dollars, I accidentally made them $5 Million. Oops.
That aint goin to cut it, partner. What really works are the honest stories in
which you fall flat on your face. Or setbacks that crush your will to live. The
best ones will be the wildest belly flops. They arent passing the buck either;
rather, they own every ounce of the misstep. If theres room, a little about
redemption at the end usually works. By finishing it this way, a sense of
wisdom is conveyed, as well as courage. These made us cry, made us cheer,
or made us say Holy crap, dude! You forgot WHAT? Lets see how these
particular examples play out.
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In that instant, I regained control and took powerlessness out of the equation.
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could have. I was the star performer of the team and my manager had high
hopes from me.
I was tempted to take the above path, but ultimately something held me
back. Usually, I felt confident about my pitch that Visage was the best option.
This was no longer the case. Giving Pope consciously incomplete information
seemed inappropriate. My father used to say, Its easy to gain someones
trust, but difficult to live up to it. He was a psycho-therapist and had to
wrestle with such predicaments regularly. How could I give up what he had
instilled in me so easily? I gave Pope an honest comparison of returns of our
fund as well as with the other companys funds.
Things unfolded in a way that I had not expected. He appreciated my action
and unbiased advice, and in spite of the information at hand, decided to give
the funds to Visage once again. This laid the foundation of an ever-lasting
relationship of trust. This incident continues to serve as a guiding light in my
life. It is necessary to realize that some values cannot be comprised and some
lines have to be drawn.
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PART
P ersonal
E ssays / S tatements
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When you join the HBS Class of 2013, how will you
introduce yourself to your new classmates?
Studies show that public speaking is the average persons #1 fear, topping
death at #5. I get that, since most people havent flirted with a near-death
experience.
My name is Matthew Lau. I nearly died of leukemia at age 10 and have
since worked hard battling for my well-being my life. Thats why I live fully
through three great loves: learning, family, and community.
My first love is learning. Growing up as an EFL speaker English as a
Fifth Language Ive learned cultures through communicating in different
languages. Today, Im just as comfortable speaking four Chinese dialects as
I am talkin country slang on a farm near my college town of Iowa City, Iowa.
Ive ventured around the world and called six cities home. I always seek
to learn and experience as much as I can, wherever I find myself. I have
camped outside Wrigley Field to catch homerun balls, zip-lined across Costa
Rican forests, and captained a sailboat along a Mediterranean coastline. In
fact, Ive almost overcome my #1 fear of snakes. Almost.
My second love is family. Years ago, my mother uprooted our family from
Hunan to Berkeley seeking fresher air to help promote my remission. For
years, she labored to pay my medical bills. I worked throughout college to
afford my tuition but had yet to take care of her.
After graduation, I assumed her mortgage payments and took her to explore
the rest of China. We hiked the Great Wall. We basked in the beauty of her
favorite national park. We even meditated with monks as I introduced her to
my various spiritual philosophies.
My third love is community. Buddhism taught me to act on my compassion.
I gathered friends to raise $3,100 in the Ragbrai Bike-race for the 2008
Sichuan earthquake. I later raised $3,400 with a team in the Chicago
Marathon for nonprofit First Heart Magazine which channeled the money
to underfunded Asian charities. With breath came the freedom to make a
difference.
At HBS we will learn from each other inside and outside the classroom. We
will burn the midnight oil together preparing for our case interviews, because
we will be like family. And I will cheer you on during the Twinkie eating
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contest, since Section Olympics will enrich our community. You can count on
me: after all, these three things are my passions.
When you join the Harvard Class of 2013, how will you
introduce yourself to your new classmates?
I consider myself to be from the mid-Atlantic, as my life has always been
situated mid-way between the New and the Old World. I was born and
raised in Germany and grew up as a typical Deustche kid in a Berlin suburb,
a few miles from the Wall. I loved accompanying my parents to the town
market. I gorged myself with local pastries every weekend, and I could recite
at least five German Pillar Fables by heart. I didnt start speaking English until
I was five. My father was born in Provo, Utah, and my mother in a valley near
Munich; my upbringing was a mixed bag of German and American culture.
My horizons grew beyond the Atlantic when I attended the Rammstein High
School, a-one-of-a-kind bilingual German education. The environment
made me eager to experience how people lived and thought differently, and
I organized trips to explore different parts of the world, from the Spanish
Basque Country to the coasts of Queensland, Australia. My most enriching
trip took me by rail from Paris through Berlin to Istanbul, Turkey. From there,
we traveled back through Eastern Europe until I hit the border of Czech
Republic. This trip displayed in full array the horrors as well as the sublime
beauty that made up my European heritage.
Ive lived for the past three years in San Francisco, California, which is about
as different from Berlin as any place can be. To connect with the community,
Ive volunteered at a local afterschool program. This year, Ive spent over
three hundred hours with twenty-five kids from underprivileged backgrounds,
children of Hispanic undocumented workers. Being an immigrant myself,
there was a sense of complicity between us. We shared a migratory heritage.
We played soccer, and I spoke German to themthe first time many had
heard such a thing. I earned their trust and formed a special connection. I
felt immense pride when after months of tutoring and countless motivational
speeches, all were making passing grades for the first time in math and
science.
Ive spent much of my life in places where I feel different from those around
me. As a result Ive come to feel at home whenever I am with people who
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are not worried about where I come from. And I do my best to reciprocate.
Whether in France, Germany, Nicaragua or California, surrounding myself
with people like that is what I strive for.
When you join the HBS Class of 2013, how will you
introduce yourself to your new classmates?
Hi, Im Giovanna. What can I do to help?
One summer when I was growing up in Weedsport, New York, I worked the
night shift at a gas station. Though it wasnt the most glamorous job Ive had,
it taught me never to see myself as being too good to help others. Cleaning
a windshield or getting on one knee to check tire pressure went a long way to
developing loyal customers. Late-night travelers were especially grateful when
I took the time to write down directions for them.
As a student at University of Kentucky, I lived out that lesson in small ways. I
encouraged classmates to join me in the Big Sister Program at Sacred Heart
Elementary School in one of Kentuckys poorest counties. For three years I
spent four hours each week helping my little sister Tiana, who knew neither
her mother nor father, with her homework. When I took Tiana to a volleyball
game, five of the players noticed, asked me about Tiana, and signed up for
the program the following year.
When I graduated and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, I had a chance
meeting with the current Miss North Carolina. Impressed by the Miss North
Carolina organizations emphasis on empowering women, I asked what I
could do to help. Since then, Ive been a volunteer interview coach and essay
consultant for a few Miss US-State contestants and even a third-runner-up to
Miss America. That particular contestant won nearly $50,000, enabling her
to go to college.
The day I transitioned from U.S. Bank back to my alma mater to serve as
an Admissions Financing Specialist, I asked just about everyone on campus
what I could do to help. One party was especially interested in my financial
modeling the president of the college, himself an HBS MBA. President
Charles Flash Fitzgerald asked me to build the colleges $28 million
budget and analyze the effects of different cohort sizes, retention, yield, and
discount rates. After delivering my recommendations to the Board of Trustees,
I convinced the Board to keep rates high to help the admissions team remain
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we did from those classes, learning how good companies work, how some
companies fail, and how to independently understand a business through
research, reading financials, and personal experience essential skills
lacking in many Wall Street analysts today.
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How have the changes in the global economy over the last
18 months affected you and your plan for the future?
(400 words)
1 year return 49.8% p.a
3 year returns 46% p.a
5 year returns 45.4% p.a
* The above returns are of BOVESPA (Brazil Stock Exchange) representative
of the Brazil Stock Market December 2007.
In the world of investments, those stats werein a wordglorious. Coupled
with a 9% growth rate of the Brazilian economy, this killer sales pitch virtually
wrote itself. But after January 2008, that all changed. The market collapsed
and stocks did not stop plummeting until March 2009. As Relationship
Manager of Power Mutual Fund, I had to find a brand new way to approach
understandably shaken investors.
Until then, I saw myself as a salesman gunning for targets. But the meltdown
had implications far beyond merely affecting sales numbers. It altered the
psychology of my investors causing them to lose trust in the entire financial
system. They were looking for an explanation, clamoring for truth; ultimately,
they wanted reassurance more than anything. I had to step back from
my myopic view and listen to their concerns, answer their questions, and
convince them not to panic. While this did not remedy the situation, it gave
them hope along with an outlet for their anger. People no longer relied on
facts, but needed relationships. The only investors who gave me business
during this time were the ones who had full faith and confidence that I would
never give them dishonest advice.
These experiences further strengthened my resolve to move out of an
industry that prized profit over people. But, the changing times have made
this transition even more difficult non-profits face new challenges such
as donors and volunteers who are retreating, sponsorships that have been
denied and plans and projects that are on hold. This has forced me to look
beyond the answers I was used to giving. I can no longer be content with
just developing a plan for my clients and advising them on implementation;
I need to be sure that the plan is robust and flexible enough to deal with
unexpected events. I need to develop as a leader who can lead: not just in
rosy times, but when things are bleak and when unplanned challenges arise.
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With the help of a Darden MBA, I hope to be a leader whose killer pitch will
be based on the promise of a helping hand rather than gaudy numbers.
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Passion is contagious. A great idea in a lifeless bed of words will fall on deaf
ears. And the more passionately dedicated you are to your individual goals,
the more likely you are to achieve them, and therefore enjoy success. And
schools like successful applicants, especially of the future variety. Go figure.
Enter Part Four, the mother of all the essay categories. All schools will have
a version of this question. Some schools will have no other question besides
this one. Truthfully, if you have offered them sparkling tales of leadership and
developed a scintillating personal portrait through other essays, but fall flat
with your career essay well, lets just not go there.
So how did our heroes pull it off? Youll notice in Part Four essays that are
clear and ambitious without being far-fetched. These people passionately
want to become experts and leaders in areas they already have built some
body of work. And they are aiming HIGH. They dont want an MBA to get
a promotion in a year or two. Nah, they want to be the one giving the
promotions. Or they want to change the world and have an actual, plausible
plan about how to pull it off. Lets dive right in and absorb the tone and
rhythm of this crucial type of essay.
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but lack clear and developed business plans. I have talked to consultants
in McKinsey Louisiana after hurricane Katrina and DSM (Delta Strategic
Management Group) and confirmed that most rural non-profits cannot afford
their expensive services. My plan to establish a consulting firm targeting
the neglected group of rural non-profits is sensible, pragmatic, and most
importantly, achievable.
I didnt initially know that my calling would be in non-profit consulting. As
Relationship Manger of the banking-segment in Reliance Mutual Fund, I
mainly was crunching numbers, and it was the bankers who were deploying
problem-solving skills to assess and realign clients investment needs. They
were driving real solutions to real problems. My long-term aspiration is to
combine my financial experience with my newfound passion for management
consulting to solve the funding and logistical setbacks facing Arizonas
NGOs.
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The sooner I broaden my skills, the faster I can have greater impact on my
clients businesses and the global community they affect. Now is the time to
act on this dream.
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to upgrade the sales incentives and techniques that I have improvised, into
more professional, established HR systems. Within five years of graduating
from Duke, I will lead Mission to become a top redistributor in India by
expanding sales outlets to Pune, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad, around
which many electronic product manufacturers cluster.
Ultimately, I will crystallize my long-term vision: to grow Mission into a truly
global business. I will first establish sales/after-service offices in Taiwan,
Singapore and other South East Asian countries, which host many renowned
international manufacturers. I am inspired to localize my enterprise by
recruiting a local workforce, who share similar culture and background with
our local customers, and therefore can enter into long-term relationships
by face-to-face service. Next, I will set up procurement offices in US and
Europe, where most semiconductor manufacturers there are headquartered,
guaranteeing a stable global supply chain.
The global redistribution trade is burgeoning, boasting two-digit growth
rates over the past five years. I aspire to promote my current $1.2 million
business into a multi-million enterprise with operations around the world, with
hundreds of motivated colleagues working together towards the same goal.
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debt syndication for infrastructure projects. Over the past two months, I have
spearheaded the financing of a new port, and, while 11 banks have agreed
to fund the $170M deal, they have insisted on a caveat that the developer
infuse $43M in equity first funds which havent yet materialized.
Given such scenarios, it is not surprising that Senegal has added only 17% of
its planned power capacity and 13% to its roadwork infrastructure in the past
five years.
I aim to launch a private equity fund, investing in Senegals infrastructure.
Projects such as building power plants, ports or toll roads are capital
intensive, and require equity before loan funds can be infused. The fund will
invest in developers with technical capability but lacking the requisite financial
muscle. And once it proves itself successful in West Africa, it will shift its focus
onto other emerging economies in Asia.
To date, my experience has been primarily as a debt syndicator and not as
an investor. Investing requires a different skill set structuring and valuation
dexterity, negotiation proficiency, and the ability to identify profitable exits.
But as I establish and subsequently grow my fund, I will become proficient in
a range of entrepreneurship, talent management and fund-raising skills that
I wouldnt gain if I stayed at SBI. And it is a CBS MBA which will empower me
to transition from the role of debt syndicator to a PE professional while still
continuing in the domain of infrastructure.
Post-MBA, I will join a firm such as Barclays Capital, The Blackstone Group
or IFC which invests in West African infrastructure. There, I will learn the
due diligence fundamentals of investing in long-gestation projects, and the
balancing act between risk and rewards, given a funds limited time-frame.
At the firm I will rise to the position of a General Partner before I venture into
my own infra-focused fund.
A CBS MBA suits these goals perfectly. Dr. Sturmbachs PE in Emerging
Economies class is an ideal fit for me. Investments in emerging economies
are closely tied to local governments, and her experience as a policy advisor
will be especially helpful in this regard. I will secure valuation skills from
Professor Gonzalezs Venture Capital: Risks/Opportunity, and I am eager
to enroll in Professors Setzers and Lees Master Class on Private Equity
and Entrepreneurship, where I will gain experiential training on investing
in emerging economies. Simultaneously, I will avail myself of the 10-day
pro-bono Internship Program and participate in the CBSs PEVC Conference
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to bring the grad community closer to the private equity industry. Also, to
improve my exposure to international work practices, I will participate in one
of the Rutherford International Study Tours, and likely spend a semester in a
Partner School under the Rutherford MBA Exchange Program.
Engaging with The Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center through the
Entrepreneurial Sounding Board in order to obtain critical feedback on my
planned venture is also part of my plan at CBS. Even after my MBA has
finished, I will stay associated with The Stenet Center through the Partnership
Program and become a part of Women Entrepreneurs Network, as well as
CWIB, where I will not only partner with my peers, but also provide guidance
to future female leaders from CBS.
I am eager to bridge the lack of funding in Senegalese infrastructure sector
by connecting equity to fledgling projects, and there is no better place to
hone the skills I need to achieve this goal than CBS. Hopefully by, future
generations wont have to experience the same darkness I did!
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closely with an accomplished, global team. It will also give me the chance to
meet like-minded individuals who are also interested in green energy, who
might join me in my future venture.
During the past three years, I have developed a broad range of skills
and perspectives. My sales experiences have equipped me with analytical
background, strategic thinking and a shrewd sense for identifying commercial
opportunities in the energy field. However, my current job doesnt expose
me to broader range of subjects required to run my own business, including
supply chain optimization, R&D and HR management. I also lack the financial
training which would enable me to manage funds and raise moneyboth
will be necessary to grow. A Fuqua MBA will be the ideal training ground for
me to equip myself with these critical skillsand to meet the next generation
of leaders who will join me in this journey.
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Come take a tour of campus with us in Part Five, where clients display their
insider knowledge about the MBA program. The best versions of this essay,
sometimes part of the Career Essay, discuss actual classes and teachers by
name specific to a school. There should be clear reasoning about WHY the
applicant needs to work with these teachers and professors, or what exactly
they stand to gain from a specific course offering.
Take every morsel of time you have before you submit to research the school
and show them youve done your homework. Show them youre aware the
basketball team went to the Final Four, that the World Economics Curriculum
is in its fifth year, or that studying from their campus in Shanghai is exactly
what you need to launch your online education company.
Make them feel appreciated and admired for your goals, instead of just
another anonymous safety school on your list, and youll get further than
your competitors. But dont write them a love-letter full of flattery either. They
are more than aware of their ranking, prestige, and value. Instead, make it
more about how you will use that value to fulfill your own destiny.
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the Asia Business Conference this past February, I would have participated
in the discussion with such business leaders as Gary Sousa, an IBM director,
and learned more about contemporary Hi-Tech industry trends in the East
from his perspective.
I will also share my working/start-up lessons in Japan and Singapore with
my fellow classmates. I will help those students who determine to launch
their own businesses in Japan to socialize with or even visit my Japanese
entrepreneur friends, who engage in a broad range of industries from
financial services to textiles trading. I have more than eight years of close
friendship with those entrepreneurs, and they will sincerely contribute their
guidance to my Duke classmates.
Lastly, I am also eager to learn from my creative, entrepreneurial classmates,
all of whom will have exciting, powerful experiences of their own to share. I
cannot be more excited to meet and exchange ideas with Duke students; their
diverse global experiences and vision will surely capture my imagination, and
we will inspire one another to achieve even more.
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Operation Club and in SEA to catalyze more collaboration between the two
groups.
New York is the dynamic epicenter for many clean energy companies,
including Hess and Consolidated Edison, where I could learn real-world
practices. Moreover, Sterns strong connection with private equity firms
located in NYC, such as Expansion Capital Partners, which invest in missiondriven clean-tech companies, would be a valuable resource for me to grow
my venture in the future.
Perhaps the most exciting element of the Stern experience is being immersed
in a multinational community of highly-engaged students. I look forward
to engaging my classmates through learning teams, sharing my sales and
marketing experiences in a diverse group of industries, including electrical
energy, silicon, and textiles. I am equally excited to learn of others diverse
backgrounds as well.
I will take the lead in organizing a study trip to Japan, where I hope to
share with peers all my exciting observations from Japanese clean energy
sector and deepen our understanding of one of todays most exciting
business landscapes. During my time at Stern and afterwards, I will utilize
the resources of the distinguished Stern alumni network, and add my own
resources in Japan, especially to build partnerships and collectively support
our career ambitions. I am confident that NYUs Stern School of Business will
propel me forward in my goal to bring clean energy to communities across
Japan.
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and lead the effort in inviting speakers and organizing private banking
events. I will also seek the role of VP Events at Stern Adventures club. As
an accomplished hiking enthusiast, I am keen to organize hiking trips with
my classmates, perhaps even rallying peers up to Maine or Vermont for a
relaxing weekend.
I will bring all I have within me to Stern, and I will contribute to the
community with every ounce of my strength.
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these discussions.
The second part of the class will be a project. Groups of students will partner
with social entrepreneurs throughout Thailand, and learn about the problems
theyre attempting to fix, and how effective their models are. As students
develop an understanding of the enterprises strategy and operations, they
will develop an action plan to help develop the enterprise from the viewpoint
of an investor seeking sustainable long-term improvement and growth.
Should we invest in this enterprise? If so, how much? Debt or equity? How
active a role should we play as investors? Our strategies will be shared with
the entrepreneur for feedback, and ultimately, for implementation. The final
three class meetings will be presentations by the teams on their action plans,
followed by Q&A from the class. This presentation will comprise the other
50% of the students grade in the course.
The course will culminate in a trip to Bangkok coordinated with the Thai
Club and the Thailand Trek in the winter, to meet personally with the social
enterprises we have been helping. Well meet their stakeholders, further
develop our understanding of the challenges and the enterprises solutions,
make modifications to our plans for improving the enterprise, and begin
implementing our ideas. In Thailand, well meet with Candice Wu, the
Commissioner of Education in Bangkok, whom I have met at an education
conference. In our discussions, she has expressed her eagerness to innovate
the system, and she is open to all possible solutions. We will also visit several
schools and meet with principals, teachers, students and parents.
The course will be taught by Professor Leo Pu, whose focus in Asian business
leadership will be valuable in developing students perspective of leadership
in Thailand. He is an expert in the management of emerging organizations in
emerging economies, and his breadth of experience and network in Thailand
will help establish local credibility.
I envision that the course will lead to more collaborations with the Wharton
Social Venture Fund. Wharton has an extraordinary entrepreneurial program,
and this will be a powerful experience for students to combine a robust
finance and management program with innovative and creating thinking. We
will develop innovative, far-reaching solutions, as a team.
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PART
O P T I O N A L E S S AY S
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Optional Essay
I recognize that few aspiring investment bankers apply to Booth as employees
of a college admissions office. I would like to describe why I left banking,
especially given my career goals in the field.
In the spring of 2010 Gartson-Stevens Inc.s deal pipeline was the smallest
it had ever been. Rather than working on live deals, I found myself in the
monotonous routine of creating pitchbooks for deals we were unlikely to
land.
Around the same time, the Dean of Admissions at North Park University
asked me if I would be interested in working as an Assistant Dean of
Admissions, in charge of four subordinates. The President of the university
also explained that he wanted me to use my financial modeling skill set to
build the schools $98 million budget and analyze how different cohort sizes,
attrition, yield, and discount rates would affect the 2010 budget.
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and teamwork. However, the more I learned about the broader picture of
organizational structure and execution of business plans, the more I was
drawn to the idea of applying my business skills to what I love most - helping
my country exploit missed opportunities.
Whitman had a specifically British focus - most of my teammates shared
the same values and perceptions as my own. However, in order to achieve
success for my vision in rural areas where missed opportunities may be the
result of outmoded practices, I need a more global experience. I need skills
to work in diverse teams, to understand and integrate the perspectives of
stakeholders belonging to different cultures with different values. A Harvard
Business School MBA will deliver this experience, helping me bring diverse
and new ideas that have been tested around the world to the remote hamlets
in England that need them the most.
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