Admissionado_50 MBA Essays That Worked(1)

8/10/2019 Admissionado_50 MBA Essays That Worked(1)

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5 0 M BA E SSAYS

THAT WORKED

b y A D M I S S I O N A D O


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A DM I SS IO NA D O GU I D E

50 MBA ESSAYS THAT WORKED VO LU ME ON E.

Hello there!

Welcome to Admissionados 50 MBA ESSAYS THAT WORKED - Volume One .

So youre applying to graduate school and, my my, youve chosen some of the

most selective, elite and hard-hitting top programs in the world. You feel you can

shine at these prestigious institutions and now (you cant believe it) youre actually

applying. Whoa.

Perhaps its a career change that has set you on this path. Youve been climbing

the ranks as a specialist at a premier nancial institution for the better part of a

decade, directing millions of ducats where they belong, but you cant put your

dream on hold for another second. Youre ready to go full-time with your blooming

side business, to take your innovative web designs and start that IT rm you

know you can rock in your sleep if only you knew about day-to-day operations

management.

Perhaps youve taken over your grandfathers hotel chain and opened three new

luxury locations in the last ve years across your native country. As the growing

companys heir, you want to harness all your new authority to expand into new

business areas with different concepts, using your resources to make the right

choices but you nd you lack the know-how to maximize your margins and

reposition for the future. You arent quite sure how much further you can take it

without applying the fundamentals of modern business.

Or perhaps as the rising star analyst at one of the worlds premier biometric labs,

you just executed the merger of a lifetime, leading the charge with work ethic,

techno-savvy, and sheer will. Youve gotten the attention of the CEO who wants

to make you the go-to mind for all major tech decisions. But rst, they need for to

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

education you always dreamed of.

Well, heres what we say: good for you! And at Admissionado we believe in the

power of the written word to help you get there. Or, as we like to call them, a set

of precision essays. After all, just about every business school in the world, from

Harvard to INSEAD to LBS, will require you to dust off your quill and ink to pen

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

Youll be asked for statements of purpose, career assessments and goals, personal

narratives, and most importantly, clear examples of your leadership skills in action.

Gulp.


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Can you convince the admissions committee that you are one of the CEOs of

tomorrow? Will you impact the world with your leadership and leave it a better

place? Have you confronted failure and disappointment? Have you the ambition to

make your vision a reality, and are you organized and disciplined enough to see

it through? What have you done so far that should make anyone believe you can

even pull it off? Are you prepared to show me the money!? Indeed, the time has

come to put the answers to these questions and more on paper. And thats where

Admissionado comes in.

Youve taken the tests, gotten your scores, and picked your schools. Assuming you

are sharing similar credentials as the thousands of other applicants, how do you

set yourself apart? Whatever your particular reasoning is for getting an MBA, its

crucial that you play your cards as expertly as possible by presenting essays that

make a compelling case in an unforgettable way. After all, you may not be the only

stock market genius hoping to jump start an equity career.

Does all this seem daunting, if not impossible? Maybe the thought of writing

anything about yourself sends you into a cold sweat. Trust us, with a l ittle patience

and good old-fashioned effort you, too, can be one of the thousands heading off

to a top-ten MBA program next year after impressing an admissions committee with

your story.

To prove it, weve put together this collection of real essays from applicants who,

once the dust settled, had their pick of top schools. As youll see, they all have

different careers and experiences. Some of these inspiring folks were applying to

U.S. schools from as far away as Seoul, Istanbul, or Rio De Janeiro. In other cases,

they were moving in the opposite direction, wanting to leave American shores for

Europe and beyond.

Nevertheless, after working with Admissionado, all were able to produce these

grade-A works even though, in several cases, English was their third or fourth

language in life. We helped these young go-getters take the raw material of what

they had and compress and polish it into a diamond. We worked with the client tocreate an individual representation that cannot be copied or faked. These were their

stories, their ideas, and ultimately their accomplishments. We poked and prodded

them, strategized with them, and asked all manner of thought-provoking questions.

We gave them the tools to improve the clarity and effectiveness of their writing.

Together, we present you with the following essays to read, essays that ultimately

unlocked the schools of each authors dreams.


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Youll nd these essays are models of economy and clarity. They are free of

linguistic clutter, eschewing chunks of adjectival clauses for precise ideas. They are

trying to connect with the reader, not bog them down with lists. They all feature

an ease in readability, a wide range of unique voicing and styles, and at times,

even singular senses of humor. Their authors were able to take a step back and

demonstrate the ability to see the big picture; they aimed high and strove to feature

themselves shining brightly from the center of an impressive past and ambitious

future.

They were leaders of people and said so. Sure, there were mountains of revenue,

but monetary results were not the only thing they wrote about. They righted the

ships of sinking companies, spoke their minds to persuade bosses, and sometimes

even saved lives. Their visions were bold, and the personal detail included is

frequently courageous and, if nothing else, refreshingly honest. And often, less

was more: while detail and context were certainly necessary, each essayist more

or less hits the expected word count by sticking to whats important. Through it all,

Admissionado was there, providing feedback and guidance. In the end, we all

discovered something about ourselves, and in the process rendered essays that are

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

We hope you enjoy this volume as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Lets

take a look at what some of tomorrows leaders wrote. Are you next?

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

we have redacted/modied 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 1L E A D E R S H I P A N D

A C C O M P L I S H M E N T S


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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 rolledup their sleeves and made something happen. They xed 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 dened time

and space. Location is clear, duties are specic, schedules are clear andcompelling results are plentiful. They also took the time to set up the

problem. Or in other words, what was going wrong before they stepped

in. It is clear their worlds would have ended up in worse condition had they

not stepped up to the plate. And more often than not, they strove to start the

essays off with a bang.

MBA programs are looking for the leaders of tomorrow, which means

leading people not projects, not products, but leading PEOPLE to great

things.


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plan to attract people to attend the auction: every attendant would have

a chance to draw lottery to win an electronic gadget. Moreover, I invited

a community arts group to perform in the auction. I also asked my father,

who can amazingly play ve different music instruments including ute 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 specic parts, methodically. Moreover, it revealed to me the power of a

great idea in the service of others ultimately, the best ideas bring peopletogether with seemingly unrelated resources to nd solutions that matter.

Tell us about your most signicant accomplishment.

One day Ill own a company bigger than Nike, I assured my mother

when I was eleven years old. While I havent started that company just yet,

establishing the Paid Search Marketing division of Dellx 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-

dened targets within six months, or the company would buckle and Id need

to nd 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 efcient 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 condence grew, which


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proactive partner to applicants, assisting them in their search for their dream

contracting job. In six months, the websites revenues grew by 40%, restoring

the founder to the industry-leading status he deserved.

Tell us about a time when you went beyond what wasdened, 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 ofce layout. When I began working

there, I found it difcult 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 rst 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 inuenced

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 ofce. But I was able to nd 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 rm is still currently being investigated by the SEC. And yes, its CEO

was on the FBIs most-wanted list. But my recommendation for the deal

stands, I said.

Scrutiny lled the room full of veteran bankers from the Loan Committee

of Bank of America (BOA) Global Banking. I knew they would come at me

hard, but I was ready.

Several months earlier, I had just been promoted to Relationship Manager

(RM) into BOAs startup Global Banking ofce 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 prots. But since we

were a start-up group and lacked pre-existing clients, I had trouble nding

new borrowers to cultivate. It was tough, so I hatched an unusual idea.

Rather than chasing new leads, what if I looked in BOAs own backyard?

I started screening a shared internal database of existing clients that other

BOA divisions were terminating.

One telecommunications company jumped out. Four years ago, i ts 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 prots 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 rm, perhaps

we might be able to cross-sell more banking products, and build a lasting

relationship as well.

The risk was high. If I vouched for the deal and the telecom failed, all

eyes would be on me as the new RM who gambled with BOAs money

and reputation. I would risk my credibility earned over the last 28 months,

overseeing more than 100 loans and restructuring over 30 without a single

loss through the credit crisis. And all for a company that was just delisted,

and was under SEC investigation? I had to be crazy.


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I set out to do more diligence. I met with the company, and they were very

open with their nancial statements. As I had expected, the numbers checked

out, and the company had clearly stabilized. I next visited with the companys

CEO to understand the lawsuits that the company continued to battle. After

all, they might impact BOAs reputation. The CEO candidly disclosed the

settlements progress, and after a few months of cross-referencing with his

attorneys and our experts in compliance and legal, I was comfortable. This

company was more than stableit was growing.

Hopeful and excited, I shared the potential recognition with my team

and regional superior, who was also a member of Loan Committee. As I

explained how I tackled the key issues, their skeptical frowns slowly turned

into approving nods.

Three months after identifying this unusual opportunity, I presented the deal

to the Loan Committee. They asked for the opinion of BOAs compliance

chief, and I relayed it, just as he had relayed it to me two weeks before. They

scrutinized my analysis and I illustrated how I had mitigated the risks. The

discussion evolved and became more heated, and my superior jumped to

defend the case too. Thirty hard-fought minutes later, we gained approval.

Taking risks does not mean going in blind, or rolling the dice. In fact, the

only risks worth taking are those that are carefully measured, and those with

sound logic that doesnt falter under scrutiny. We also do not have to y 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 protsincreased 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 nancials. 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

companys nancing 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 ashing 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 restaurants

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

nonprots. 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 Internationals

WID/GAD calendar and researched standard calendar sizes, the minimum

quality for clear photos, and the design exibility 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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plan to launch three more banks in Ecuador by July 2010.

Please describe a time when you went beyond what wasdened, 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 staffs eyes lit up, as I declared this in a weekly sales

meeting in 2008.

Since the nancial 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 signicantly.

My companys 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: Its not our

fault. After all, the whole world is stuck.

As ETs 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

youre entering this trade in a wrong time. However, I was determined to

succeed. I had to help pay back my familys debt after a brutal ood 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 redening 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 prots 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 didnt shrink but jumped by 20% to USD 1.2M from 2008.

What is the greatest challenge or hurdle you haveovercome, either personally or professionally, and how didyou 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 girls 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

wasnt 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 womanof 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 condence. 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 rst 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 accomplishmentsand 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 Mexicoan organization in its rst year

of operation. Id never been to Mexico, and I was the only foreigner in my

program, teaching a classroom of 55 impoverished rst graders.

Today, I live in Oaxaca and spend my evenings visiting student homes,

involving parents in their childrens education. One mother broke down in

tears telling me how thankful she is that Im so invested in her sons 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! Ive 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). Im also working withthe 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 rst 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 rst-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 inefcient or outdated. I set out to restructure my team focusing

on cutting inefcient 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 rms 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 rm 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. Everyones 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 nonprots like the United Negro College Fund, farsurpassing our annual goals. Finding greater meaning, not coercing, is what

drives a teams dedication.


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PART 2FA I L U R E S , S E T B A C K S ,

A N D D I S A P P O I N T M E N T S


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The essays that make up Part Two keep it real. The best way to talk about

failure is to talk about failure. Sounds redundant, but every year, schools

are bombarded by failure essays written by applicants who are not

demonstrating the analytical wherewithal to identify a failure in life, or who

are lacking in the honesty to really deliver it. Or worse, they write about a

success in the slick mustachioed disguise of a failure

This one time, I was too smart and instead of making the company $4

Million dollars, I accidentally made them $5 Million. Oops.

That aint goin to cut it, partner. What really works are the honest stories in

which you fall at on your face. Or setbacks that crush your will to live. The

best ones will be the wildest belly ops. They arent passing the buck either;

rather, they own every ounce of the misstep. If theres room, a little aboutredemption at the end usually works. By nishing it this way, a sense of

wisdom is conveyed, as well as courage. These made us cry, made us cheer,

or made us say Holy crap, dude! You forgot WHAT? Lets see how these

particular examples play out.


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Tell us about a time in your professional experience whenyou were frustrated or disappointed.

I had spent three years at M&S Venture Markets, working day and night,sacricing friendships and weekends to give everything I could to the rm. 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 couldnt 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 mothers 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 red. 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 rst 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 mothers

ashes in Floridas 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 familys 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, civilor military life, where you did not meet your personalobjectives, and discuss briey the effect.

In 2010, I taught math at the Nashville Literacy Association, a local non-

prot 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 rst, 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. Wantingto 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 quarters end, I was

devastated to learn that only one of my ten students passed their exam.

Ultimately, Id 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 hadnt just

failedthey also resented me because of it.

This experience taught me how important it is to distance my own personal

feelings when mentoring others. Id 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 selessly. 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 Fargos Athens (Greece) operations,

usually a senior associates domain. I had pitched for the lead by citing my

rigorous training in Shanghais 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 stil l

remember the incredulous expression on his face when he asked, Have you

forgotten the section at the printer?

I was mortied. 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 signicant embarrassment to my team and would jeopardize Mr.

Pollards strategy for Greek business.

In the nal 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 ensuringaccountability is indispensable. Had I regularly reviewed individual progress,

I would have avoided the slip. Moreover, the instance reafrmed 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 rst 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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What have you learned from a mistake?

It was 1 AM on a Sunday night. Id just realized we would miss the next days

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 ve-person Devonshire team and a team

from MZN Financial, one of Devonshires top clients. After being ranked at

the top of my class at years 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 difcult 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 condence to resolve the conict. 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 members 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 hadnt coordinated

our deadlines with MZNs 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 eitherseverely strained your relationship with co-workers orchallenged your personal values. How did you resolve thesituation?

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 wasnt 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 banks 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 inows 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 signicant 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 elses advice on the

issue, period.

My head was spinningif 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 meback. Usually, I felt condent about my pitch that Visage was the best option.

This was no longer the case. Giving Pope consciously incomplete information

seemed inappropriate. My father used to say, Its easy to gain someones

trust, but difcult to live up to it. He was a psycho-therapist and had to

wrestle with such predicaments regularly. How could I give up what he had

instilled in me so easily? I gave Pope an honest comparison of returns of our

fund as well as with the other companys funds.

Things unfolded in a way that I had not expected. He appreciated my action

and unbiased advice, and in spite of the information at hand, decided to givethe 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.

What have you learned from a mistake?

As I scrambled to enter the coordinates on my GPS for my next appointment

recruiting high school seniors, I wondered what had gone wrong. Mypresentation 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 awless, so it couldnt have been me right?

The more I reected 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, Icrumpled 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 rst 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 camouage shirts,

perhaps outdoorsmen. When I came to S for service, I described how many

sportsmen at Siennas 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 years

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 forachieving an objective.

Your communication style needs improvement.

That was the feedback I received from my supervisor at last years

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 myresponsibilities 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 Infosyss 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, Conict

from Dr. Alan Zimmerman, addressing strategies to resolve/remove conicts

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

Aristotles 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

hadnt 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 Id developed deep trust over

time, was not appropriate for some who didnt 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 thata project manager had suggested. I believed we didnt have all the data to

make that decision. Yet instead of simply nding 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 didnt

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 teamsetting, 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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Time to kick off your shoes and relax not!

Who ARE YOU? The fact is many applicants have difculty with personal

essays. They arent sure WHAT they should write about, and they sure asheck arent 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 wont

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. Orany other number of topics including family, culture, hobbies, humanitarian

projects, creative endeavors... its all good here. Make sure you answer the

specic 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 youintroduce yourself to your new classmates?

Studies show that public speaking is the average persons #1 fear, toppingdeath at #5. I get that, since most people havent irted with a near-death

experience.

My name is Matthew Lau. I nearly died of leukemia at age 10 and have

since worked hard battling for my well-being my life. Thats why I live fully

through three great loves: learning, family, and community.

My rst love is learning. Growing up as an EFL speaker English as a

Fifth Language Ive learned cultures through communicating in different

languages. Today, Im just as comfortable speaking four Chinese dialects as

I am talkin country slang on a farm near my college town of Iowa City, Iowa.

Ive ventured around the world and called six cities home. I always seek

to learn and experience as much as I can, wherever I nd myself. I have

camped outside Wrigley Field to catch homerun balls, zip-lined across Costa

Rican forests, and captained a sailboat along a Mediterranean coastline. In

fact, Ive almost overcome my #1 fear of snakes. Almost.

My second love is family. Years ago, my mother uprooted our family from

Hunan to Berkeley seeking fresher air to help promote my remission. For

years, she labored to pay my medical bills. I worked throughout college to

afford my tuition but had yet to take care of her.

After graduation, I assumed her mortgage payments and took her to explore

the rest of China. We hiked the Great Wall. We basked in the beauty of her

favorite national park. We even meditated with monks as I introduced her to

my various spiritual philosophies.

My third love is community. Buddhism taught me to act on my compassion.

I gathered friends to raise $3,100 in the Ragbrai Bike-race for the 2008

Sichuan earthquake. I later raised $3,400 with a team in the Chicago

Marathon for nonprot 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 youintroduce yourself to your new classmates?

I consider myself to be from the mid-Atlantic, as my life has always been

situated mid-way between the New and the Old World. I was born and

raised in Germany and grew up as a typical Deustche kid in a Berlin suburb,

a few miles from the Wall. I loved accompanying my parents to the town

market. I gorged myself with local pastries every weekend, and I could recite

at least ve German Pillar Fables by heart. I didnt start speaking English until

I was ve. My father was born in Provo, Utah, and my mother in a valley near

Munich; my upbringing was a mixed bag of German and American culture.

My horizons grew beyond the Atlantic when I attended the Rammstein High

School, a-one-of-a-kind bilingual German education. The environment

made me eager to experience how people lived and thought differently, and

I organized trips to explore different parts of the world, from the Spanish

Basque Country to the coasts of Queensland, Australia. My most enriching

trip took me by rail from Paris through Berlin to Istanbul, Turkey. From there,

we traveled back through Eastern Europe until I hit the border of Czech

Republic. This trip displayed in full array the horrors as well as the sublime

beauty that made up my European heritage.

Ive lived for the past three years in San Francisco, California, which is about

as different from Berlin as any place can be. To connect with the community,

Ive volunteered at a local afterschool program. This year, Ive spent over

three hundred hours with twenty-ve kids from underprivileged backgrounds,

children of Hispanic undocumented workers. Being an immigrant myself,

there was a sense of complicity between us. We shared a migratory heritage.

We played soccer, and I spoke German to themthe rst 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 rst time in math and

science.

Ive spent much of my life in places where I feel different from those around

me. As a result Ive come to feel at home whenever I am with people who


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are not worried about where I come from. And I do my best to reciprocate.

Whether in France, Germany, Nicaragua or California, surrounding myself

with people like that is what I strive for.

When you join the HBS Class of 2013, how will youintroduce yourself to your new classmates?

Hi, Im Giovanna. What can I do to help?

One summer when I was growing up in Weedsport, New York, I worked the

night shift at a gas station. Though it wasnt the most glamorous job Ive had,

it taught me never to see myself as being too good to help others. Cleaning

a windshield or getting on one knee to check tire pressure went a long way todeveloping loyal customers. Late-night travelers were especially grateful when

I took the time to write down directions for them.

As a student at University of Kentucky, I lived out that lesson in small ways. I

encouraged classmates to join me in the Big Sister Program at Sacred Heart

Elementary School in one of Kentuckys poorest counties. For three years I

spent four hours each week helping my little sister Tiana, who knew neither

her mother nor father, with her homework. When I took Tiana to a volleyball

game, ve of the players noticed, asked me about Tiana, and signed up for

the program the following year.

When I graduated and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, I had a chance

meeting with the current Miss North Carolina. Impressed by the Miss North

Carolina organizations emphasis on empowering women, I asked what I

could do to help. Since then, Ive been a volunteer interview coach and essay

consultant for a few Miss US-State contestants and even a third-runner-up to

Miss America. That particular contestant won nearly $50,000, enabling her

to go to college.

The day I transitioned from U.S. Bank back to my alma mater to serve as

an Admissions Financing Specialist, I asked just about everyone on campus

what I could do to help. One party was especially interested in my nancial

modeling the president of the college, himself an HBS MBA. President

Charles Flash Fitzgerald asked me to build the colleges $28 million

budget and analyze the effects of different cohort sizes, retention, yield, and

discount rates. After delivering my recommendations to the Board of Trustees,

I convinced the Board to keep rates high to help the admissions team remain


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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 youre never too good to help has informed my daily life and given me access to opportunities Im lucky to

have had.

Hi, Im 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. Reecting 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

nally 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

conicting 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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a mosaic of political pamphlets interspersed with religious yers 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 ofce, 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 Shahmeds 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 meeven

been frightening. However now I understood that Shahmed wasnt 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 canbring new perspectives to our community. How will yourunique personal history, values, and/or life experiencescontribute 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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Tuck seeks candidates of various backgrounds who canbring new perspectives to our community. How will yourunique personal history, values, and/or life experiencescontribute 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 penand 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 challengebut 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 fathers fortitude

strengthens me even in most difcult situations. I always remember his

struggles, even as team leader during this competition.

Watching a staffer distributing free Subway Sandwich discount yers onthe street, I see an opportunity. Perhaps my team could sell those yers to

passers-by? I convince the distributor to give me all his yers, and sell 2

pieces in 15 minutes. I divide the team into ve 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 rst 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 ve peoples

esh 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 yers for 52 RMB and purchasingtwo 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 rst 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 unusualmarket. In all my experiences, I draw on my unique backgroundwhether

my fathers 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 arerather than what you have achieved professionally.

As an avid marine biologist and baseball fan, I wanted to see two things andtwo things only while visiting San Francisco this past summer: a Giants victory

over Texas in the World Series, and a Blue Whalethe 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 rst, the creatures powerful greyish-

blue hide soon stabilized its huge frame at sea level, creating audible song

as it oated 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 Id 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 existswith over 40 members. The team lets me play in games whenever

I return to campus. I plan to bring the Toro spiritequal parts passion and

loyaltyto 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 biologists 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 elsethat

creative inspiration can always be found in unusual, unexpected places.

Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. Youmay 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 nd out soon enough, I love to talkand 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 muchof my professional success. I have built relationships with the CXOs 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 ofce.

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 rmly 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 theaters 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 humanitys cultural evolution. Personally, I play

the piano and cello to relieve the stress of a hard days work. Usually, my

husband humors me.

Finally, I am an honest, hard-working gal whose face naturally falls into

a smile. So whether its 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 Yorks incredible restaurants

that I have been hoping to try for years. Lets work hard. And afterwards,

lets get together, learn about one another, explore the culture, and build


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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 nancials, and personal experience essential skills

lacking in many Wall Street analysts today.

How will your background, values, and non-work activitiesenhance the experience of other Duke MBA students andadd value to Fuquas 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. Ive 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 nancial success and

public satisfaction. I would love to run a seminar, perhaps to benet 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 benet 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 ofces 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, Japans

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 diversied hobbies.

Among them, cooking is the one that best reects my belief in the value of

diversity. I like to explore new recipes, blending Eastern and Western avors

together. For example, I made very good sushi with Cajun-style sh or

an egg custard with stir-fried meat stufng. I would cook delicious dinners

avored 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, faade, and core. I

have found that my non-work activities in life interact with my professional

experiencesand 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 nancials, and draw on deeper, more personal, universal

truths. I am eager to contribute all these experiences and all my passion to

Dukes diverse culture.


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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 4C A R E E R S A N D G O A L S


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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 gure.

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 at

with your career essay well, lets just not go there.

So how did our heroes pull it off? Youll notice in Part Four essays that are

clear and ambitious without being far-fetched. These people passionately

want to become experts and leaders in areas they already have built somebody of work. And they are aiming HIGH. They dont want an MBA to get

a promotion in a year or two. Nah, they want to be the one giving the

promotions. Or they want to change the world and have an actual, plausible

plan about how to pull it off. Lets dive right in and absorb the tone and

rhythm of this crucial type of essay.


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Briey describe the career path you intend to pursueimmediately after b-school. Explain why this career optionappeals to you and why an MBA is appropriate at thistime.

Most people have fun recurring dreams of ying, 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-prot. 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 st rategy

would allow the organization to growor 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-prots mushrooming all over Arizona experience cycles of high initial

productivity but inevitable stagnation a

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Admissionado_50 MBA Essays That Worked(1)