Admission Esasays PDF

50 M BA E SSAYS
THAT WOR K E D
by ADMISSIONADO
Admissionado Guide
Hello there!
Welcome to Admissionado’s 50 MBA ESSAYS THAT WORKED - Volume One.
So you’re applying to graduate school and, my my, you’ve 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 can’t believe it) you’re actually
applying. Whoa.
Perhaps it’s a career change that has set you on this path. You’ve 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 can’t put your
dream on hold for another second. You’re 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 you’ve taken over your grandfather’s hotel chain and opened three new
luxury locations in the last five years across your native country. As the growing
company’s “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 aren’t 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 world’s premier biometric labs,
you just executed the merger of a lifetime, leading the charge with work ethic,
techno-savvy, and sheer will. You’ve 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, here’s 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.
You’ll be asked for statements of purpose, career assessments and goals, personal
narratives, and most importantly, clear examples of your leadership skills in action.
Gulp.
5 0 M B A e s s ay s t h at w o r k e d Volum e On e . 1
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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 that’s where
Admissionado comes in.
You’ve 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, it’s
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, we’ve put together this collection of real essays from applicants who,
once the dust settled, had their pick of top schools. As you’ll 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 author’s dreams.
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You’ll 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 what’s 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. Let’s
take a look at what some of tomorrow’s leaders wrote. Are you next?
{Please Note: In order to preserve the anonymity of these gracious volunteers,
we have redacted/modified occasional identifying information such as names,
locations, companies, etc. We urge you to look past any instances that may seem
out-of-step; and instead pull back to see what we (as well as the Adcom) see. Also,
essay prompts change year to year; you may notice these variations as well.}
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PART 1
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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Please describe a time when you took responsibility for

achieving an objective.
‘$310 going once, $310 twice, $310 deal! Ma’am, this brand new Vita-Mix
Juicer is yours!’ The crowd burst into applause.
It was a charity auction held in May 2008 in a shopping mall square of
Wagon Wheel, a Nasdaq-listed conglomerate which owns 20 shopping malls
in Texas. I was delighted as well, since as the co-organizer, I knew this $310
meant two more families could reserve shelters: the homeless who survived
the 2008 Oklahoma Tornado, producing the nation’s most devastating
tornado damage in recorded history.
Two weeks before, ABC reported that storm refugees lacked temporary
shelters in the coming months, and that $2.76 million was needed to
temporarily house victims. This news came out like a bomb, since we easily
calculated that each family’s spot would cost about $150.
After responding to several emergency alert requests, and collaborating with
representatives of FEMA and the Red Cross, I had signed up to deliver some
form of shelter to 50 families. But how to raise $10,400? Eager to help, I
had leapt before I had looked.
First, I contributed a percentage of my online business’ sales revenue in May.
I motivated my salespeople to close more orders by highlighting the mission,
hoping to inspire customers at the same time. However, since our monthly
revenue was only $83,000 at that time, I was still short of the target.
I recalled charity auctions I had organized when I was a member of League
of Action at university. We collected pens, souvenirs, and even bicycles from
donors and attracted students to the auctions.
Then what to collect this time? Six years’ work experiences in electronics
industry provided me an idea immediately: why not solicit my customers to
donate their surplus products, usually dead stock in their warehouse? Then
I could hand these products to Armorside, where my cousin Rennata was a
regional manager in charge of four malls. I called Rennata and excitedly told
her my idea. ‘Let’s do it!’ she exclaimed.
In the following two weeks, my salesmen and I called all our customers
and successfully got 80+ electronic products such as wireless telephones,
blenders, baby monitors, MP4s, etc. Then I helped Armorside work out a
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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.
Tell us about your most significant accomplishment.
“One day I’ll own a company bigger than Nike,” I assured my mother
when I was eleven years old. While I haven’t started that company just yet,
establishing the Paid Search Marketing division of Dellfix from the ground up
felt very close to the same thing.
I needed to accept a pay-cut and leave my stable job in order to join the
25-person internet marketing startup. I also needed to train myself, single-
handedly manage clients’ marketing campaigns, and meet certain pre-
defined targets within six months, or the company would buckle and I’d need
to find another job.
Simple choice: I took the leap. I devoured online tutorials and learned to
create and manage marketing campaigns on search engines and websites
for online businesses. It was a crash course in on-the-job training and I
quickly combated a steep learning curve. As I shed my training wheels and
settled in, I wondered how far I could take this division...
I engineered a well-oiled scalable process for managing campaigns. My
designed training structure was effective at quickly transforming a lay person
into an efficient campaign manager. My domain knowledge grew as I
attended conferences and delivered lectures at colleges on search-marketing.
Managing 120+ campaigns in 17 sectors, my confidence grew, which
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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
firm’s overall revenues and the accreditation of “Google Ad-Words Qualified
Company,” my division and I have come a long way.
At Booth, we value innovation and creativity. Describe a

time when you created positive change in a group or an
organization.
A year ago at work, I spoke with the founder of a Boston-based Home
Remodeling/Contracting-Jobs placement board. He was a leader in his
industry until his competitors created more compelling websites. Sure
enough, as soon as his own website’s visits tumbled, his company revenues
began sinking.
I studied the company’s website from a job applicant’s perspective and
instantly recognized some flaws. The company’s value proposition wasn’t
clear. As a hypothetical prospective applicant, I was left with questions: Will
I get the department/job I want? How many jobs postings do they have? For
these and many more, they had no answers. Impressed with our quick and
clear feedback, the founder gave us permission to overhaul the site.
I’m neither a writer, designer, nor sports enthusiast, but in spearheading this
project, I needed to become all three. I rewrote the site’s content, adding
client testimonials and contracting-job application tips and tested a sleek new
design. The analytics showed that subscriptions jumped by 11%. Not bad. I
implemented an algorithm that automatically notified members of specific
new job listings that would interest them, and even automatically applied to
those jobs for them.
Later, I encouraged the company to change its business model by providing
free job postings and opening up the entire job database to non-members.
These changes led to a further 12% jump in subscriptions.
My understanding of the target-audience needs coupled with creative
changes and analytical testing led to an overhaul of the marketing pitch of
this site. It was no longer a lifeless job-search portal. I re-positioned it as a
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proactive partner to applicants, assisting them in their search for their dream
contracting job. In six months, the website’s revenues grew by 40%, restoring
the founder to the industry-leading status he deserved.
Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was

defined, established, or expected.
Although Tiger Shares, Inc. has fewer than twenty employees, there is very
little collaboration because of the independent nature of the work, intense
accounting deadlines and the closed office layout. When I began working
there, I found it difficult to permeate the friendships among the accountants
because of my heavy workload and the distant location of my desk. But
because I value working in a collaborative environment, I sought to change
this.
I first attempted to connect with coworkers over the company-provided
chat messaging software to organize lunches and happy hours. After a few
months, my manager said he noticed an increased level of teamwork and
paid me the compliment by attributing it to me. As our friendships developed,
our interests began to mesh. One of the accountants, Zebo, is an avid yogi.
His passion sparked my own interest in yoga and I soon began to join him
on the mats during our lunch breaks. My novice dedication in turn influenced
other accountants and soon we all signed up to attend a yoga retreat
together. Seeing this traction, I suggested to a manager that the company
sponsor their own retreats to encourage others to join and he agreed. There
are now several annual retreats planned around different activities and
schedules.
I enjoy company-sponsored events because they create an opportunity to
discover the other dimensions of my coworkers. Because of the high level of
pressure to hit deadlines at Tiger Shares, there left little room for small talk in
the office. But I was able to find ways to build friendships with my coworkers
that in turn led to a more open and comfortable work environment for
everyone. And to this day, the company continues to support group activities
like yoga, tai chi, and even a 5K.
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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 FBI’s ‘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 BOA’s 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 BOA’s 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 BOA’s 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 company’s
CEO to understand the lawsuits that the company continued to battle. After
all, they might impact BOA’s reputation. The CEO candidly disclosed the
settlement’s 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 stable—it 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 BOA’s 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 doesn’t 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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working with legal, compliance, my team, and my supervisor to gain their
buy-in early. Then, I cemented their support by involving them in the due
diligence; today, that deal nets the bank over $2M annually. Incidentally, this
company’s financing challenge was captured the following year in a Wharton
case study.
People may be surprised to learn that I...
I own a domain name, manybeings.com, which I purchased in high school.
My initial exposure to building websites was a Media Blitz webpage, complete
with flashing banners and background music. I learned the basics of HTML
by analyzing source codes on websites. My content evolved from blog entries
on teenage angst into more creative expressions, such as projects juxtaposing
manipulated photos and text to tell a story. A passion for design ignited
within me. I delighted in the way art allowed me to see the world, and to
portray it – in shapes and patterns instead of just uses. I noticed details in
my everyday life I had not seen before, such as the typeface of a restaurant’s
menu, the way the eye is drawn to certain arrangements. I joined online
forums, connected with other graphic designers, and purchased books on
design.
My graphic design skills reached a level where I began helping volunteer
organizations with projects. I designed the website for Future Club, an
American Red Cross service organization for young people and logos for
nonprofits. I am always seeking to improve my skills by studying Adobe
Photoshop tutorials online and reading articles on design trends. Most
recently, I volunteered to complete the layout for Amnesty International’s
WID/GAD calendar and researched standard calendar sizes, the minimum
quality for clear photos, and the design flexibility of printing presses in
Honduras. A thousand calendars are scheduled to be printed next month
and handed out at the associated conference honoring exceptional women
working in volunteers’ sites.
The success of companies like Apple underscores the importance of
understanding how appearances shape our reactions and decisions
in the business world. Award winning designer Gadi Amit believes the
green movement should focus on creating beautiful products instead of
emphasizing environmental impact because objects that have cultural
meaning are less likely to be discarded. I believe social enterprises must
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also integrate this additional perspective whether in their products or their
branding. I seek to build upon my understanding of design at Kellogg in
classes such as Product Design and Marketing and Global Marketing and
in the Kellogg Design Club. I seek to explore local design organizations as
well, and I have already contacted Glen Woods Design Inc. in Evanston. I will
contribute this additional dimension to the organizations I lead in order to
produce creative, sustainable solutions.
Tell us about a time when you generated support from

others for an idea or initiative.
A United Planet Community Bank is a self-sustaining program where
members’ savings are consolidated for loans to one another during
weekly meetings. The potential impact of the program among the bottom
socioeconomic classes is enormous because they lack a vehicle for savings
and because the excessive interest rates charged by banks and loan sharks
offer few opportunities for cheap credit. Nevertheless, forming a community
bank was a formidable task because the people I was targeting were not
used to the level of organization and leadership needed to do so.
After giving an enthusiastic informational session to my community, I worked
quickly to organize the logistics, eventually resulting in the formation of the
first community bank in Ecuador. I actively guided the creation of the bank
by clearly detailing the rules and helping to systemize the record keeping,
but stepped down once I motivated individuals to take leadership roles to
organize and direct the bank. I have set up two banks in different parts of
my district and I have taken on an advisory role, ensuring that community
banks abide by the characteristics that make them successful – transparency,
communication, and democracy. Transactions must be clear, and all
members equal.
The two community banks in a small district in Pichincha have eleven
members each and all arrive timely to weekly meetings. The participants
are surprised by the several loan requests every meeting, that often leave
the bank without funds. I am surprised by the 17% profit they have made in
three months. I am proud of the sense of camaraderie and professionalism
that have developed due to my efforts. I have seen a marked increase in
confidence and fortitude among the committee members compared to when
they started. While the members of the current banks plan for next year, I
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plan to launch three more banks in Ecuador by July 2010.
Please describe a time when you went beyond what was

defined, expected, established, or popular.
‘From now on, an Evolution Tech (ET) Salesperson will be more than a mere
salesman who sells electronic components, but a boss who runs his own
business.’ My sales staff’s eyes lit up, as I declared this in a weekly sales
meeting in 2008.
Since the financial crisis swept major global banks, the world electronic
equipment production growth rate dropped below zero in 2008. No bank
credit was available, forcing manufacturers to slash production significantly.
My company’s sales performance spiraled down by 10% three months in a
row, severely lowering morale. Several of my salespeople even sighed with
relief when bad news about world economy came in, believing: ‘It’s not our
fault. After all, the whole world is stuck.’
As ET’s founder, I could never feel such relief. ‘I am the captain. How can I
surrender my ship to a monstrous storm without doing anything? I must lead
my crew to thrive in this storm,’ I told myself.
But how? Then I recalled how I had once fought against adversity to become
Hero-1 Electronics’ top salesman. 2002 was somewhat similar to 2008 for
the electronics industry. The burst of the Hi-Tech bubble slashed almost 50%
from orders of electronic manufacturers. A senior salesman said, ‘pity that
you’re entering this trade in a wrong time.’ However, I was determined to
succeed. I had to help pay back my family’s debt after a brutal flood season
leveled our properties. I wanted to help my mother and provide her a new
home. Motivated by these goals, I found myself full of energy and novel ideas
at work. Only six months later, I became the top salesman.
My answer was to motivate my salesmen and awaken their endless
energy. By redefining the role of a ‘salesperson’ as a boss in charge of
his own business, I inspired my salespeople to view their work from a new
perspective: they now had an incentive to take their own initiatives to grow
their businesses.
In addition, I did everything I could to guide my salespeople, yet make them
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feel like bosses. With my industrial experiences and knowledge, I helped
these new entrepreneurs review their own sales plan every week. I used
my accounting knowledge to teach them how to prepare simple income
statements. I granted the ‘bosses’ the discretion to recruit their own sales
force if they performed well and needed to expand their ‘companies’. Most
excitingly, I stipulated that part of net profits from their annual income
statements would become their annual bonus.
In the following days, my salespeople thrived in their new role. Instead of
groaning about the economic environment, they were motivated to develop
customers and initiated their own business plans. Every salesman was excited
to prepare his income statement when a month ended and Amanda, my top
salesperson, performed so well that she recruited a sales assistant to help
follow small customers. At the end of 2009, the total revenue of Evolution
Tech didn’t shrink but jumped by 20% to USD 1.2M from 2008.
What is the greatest challenge or hurdle you have

overcome, either personally or professionally, and how did
you manage to do so?
In 2008, I volunteered to teach English each week at Suen Migrant School,
a Vietnamese school packed with poverty-stricken children. There I met Mai.
Fazed by the girl’s surly temper, most teachers had given up on her. But I
vowed to be different.
I offered Mai lessons in her home every Sunday. Initially, she missed our
appointments and was suspicious of my commitment. I faithfully visited her
house every Sunday, posted a note on her door and left behind snacks if she
wasn’t home. This lasted two months. The girl was eventually moved and
promised that she would study.
I explained that she, not I, would set our goals, and devise our timeline. This
encouraged her to claim ownership. I always encouraged her to be a woman
of her word. “You made a promise to me, you get it done,” I told her. I
coordinated with other teachers to write down positive comments on her
journal for her progress, reassuring her confidence. She started to become
strict and never missed homework.
In my life, I have much to be proud of. I have successfully sold green
technologies, led colleagues in Vietnam, Malaysia, India, and Singapore to
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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.
What are your three most substantial accomplishments

and why do you view them as such?
Everyone told me I was crazy for leaving a high-paying job at a San
Antonio hedge fund to join Educate Mexico–an organization in its first year
of operation. I’d never been to Mexico, and I was the only foreigner in my
program, teaching a classroom of 55 impoverished first graders.
Today, I live in Oaxaca and spend my evenings visiting student homes,
involving parents in their children’s education. One mother broke down in
tears telling me how thankful she is that I’m so invested in her son’s future.
Eager to create a lasting, institutional impact, I converted an old storage
closet into a library. We now have almost 1,200 books to borrow! I’ve also
created a teacher development workshop. Twice every week, I teach 15
regional teachers from two schools formal English skills and lesson planning
(focusing on comprehension instead of memorization). I’m also working with
the regional government to establish the program in 20 government schools
this year with the goal of reaching all 1,400 public schools in Mexico City by
2015.
At the end of my first year, my class’ dropout rate decreased from 20% to
0%, with class attendance growing from 49% to 96%. This success, turning
Dia Libertad School around, has by far been my greatest achievement
to date. Given my success, I was one of eight teachers (out of 87) in the
program selected to train first-years as a Fellow Advisor.
_____
I joined the 14-person team at Carmen Asset Management, a $3 billion
distressed-debt hedge fund, in 2007 as a research assistant. Although I
lacked an investment-banking background like most analysts, within a year I
was leading a research team of six, typically led by someone with three years
of experience.
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I saw a growing disconnect within the research team, as many processes
were either inefficient or outdated. I set out to restructure my team – focusing
on cutting inefficient routines. I also created and led a weekly case study for
my team to discuss current positions with the lead analyst, and I headed a
collaboration effort with Bloomberg to develop a unique set of research tools
for our investment decisions.
As a result of this work, I was given the chance last year to launch and
co-manage an investment, that soon became our firm’s most successful, a
$100M mortgage portfolio that rose 7% compared to the broader markets’
40% decline. I was also named “Unsung Hero” – the only award voted on by
all 40 firm employees in recognition of excellence in performance.
_____
Board meetings had turned into riots. Resolving a budget shortfall had turned
ugly, at the NAAAP (National Association of African American Professionals).
NAAAP started hemorrhaging membership, further widening the budget gap.
Our Chicago chapter nearly shut down.
This vicious cycle stopped with me, a newly elected board member in
November 2008. I detected a larger problem: divided leadership, not budget
issues. We had lost sight of our broader mission: impacting the community,
which we could only do together.
I shared my thoughts with each board member in private meetings to spur
theirs in exchange. As I listened, I was not surprised to discover we all shared
the same fundamental values. I now gained their trust to help them assess
their proposals objectively. Everyone’s ideas fell into two buckets: reduce
events or aggressively fundraise. I called for a vote. Finally, our group
dialogued civilly and unanimously approved a hybrid plan.
I inspired my team to come together and revived our Chicago chapter.
Together, we raised $25,000 for disadvantaged undergraduates and
hosted 28 fundraisers for nonprofits like the United Negro College Fund, far
surpassing our annual goals. Finding greater meaning, not coercing, is what
drives a team’s dedication.
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PART 2
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 ain’t 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 aren’t passing the buck either;
rather, they own every ounce of the misstep. If there’s 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?” Let’s see how these
particular examples play out.
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Tell us about a time in your professional experience when

you were frustrated or disappointed.
I had spent three years at M&S Venture Markets, working day and night,
sacrificing friendships and weekends to give everything I could to the firm. In
the few hours not working on deals, I created templates for other analysts,
educational presentations for our clients, and trained new joiners. I was
expecting a promotion in a matter of months.
Then a shock. My mother was diagnosed with lung cancer, prognosis bleak.
My father couldn’t cope with the emotionally draining task of caring of her
and my two grandparents. He turned to me, her only other family, for help. It
would mean leaving my capital job to return to Tallahassee.
My manager suggested a month of unpaid leave; a chance to help with my
family and return to work without missing a beat. I spent those days holding
my mother’s hand through chemotherapy, helping her dress, and eat meals.
Even as her most basic bodily functions shut down, she never stopped
believing in her own survival. As I came to the end of my leave, my mother
and grandfather passed away within days of each other.
Returning to work, I engrossed myself in my job, this time to cope with the
pain. I was singularly focused on the one thing I could control: getting that
promotion to provide for my father and grandmother.
I entered my evaluation meeting having done everything possible to become
an Associate. Instead, I was fired. My manager explained that it happened
because I was not present during evaluations.
Two hours later, I was escorted from the building. I sat on the pavement with
my cardboard box, crushed by the lack of control over my own destiny.
One month later, I was in London on my first day with a start-up investment
bank at Standard Union. In four weeks, I had secured three job offers in
three different countries in the midst of a recession, scattered my mother’s
ashes in Florida’s ocean, settled the estate with tax authorities and moved my
entire life and possessions to a country I had never visited.
Facing moments where I felt totally lost, when my problems seemed
insurmountable, I realized that the odds of success were less important
than the decision to keep trying. Getting up off that curb, I knew I would do
whatever it took to ensure my family’s welfare.
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In that instant, I regained control and took powerlessness out of the equation.
Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil

or military life, where you did not meet your personal
objectives, and discuss briefly the effect.
In 2010, I taught math at the Nashville Literacy Association, a local non-
profit dedicated to helping adults obtain their GED. Ten students, 18-65
years old, high school dropouts, all depended on me to get their degree.
At first, I assigned homework in every class. However, when I asked about
the assignments the following day, an uncomfortable silence would befall the
room. The students explained that they were too busy with their jobs. Wanting
to earn the class’ trust quickly, I decided to minimize their workload.
I tried to compensate for the absence of homework by making the classes as
interactive as possible. Though no substitute for homework, at least my new
lessons kept the class engaged, I reasoned. But at the quarter’s end, I was
devastated to learn that only one of my ten students passed their exam.
Ultimately, I’d failed not only the students, but also myself. Rather than
pushing my students to achieve, I had sought their friendship; worse yet, their
approval. The irony of course was that ultimately the students hadn’t just
failed–they also resented me because of it.
This experience taught me how important it is to distance my own personal
feelings when mentoring others. I’d let my own pride interfere with their
lessons. Perhaps one of the great marks of a leader is his ability to put aside
his own pride, and to lead selflessly. Failure is the inability to do so. One
quarter later, all twelve of my students passed their exam.
What have you learned from a mistake?
In September 2008, my manager Jong Frandu selected me, the youngest of
the team, to lead the review of Wells Fargo’s Athens (Greece) operations,
usually a senior associate’s domain. I had pitched for the lead by citing my
rigorous training in Shanghai’s operations and my earlier successful review
of Cheng Du. Similarly, in my evaluation of the Athens operations, I would
have to suggest similar measures to mitigate risk. My manager agreed that I
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was equipped for the job.
Jong assigned three senior associates to me. Their presence reassured me.
Although both were expecting me to assign sections of the project to them,
I asked them to select their preferred areas because I trusted their expertise.
Over time, since everything seemed to be going well, I decreased my
monitoring, expecting them to rely on their experience whenever required.
At the start of the fourth week, I presented a draft report to Neil. To my
dismay, he pointed out that one entire area of the review was missing. I still
remember the incredulous expression on his face when he asked, “Have you
forgotten the section at the printer?”
I was mortified. My review report had to be presented to the Global WF
head, Mr. Pollard, before he visited Athens in seven days. Any mistake would
cause significant embarrassment to my team and would jeopardize Mr.
Pollard’s strategy for Greek business.
In the final week, I took status updates twice daily to ensure adherence
to schedule. On the last day, I presented a complete report to Jong, who
approved it before sending it to Mr. Pollard.
In retrospect, the cause behind the mishap was in my mistaking my
teammates’ experience for expertise. I had deferred too much to their
judgment instead of relying on my own. I also learned that ensuring
accountability is indispensable. Had I regularly reviewed individual progress,
I would have avoided the slip. Moreover, the instance reaffirmed my belief
that communication is critical to the success of any team endeavor.
Most importantly, although I was extremely sorry for my mistake, I was more
upset that I had almost failed to keep my word on ensuring a successful
review. Here, for the first time, I brushed past the sting of that kind of failure,
and I vowed never to experience it again.
This incident has left an indelible effect. As I subsequently led projects at
Baker-Price Consultancy with senior team members and currently pitch deals
to senior bankers at Wells Fargo, I still respect seniority and experience;
however, I ensure that I take the lead when it is my responsibility to do so.
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When I first started at JP Morgan as a fresh-faced investment banking
analyst, I quickly learnt that thick skin was possibly more important than the
ability to balance excel models in a sleep deprived state. Shouting at analysts
like me, throwing our work on the floor, or hanging up on a call mid-
sentence were all common. And it worked; everybody feared failure.
Soon after I joined North Bank, I was asked to prepare a pitch to a potential
client with a tight deadline of only two days. An analyst was assigned to
support me; Nico was eager to learn, with a solid understanding of finance
theory but only a few months of experience. I saw his potential and spent
hours teaching him how to best put together a high impact pitch book, and
model the cash flows of a company.
As we neared the deadline, I found errors in his calculations and missing
data. He had underestimated the deadline, ran out of time to check his work
and collect crucial data we needed from other teams. I was unhappy with
Nico’s work and without thinking embraced the methods of those who had
‘mentored’ me in the past. With authority and volume, I told him he had to
step up his game and take more responsibility; the standard of his output
was not acceptable if he was interested in surviving at North Bank.
He broke down, crying out from the stress of failure, something I did not
expect, or want. I stared at him, speechless. I suddenly felt aware of how
unlike my true nature this tactic had been. Afterwards, Nico started to hide
mistakes and concerns from me rather than highlighting them so we could
address them together. His communication with me was direct and brief; I
had lost the rapport we had and was no longer able to openly brainstorm
ideas with him. He finished the task on time, but I realized that my approach
was a serious misstep.
Negativity can work in the short term but I wonder about its effectiveness
over time. Nowadays, I engage Nico in a dialogue and ask him how we can
improve the work we produce together; he shares in the responsibility for the
quality of work as opposed to only its completion. I have realized that leading
others, the way the message is received is as important as content; I have
found myself an much more effective motivator because of it.
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It was 1 AM on a Sunday night. I’d just realized we would miss the next day’s
deadline… and it was my fault.
Eight weeks earlier, my manager had put me in charge of leading two teams
on our audit engagement – my five-person Devonshire team and a team
from MZN Financial, one of Devonshire’s top clients. After being ranked at
the top of my class at year’s end, I was asked to manage the engagement
– a role typically assigned to an associate with three or more years of
experience.
The challenge was that we needed support from the MZN team to complete
the engagement, but they had no interest in helping. I found it difficult to
check the work of the MZN team, who were, on average, 10 years older than
I was, and had their own responsibilities to manage. When there was friction
between the teams, I lacked the confidence to resolve the conflict. Instead, I
avoided confrontation, and before I knew it, we had missed the deadline. I
had let down my manager and failed to meet client expectations.
I realized that working successfully with a client requires communication and
developing a relationship – that is, “breaking the ice.” I used the socially
relaxed moments in the break room to reach out. Over time, I learned about
one MZN team member’s after-work karate lessons, and disclosed my
passion for regular soccer-based conversations. The team began to warm up
to me.
I soon learned more about the MZN projects they were advancing, as well as
their internal deadlines. Part of the problem was that we hadn’t coordinated
our deadlines with MZN’s schedule, but had instead followed a plan
Devonshire had established at the beginning of the engagement.
For the next quarter, I broke our project into smaller deadlines, to better
monitor performance and included MZN in this planning, setting expectations
and encouraging individuals to set their own deliverable dates. I also
spearheaded a new process of weekly follow-up meetings, keeping the
team communicating closely as challenges arose. There was now a sense of
ownership for the assigned work.
We met the next quarterly deadline two weeks ahead of schedule and
$45,000 under budget. Through this experience, I learned that including
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team members in decision-making can improve communication, a critical
asset when managing substantial projects.
Describe a situation in a work environment that either

severely strained your relationship with co-workers or
challenged your personal values. How did you resolve the
situation?
Stevie Pope was an atypical investor. Most investors I dealt with as a
Relationship Manager in Visage Mutual Fund were shrewd, obsessing over
every last penny they had earned or lost. Pope had a lot of money, but no
one to manage his earnings; in fact, he wasn’t even interested in investing
until I won him over with my perspective on the stock market during a chance
meeting. While most of the big investors consulted their bank’s advisors
for investment options, Pope directly sought my advice. He was the perfect
client: not asking too many questions, and agreeable to the few funds that I
suggested.
In January 2008, the stock market plunge in U.S. dried up inflows in mutual
funds, and I had fallen $2 million shy of completing my quarterly targets.
Pope had pulled some of his funds prior to the crash and his money lay
idle in his bank account. Visage had been a leading performer, so asking
Pope for funds always originated from sturdy reasoning. It had always been
a win-win situation for both Pope and my company. Subsequent to the
crash, however, two other mutual funds (HDFC and Poller-Jones) started to
outperform Visage by a significant margin.
Our targets remained high and my manager was banking on Pope
investments by now. Over time, this had proved to be an easy option;
after all, Pope never asked about the performance of other mutual funds.
Moreover, he was not the type who would make any noise about few dollars
lost here and there. In fact, he had never sought anyone else’s advice on the
issue, period.
My head was spinning—if I were to obtain more funds from Pope, I
would not be breaking any rules. After all, Pope would not lose money
on my suggestion, per se. Moreover, I would not be lying to him. I would
simply need to withhold some information. But since our funds were being
outperformed, I knew he likely would make few thousand dollars less than he
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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, “It’s easy to gain someone’s
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 company’s 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.
As I scrambled to enter the coordinates on my GPS for my next appointment
recruiting high school seniors, I wondered what had gone wrong. My
presentation to 15 seniors at Willow North scarcely elicited a reaction. Just
the previous year, half the graduating class had chosen to attend Sienna
College. Yet at the end of my presentation, only three audience members
signed up for more information. I had spent days memorizing a ten-minute
presentation complete with well-timed jokes, and reams of information. My
recital was flawless, so it couldn’t have been me – right?
The more I reflected on my speech, the more I realized that I had not
truly engaged with the audience. As I sat in my hotel later that night and
contemplated the four speaking engagements I had the following day, I
crumpled up my memorized notes and started anew. In fact, the Willow
North speech would be the last scripted presentation I ever gave. In stark
contrast to my first presentations, I entertained lively dialogue with a large
audience, and I noticed vastly different body language as students leaned
forward, eyes attached to my movements, and I described the formative
effect the Honor Code had on me.
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Over the next several days I continued to give impromptu presentations,
but I noticed a few themes that always appeared: honor, integrity, helping
others, and character. I began to use those values as a broad introduction to
Sienna. However, as I spelled out an acronym for HSC - Honor, Service, and
Character – I paid keen attention to the audience. At one school, I surveyed
the students in attendance and noticed several baseball players wearing their
jerseys. When I came to the “C” for character, I mentioned the leadership
skills I developed as an athlete and president of the Student Athlete Advisory
Committee. At another school, I saw a two students in camouflage shirts,
perhaps outdoorsmen. When I came to “S” for service, I described how many
sportsmen at Sienna’s Hunters Club donate their prized game to the local
food kitchen. In both cases, my audience responded by leaning forward with
rapt attention and asking good questions.
My new presentations are getting strong reviews. I just returned from the
Roycemore School in Utica, NY; the college counselor enjoyed last year’s
presentation so much that this year she invited every student in the school
from 8th through 12th grades.
Please describe a time when you took responsibility for

achieving an objective.
“Your communication style needs improvement.”
That was the feedback I received from my supervisor at last year’s
review. Especially troubling to me were his concerns about my being too
confrontational. Two co-workers had complained that during a few heated
discussions, I had “become unreasonable.” I was extremely unhappy about
this particular feedback, and disappointed with myself.
I had always thrived on being the ultimate team-player, whether in either
a purely supportive role or as a decision maker. I had also tried to be
the person that people came to for advice on projects outside of my
responsibilities as they looked to leverage my experiences. I had never
perceived myself to be this person that my boss described in my annual
review.
I set out to erase the perceptions of any blips in my interpersonal skills on the
next review. My manager urged me to use Infosys’s in-house resource library.
I borrowed an audio book, “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell, in which the author
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discussed in detail how decision is made consciously and subconsciously. I
found the topics fascinating and decided to borrow another CD, “Conflict
from Dr. Alan Zimmerman,” addressing strategies to resolve/remove conflicts
on and off the job. I also enrolled in live classes offered within Infosys in the
leadership development program.
One class I took was called “Improving Interpersonal Skills.” The class was
conducted by our animated, passionate HR training manager and the way
the course was delivered really led me to dig deeper into the issues. In one
particularly valuable role-playing segment, I watched in awe as the same
exact messages created varied reactions, based on the use of different tones.
It was at that point I realized one of my errors was not adhering to one of
Aristotle’s most famous rules: “Know Your Audience.”
I did some soul searching on the episode where I was perceived to be
confrontational. I had misjudged the level of comfort of my relationships with
two new teammates. While they were co-workers in the same division, we
hadn’t had the chance to work together closely. My manager was right that
I needed to be mindful about my style; what might have been an acceptable
exchange between me and those with whom I’d developed deep trust over
time, was not appropriate for some who didn’t know me as well.
In a recent incident, my efforts at reaching my objective were put to the test. I
was questioned and pressed about not wanting to implement a solution that
a project manager had suggested. I believed we didn’t have all the data to
make that decision. Yet instead of simply finding faults with his arguments,
I worked hard to better understand his agenda, and quickly realized he was
concerned more about potential future problems on a different project of his.
I proposed an alternate version of “not implementing” and we were able to
come to an agreement. Weeks later, new test data indicated that we didn’t
have to make changes.
At my semi-annual review this year, my manager indicated I had made great
improvements. This experience has made me a better contributor in a team
setting, in terms of being not only a technical contributor but also a person
who contributes to the synergy of the team.
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PART
P ersonal
3
E ssays / S tatements
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Time to kick off your shoes and relax… not!
Who ARE YOU? The fact is many applicants have difficulty with personal
essays. They aren’t sure WHAT they should write about, and they sure as
heck aren’t sure about HOW to write about it. Or they fail to grasp just how
important it is to provide a portrait of themselves, AWAY from work. Some
clients will sneak in another accomplishment or career-related essay here,
and that can be a major mistake.
After all, the idea is often to get a sense of who you are, not what you have
accomplished professionally. Sometimes, this is the only way before the
interview for you to make an impact on an admissions committee. They won’t
remember one investment banker from hundreds of others… unless he also
scaled a live volcano after crash-landing a biplane on one of its ridges. Or
any other number of topics including family, culture, hobbies, humanitarian
projects, creative endeavors... it’s all good here. Make sure you answer the
specific question you are being asked, and then go ahead and tell ‘em about
the time you tamed a tiger after building a second home from scratch for
your family who means everything to you.
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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 person’s #1 fear, topping
death at #5. I get that, since most people haven’t 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. That’s 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” – I’ve learned cultures through communicating in different
languages. Today, I’m just as comfortable speaking four Chinese dialects as
I am talkin’ country slang on a farm near my college town of Iowa City, Iowa.
I’ve 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, I’ve 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
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 didn’t 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.
I’ve 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,
I’ve volunteered at a local afterschool program. This year, I’ve 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 them—the 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.
I’ve spent much of my life in places where I feel different from those around
me. As a result I’ve 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
“Hi, I’m 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 wasn’t the most glamorous job I’ve 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 Kentucky’s 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 organization’s emphasis on empowering women, I asked what I
could do to help. Since then, I’ve 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 college’s $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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competitive among other liberal arts schools.
Ever since working those late nights at the Fuel-Star Express gas station in
Weedsport, New York, one simple lesson – you’re never too good to help –
has informed my daily life and given me access to opportunities I’m lucky to
have had.
“Hi, I’m Giovanna. What can I do to help?”
What matters most to you, and why?
My most rewarding experiences have involved working with marginalized
groups. My own experience as a Korean American female helped me reach
out to individuals like Jessica, my sixteen-year-old little “sister” in the Big
Brother Big Sister program, who had the mental capacity of a seven-year-
old. Jessica and I spent weekends together around New Haven, CT, during
my undergraduate years. Reflecting on my own background has given me
respect for others who face diverse challenges and spurred me to seek ways
to empower disadvantaged groups. What matters most to me is helping
those who cannot help themselves.
Growing up, I moved from Indiana to Oklahoma to Texas to Wisconsin and
finally to Nevada with my family because of my parents’ jobs. My Korean
background and lower socioeconomic status made me stand out even
more as the new kid in the culturally homogenous schools I attended. I felt
conflicting pressures to be nonchalant about my studies from my peers,
and to work as hard in school as I felt was necessary. My experiences gave
me the sensitivity to understand what it meant to be different and the ability
to balance the sway of the majority with my own values of hard work and
honesty.
Studying Korean at Yale gave me insight into my parents’ background and
inspired me to pursue research into mine. During my junior year, I received
an undergraduate research grant to analyze novels by two Korean American
authors and to draw parallels with my own experience. Shockingly, through
this project I realized that I had spent my entire childhood wishing I were
not Korean American. It was a turning point in my life as I began to fully
embrace the reality of who I was.
I began to see that my own personal challenges were the reason I enjoyed
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working with similarly underprivileged groups. I participated in a New
Ventures Spring Break Trip, a Yale service trip between winter and spring
terms, to Washington D.C. where my group worked at the largest homeless
shelter in the country for ten days. We listened to speakers, such as an
entrepreneur who worked with local restaurants to deliver excess food to
homeless shelters. He left a strong impression on me.
As a female VSO Volunteer, I encounter Colombia’s machismo culture on
a daily basis. But however much I am affected by catcalls and Colombia’s
patriarchal society, I am most angered by how many of the women seem
comfortable accepting it. I worked with a local NGO to bring a psychologist
to speak with women in one of my artisan groups about issues ranging
from self-esteem to physical abuse, spurring discussion among the women.
At my local health post, I teach an aerobics class to ten senior women and
discuss the benefits of regular exercise and nutrition. Finally, as the selected
representative of my VSO group in the Women in Development/Gender
Analysis and Development (WID/GAD) committee, a VSO organization that
seeks to incorporate gender sensitivity in development work, I work with
volunteers to implement activities related to gender for the youth camps in
each department.
Working with Colombian women in both work and personal contexts has
furthered my integration into my community and increased my level of
fulfillment here.
At Stanford GSB and after, I will continue to work with marginalized
groups, helping them to develop the skills and confidence to succeed. My
own path of self-discovery and awareness has made me empathetic to the
underprivileged, who have often experienced much worse than I have. I am
grateful for the opportunities that I have been given to be successful and look
to help others find the same fulfillment.
Have you ever experienced culture shock? What did it

mean to you?
During my second year at Finer Energy in Hawthorne, New Jersey, I was
placed on a uranium enrichment project reporting to Shahmed, a star
process engineer with over twenty years experience in plant design.
I was shocked when I entered Shahmed’s office the first time. The walls were
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a mosaic of political pamphlets interspersed with religious flyers and Islamic
quotations. I felt panic beginning to take hold: had I misjudged what I was
getting myself into when I moved to rural New Jersey of all places?
I was raised in Portugal, where discussing politics or religion in public,
regardless of your views, was considered a faux pas. I was unsure how
to react in his office, but decided not to let it phase me, and to address
Shahmed as I would any other colleague. As Shahmed became increasingly
comfortable around me, he began talking more about his personal beliefs.
One day, although initially set on not discussing politics at work, I started
responding to Shahmed’s comments frankly. Despite certain differences, he
appreciated my perspective. Being open with Shahmed felt like a weight had
been lifted off my shoulders.
On my last day on the project, I was startled when Shahmed poked his
head around my cubicle and smiled, lifting a Koran, “I wanted you to have
this.” Before working with Shahmed, this might have bewildered me—even
been frightening. However now I understood that Shahmed wasn’t trying to
change me. He was just sharing something that was deeply personal to him.
I appreciated his offering for what it was - a sign of friendship and respect.
Tuck seeks candidates of various backgrounds who can

bring new perspectives to our community. How will your
unique personal history, values, and/or life experiences
contribute to the culture at Tuck?
In 2005, Central China TV reported that “5.12 Wenchuan earthquake”
refugees lacked 1 million tents for shelter in the coming months, and that
$1.76 million was needed to purchase every 1,000 tents. “$1,760 per tent?
Are those tents gilded?’ I set out to donate the tents instead.
After calling several tent producers, I found the wholesale price for a four-
person family tent was only $61! A producer even agreed to lower the price
to $54 after I told him that the tents were for refugees. We collected goods
from donors, attracted student volunteers and contributors, and raised $1800
to purchase family tents.
As this anecdote shows, I am committed to helping others. I have been
very lucky in my life, often thanks to the help of benefactors along the way.
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Supporting these earthquake victims was just one of many instances in my
life, showing my passion to improve my community, and the world around
me.
But perhaps above all else, this story describes my enterprising soul. I
never limit myself to what I can do, but free myself to think what could
be. After I pin down my target, I fancy all helpful ideas and mobilize all
possible resources to succeed. My enterprising spirit and unusual stories will
enhance the experiences of other Tuck MBA students both in classroom and
extracurricular activities.
I will seek to inspire my classmates as well, to challenge something that
they never experienced, and that by conquering the challenge they would
realize their great potential. For example, I will help the Outdoor Club add
an annual cycling tour with prizes to its weekly Road Bike series. I will attract
as many Dartmouth students as possible to this event, which challenges
participants to cycle 400 km from Hanover to New York City. By conquering
the arduous pilgrimage and eventually arriving at a modern business holy
land, they will gain a great sense of achievement and grow a brave heart to
accomplish anything in the future.
My enterprising soul also challenges me with another adventure: to help
others succeed. This is one of the most thrilling experiences, to sow success.
I will share with my Tuck classmates how I volunteered to help Intel-Stars,
a video service provider to enhance its revenues. I suggested the business
owner, Byron Yannoulis, focus on one of his services and develop his
business competitive edge. Then I helped him redesign his process, finally
increasing revenues by 35% within four months. I will happily contribute
my advice and hands-on experiences to inspire the success of other Tuck
entrepreneurs—connecting my peers with my contacts in China especially.
Finally, I have played the ancient Chinese game of Weiqi for the past 23
years. I have been champion of several regional events, and I have benefited
greatly from the calculation and reasoning abilities I have cultivated from
the game and its 4,000-year history in the East. I will establish the first-ever
Weiqi Club in Tuck and it could be a perfect recreational tool to extend
Tuck’s MBA education beyond classroom. Students will surely benefit from
this game, as it teaches us much about strategy, self-improvement, and
ourselves.
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Tuck seeks candidates of various backgrounds who can

bring new perspectives to our community. How will your
unique personal history, values, and/or life experiences
contribute to the culture at Tuck?
We are at our wits’ end. Out on the street for 30 minutes, the team-building
competition in 2008 is proving to be incredibly tough. 89 of my colleagues
at Warner IMP have been split into eight teams. I am one of the eight
team leaders, managing my team members from six countries. Each team
has been given one pen—and four hours from now, the team that trades/
barters/sells the pen and brings back the thing worth the most will win…
Back then, this seemed like a challenge—but compared to what my family
had been through, everything seems easy. During culture revolution (1966-
1976), my grandfather was imprisoned. My grandmother, the daughter of
a Pakistani ambassador in India, was paralyzed in a demonstration and
soon passed away. Other family members escaped, but my father chose to
stay. My father wrote 1607 letters from 1978 to 1991 to Indian government
to request case re-examination. Finally in 1991, the verdict was reversed
and I could go to school like other kids. To this day, my father’s fortitude
strengthens me even in most difficult situations. I always remember his
struggles, even as team leader during this competition.
Watching a staffer distributing free Subway Sandwich discount flyers on
the street, I see an opportunity. Perhaps my team could sell those flyers to
passers-by? I convince the distributor to give me all his flyers, and sell 2
pieces in 15 minutes. I divide the team into five groups and share with them
my experience on how to identify the right Indian customers on the street. I
also address their fears of working in a foreign environment by describing
how to approach Indian people comfortably…
In the story I am telling, our international team is working effectively. I can
recall all my other international experiences: in college, I built the first multi-
cultural dancing club, teaching the hip-hop of South Africa and the Lindy-
Hop of New York. I often joined my German, Italian and Spanish friends as
we debated crucial differences between prosciutto, wursts, and Serrano. I
learned from a fellow Indian, a yoga teacher, about his faith, pranayama,
and the Shiva Chanting. I even brought my Canadian friend to Tibet, to
witness the archaic sky burial- how thousands of vultures clear five people’s
flesh to bones in two hours. My international background helped me succeed
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as Asia coordinator, leading colleagues from Indonesia, Thailand and China
at Warner IMP.
Two hours later, we are selling 18 pieces flyers for 52 RMB and purchasing
two bottles of red wine, offered as buy one, get one free. Approaching
dinner time, I stand near a restaurant and sell them to diners. I am skilled
at sales, especially given my diverse professional background. Ten minutes
later, I sell the wine for 120 RMB. Starting with a nothing but a pen, my
team purchased a beautiful new bike, and walked off with first prize…
My exposure to Silicone, one of the most widely used products in the world,
has exposed me to various industries, from electrical energy to wind power,
textiles, and life sciences. At Tuck, I will share my knowledge in all these
industries, along with my background in the silicone business, an unusual
market. In all my experiences, I draw on my unique background—whether
my father’s relentless vision, or my diverse experiences globally and
professionally. I will bring all this and more to Tuck.
Please tell us about yourself and your personal interests.

The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are
rather than what you have achieved professionally.
As an avid marine biologist and baseball fan, I wanted to see two things and
two things only while visiting San Francisco this past summer: a Giants victory
over Texas in the World Series, and a Blue Whale—the largest mammal in
the world. I literally jumped out of my seat in the tour boat when we actually
spotted the whale; topping slowly at first, the creature’s powerful greyish-
blue hide soon stabilized its huge frame at sea level, creating audible song
as it floated by. Like the Blue Whale, the Giants got off to a bumpy start
when they ceded an early game to Texas. However the Giants also stabilized
themselves, going on to tie the series. Although I never caught the home
run ball I was hoping for in McCovey Cove, my trip to San Fran was an
undeniably satisfying trip.
Growing up and through college, baseball was my favorite pastime. After my
sophomore year playing varsity baseball at Southern University in Arizona, I
started an intramural team, Los Toros, primarily composed of international
students I’d met from the International Studies department. I immediately
recruited 15 players for Los Toros. I led fall and winter campaigns, growing
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club enrollment by over 200%. Students from other language departments
soon joined and we spun off a second team in the spring. I created a
Facebook group for Los Toros players to stay in touch, and today the team
still exists—with over 40 members. The team lets me play in games whenever
I return to campus. I plan to bring the Toro spirit—equal parts passion and
loyalty—to the CBS softball club.
Marine life is another passion I continue to explore. On Under The Sea Club
outings in college, I discovered that otherwise tame destinations became
full of wonder when I visit them as a “Cousteau-dian” and not just a passive
traveler. As Club Treasurer, I secured funding and helped plan a trip to Great
Barrier Reef for a dozen club members my senior year. To the untrained
eye, Great Barrier Reef is a scenic ridge off the coast of Western Australia.
However, in a marine biologist’s context, it is a goldmine, rich with wildlife
– under the surface. There, I learned how the unique geography creates
favorable ocean currents for migrating life, funneling whales and tortoises
especially through a awe-inspiring ocean passage.
Whether or not I am focusing on deep-sea creatures, I have always enjoyed
traveling to new places; in the past four years I have visited Bolivia, Portugal,
Jamaica and Costa Rica, among other destinations. As a International
Studies major, I have spent substantial time living abroad and have been
exposed to different cultures. While my local contacts in NYC and Boston
will surely help me succeed in the future, my inspiration will come from all
over the world--whether the unique Tokyo skyline, the neo-Renaissance
buildings of Florence, or even the massive, hulking frame of the Blue Whale.
My passion for travel has perhaps taught me one thing above all else—that
creative inspiration can always be found in unusual, unexpected places.
Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You

may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g.
words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative.
Friends, Classmates, Sternies,
Buenos Dias, Salam Alaikum, Hello, Namaste! A warm greeting to you, from
all the cultures that I have spent my life with so far – Peru, Middle East, the
US and my home country, India.
Professionally, I have undergone 8,000 client meetings as a private investor
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working with organizations such as Delta Group and OPP. Personally, I
love mountain climbing, designing video games and acting. And as you will
hopefully find out soon enough, I love to talk—and to listen.
People who know me well say that my biggest strength is my analytical skill.
Be it dissecting a complex video product, deciphering an IT report, or even
planning what restaurants to visit during a business trip, my peers often seek
my inputs before making a decision. My husband, though, disagrees. He
says my analytical abilities are actually a great weakness – I am too quick
to analyze and identify the missing ingredient in a meal he has cooked so
lovingly...
I believe my other strengths are my interpersonal skills and an endless
curiosity to learn. I easily befriend people, which has been the basis of much
of my professional success. I have built relationships with the CXO’s of giant
organizations across many countries, but I also remain friends, till date, with
my regular driver during my Mumbai business trips, and an elderly security
guard in my current office.
As for learning, I try to learn at least one thing from every individual I interact
with. These days, I learn the most from my 16-month old son. Being resolute,
for one – ask him to speak out numbers 1 to 10, which he knows, but he
would firmly NOT speak if he does not want to; and how to look innocent
and cute, for another, when he has just broken an expensive crystal glass.
I am a lover of theater. From the soul-touching songs of Evita, to stately
monologues of Shakespeare; from modern dance or up-lifting Bollywood
numbers (which, by the way, are a great way to start my day) to avant-guard
off-Broadway experiments, I celebrate theater’s diversity. And diversity in life,
too. Music and dance (make no mistake, I can act, but I cannot dance), I
believe, are the hallmarks of humanity’s cultural evolution. Personally, I play
the piano and cello to relieve the stress of a hard day’s work. Usually, my
husband humors me.
Finally, I am an honest, hard-working gal whose face naturally falls into
a smile. So whether it’s a tough classroom assignment or a project with
a pressing deadline, you will always be able to count on an involved,
upbeat, and supportive co-worker in me. And after the work is done, I will
always initiate a group dinner, at one of New York’s incredible restaurants
that I have been hoping to try for years. Let’s work hard. And afterwards,
let’s get together, learn about one another, explore the culture, and build
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relationships that will last a lifetime.
What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know

about your undergraduate academic experience?
At Dartmouth, I took a rigorous course load – double-majoring in finance
and accounting. One of my favorite courses was Financial Statement
Analysis taught by Professor Charlie Sucraite. There was no textbook – our
only materials were real company financials. Every week we were given a
company and general guidance on what to look out for in their financials—
and we were on our own from there.
I was selected by my peers to be a case leader and help guide a team of
five classmates in our analysis. We were often able to identify accounting
red flags before news came out on fraud or an accounting scandal a few
months later. For example, we identified the aggressive accounting for
revenue by the Carnegie Corporation, which eventually led to a restatement
of financials. These skills would prove invaluable after graduating. While
working at Taylor Asset Management during a rise in oil and fuel prices
in 2008, United Airlines still managed to remain profitable because they
had hedged their cost of fuel. By analyzing their financials and fuel-usage
data, I determined how long the benefits of their fuel hedges would last
and structured an investment recommendation for our portfolio based on
overvalued shares. Taylor’s return was $4.2M on a $10M position.
As the course was coming to an end, I decided I wanted more. After
speaking with several other students who were also deeply interested in
continuing the work we were doing, I reached out to Professor Sucraite
about creating a follow-up course – Financial Statement Analysis II. Professor
Sucraite loved the idea, but the course needed approval by the Provost and
department head. I offered to help.
I developed a curriculum with Professor Sucraite, drafted a proposal, and
presented it to the department head for approval. The course was so popular
that another finance professor decided to participate in the course as well –
as a student.
I earned an A in the course, and five years later, Professor Sucraite continues
to teach Financial Statement Analysis II to second years in Dartmouth’s
MBA program. I am certain that those students will gain just as much as
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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.
How will your background, values, and non-work activities

enhance the experience of other Duke MBA students and
add value to Fuqua’s diverse culture?
I believe that architectural design is actually a way of exploring larger
questions in life. The more deeply I understand my life, the more meaningful
my design will be. This interaction between my profession and life has
shaped my personal experiences. For instance, while walking around great
cities such as Paris and London, I initiate dialogues with great buildings by
observing and studying them. My travel experiences have enlightened me
that architecture is also about creating great places to inspire communication
among people.
The importance of communication in architecture motivates me to become a
good communicator, and a bridge-builder. I’ve been able to bridge cultural
divides, for example, by explaining to my design director that drinking
courageously during a personal meeting with the developer in Japan would
be the most straightforward approach to get business done. He took my word
for it, and the next day when the contract was signed and the retainer check
was cut, my director expressed his gratefulness. The only trade-off was my
headache the next day.
I have designed and built over one million square meters of both housing
and mixed-use projects, I would like to use these projects to show to my
peers how design can enhance the value of development not only to the
developer and owner, but also to the public. I believe that this is true not
just in real estate, but in all business. On a waterfront project I designed
as lead architect in Kyoto, I created a raised public plaza, retail anchors
and marinas, and a distinctive space that led to both financial success and
public satisfaction. I would love to run a seminar, perhaps to benefit the Real
Estate Club and any other attendees, introducing some of the most exciting
and successful projects under development in the Japanese market. I am
passionate about real estate in Japan, and I am certain that my passion and
knowledge of architecture will benefit my peers at Fuqua.
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I am also eager to share my knowledge on how to break into the Japanese
markets with my peers. After all, I have now been repatriated to Japan on
two separate occasions, in different cities, setting up brand new offices from
scratch and running them. I would also love to help arrange an exchange
program, bringing students who are interested in Japan market to meet
successful real estate development companies such as DITAN, Japan’s
largest private developer, the client I have served for over seven years.
To enrich my life experiences, I worked and lived intermittently in four
cities in the past decade – New Orleans, Beijing, Vancouver and Tokyo.
My experiences have fostered my belief in the value of cultural diversity.
This belief enables me to think more completely, treat people with more
understanding and respect, and handle setbacks patiently. It also has made
me a more balanced person with multiple abilities and diversified hobbies.
Among them, cooking is the one that best reflects my belief in the value of
diversity. I like to explore new recipes, blending Eastern and Western flavors
together. For example, I made very good sushi with Cajun-style fish – or
an egg custard with stir-fried meat stuffing. I would cook delicious dinners
flavored with cultural mixtures for my classmates. When I cook, I also want to
show to my peers that a small endeavor such as cooking can demand very
careful planning and focused creativity.
I am also a lover of the musical arts. I took a lot from the compositions of my
father, a professor of Eastern Music, who took me to every prestigious recital
in Japan as a child. Under his tutelage I gradually gained an appreciative
view of Japanese art, playing the cello, and musicianship. I would love to
share this passion with my classmates, and in return, I am sure that I will be
inspired by my peers to learn about other traditions as well.
My experiences inspiring communication, bridging cultures, and appreciating
music and cooking all make up my own structure, façade, and core. I
have found that my non-work activities in life interact with my professional
experiences—and that these two areas work together over time to improve
each other. In any business, I believe that the best projects are those that
transcend the financials, and draw on deeper, more personal, universal
truths. I am eager to contribute all these experiences and all my passion to
Duke’s diverse culture.
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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 were—in a word—glorious. 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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PART 4
C areers and G oals
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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, let’s just not go there.
So how did our heroes pull it off? You’ll 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 don’t 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. Let’s dive right in and absorb the tone and
rhythm of this crucial type of essay.
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Briefly describe the career path you intend to pursue

immediately after b-school. Explain why this career option
appeals to you and why an MBA is appropriate at this
time.
Most people have fun recurring dreams of flying, or showing up for exams
without any clothes. Mine goes something like this: I am sitting in the board
meeting of the Center for Social Development Arizona (SCDA), a mid-sized
non-profit. The Board is at a crossroads over the $50,000 it has received
in grant money. Should it be spent on hiring much-needed staff, updating
the outdated computer system, or on core operations areas? What strategy
would allow the organization to grow—or at least maintain its current
levels of success? Bzzzzzzzt--my alarm rings out and the dream vanishes.
Nevertheless, my interest in solving that problem is what gets me out of bed
with a start.
The story of SCDA, though hypothetical, is typical for NGOs (Non-
Government Organizations) in rural areas of in the Southwest. Several
non-profits mushrooming all over Arizona experience cycles of high initial
productivity but inevitable stagnation and gradual decline due to poor
knowledge of organizational issues. My goal is to target NGOs working in
rural areas facing these issues and, as a non-profit consultant, provide the
keys for them to open the doors to their vision.
In the short-term, I will work as a management or strategy consultant at
a place like McKinsey or Pricewaterhouse Coopers. In this role, working
across different industries including finance, technology and retail, I will
learn best practices in assessing existing strategies, finding new sources of
profitable growth, and sharpening competitive positioning. I will then work
as a consultant in an NGO solving issues specific to non-profits such as
limited resource availability and raising adequate funds. This will prepare
me to launch my own specialized consulting firm that will target NGOs in
southwestern American small towns.
In 2008, I started volunteering for the Women’s Alliance for Planning and
Development (WAPD), a Phoenix based NGO. Working here, I have come
to realize that rural non-profits encounter specific challenges that for-profit
firms and urban non-profits do not face, such as the political system of
conservative governance and its stunting influence on various developmental
activities. I have met with NGOs in the U.S. who possess the resources
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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 didn’t 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 Arizona’s
NGOs.
Please give a detailed description of your job, including

nature of work, major responsibilities; and, where relevant,
employees under your supervision, size of budget, number
of clients/products and results achieved.
Since July, I have been working at Brown and Caldwell (BC), one of the
world’s largest privately held engineering firms, as a Process Engineer in
Walnut Creek, California. I was recruited by the head of BC’s chemical
engineering group, who contacted me after an old colleague from Pfister
Corporation, my former employer, requested my participation on an
industrial project. As a Process Engineer, I lead the design of the chemical
processes on industrial projects, typically valued around $100 million.
My first project at BC involved leading a team of five to integrate nitration
technology, developed by Germany’s Frangudt Company, into the design
of a torpedo fuel production facility owned by the United States Navy. I
was also responsible for designing the facility’s pressure relief systems that
ensure plant operator safety. I oversaw the identification and evaluation of all
possible hazards associated with the chemical process.
The main difficulty on the project was balancing our client’s interest
in lowering plant costs with the lead operator’s desire for as safe and
convenient a process as possible. Through careful planning and execution,
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I finalized the design of the plant’s nitration facility and completed a
preliminary design of the plant’s safety systems one month ahead of
schedule.
Currently, I am part of a team of three process engineers leading the
development of a triacetate facility, producing film for liquid crystal displays.
So far, I have saved our client, the Axis Chemical Company, over $10K by
eliminating redundancies in the plant’s systems.
What is your career vision and why is this choice

meaningful to you?
As captain and point-guard of Duke University Division I Women’s Basketball
Team, everyone looked to me to lead. Coaches trusted me to call the right
plays, and my teammates turned to me to boost morale. Even the fans
implored me to interact with them. That role fit like a glove: I led our team to
a conference championship and the national final four.
Upon graduating from HBS, I will take those same point-guard skills –
reliability under pressure, leadership, and gritty determination – and use
them to advise middle-market companies in sell-side engagements as an
Associate at a boutique investment bank like Evercore.
The extra face-to-face time I spend addressing clients’ challenges while
also teaching and managing a group of Analysts will prepare me for my
long-term goal: to launch my own boutique investment bank focused on
advising middle-market clients. My firm will give clients consistent access to
seasoned bankers. We will utilize our experience to win deals, and provide
intimate, daily guidance to clients while advising them on how to secure the
best valuations possible. We will succeed because we will serve our clients’
interests before our own.
Launching my own firm is important to me because it allows me to combine
my passions for finance and leadership. When I led my basketball team late
in close games, I relished the times that my teammates put their hands on
their knees in exhaustion and looked to me for leadership. This past year
when the Duke admissions team was lagging behind our goals, I put in extra
hours on the phone with prospective students and encouraged my team to
do the same. More times than not, we scored that basket, and last year the
admissions team exceeded our recruitment goal by 7%. Regardless of the
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arena, I love leading teams through pressure-packed situations.
Leading my own firm will also give me the opportunity to impart my personal
values to the team. As a member of the Honor Court at Duke, I developed
a deep appreciation for turning a moral quandary into a definitive black
and white decision. My firm will cut through ambiguity to do the right thing,
even at the risk of short-term harm. In the long-term, clients will reward our
steadfast commitment to our principles.
Why are you pursuing a full-time MBA at this point in your

life?
Mr. Joe Carbon’s family business, a U.S.-based beef wholesaler, struggled
through the recent economic recession. This CEO revamped his business’s
domestic strategy in 2009 and approached Wells Fargo Global Banking to
finance cattle farms near Rio De Janeiro, Brazil to raise healthy grass-fed
cows. After we lent the funds, his profits soared from 6% to 10% of sales. Mr.
Carbon could not stop thanking me for sustaining his family legacy. Better
yet, his company soon created 300 jobs in an impoverished rural area. I felt
like a partner, both in his business and the local community.
My work with middle-market companies like Mr. Carbon has formed my
calling: consulting U.S. entrepreneurs in their international expansion using
my Brazilian homeland as their launching pad. However, my experience
thus far in finance has fulfilled only part of this calling. I want to do more for
my clients. I want to assess competitive strategies, evaluate target markets,
optimize talent and resources, and consult in all aspects of their businesses to
go global. To materialize this dream, I must build strategy management tools
and deepen my network in South America. I need the breadth of a full-time
MBA.
My pursuit of an MBA is a timely and natural progression from my current
work as an advisor delivering global financing solutions. I have led foreign
bank partners to devise cross-border loans for clients in China, India, South
America and Eurasia. I have quarterbacked negotiations of finance structures
in Spanish and Portuguese with senior management of client companies and
their native vendors. If I continue in my current profession, I will advance in
my career as a global banker. But I would fall short of honing perspectives
outside the realm of finance.
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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.
Why do you wish to pursue the Leaders for Global

Operations (LGO) program? What are the goals that you
hope to accomplish both as a student and as a graduate of
the program?
Creating high-tech electronics is my passion. I have the technical knowledge
but I want to lead others to design revolutionary products that end-users can
see, feel, and depend on. The Leaders of Global Operations (LGO) program
empowers me to go beyond engineering and to contribute to corporations’
strategic visions through the process of developing competitive and innovative
products.
As an LGO student, my goal is to promote a collaborative learning
environment by sharing my extensive experiences directly into classroom
discussions. For example, the combination of my experiences in lighting
products for both consumer residential dwellings and commercial airliner
passenger cabins will offer new perspectives for people with aviation
backgrounds, but also those interested in the general business lessons.
Utilizing exclusive LGO offerings such as Plant Treks, I will learn about the
latest manufacturing/operation trends while my own diverse manufacturing
experiences, from handling domestic/overseas contractors to supervising
high-volume production in China, will be of interest to my classmates and
the partner companies. Furthermore, I will refine my leadership skills through
the Universe Within curriculum while demonstrating to classmates my unique
leadership characteristics, achieved through collaboration, team-work, and
leading without managing.
My short-term goal is to become a product manager for a high-tech
consumer electronics company such as Apple. The job training and industry
exposure I will receive as a product manager and the LGO/Sloan experience
will prepare me to achieve my long-term goal of becoming a CEO of a
major electronics manufacturer. I want to lead the global integration of
operation, manufacturing, marketing, and engineering, focusing on new
product development with an emphasis on innovation.
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Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to

gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute
to your professional career?
During my first year at Ondemmes Energy, as first year Associate Process
Engineer, I was handpicked to work on business development with Stephen
Morrow, the Vice President of Process Technology and the head of our
chemicals group. I was fascinated by his metaphor for the chemical industry:
the “revolving door.” Western chemical companies invest technology in
resource-rich countries to produce raw chemicals. These chemicals are then
exported to intermediate countries, usually China, to be manufactured into
finished goods that are then sold on Western markets. This “revolving door”
creates a cycle of prosperity for every player involved, raising everyone’s
standard of living.
However I was perplexed that many resource-rich countries, like Uzbekistan
and Tunisia, are mostly left out of the chemicals trade. For the most part,
multinational chemical companies have been unsuccessful in negotiating
agreements with local oil companies in certain areas. My career goal is to
lead a multinational chemical producer, like Dow Chemical, as CEO to make
the deals that will bring these countries into the game.
To reach my objective, I will first join the strategy practice of a leading
management-consulting firm like McKinsey or BCG. Specializing in
chemicals, I will learn industry best practices. I will later join a multinational
chemical producer, like Dow Chemical, and lead their business development
group. Drawing from my consulting experience, I will complete my
professional goal by leading the company into partnerships with producers in
untapped regions of the world.
I solidified my career goals while working on an assignment in Turkey,
producing a financial model that assessed the economics of a billion dollar
silicon plant. The report helped me understand how joint ventures with local
companies could create more than just great returns. Indeed, our client, a
local Turkish chemical producer, would earn a return of 280% on his money
over the next ten years. But more importantly, the deal would create over one
thousand jobs and $20 million in annual salaries in the community.
Obtaining an MBA from INSEAD is pivotal to achieving my career goals.
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Through courses like Mergers & Acquisitions, Alliances and Corporate
Strategy, I hope to gain an understanding of what makes corporate
partnerships successful, especially between multinationals and local
companies in emerging markets.
The chemicals trade is a global industry involving players from every corner
of the earth. The unrivalled diversity of INSEAD’S student body and staff is
perfect for me to build my multinational management profile. Through the
INSEAD student groups, I hope to deepen my understanding of business
and management by learning from my peers’ careers in diverse countries
and industries. Furthermore, having lived extensively in North America and
in Western Europe, I hope to take advantage of the exchange programs at
INSEAD to develop my understanding of the developing Asian markets.
Finally, INSEAD is the perfect place for me to earn my MBA as it would allow
me to accomplish a personal goal of mine: reuniting with my sister in France
and repositioning my career in Europe.
Describe your career progression to date. What have been

the milestones and/or turning points? What decisions and
choices brought you to your current role?
When I received over $50,000 in undergraduate scholarships, my interest in
journalism took flight. I had entered university with the dream of becoming
a music reporter and had never before been interested in business or
investments. But after coming into this large sum of money, my interests
expanded. Suddenly, I had to “manage my money.” So I began researching
and investing in the markets; I was hooked instantly.
I quickly integrated my newfound interest in business and investing with my
journalism studies. Business reporting was exciting, providing probing insights
into local, national and global developments. From this experience, I came
to realize the vision for my future: a business journalism career, where I
could explore important world topics, and break the news stories that affect
peoples’ lives.
Upon graduation from Duke in 2004, I pursued my goals single-mindedly.
First I worked at a national business TV station, KWS, launching a new online
video player, writing hourly newscasts on breaking business stories, and
presenting live on-air business reports. I then hosted a radio show - “The
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Todd and Mike Morning Show” - in Virginia, where I further developed
my broadcasting skills. I have also written freelance articles for nationally-
distributed business publications such as Buyer’s Dominion and Financial
Avenue Magazine.
After over two years working in the transforming field of business journalism,
I seized the opportunity to host my own business show. I was hired as the
afternoon/evening business host and announcer at 780 WMAZ, a major
metropolitan news radio station in North Carolina. In this role, I have
interviewed some of the most compelling people in the business world and
my wide-ranging, well-researched coverage made “Business After Dark” the
most popular Charlotte evening show among 25 - 49 year old listeners.
My rapid career progression, and my keen ability to connect with a broad
and intelligent audience, have been significant accomplishments. But to
realize my long-term goals, I will need a formal business education. An MBA
from Cambridge is the logical next step.
Describe your vision for your career and your inspiration

for pursuing this career path.
As founder of Mission Microelectronics, I aspire to lead Mission to become
one of India’s top-ten electronic component redistributors within four years
after graduation. In the long run, I have an even more ambitious vision: to
transform Mission into a leading global redistributor.
Electronic component redistributors help manufacturers liquidate their
component surplus stock, effectively reselling manufacturers’ leftovers to
consumers. It is a $36 billion business, and growing exponentially. I was
attracted to electronic component redistribution industry eight years ago by a
recruitment advertisement of Saber Electronics, which read, ‘Do you want to
earn $1,000 per month? ’ In 2003, the average annual income per capita
was far less than $1,000 in India. I thought to myself that if successful, I could
pay back my family’s debt due to my sister’s cancer surgery. I might also be
able to marry my college girlfriend and provide her a home. So I took the
opportunity, and just six months later I became the top salesperson at Saber.
The company soon promoted me to Sales Team Leader, and I was charged
with recruiting my own sales team. Over the next 30 months, I assumed this
leadership role and built a sales force of eight from scratch. Soon, my team
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accounted for 80% of the company’s total gross profits.
When my contract with Saber expired, I decided to start my own business. I
was inspired by the incredible opportunity created by India’s entry into the
WTO. As India’s major industries were opened to foreign investors for the first
time, I witnessed foreign electronic manufacturers building new operations in
India. At Endeavor we dealt mainly with Indian manufacturers. Why not focus
on international manufacturers from China, US and Europe? Since more
international manufacturers would predictably pour into India, our company
could grow exponentially.
I hoped that this was a transformative vision, so I named my company
“Mission” and grew it from a one-man no-profit basement operation to a
10-employee $1.2million turnover electronic parts redistributor. I’ve recruited
Problitz, the world’s largest electronic manufacturing service provider and
the assembler of iPhone and iPad, as my customer. I’ve also led Mission into
business relationships with 30+ global suppliers throughout Asia, Europe
and the US. This international experience has shaped my global vision.
Today, with eight years’ experiences of leadership and entrepreneurship, I
am more inspired than ever to lead my business to become one of India’s top
electronics redistributors.
First, I see a bright future in my redistribution industry. Since electronic
devices such as PCs and mobile devices evolve so quickly, the consumer
markets are harder for manufacturers to predict than ever. Redistributors will
play a vital role in fulfilling orders, and developing market share.
Secondly, the electronics industry has entered another golden age. I believe
the most sustainable way of pulling the world economy back to rail is not
endless government spending, but innovation. And one third of the world’s
innovations come from the electronics industry. Moreover, India has launched
an ambitious project to encourage innovations in the electronics industry, and
offers preferential terms for electronics manufacturers, such as low taxes on
aerospace products and government subsidies on environmentally-friendly
auto products. Under all these unique, timely conditions, my redistribution
business will blossom.
After graduation, I will use the expertise obtained from my Duke MBA
to improve my business in all possible ways, including upgrading our
operations, supply chains, sales, and approach to HR. I am especially eager
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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.
What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals?

How will CBS help you achieve these goals?
As a child from a small village outside M’Bour, Senegal, I became used to
constant power and water-cuts, assuming that studying by candle-light and

floods during downpours were typical of any small-town. However, upon
relocating to Dakar and eventually Cairo, I was shocked to discover that
infrastructure deficiencies only increased in bigger cities, and dilapidated
transportation networks and frequent traffic jams only compounded
problems.
As a Consultant at Globalreach Consultancy, I proposed strategic solutions
to clients on infrastructure projects and came to see that the root cause
of this abysmal state of affairs is often a lack of funds. One such project
involved raising equity for a greenfield port at Fuzhou. I assessed the port’s
economic feasibility, and presented the deal to various private equity funds.
However, despite the experience of the developers, the PE players were not
enthused, and the project stalled. Now, at SBI Capital Markets, I handle
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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 haven’t 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 Senegal’s 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 wouldn’t 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 fund’s 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. Sturmbach’s “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 Gonzalez’s ”Venture Capital: Risks/Opportunity,” and I am eager
to enroll in Professors Setzer’s and Lee’s 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 CBS’s 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 won’t have to experience the same “darkness” I did!
Describe your vision for your career and your inspiration

for pursuing this career path.
During Colombia’s political revolution, my father was exiled to the poorest
place-the Wilchez-Cali Plateau. I was raised on this deserted hill, where
below our feet lay unlimited black coal. I spent my childhood with friends by
playing with those black stones, watching trains carrying them away every
day. Though ranked top for coal output, we also ranked top for incidence of
pneumonia and bronchitis. I developed pneumonia at age 11, and from that
moment on I set out to change the situation.
I chose the Bogota University of Science & Technology for undergraduate
studies for its top-ranked chemistry major. Upon graduation, I joined the
electrical energy industry at Schneider as salesperson to promote silicone
to electric utilities companies. In my first year, I recognized the only way
to increase market share given the state of the financial markets, was
to be creative. So I tweaked the traditional sales approach by skipping
manufacturers (our previous customers) and promoting our products directly
to end-users—government electrical boards. I sensed that those boards had
the power to influence manufacturers’ electricity-buying decisions. Working
18 hour days, I formed market analysis to clarify the benefits, walked along
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the line to get management team buy-in, established a technical consulting
team, and led 16 presentations at customers’ sites in 22 days.
One month later, we received our first batch of new orders, and within a
year I brought the business up to $10.3 million by 62.5% growth, a record
for the energy group in past 20 years. In the meanwhile, I also initiated
expanding the business to northeast and southwest Colombia. This was the
first time these areas received clean electrical energy compared to coal. My
contributions were recognized as top ranking employee in company (5%),
and rewarded Individual Contribution Cash Award in 2008.
In 2009, due to my success in electrical energy industry I was promoted to
a more challenging position—Trader. During that time, I experienced the
biggest strategy transformation in Schneider history— our Azuremeter launch.
Azuremeter is a new system that allows customers to place orders themselves,
tracking their orders online. Despite its advantages, this system has very strict
rules, as now customers can’t change or cancel orders.
As Azuremeter’s leading sales person in Colombia, covering $57 million of
our $280 million total business and five areas (including electrical power,
and wind power) while my group’s other salespeople cover only one or
two, it fell on me to meet with each customer to discuss their concerns, and
overcome their objections. With 0% customer loss rate, I won the Azuremeter
South America “Best Case Reward,” since on average the company lost
16%-23% of its customers in this migration. More importantly, this experience
enabled me to lead my peers through major organizational change,
handling uncertain situations together.
In long term, my goal is to lead a regional South American green energy
start-up to be a market leader in energy space. We will generate clean
electricity from renewable sources, including clean gas, geothermal, and
biomass. My company will integrate international best practices, technologies
and capital into the continent’s domestic markets. We will distribute clean
electricity to supplement up to 15% of current electricity utilization in the
business and residential community, providing a roadmap for a low-carbon
future amidst today’s ill-defined “clean energy” market.
Directly after graduation, I will work as a strategic manager at a forward-
thinking energy company such as DTE or ComEd Energy in the US, to learn
how to run an energy company successfully. This experience will teach me
valuable lessons in building sustainable competitive advantages, working
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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 doesn’t 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 money—both
will be necessary to grow. A Fuqua MBA will be the ideal training ground for
me to equip myself with these critical skills—and to meet the next generation
of leaders who will join me in this journey.
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PART 5
ALL ABOUT THE SCHOOL
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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 you’ve done your homework. Show them you’re 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 you’ll get further than
your competitors. But don’t 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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What steps have you taken to learn about the Berkeley

MBA program, and what factors have influenced your
decision to apply?
I remember the three-page long email that Jillian Tyler (Haas ‘94), a
long-standing, and cherished client of mine, sent in response to my
questions about business school. She wrote passionately about her time
at Haas, highlighting its focus on technology and entrepreneurship, and
the collaborative, non-elitist community. I was sold on the school instantly.
Talking with current students Ryan Parker and Annie Pagel about their
experiences in weekly seminars on global technology hot-spots has bolstered
my interest in Haas.
Given my startup background and entrepreneurial ambition, an environment
that focuses on innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship is ideal. Haas,
with its proximity to the innovative San Francisco Bay area, is in the best
locale in the world for me.
Haas’s small class size will give me an opportunity to intimately know my
incredibly talented classmates and feel a sense of community. By leading few
of the 50+ student clubs, I’ll learn a lot about leadership. Through Peers@
Haas and close interaction with the faculty and career coaches, I stand to
receive tremendous support.
Haas startups such as Carsala.com and Keyhole Inc. (known as Google
Earth today) are inspiring success stories. The fact that Haas startups
such as Leapfrog Enterprises recruit at Haas demonstrates the passion
that alumni have for the school. I would love to gain advice from other
alumni entrepreneurs, such as Tyler Elliston and John Hanke who launched
DeeperInk and SXD Music.
I have been so excited about Berkeley for many years, that when my parents
made their first trip to the US last year, I urged them to visit the University.
My Dad, a real stickler for top shelf education, was inspired by his visit and
signed “Father of Rohit, Prospective student@Haas” in the Sather Tower
guestbook.
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What is it about Chicago Booth that is going to help you

reach your goals?
Booth will provide an ideal training ground for me to realize my career
vision. It teaches in a global arena, encourages entrepreneurship, and offers
a fast-paced, challenging academic life.
Booth’s IMBA is pragmatic and, in fact, spotlights China. During my
campus visit this past February, Shui Zhuan (‘09) introduced me to the
Asian Economies and Business class. Shortly after, I adapted Professor Karl
Wennerth’s lessons of Chinese corporate hierarchy into my Global Banking
work with a Chinese client. If a day of Booth’s teaching can yield such results,
I can only imagine the volumes I will learn from the 21-month program!
I later reached out to current student Heather Zhang (IMBA ‘15) and alumni
Franco Carbaess (IMBA ‘10). After hearing of their IBEP experiences and
camaraderie with IMBA peers, I am even more focused in my pursuit of
the program. I intend to enroll at Shanghai University for a semester to
soak in the various Chinese market environments and perhaps even join
its consulting recruiting season. I hope to exchange knowledge with IMBA
friends among other IBEP trekkers to share our worldly experiences.
The Entrepreneurship Center will help me to tap into my future clients’
entrepreneurial mindset, as I learn to develop and actualize entrepreneurs’
dreams through the Private Equity/Venture Capital Lab. I will also hone my
own vision in the Commercializing Innovation course that bridges finance to
strategic management, precisely the training that I need as I cross that same
bridge, in my career.
I find that in many ways the Booth experience mirrors that of a strategy
consultant, with it’s McKinsey-sponsored case studies and onsite workshops.
I will learn amidst Booth’s fast-changing quarter system, alongside my batch
of brilliant, down-to-earth peers. We will together tackle case studies as a
team, analyzing current research of real companies, as in Professor Olin
Agareed’s Strategy Development class. I look forward to adding to this
thought-provoking group, and working together to challenge our thinking
and push one another to new heights.
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Student and alumni engagement has at times led to the

creation of innovative classes. If you were able to create a
Wharton course on any topic, what would it be?
There is a crisis in education in the United States. Newsweek reported on
August 18, 2010 that while the US once had the highest rate of educational
attainment in the world, in the past ten years, we have fallen to twelfth in
terms of percentage of young adults with a college degree. Perhaps even
more disturbing is the fact that many kids have fallen so far behind by the
time they reach high school. Nearly 70% of 8th graders in the United States,
for example, are deficient in mathematics compared to their grade level.
Upon high school graduation, the statistics are equally depressing; in 2010
less than a quarter of ACT takers possessed the skills required to pass entry-
level college courses.
My class will be called Future’s Promise. With Professor Cheryl Jeffery
leading the class, Wharton students will leverage her research on business
model design and the performance of entrepreneurial firms, learning how
to transform a passion into a profitable profession. The class will attack
our nation’s educational deficiencies, converting Wharton students into
consultants and tasking them with teaching at-risk high school students to
develop an idea into a viable business. The best plans will enter a business
plan competition, with the winner receiving funding to put the plan into
action.
Along the way, Wharton students will help high-schoolers develop an
understanding of the real-world application of mathematics, initiative, and
leadership skills that will empower them one day to pursue higher education.
Wharton students will motivate the teenagers with the possibility of receiving
cash for winning a contest and more importantly, by engaging students’
own interests. For example, a Wharton student paired with a girl interested
in fashion might work together to convince a designer to use one of her
ideas, or even how to launch a boutique clothing operation. A young man
interested in music might take a similar route, perhaps exploring with his
consultant how much a set of turn-tables would cost, and how he might
purchase the equipment with a loan. The kids will be motivated by their own
passions, and the potential of winning a cash prize will further drive their
learning.
Wharton students will enter Faith High School, recently ranked the worst
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public high school in Philadelphia based on floundering Pennsylvania
System of School Assessment (“PSSA”) test scores. At Faith, which has only
440 students and an average class size of 18 students, Wharton students
will take advantage of the intimate setting to engage children one-on-one.
During the first class meeting, Wharton students will spend time with their
high school partners to discover their interests, and begin developing a
sense of familiarity. Occasionally partners will make field trips to study their
interest. The girl interested in fashion, a junior, might travel with her Wharton
consultant to a local designer boutique. With the consultant’s help, the junior
would develop self-confidence by interacting with the boutique owner and
employees. She would also learn about the business by quizzing the owner
about the challenges of operating the store.
The Wharton consultants will take away powerful lessons as well. The class
will force MBA students to work through frustrating situations, situations
they have perhaps never experienced, while maintaining a professional
demeanor. Some students will likely be paired with youngsters who are
unreceptive to advice, and potentially even disrespectful. This will help the
Wharton consultants to develop some of the soft skills leaders need. Wharton
consultants will likely benefit from the exercise of developing an open,
comfortable bond of trust with their partners.
The course will also reinforce the value to MBA seekers of giving back to their
communities. In fulfilling two components of Wharton’s mission – outreach
and social good – the consultants will improve their community, while
learning a great deal along the way.
What unique aspects of the Foster MBA Program would

contribute the most towards achieving your short term
and long-term goals? What unique aspects of the Foster
program specifically appeal to you? {Excerpted from 5-part
prompt}
[...] In order to run my own company, I need to understand the fundamentals
of cost and productivity analysis, organizational strategy, and change
management. I need to reinforce my operations, marketing, and finance
knowledge to advise my clients in these areas. Lastly, I need skills in the
areas of entrepreneurship, management, and general leadership training in
order to run a sustainable enterprise of my own.
Admissionado Guide
My personal strength lies in building and nurturing relationships, which will
be particularly key in developing trust and confidence with my clients. The
small class size of Foster is therefore appealing to me. My campus visit and
interactions with current students has further strengthened my belief that I
will benefit from interacting closely with a group of 100 students rather than
forging select relationships among an unwieldy class of 300-400. Through
the Business and Financial Development Station, I will have the opportunity to
serve on the board of non-profits. This is an absolutely incredible opportunity
that will greatly improve my understanding of management issues specific to
my area of interest.
Washington has specific appeal to me as well. I have a close network of
friends who work in places like Impact Motorsports and Penske Racing,
and are actively involved in social work around Seattle and Foster. These
people have always challenged and inspired me to follow my dreams.
They are surrounded by like-minded businessmen and women with exciting
entrepreneurial dreams of their own. This is the type of environment I’m
hoping to immerse myself in during two productive years at Foster.
Why Duke? (If you are interested in a specific

concentration, joint degree, clubs or activities, please
discuss how you would contribute to these in this essay).
The Duke MBA program will help me stand on the shoulders of giants,
empowering me to lead my company to achieve its potential.
I am eager to learn from Professor Mark Roggae, one of the most important
business minds of the past century. His “Growing Your Business by Increasing
Customer Worth” course will teach me new approaches to identifying and
enhancing the value of my company. More excitingly, Professor Roggae is a
founding partner of a leading consulting firm which serves an impressive list
of Fortune 500 clients including high-tech big guns such as Cisco, HP, and
Phillips. His practical experiences in the Hi-Tech industry will surely help me
grow TechMaster, making his course a unique choice for me.
Participating in Professor Joanne Sveld’s “STRATEGY - Global Business
Project” will also be a powerful experience, as Professor Sveld enjoyed 13
years of senior leadership with Hewlett Packard and 22 years of VP/CEO
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experiences in the Hi-Tech sector. Under her precious mentorship, I will
strengthen my global competency in the Hi-Tech distribution business, thus
helping TechMaster grow into the future.
Furthermore, the unique “Entrepreneurship and Ideas” concentration, with
many of its courses specifically evolved from Hi-Tech topics, will deepen
my understanding of my customers and help me sustain a competitive
advantage. This concentration also offers a “Marketing of Innovation”
elective. Through the unique marriage of marketing knowledge and Hi-Tech
industry know-how, I will learn how to better assess customer needs in
technology-intensive environments.
I recently reached out to current Duke student Sherry Ngdou (Class of 2012),
and she vividly depicted the Duke faculty as being both approachable and
full of global vision. I am enthusiastic to consult Professor Jollette Bird, who
actively researches supply chains and distribution systems in the global
context, and who frequently teaches MBA courses to international students
in the East and West, on the details of establishing TechMaster’s global
redistribution network.
Since TechMaster currently focuses on global manufacturers, I am eager
to contribute my global experiences and perspective to discussions. I will
provide my insights on how the value of various electronic components
are added as they go through design (mostly in US, Germany, Japan and
Korea), production (mostly in US, Taiwan and Korea), distribution (global)
and final assembly (mainly in China, Taiwan, South East Asia, Mexico and
East Europe).
I will share with my Duke classmates my background in entrepreneurship,
leadership, and self-development from a humble salesman to a visionary
leader. I will tell them my stories of how I assumed the burden of family
debts and became an entrepreneur, how I set an example for my teammates
and built a collaborative team with great success, and how I motivated my
salespeople to hit 20% annual sales increase in 2009 during the global
economic downturn.
I intend to take great interest in the Tech Field Society, which provides
opportunities to network with various technology companies, potential global
customers, and to keep abreast of the latest technology trends. In the Asian
Business Club, I will network with like-minded students who aspire to focus
their future careers on emerging Asian markets. For example, had I attended
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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.
What attracts you specifically to the Yale School of

Management’s MBA program?
Yale’s renowned strategic management program and commitment to social
responsibility represent the same fusion of strategy and social responsibility
that I seek in my career. The elaborately designed courses in “Organizational
Perspectives,” such as Sourcing and Managing Funds, will suit my
entrepreneurial goals perfectly. Energy Markets Strategy, taught by Arthur
Campbell, a thought leader in the wind and solar space, will teach me to
build competitive advantage for my future company.
Yale’s prominent teamwork culture perfectly appeals to my expectation on
studying and working closely with fellows and professors. Beyond that, the
famous “Raw Case” approach will enable me to best distill the information to
handle real world issues. By joining Yale’s first year International Experience
Destinations program, I will learn to think differently and effectively in a
multi-culture based environment. Whether participating in Yale’s Energy
Club, enrolled in a Bioengineering class at the Science school, or taking
advantage of the tightly-knit alumni network, I am eager to contribute to
SOM’s vibrant, supportive community.
Admissionado Guide
What is your personal experience with the Stern

community? Tell us what actions you have taken to learn
about us. Describe what most excites you about Stern
from both an academic and extracurricular perspective.
How do you anticipate making your mark on the
academic community? Be specific about the roles you will
take on and the impact you hope to achieve.
“But you’re not an investment banker! Stern? Don’t bet on getting in…”
Despite resistance from my peers, my desire to attend Stern couldn’t be
stronger.
I have taken every chance to know Stern better, from joining discussion
in on-line forums, to following students’ blogs- especially Phillip Giddings
(’11) who is pursuing a career in auto manufacturing. I have also
exchanged emails with Graduate Ambassadors and club board members,
attended the information session in Kyoto and met with local alumni Jane
Haldeman (’08).
The more I research, the more confident I am that Stern is the perfect
school for me.
I am drawn to Stern’s broad-based, balanced MBA curriculum. It would
allow me to choose up to three specializations which would develop both
my strength and weakness. Stern’s second-to-none Corporate Finance
and Strategy specializations would supplement my background in Finance
and strengthen my strategic thinking within the energy space. The Energy
and Environment course especially, taught by Professor Bruce Greenwald,
the author of Value Investing and The Global Race to Fuel the Car of the
Future, would give me a more global view of developing trends in green
energy.
Moreover, my email correspondences with Jonas Wirches (‘11), a board
member of Social Enterprise Association and the Chair of Think Social
Drink Local, has taught me a lot about the SEA, from site visits to local,
eco-minded business to career panels and networking events. The Speaker
Series which includes a number of speakers from within the green energy
space each year will be a perfect place to reach out into the industry to
develop further industry access. Given my career aspirations in both green
energy and strategy, I will seek a leadership position in the Strategy and
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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, Stern’s strong connection with private equity firms
located in NYC, such as Expansion Capital Partners, which invest in mission-
driven 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 today’s 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 NYU’s Stern School of Business will
propel me forward in my goal to bring clean energy to communities across
Japan.
What is your personal experience with the Stern

community? Tell us what actions you have taken to learn
about us. Describe what most excites you about Stern from
both an academic and extracurricular perspective. How do
you anticipate making your mark on the Stern community?
Be specific about the roles you will take on and the impact
you hope to achieve.
I have engaged with Stern on multiple occasions.
In 2008, during an official visit to New York, I visited the campus informally
with a friend who attended Stern. I had heard a lot about the school from her
and was curious to know more.
Admissionado Guide
I recently attended the Information Session in Rome (held at our Ponte
Vecchio corporate office, in fact!) and interacted with Mark Cower, Assistant
Director – Admissions and other Stern alumni at the event. I have researched
Stern’s website extensively, and contacted officers of the Association of
Investment Management and Research club (AIMR) to learn more about
private banking events held at Stern. Throughout these interactions, the
friendliness and the genuine warmth within the Stern community has left a
mark on me.
I am excited to attend classes of Professors Castner and Galvin, both
stalwarts in the field of finance. I have heard from my friend and others at
Stern as to how Professor Castner makes the finance classes interesting, and
would love to be an addition to this community of his admirers. Professor
Galvin has worked in the Investment Management field both in the private
and public sector, and hence his insights would be invaluable.
I am also excited about attending the GO! program to Argentina and
international trek to China. I have witnessed the rising power of these
emerging economies in my career. Investors in the US and abroad are
increasingly seeking investments into these economies and such first-hand
experience would be crucial in informing my global perspective. This
knowledge, coupled with other courses of the Global Business specialization,
would be helpful in my driving a bank’s global wealth management
business.
Personally, I am thrilled by the idea of two years of New York City living. A
morning jog by Central Park, attending a studio recording of the Daily Show,
spending my weekly (or perhaps monthly) food budget at Babbo, listening
to world leaders like the Treasury Secretary or Fed Chairman speak at Stern,
networking with industry leaders just around the block – I can’t help wishing I
were at Stern already!
I believe that with my truly unique background, I will make a meaningful
impact on the Stern community. On the finance side, I work every day with
concepts such as NPV, IRR, WACC etc. I am eager to share my finance
knowledge in informal study groups with my peers, who have backgrounds in
other areas. When our curriculum turns to those areas, I will again meet with
my peers, this time as an eager student.
Outside the classroom, I will participate in the AIMR club as a VP for Private
Wealth Management. I will build on my existing contacts in New York
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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.
If you were able to create a Wharton course on any topic,

what would it be?
The state of primary and secondary education in Thailand is a work-in-
progress. Although the government is doing its best to improve the system,
social entrepreneurs are currently developing the most innovative and
effective solutions. The course I am proposing, “Social Enterprises and
Education in Thailand,” will study these efforts, and improve on them.
The course will be comprised of three main sections. First, we will read cases
of successful and unsuccessful companies in the education sector. We will
invite those social entrepreneurs to speak with our class about their successes
and failures. For example, JUBILEE is an organization that has created
games for mobile phones to teach English in rural parts of Thailand where
there is little to no access to schools or teachers. I have met with Christopher
Meihi Kang, the social entrepreneur running the organization, and he would
be thrilled to enlist Wharton’s help in developing their strategy to scale
operations throughout Thailand.
For every successful venture like JUBILEE, there are many more failures that
offer rich learning opportunities as well - for example, an enterprise that
tried to set up a school “cafeteria” in the low-income schools of Bangkok by
paying mothers to cook food and charging students was unsuccessful. In my
discussions with the founder, he explained that he was solving two problems
– feeding children healthy school lunches and empowering women with
paid work. But he failed to establish a sustainable cost structure, and grossly
overestimated the number of families who would sign up for the meal plans.
By learning from organizations that have failed, students will be in a better
position to avoid common pitfalls when implementing their own ideas. 50%
of students’ grade in the course will be based on class participation during
Admissionado Guide
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
they’re attempting to fix, and how effective their models are. As students
develop an understanding of the enterprise’s 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. We’ll meet their stakeholders, further
develop our understanding of the challenges and the enterprise’s solutions,
make modifications to our plans for improving the enterprise, and begin
implementing our ideas. In Thailand, we’ll 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.
Why Duke? (If you are interested in a specific
Admissionado Guide
concentration, joint degree, clubs or activities, please

discuss how you would contribute to these in this essay.)
Duke’s culture of teamwork is extraordinary. When I watched Coach K and
his team mount the podium in 2010 to receive their awards after the Final
Four, it only seemed fitting, as it brought back the memory of my visit to
Durham two years ago. I wasn’t left alone even for five minutes—at every
turn, a Duke student approached me, sharing diverse backgrounds, and
initiating conversations to establish common ground. Entering as a stranger,
I left Durham with a number of friends. The trip gave me a sense of how
Fuqua values teamwork. Today, the team spirit of the winning basketball
team—and of the school that has been so supportive—convinces me that
Duke is the best place for me to pursue an MBA to fully actualize my dreams.
What is so distinctive about Duke Leadership is the emphasis on
collaboration. This distinction is particularly meaningful to me because
few professions rely on teamwork as heavily as we do in real estate.
Taking the urban mall project for instance, as lead architect, I organized
the project schedule and led the team, managing countless consultants,
including structural engineers, civil engineers, interior designers and general
contractors. As a specific design issue would arise, I would instantly switch to
become a collaborator, supporting demands from specialized experts, and
making adjustments if necessarily.
Among all twelve concentrations, Entrepreneurship and Innovation is the
one that can provide the knowledge and skills I desire most to actualize my
dream. The curriculum integrates practical tools and experiential knowledge
with root principles, which suits my background perfectly. I too bring a
great deal of practical background, both in real estate and in business
development, and I am eager to benefit from this more practical approach.
With nearly 40% international students last year, and especially given the
Global MBA option, I am strongly convinced that Duke’s multicultural
environment matches my personal values of cultural diversity. I bring a
similarly diverse background to Duke, as I have lived both in the west and
the east (and back and forth again) over the past decade. I am eager to
spend two years with others whose careers have also been so internationally-
informed. The international interest of business courses and electives such
as the Global Academic Travel Experience will provide me with timely
interactions that will help develop my international skillset, and background.
Admissionado Guide
Duke’s multicultural environment will also connect me with other people
such as investors, land owners and developers to build a strong real estate
network.
Beyond real estate, I was surprised to learn that among over 40 clubs there
is no organization devoted to film. I want to launch a film club and will host
serial theme nights inviting my classmates to introduce cultures of their home
countries via movies. At Spanish Night, I will introduce the work of Pedro
Almodovar, the director of critically acclaimed films like “Talk To Her” and
“Volver.”
I am also drawn to Duke’s unique course structure, six-week terms rather
than quarters or semesters. It is particularly meaningful to me because I
come from a practical field unfamiliar with many of the subjects covered
in the program. Such structure not only allows me to take more courses, it
also gives me flexibility to fully pursue my career vision, which is clear to me
today.
Finally, I have been extremely impressed to learn that the program’s structure
and curriculum keep evolving over the years incorporating students’ advice.
For instance, the winter optional term was introduced since 2006 in response
to 1st year students’ hopes to better prepare for summer internship interviews
that come in January and February. And the concept of concentration was
also introduced to the program in recent years to develop both the breadth
and depth of the courses. These actions show how devoted the Duke MBA
program is to always exceed itself. I share this vision. Whether improving my
designs, challenging myself to build three profitable businesses overseas,
or now making a clearly-defined career change, I too am always seeking to
improve myself. This is perhaps the strongest reason why I know that Duke is
the perfect fit for me.
Admissionado Guide
PART 6
O P T I O N A L E S S AY S
Admissionado Guide
As a little BONUS we’re including a Part Six. Here, we examine a few of
the optional essay types that tend to appear at the end of the application
package. Some are mandatory, but completely open-ended: there is no
guidance or regulation. Others may have a prescribed topic, a word limit;
and still yet with others, the only ‘optional’ aspect about them is whether you
must write it or not.
The clients below chose to enhance their applications through the optional
essay in several different ways. Some chose to mention new achievements.
Others decided to address a peculiarity in their story: perhaps a period of
unemployment, a career change, or a dubious G.P.A.
At Admissionado, a rule of thumb we promote is: get in and out of the
optional essay as quickly as possible. We usually recommend a little less
fanfare and more of a straight-forward approach. Why pile on another
lengthy piece of reading for the admissions committee? Don’t shoot yourself
in the foot at the finish line. Ask yourself if it’s truly necessary. If it’s not clear
and isn’t serving a specific purpose, get rid of it. Or start over. Or chop it in
half. And if you don’t know, that’s why we’re here! For example, if you are
explaining a failure not yet addressed in the setback/failure section, hold your
head up high and tell them what happened, why you are wiser, and what you
believe about yourself in the present. You’ve got nothing to hide and you’ve
come a long way!
Let’s check out these last essays before we sign off. We hope you enjoyed the
ride and thanks for reading. Now… time for YOU to get to work!
Admissionado Guide
Optional Essay: Should you have been employed for any

significant period of time during your undergraduate
program, please make note of this here.
My division at Bank of America (BOA) relies on my work and client load, and
might be put in a difficult position by my departure. I have decided not to
ask my current supervisor for a recommendation, as doing so would likely
jeopardize my standing in the group, and possibly my employment. Instead, I
have asked former supervisors at (BOA) to provide recommendations.
To relieve my parents of my financial burden and to independently finance
my own education, I worked part-time jobs in addition to internships and
full-time studies at University of Michigan. After doing well in my engineering
Calculus courses, the math department recruited me as a Calculus teaching
assistant to undergraduate students. For three years, I held this position
and averaged 15 hours a week, even during the quarter when I interned
for Chase. Other part-time jobs I had in Ann Arbor during summer breaks
include restaurant hostess at the Café Felix and Java House Barista. Other
internships not listed elsewhere in the online application include Dearborn
One Risk Consulting (Detroit Branch) and Center for Economic Development
in Auburn Hill’s Chamber of Commerce.
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 school’s $98 million budget and analyze how different cohort sizes,
attrition, yield, and discount rates would affect the 2010 budget.
Admissionado Guide
I saw the job as a unique opportunity to keep my financial modeling skills
sharp, while also developing my leadership and sales skills along the way.
Fifteen months into my tenure at North Park, I could not be happier with
my decision. After I presented to the Board of Trustees, which includes
members of public company boards, I convinced the Board to maintain high
discount rates. After making 87 presentations to high school students in 50
days, I recruited 39% more students than my predecessor. I also developed
motivational skills that enabled me to drive my subordinates to exceed our
team goals by 7%. Most importantly, my expanded skill set has given me the
confidence to be a leader in my learning team, cohort, and community.
Is there any further information that you wish to provide

to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to
provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your
academic record or your personal history.)
I received an MBA from the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University
of Madrid, in 2007, but I’d like to explain my reasons for pursuing Stanford’s
two-year MBA program at this point.
As I entered final year of my engineering degree with two employment
offers in hand, the prospect of a career in Information Technology seemed
less appealing with every passing minute. Business articles in the daily
paper piqued my interest much more than the technology pieces, and I was
far more interested in working to solve a client’s funding quagmires than
providing software solutions in a silo. Securing admission to one of Spain’s
top business institutes fortified my decision, and I dove into a post-graduate
course without any prior work experience and with an at-most hazy goal of
wanting to enter “finance” post-MBA.
Because my objective was vague, the path I followed in school was also
vague. I studied the majority of the nine available finance electives, learning
about many broad areas but focusing on none. The teaching methodology
focused on theory, but not real-world application, and student-industry
interaction was extremely rare. As a result, I did not connect meaningfully
with any particular area of finance at that point. Three years of full-time
experience later, though, I have achieved that meaningful connection—in
infrastructure and private equity. However, I recognize that in order to
Admissionado Guide
establish my career in PE and ultimately start my own PE Fund I have to gain
academic as well as industry exposure .
As a freshman, I did not comprehend the importance of exposure to varied
backgrounds, professional or personal. My MBA didn’t help either, as the
student community at FMS was extremely one dimensional, with 99% of the
class being both Spanish and over 75% of it comprised of engineers with less
than a year of work experience. Thus, class-room discussions, project work
and other team-based activities lacked the rich diversity which comes from
differences in cultures, opinions and experiences. This lacuna was reinforced
when I worked in an international team at Capital One, conducting reviews
of bank’s operations and providing feedback to associates across the globe.
As my goals consist of becoming part of a global team at a PE firm, and
later sourcing equity from an international investor base for my own fund, I
require greater exposure to a greater range of cultures and experiences.
In retrospect, despite its drawbacks, I am glad that I pursued an MBA degree
straight out of graduation as it introduced me to the world of finance. Today,
however, my goal of instituting a PE Fund is more focused and international
in context, and I aim to bridge the gaps in my education that have appeared
over the past three years alongside a professionally experienced and diverse
MBA class at Stanford.
Please include any other information that you believe

would be helpful to the admissions committee in
considering your application.
I would like to take this opportunity to explain my reasons for pursuing a
second degree in the field of management.
An intern at KPS Mifflin during college, I was keen to land a gainful position
after I graduated. But entry barriers, in terms of educational qualifications, to
major positions in this sector were prohibitively high. Thus, Whitman Business
School was the next logical step after my undergraduate degree. This
program provided me with the educational prerequisites necessary to enter
Stromback Mutual Fund, the largest mutual fund house in the U.K.
Whitman opened doors for me and taught me most of what I know about the
world of business. Thanks to Whitman—and in turn, Stromback—I gained
intense practical experience in areas of channel management, leadership,
Admissionado Guide
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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50 M BA E SSAYS

Welcome to Admissionado’s 50 MBA ESSAYS THAT WORKED - Volume One.

without applying the fundamentals of modern business.

you become a well-rounded executive, which means getting that business-based

education you always dreamed of.

together a coherent, interesting and convincing argument for your candidacy.

Admissionado comes in.

stock market genius hoping to jump start an equity career.

Europe and beyond.

unlocked the schools of each author’s dreams.

interesting, compelling and fun. (And they worked!)

{Please Note: In order to preserve the anonymity of these gracious volunteers,

we have redacted/modified occasional identifying information such as names,

If it was a personal achievement, what did it entail in terms of effort? What

tasks were required? What did it lead to?

essays off with a bang.

Please describe a time when you took responsibility for

Juicer is yours!’ The crowd burst into applause.

It was a charity auction held in May 2008 in a shopping mall square of

Wagon Wheel, a Nasdaq-listed conglomerate which owns 20 shopping malls

the 2008 Oklahoma Tornado, producing the nation’s most devastating

tornado damage in recorded history.

calculated that each family’s spot would cost about $150.

After responding to several emergency alert requests, and collaborating with

form of shelter to 50 families. But how to raise $10,400? Eager to help, I

had leapt before I had looked.

First, I contributed a percentage of my online business’ sales revenue in May.

I motivated my salespeople to close more orders by highlighting the mission,

I recalled charity auctions I had organized when I was a member of League

of Action at university. We collected pens, souvenirs, and even bicycles from

donors and attracted students to the auctions.

industry provided me an idea immediately: why not solicit my customers to

I could hand these products to Armorside, where my cousin Rennata was a

her my idea. ‘Let’s do it!’ she exclaimed.

and successfully got 80+ electronic products such as wireless telephones,

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,

$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+,

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

together with seemingly unrelated resources to find solutions that matter.

Tell us about your most significant accomplishment.

felt very close to the same thing.

25-person internet marketing startup. I also needed to train myself, single-

handedly manage clients’ marketing campaigns, and meet certain pre-

to find another job.

create and manage marketing campaigns on search engines and websites

for online businesses. It was a crash course in on-the-job training and I

quickly combated a steep learning curve. As I shed my training wheels and

settled in, I wondered how far I could take this division...

I engineered a well-oiled scalable process for managing campaigns. My

designed training structure was effective at quickly transforming a lay person

into an efficient campaign manager. My domain knowledge grew as I

attended conferences and delivered lectures at colleges on search-marketing.

Managing 120+ campaigns in 17 sectors, my confidence grew, which

prestigious clients and spearheaded three strategic global partnerships.

From a one-man-team to twelve people today, from zero to 14% of the

firm’s overall revenues and the accreditation of “Google Ad-Words Qualified

Company,” my division and I have come a long way.

At Booth, we value innovation and creativity. Describe a

A year ago at work, I spoke with the founder of a Boston-based Home

Remodeling/Contracting-Jobs placement board. He was a leader in his