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Make Impossible Possible( MIT2003采访实录)

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发表于 2003-3-6 18:21:00 | 显示全部楼层

Make Impossible Possible( MIT2003采访实录)

Make Impossible Possible(I)
Jiecong Yu, MIT (Sloan) MBA 2003


Name YU, Jiecong
Gender Female
Undergraduate Zhong Shan University
Major International Finance
Last employer Hang Seng Bank Limited
Scores GMAT 720, TOEFL 633, GPA 3.9



Schools Applied                   admitted
Dartmouth (Tuck)   
Emory (Goizueta)  
NYU (Stern)   
MIT (Sloan)                          MIT (Sloan)
Michigan                               Michigan (Waiting List)
Northwestern (Kellogg)   
Pennsylvania (Wharton)   
Stanford   
Yale  


Interviewed by Jie Zhou, BeBeyond in August 2001


Interview with Jiecong Yu

BeBeyond: Jiecong, you have only two years of working experience, which is a rare case among top-10 Chinese MBA applicants. Were you very confident when applying?

Jiecong: Was I very confident in applying for Top 10's? Well, you may say I was. I thought it was possible because some of my friends got in Dartmouth and Carnegie Mellon with only two year working experience. If they could, I should be able to make it as well. After I interviewed with Dartmouth and Emory and received very positive comments on my essays from my friends, I became more confident.

However, the results did let me down. Dartmouth, the school I liked very much and had the most confidence in getting into, was the first to turn me down. I was almost sure that I would get in because the interviewer even asked me which I-banks I wanted to work for and asked his colleague to send me the contacts of their alumni who worked in those banks. Later on, my friend told me that the interviewer was very impressed with me but still thought I was too young. I came to realize how difficult it is to get into a top B-school for an applicant with 2 years of working experience!

I had been waiting for such a long time before I got my first and only admission in April. Thank goodness!

BeBeyond: Happy for you, Jiecong! Now you are in MIT. Do you still think it is extremely hard for an applicant with limited working experience to get into a top program?

Jiecong: Actually I know two Chinese who also have gotten into top B-schools this year with 2 years working experience. A man in Arthur Andersen Guangzhou as a tax consultant got into Yale, Chicago and Michigan, and another man in PriceWaterhouseCoopers as an IT consultant in Washington DC. got into MIT, Columbia and Chicago. It actually is not as difficult as expected.

BeBeyond: Why do you think the Dartmouth interviewer was impressed by you? What did you talk about?

Jiecong: I think it is the soft skills demonstrated in the interview: how to open the conversation, and how to respond to questions, etc. You may hardly believe it but we talked about his trip and hotel for almost 3 minutes.

The interviewer mainly focused on my career goal. I told him why I wanted to switch my career from commercial banking to investment banking, and he seemed very interested. Probably it was because Tuck has a very strong network in I-banking, which he was proud of. I explained that commercial banking is currently in a price war: money is the same no matter who lends it to you, and your expertise doesn't add value. Therefore, I hope to try investment banking because if you can offer something that others cannot, you can ask for a very high price. That is what makes sense. He then wanted me to detail my plan, such as whether I would join my current employer after graduation, or which I-banks I would like to work for. Actually he shared with me many stories about Tuck and Tuck's students and alumni.

If the interview ended up as a casual conversation without much challenge, you can perceive that you impressed the interviewer, or he/she liked you, but still, it doesn't mean that you will be admitted, especially if the interview is conducted before they read your application (as in my case with Tuck). If you don't feel well in the interview, don't get depressed. My interview with Michigan was really bad. That was my first interview and just a telephone one, but at least I got waitlisted.

As I said, the interview is just part of the application, like essays and scores. Don't take it too seriously. Interestingly, when I talked with my MIT fellows about their applications, they all agreed that the schools had probably made a decision before the interview (for those interviews by invitation). They interview you simply to make sure you are the one who wrote the essays and that you can communicate. Be prepared, yet relaxed.

BeBeyond: So you were a trainee when you applied. Was it hard to write "achievement, and leadership essays" for you? Then how did you present yourself in essays?

Jiecong: Absolutely yes. As an applicant with only 2 years work experience, I found it particularly hard to write "shining" essays about achievement or leadership, especially when compared with those applicants with 4-5 years of work experience and in a leadership position.

Therefore, I didn't try to position myself as a manager with brilliant professional achievements. It was not practical after all. Instead, I showed them my vision and potential, i.e. how to propose constructive recommendations and make changes with limited experience and authority. For example, you know I was still a management trainee when I applied, and the training (on-the-job) didn't always go as expected by those who designed the schedule. When I felt that the training was not going in the direction I had expected, I took action to change it and grasped more responsibility. Then I had the opportunity to demonstrate my professional capabilities, and contribute more. I consider it a great achievement because I could influence people to make changes for me, and then I could make changes to my company. That is also what a leader should do, I think.

In addition, I kept interacting with people who were more experienced and senior to me, which seemed rather interesting for Sloan's AdCom because I was asked how to deal with more experienced people at work during the interview. Young applicants might be able to impress the AdCom if they can show their ability to get along well with, or even impress more experienced people. That is exactly what they will have to do at B-schools if they are admitted. For example, you happen to persuade your supervisor to take or not to take certain actions, which turn out to be a very wise decision for your company. Write about it.

For essays, I suggest: if you cannot write extraordinary ones, try to write interesting ones. Tell stories that they can visualize. I often began my essays with dialogs. You know the AdCom has to read hundreds of essays every day, pure narratives will make them sleepy.

BeBeyond: Most applicants apply to 4-5 schools, so essay writing is really time-consuming. You applied to 9 top-20 B-schools. How much time did you spend in application? Were you busy at work at that time?

Jiecong: This is a good question. I feel obliged to get the future applicants mentally prepared for the long hours during the application.

I started to work on essays in September 2000, but I took GMAT back in late 1998 and selected schools in Aug 2000. I sent out all the applications on December 23 and then had an unforgettable Christmas in Nanjing. (smile)

During that period, I was very busy at work, working 8:30-21:30 every day, sometimes after midnight. After work, I constantly worked on my application until after 1:30 am, and sometimes after 3:00 am, for several consecutive nights. You can also say that I had no weekends in those 5 months. I kept myself in a small room every weekend, like in prison, and felt embarrassed whenever my co-workers asked me where I visited on weekends. They imagined that I traveled around East China during my training, but how could I tell them the truth?

Now I really want to express my best wishes to the reapplicants, who spared no less effort than I have spared last year and suffered the same pain of waiting, but still maintain a high spirit to pursue their dreams. Best of luck!

BeBeyond: People tend to stereotype MIT as a school for people with science or engineering backgrounds. Did you know that when you applied? What is the true picture?

Jiecong: I have been well aware of people's stereotype on MIT, but I also knew it was very strong in Finance when I applied. That is largely why I applied to it and after I came here, my belief was confirmed.

MIT has a very strong faculty in Finance, and it enjoys a good reputation in the finance industry. You may know that top I-banks visit only a short list of B-schools for recruitment, and Sloan is one of the few. Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch are two of its major recruiters. Of course, many more graduates go into consulting after graduation. We are not only techies.

As for the pool of class 2003, engineers account for 30+%, and many others are consultants, bankers and of course, entrepreneurs. I can feel that Sloan has further diversified its student body in terms of educational or professional backgrounds, at least as reflected in our class profile.

The core courses have not started yet. I think I can tell you more from an insider's view later.

BeBeyond: As a trainee, you would have been promoted to an enviable position in the bank soon. Why did you give it up and decide to pursue an MBA?

Jiecong: I also raised this question for myself in the beginning of the "why MBA" essays. Good question.

Yes, I was expected to be assistant branch manager in the near future, if I didn't quit. That will be a very decent position for those who like a stable life and commercial banking. However, in the 2 years when I was gradually developing as a professional commercial banker, I came to realize that I wanted to do something different.

I wanted to do something project-based, from which I could seek a stronger sense of achievement. I like a more innovative industry, where my creativity and expertise can make myself, or our company, unique. I also appreciate a more open and globalized working environment.

Understanding that these were not what commercial banks could offer, I decided to change my career, and an MBA was definitely the best stepping-stone for entering the competitive I-banking industry.

I will never regret making such a decision because I believe "if you don't sacrifice the good at present, you will not get the better in the future".

BeBeyond: After going through 9 B-school applications, do you have any special suggestions for coming applicants with two years working experience?

Jiecong: Yes, definitely.

(1) Number of schools

I originally thought that I could apply to more to increase my chances of being admitted, however, after going through the whole process, I found it is not necessarily the case. Quality is far more important than quantity. For example, I applied to a B-school, but I knew before I sent out the application that I would not be admitted. Why? Because I didn't feel very attracted to it, so my essays could not even affect me.

Apply to those and ONLY those schools you like, and be focused. Or, you might want to divide your application into two batches, and if you get admitted by a school in the first batch, you can simply ignore the second batch. My classmate did that, and saved much effort. But be prepared for a possible very long process.

(2) Positioning

As previously mentioned, appropriately position yourself. Try to dig out your potential and speak to them vividly. They won't expect you to be a department head, but you must show you will be a good one. Don't expect to get your essays done in a month. It does take time.

(3) When to apply

Surprised? Yes, I do suggest you re-consider whether you want to apply when you have only 1.5 years work experience. It is not only about the possibility of being admitted, but how much you will contribute to and learn from the class. I personally think the third year of one's career path should be a turning point, which really builds up a professionally mature manager. This is true even in my case. I believe I would have learned much in the year ahead if I had stayed at my bank, especially leadership. But I applied early, because I wanted to change my career path and didn't want to "waste" my time in a career I didn't care much for. For those who are seeking a break-through within the same industry, you'd better think it over.

Last, but not least, enjoy your application. Although it might be a pure result-oriented process and you cannot expect to enjoy it at all, you will understand how lovely it is after having waited day after day and just receiving rejection letters. After all, when you send out one application, you build up a hope. So... good luck.

BeBeyond: This is wonderful, Jiecong. I have learned a lot from you today. So will the book readers, I believe.

Wish you a splendid future in I-banking career!
发表于 2003-3-6 18:27:00 | 显示全部楼层
a good post.
the little girl did create the unbelievable!
发表于 2003-3-6 18:40:00 | 显示全部楼层
If they could, I should be able to make it as well.


not really
The applying is just a game of chance, like tumbling dices...

牛人的失败经历外加弱弱的幸运儿。
发表于 2003-3-13 20:33:00 | 显示全部楼层
I would say the chance of being admitted into top schools is somewhat like a game, not like tossing up a coin though, especially for chinese applicants. Both quantity and quality are definitely equally important for us.
发表于 2003-3-13 21:04:00 | 显示全部楼层
这是2001年的事情了,而且据说这个申请人搞到一个很有“内部关系”的推荐信;那一年(也可能是那两年,01与02,记不清了),同样的推荐信还帮助了另外一个中山大学毕业类似背景的人成功申请MIT。呵呵,听来的:)
发表于 2003-3-16 11:56:00 | 显示全部楼层
what does "内部关系" mean?
发表于 2003-3-16 14:44:00 | 显示全部楼层
以下是引用fionacrh在2003-3-16 11:56:00的发言:
what does "内部关系" mean?


The MBA program in 中山大学 has some business project with MIT Sloan. So, if you can have the boss in 中山大学 write rec letter for you, MIT will weigh it heavily.
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