现在打算写Essay,申请4-5个。最先开始弄HBS的。 1. Tell us about something you did well. (400 words)
这个可以写成一个accomplishment吗？也就是说按照accomplishment的大致格式来写。 2. Tell us about something you wish you had done better. (400 words) 这是setback还是failure呢？真得很纠结。而且也没有什么好的例子。大家是怎么考虑的，有什么建议？
现在打算写Essay,申请4-5个。最先开始弄HBS的。 1. Tell us about something you did well. (400 words)
这个可以写成一个accomplishment吗？也就是说按照accomplishment的大致格式来写。 2. Tell us about something you wish you had done better. (400 words) 这是setback还是failure呢？真得很纠结。而且也没有什么好的例子。大家是怎么考虑的，有什么建议？
A great response here pushes past merely execution of a great accomplishment, but also ropes in some element of DECISION-MAKING or JUDGMENT that truly underscores the success. Execution is mostly easy. Ever eaten at a 5-star restaurant? Do you think the Head Chef is there every night preparing every last element of every last dish? Hardly. That guy has developed the RECIPES (in more senses than one) for not only the concept of the dishes, but also their execution. At some point, it becomes as much of an assembly line as an automobile factory in Detroit. Finding that assembly guy is easy. Finding the CHEF that inspired the whole thing is hard.
So. When you’re mining your greatest accomplishments, include things that showcase something that YOU possess that has the potential to WOW. Did you do a simple task extraordinarily well under extraordinarily trying circumstances? There may be indications of unparalleled leadership here that would get HBS’s attention. But, and here’s the key, you need to isolate that “head chef” trait that belonged exclusively to YOU, that defines YOUR personal value that—when extrapolated—has exciting implications.
There is also a subtle hint here that implies repeat performance. If there is evidence of consistent success based on Trait X, it’s worth alluding to. If the accomplishment buttons up too well, and we can only imagine the value existing inside that singular moment, it will shrivel up on the spot. We need to get the sense of a thread that DEFINES something about you; something in your DNA. “Ah, this kid’s a born leader.” “Oh I get it, this guy was born to step up under intensely high-pressured situations.” “It’s clear here that this kid has been a visionary since age 5.”
Some versions will be able to convey this indirectly through an obscenely confident tone and an experience that makes it abundantly clear what that trait is. Other versions may need to work a bit to highlight that aspect.
400 words is consciously tight. Clutter is your worst enemy. This needs to weigh something thematically. Think long and hard about the trait in you that gives you your CRACKLE. If it’s not there, Harvard will know. If it is there, you need to foreground it with a ton of self-assurance and elegance of communication. Simplicity is your friend.
The quick breakdown: there will be (generally) three major components to this essay:
Setup of the situation. 100 words. The situation itself, what you DID, and HOW you did it. And WHY you succeeded. 200 words. That sense of consistency throughout your “career.” The “this is in my DNA aspect.” 100 words. Those are rough guidelines of course, but if you’re maxing out those three elements, good things will happen.
Tell us something you wish you had done better. (400 words)
The worst version of this response is the one that feels disingenuous. The best version is the one where we feel the high-level strategist in you. Before we dig, there’s a subtle hint here about what kind of event they’re interested in hearing about. They don’t wanna know about the time you FAILED. Instead, they’re looking for something you did WELL… but wish you could have done even “better.” So, by all outward appearances, this should seem like an accomplishment, and yet… the “Harvard Business School” caliber student in you wasn’t satisfied. There’s an itch there that left you wanting. This is what we wanna hear about.
To the average person this was a success, but to YOU it could have been better. In order for this to pack a punch, we need to see the success by itself and THEN be introduced to your dissatisfaction, or the itch that kept you up at night. And then understand why.
What are they going for here? What is the thing they’re gonna learn from this response?
Simple: Smartness. This one depends on the subject matter HEAVILY, folks. You need to have an intelligent response, or else. Imagine participating in a marathon. And WINNING. Imagine writing an essay about how you feel like in spite of winning the race, you felt like you could have improved your time by a few minutes had you NOT done X, Y, and Z.
Seriously? Sure, it speaks to a fighter in you, and sure that type of drive may have implications, but there’s a smallness to it that will cause a school like HBS to tune out. Improving your personal score by a few notches… big deal.
If you’d said, on the other hand, yes I won the marathon, but I was hoping to inspire a wave of interest in the youth in the city of Boston to take an interest in fitness. And sadly, the number of sign-ups for subsequent marathons actually dipped after my win. I could have make a statement by wearing a shirt with a different logo. I could have done X, Y, and Z, etc etc. See the difference? That’s a much… bigger idea. There’s a larger point here that gnaws at the Harvard guy, that others won’t see as clearly.
This is a way to ensnare those folks who have that sense of the big picture etched into their DNA. Explaining the “event” and the “outward-appearing success” should take no more than 100-150 words. The rest should be devoted to exploring the missed opportunity. In particular, the “big” thing that most others might not have even seen. If that missing piece was well understood by everyone, chances are it won’t be that cool an answer. That missing element has to surprise us in some way. “Wow, what a neat perspective.” That’s a great litmus test for this response. Were you alone in feeling like this thing could have been better? It’s a great starting point.
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发表于 2012-11-18 00:23:07
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