|
Essay 1: Professional Aspirations (750 word maximum) We love it when b-schools splinter questions into bite-sized chunks, helps you from going off the rails. Before we rip into it, let’s take a close look at the two words above: “Professional Aspirations.” Let’s see through this to figure what they really mean here. As we’ve said countless times before, don’t get trapped by the idea that the “best” aspirations are gonna win this game. An aspiration is only as compelling as the likelihood that it will COME TO FRUITION. Here’s an exaggeration to illustrate a point: Here’s my aspiration: solve world hunger, establish world peace, implement a perfect corruption-free form of government, make literate those who are illiterate, and lose ten pounds and get ripped, all in one day. Beat that for a goal. The problem here is obvious. While the goal may be lovely, what are anyone’s chances of actually pulling it off? Nil. Are there points for idealism? Maybe. But not in a b-school essay. We need pragmatism over idealism. Accomplishable goals. Goals that are measured, intelligent, and thought-through. This doesn’t mean safe necessarily, but the author of these goals must seem level-headed, and likely to achieve what he sets out to achieve. THAT is what we need to glean from your “personal aspirations.” Just to hammer it home… it isn’t the aspiration, it’s the argument you make that convinces us that you’re gonna be successful—possibly at this stated goal, but more like, at ANYTHING you set your mind to. You’re gonna “be successful.” You’re gonna get the job ahead of your competitor. That’s attractive to a b-school. Bankability. With that in mind, let’s dig in. (a) Why pursue an MBA (or dual degree) at this point in your life? Let’s simplify the hell out of this. Why aren’t you attacking your short-term goal… RIGHT now? Why are you wasting your time with a business school application? Shouldn’t you be pursuing the thing you’re about to write about a billion times over as you lay out your grand vision for your short-term and long-term goals? Seriously, stop for a moment and consider it. There’s no rule that says in order to be successful in the world of business you MUST obtain an MBA. Plenty of people have been wildly successful without one—you know the list. Scrap the MBA for a second; why aren’t you applying for the job you’re eventually gonna talk about for your ST goal? There MUST be a reason you can’t just do it now. Or, that it doesn’t make SENSE to do it now. Articulate that sentence… and let your pen fly. The result will be a perfect starting point to the answer here. The MBA is weaker when it’s something you think you’ll need to better your lot in life. It should instead feel like a critical means to an end. As soon as I get to the other side, I can make it to Oz. The problem is, there’s a gap between these two cliffs on the order of hundreds of feet. I can’t just run and jump and make it over there. And I can’t fly. I need a bridge to carry me from here to there. The bridge is the MBA. “The other side” is the path that takes you to the endgame. This is how we need to understand your current position: the MBA should feel like a need, not an insurance policy. (b) What actions have you taken to determine that Stern is the best fit for your MBA experience? Before we get to the “actions” piece, we’re gonna talk first about “fit.” Not to sound harsh, but this is consistently the part that most people shank (especially international students who have been fed wildly misleading information that name-dropping and formulaic statements can demonstrate sincere interest in a program). Let’s dispense with that notion right away—the mention of a class, or a professor, or the listing of New York City’s well-known virtues will weigh a grand total of “zero” ounces… without context; specifically, how any of those and other things will affect YOUR ability to achieve your goals. Think of business school as though it were… bamboo. Consider three students who claim to need/want bamboo to help them somehow. Here’s the BAD way they can explain “fit”: “I want bamboo because it’s an incredibly cheap, fast-growing, and highly versatile resource.” Wonderful. This statement applies to every single student on Earth, and is as hollow as the substance itself (“Boom!” as Jon Stewart might say). Let’s do it the right way: Student 1 – I need to feed a family of four and have very little money to spend on imported foods. Bamboo is easy for me to obtain, and I can cook it and feed my family and never have to worry about what happens the next day because it grows so quickly. Student 2 – I need to figure out a more cost effective way to provide clothing for my village. Traditional textiles have become prohibitively expensive. Bamboo provides an extremely sustainable and cost-effective solution. Student 3 – I need to outfit an office building with new flooring, but due to massive budget cuts, are no longer able to afford traditional hard wood material. Cheaper alternatives, while affordable, are not durable. Bamboo floors are a perfect solution: durable, inexpensive, and attractive. What’s the pattern here? The same substance (bamboo) has been served a COMPLETELY different purpose for each of these three students. The way that NYU affects you should likewise be similarly distinctly different from how it affects the NEXT applicant over. That should be your smell test—read your response here. If what you’ve stated can EASILY apply to another candidate, you can dig deeper and get more specific. Keep doing this over and over again, until it sounds like bamboo (i.e., NYU Stern) was put on this earth by ‘god’ specifically for you and you alone. But, let’s go back to NYU’s question about “steps you’ve taken.” As you’re explaining the way Stern fits you like a glove, indicate the things you’ve done to discover these attributes and opportunities. Read through their website, sure, but hasn’t everyone? What else? Reached out to an alum, okay, but what else? How about visited the campus? How about attended an info-session? How about met someone who went there? How about studied the work of a former or current professor? What else? Are you really serious about Stern? Or do you consider it a “safety” school? We need to be convinced that you have found NYU to be something of a kindred spirit that has led to deep, earnest research into the program. (c) What do you see yourself doing professionally upon graduation? Brass tacks, folks. The goal here is twofold: sensibility of plan, and likelihood of success. Let’s go one at a time. Sensibility—Does your goal make sense? Does it seem logical? Does it seem like it comes from an author who knows what he’s talking about? Does it seem like it comes from a guy who’s done research into the viability of it? Or… does it seem like the author is shooting from the hip? Does it seem like the author is using buzz-words that feel like the standard path that he’s heard colleagues mention, and not much else? A well-thought-through plan comes from consideration. Where the ST pieces not only make order by themselves, but snap into place of a much larger puzzle—your past AND your distant future. Likelihood of Success—If you want a job in X, why should we believe that you’re gonna get that job? When the recruiters come a-hunting, what makes you sure you’re the guy, and not the guy with more experience? Or the guy who already has a connect at that company? Convince us not just that your plan make sense, but that based on your experience, you’re gonna be SOUGHT after. And you’re gonna succeed IN your short-term goal, to propel you toward the NEXT step. It may seem like a lot to cram in, but if your reasoning is sound, 250 or so words will be more than enough to NAIL all this.
Jon Frank
HBS 2005 | 
京公网安备11010202008513号 京ICP证101109号 京ICP备12012021号
楼主
发表于 2013-7-5 16:57:52
