Harvard Summer Essay Guide Final 2

The Harbus
Summer 2016 Edition www.Harbus.org // @TheHarbusHBS
MBA ESSAY GUIDE
Summer 2016 Edition

Harvard Business School’s unofficial compilation
of successful application essays
SUMMER 2016
ENCLOSED IS A COLLECTION OF 37 ESSAYS,

ALONG WITH AUTHOR BIOS AND INDIVIDUAL
ANALYSES, FROM CURRENT HBS STUDENTS.
The question posed to the HBS Class of 2018:
It’s the first day of class at HBS. You are in Aldrich Hall meeting your
“section.” This is the group of 90 classmates who will become your close
companions in the first-year MBA classroom. Our signature case method
participant-based learning model ensures that you will get to know each
other very well. The bonds you collectively create throughout this shared
experience will be lasting.
Introduce yourself.
This book is great resource to help you figure out how you want to write
your story in a way that is personal, and gives the reader a glimpse into
your world. Reading the enclosed essays will show you how the admitted
students approached the question in creative ways.
Each essay in our guide is clear, engaging and consistent, of varying

lengths and features a wide array of topics. Some essays focus in on spe-
cific events of importance, while others follow the authors’ achievements
and decisions. We hope that reading these essays brings you closer to
writing the essay that best tells your unique story.
However, with each essay you will find that we have provided some infor-
mation about the author, along with a brief analysis, summarizing the au-
thor’s approach and style. More than anything, you should be assessing
the range of devic-es, techniques and styles as evidence that many
different approaches to telling your story can succeed.
Always remember, there is no “perfect essay”.

SUMMER 2016
While we’ve got your attention, title – as a way to help you recall
let us offer you two other pieces the individual essays and refer-
BEFORE
of advice that will help you write ence them easily.
your best essay. First, begin your
writing process with a period of For us, reading and analyzing
YOU honest reflection about your mo-

tivations, goals and choices to
date. Secondly, seek out feed-
these essays has truly been a
privilege and a pleasure. Each
one of us who experienced this
START back on drafts of your essay

from people who know you well.
Others can tell you whether your
exact process was able to suc-
ceed in part due to the help we
received along the way. We hope
essay is clear, but only people you find this book helpful and we
who know you well can tell you wish you all the best during your
application process.
We also appreciate your support

of our student-run, non-prof-
it organization and thank you in
advance for not sharing the en-
closed content with those who
have not purchased their own
Essay Guide.
Sincerely yours,
Alula Eshete
Chief Executive Officer (HBS ’17)
whether your essay really brings Preeya Sud

out YOU. Editor-in-Chief (HBS ’17)
Since the aim is to aid you in Micah Lanier

brainstorming ideas and writ- Chief Digital Officer (HBS ‘17)
ing your essay, we have chosen
to anonymize identities, cities, Shantanu Misra
countries and institutions. This Products Manager (HBS ’18)
also protects the identity of the
authors who have contributed Natasha Larsen
their essays for your benefit. We Chief Operating Officer
have used [square brackets] to
notate these changes. We have Ezza Javed
also given an unofficial title to Chief Revenue & Marketing
each essay – an adjective or job Officer
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ESSAY 1: The Storyteller .................................................................................................. 4

ESSAY 2: The Historian .................................................................................................... 7
ESSAY 3: The Achiever .................................................................................................. 11
ESSAY 4: The Infamous Name....................................................................................... 14
ESSAY 5: The Biomedical Entrepreneur ........................................................................ 18
ESSAY 6: The Visionary ................................................................................................. 20
ESSAY 7: The Non-Traditional MBA .............................................................................. 23
ESSAY 8: The Athlete ..................................................................................................... 26
ESSAY 9: The Motivator ................................................................................................. 29
ESSAY 10: The Multinational ......................................................................................... 34
ESSAY 11: The Techie ................................................................................................... 37
ESSAY 12: The C-Suite Executive ................................................................................. 41
ESSAY 13: The Challenger ............................................................................................. 46
ESSAY 14: The Advocate ............................................................................................... 50
ESSAY 15: The Hard Worker.......................................................................................... 54
ESSAY 16: The Doer ...................................................................................................... 57
ESSAY 17: The Balance Act........................................................................................... 59
ESSAY 18: The Consultant............................................................................................. 63
ESSAY 19: The Mentee .................................................................................................. 66
ESSAY 20: The Patriot ................................................................................................... 70
ESSAY 21: The Soccer Fan............................................................................................ 74
ESSAY 22: The Real Estate Entrepreneur ...................................................................... 77
ESSAY 23: The Actor .....................................................................................................80
ESSAY 24: The Family Businessman .............................................................................82
ESSAY 25: The Dreamer ................................................................................................ 86
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ESSAY 26: The Risk Taker ............................................................................................. 90
ESSAY 27: The World Traveler....................................................................................... 94
ESSAY 28: The Change Agent .......................................................................................96
ESSAY 29: The Mechanical Engineer ............................................................................ 99
ESSAY 30: The Diversity Advocate .............................................................................. 102
ESSAY 31: The Nomad ................................................................................................ 105
ESSAY 32: The Environmentalist ................................................................................. 108
ESSAY 33: The Mentor................................................................................................. 111
ESSAY 34: The Fighter ................................................................................................. 114
ESSAY 35: The High Jumper ....................................................................................... 118
ESSAY 36: The Dancer .................................................... ............................................121
ESSAY 37: The Adventurer .......................................................................................... 124
3
ESSAY 1: The Storyteller
Author’s Home Country: India

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Strategy/Customer Experience in Indian
Telecom Start-Up
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: In this essay, the author uses three stories to highlight different aspects
of his profile. The first story shows his love for education, his philosophy of
classroom teaching and how it closely resonates with the HBS case method. The
second story highlights his people skills by describing how he proactively
mentors those around him. The third story highlights his professional
achievements. The framing of the essay around three stories allows the author to
present very different aspects of his profile without appearing disjointed.
Hello everyone. My name is [APPLICANT’S NAME]. I want to introduce myself using

three stories from my life. These stories showcase who I am as a result of my
upbringing in [MAJOR URBAN INDIAN CITY], my engineering education at the [LARGE
U.S. PUBLIC UNIVERSITY], my experiences in India’s highly competitive telecom
market, and everything in between.
Teaching is one of my passions. [LARGE PUBLIC U.S. UNIVERSITY] has a program

that enables sophomore students to guide freshmen through introductory science
classes. I saw this as an opportunity to strengthen my basics while helping other
students grasp the concepts, and so I signed up to be a chemistry study group leader.
During my first semester in this role, I met students coming in with very different
expectations from the study group; some wanted to review the lecture material, some
wanted to recheck their homework, and some were just clueless about it all! In an
attempt to fit everyone’s needs, I adopted a group-learning methodology. I sparked
discussions among the students, trying to find reasoning in the theories. If there were
problems with particular concepts, I would call on someone else to explain it rather
than just blurt out the answers myself. By the end of the semester, everyone was more
engaged and walked away with a better grasp of the concepts. When I visited HBS last
4
year, I was excited to see that the case study method used here in Aldrich Hall is built
on the same basic concepts, and I look forward to some very engaging discussions
together.
As an only child, I am very close to my friends, some for more than 20 years! Most of
them know me as the go-to person for positive advice and feedback. Last year, for
example, a very close friend had just failed her third level of CFA, and all her plans fell
apart. She wasn’t actually interested in a career in finance, but this failure hit her hard.
When we discussed her options, I pushed her to pursue industries outside finance
where she could gain some valuable industry exposure, and enjoy herself; after all, it
was what I had done myself. I put her in touch with a few people I knew, and one of
them offered her a job in an industry-leading fashion retail company. However, she
would have to first prove herself in retail store for the six months. I checked in with her
frequently and became her #1 cheerleader. Despite various breaking points when she
was ready to quit, she made it through the six months with a great performance record
that got her a role at the head office. Next, I taught her a few time management skills
that I’d picked up over the years, and even showed her some Excel skills that she used
to impress her colleagues. Today, she is a full-time brand planner at the corporate
office. While the journey was hard, I know that she appreciates me not giving up on
her, and keeping the big picture in mind. Now I’m excited to forge more life-long
friendships and relationships at HBS, be they over a cup of coffee at Spangler, or a
scuba diving trip to the Great Barrier Reef.
I have used the same attitude at work to go beyond my role, keeping the big picture in
mind. I’ve worked at [LARGE DIGITAL COMMERCE & TELECOM COMPANY] in
[MAJOR URBAN INDIAN CITY] for more than three years. [LARGE DIGITAL
COMMERCE & TELECOM COMPANY], a subsidiary of [ITS LARGER, PRIVATE
SECTOR COMPANY], is India’s most awaited 4G telecom company. One particular
project stands out for me from earlier this year. Despite having real-time visibility of
each customer’s connection status, all of the teams were stretched too thin, and
nobody wanted to take the added ownership of defining a new process to handle this
information. I saw this as an excellent opportunity to deliver an exceptional customer
experience. Rather than act based on customer complaints, we could proactively call
the customer to say that we know their connection is down, and we are already
working on rectifying the fault. I set up a series of workshops between the network
teams and business teams to better understand the network and types of alerts. I even
involved the systems team to define the automated workflows of alerts. Once
everything was set up, we began testing the process on a few thousand customers to
5
get to the alarms needing rectification. To tie together my findings, I drafted a process
note for the ‘Alarm to Resolution’ process and presented it to the business head and
leadership group. Today, this process has been implemented for all our fiber
customers, reducing average customer downtime from 36 hours to 7 hours. My years
at [LARGE DIGITAL COMMERCE & TELECOM COMPANY] have taken me through
most aspects of the business from strategy to experience definition to operations
management.
I’m looking forward to using my time at HBS to grow closer to the person I aspire to
be, while sharing the journey with equally motivated friends, each with their own
unique experiences, skills and opinions. I can’t wait to learn about each of your stories,
too.
Word Count: 875
Author’s Comments: “It took about 15 drafts for me to get to the final one. However,
before I began any drafts, I chalked out the various examples I’d like to talk about and
then
of split
what them into
I wanted to 3 broadin
convey buckets. These
my essay. 3 buckets
All in thenalmost
all, this took became my building
about 6 weeksblocks
to go
through. For anyone reading this, I’d advise starting the process with discussions with
colleagues, family and friends on your strengths/weaknesses, professional
abilities/skills, and personal growth areas. I used an admissions consultant to get
independent feedback on my drafts, and if they were getting too vague or technical at
times.”
6
ESSAY 2: The Historian
Author’s Home Region: Africa

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Telecom consulting
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: In this essay, the author describes in detail his origin, his family and
community background. He explains what values he has imbibed from this roots.
He also explains what his future career vision is and why he is going for an MBA.
The author thus comes across as a grounded individual who is proud of his
origins and is passionate about giving back to his community and country. The
author also makes multiple references to the different elements of the HBS MBA
program thus demonstrating his interest in the program.
I would like to start by making a confession. I am [APPLICANT’S FIRST NAME], my friends call
me [APPLICANT’S INITIALS], and the thing is... I am not exactly from around here.
I am an indigenous [NORTH AFRICAN ETHNIC GROUP] from southern Morocco.

Now, let me tell you about my native land, from a time long before ‘Casablanca’ ever resonated
with an American romantic drama movie or a club in Harvard Square.
In my mother tongue, Morocco actually means ‘West’, which kind of makes my very-oriental
people, westerners before this term was ever coined. My people started as rebellious warriors
in the North-African mighty hills, the ones named after Atlas himself. Nested in their
mountainous region, they resisted the Roman Empire, the Arab invasion, the Ottoman
expansion, the French colonization and Islamist terrorist groups.
[INDIGENOUS NORTH AFRICAN ETHNIC GROUP], as they were named, played a significant
role in a number of achievements that actually advanced Western science and culture, all the
way to European renaissance. These included major breakthroughs in trigonometry,
astronomy, surgery, pharmacology, and even poetry. The region became a major educational
center for Europe and the lands around the Mediterranean Sea as well as a conduit between
what still seems today like very different worlds. History has it, that [INDIGENOUS NORTH
AFRICAN ETHNIC GROUP] even gave two popes to Christianity, and many great intellectuals,
Jewish and Muslims alike. Worth mentioning here, the [INDIGENOUS NORTH AFRICAN
ETHNIC GROUP] people comprised many coexisting tribes, religions and races, each
contributing to their intellectual prosperity.
7
This background - MY background - inspired me to be bold because my people were the same
way. To me, it just made sense to keep choosing projects, teams, companies, ways, hell even
girlfriends, where and with whom I felt mentally challenged.
Now, you might wonder why I am inflicting this History class on you. Simple. It’s because to
me, this is a philosophy to live by. Imagine, this combative, intellectually-driven, supportive,
close-knit culture lasting for 3000 years, inherited generation after generation, all the way to my
very own mother.
I was raised by a conservative down-to-earth hard working mom, who - even though she was
the first of her family to attend college - had to drop out when she found out she was pregnant
with me. Now, this lady, to whom I owe everything and who has sacrificed so much to raise her
four daughters and one boy - you heard me right FOUR SISTERS; this lady today, I am going
to disappoint.
My mother never actually understood this whole MBA quest at all and sees the debt burden
with a wary eye. As a Mediterranean mother, she even indulges the occasional straight-face-
rubbing-in as in, “do I need to remind you, you barely made it through 1st grade young man”.
When she eventually tried to understand my thought process, she insisted on leaving me with
two pieces of advice. She said and I quote: “First, you’ve got the stubborn
[INDIGENOUS NORTH AFRICAN ETHNIC GROUP] gene son. You better watch that” and
“Second, promise me - once you’re done, come back home to roll up your sleeves, there’s
plenty enough to be done in your home country already”. And so I promised.
Friends, what led me here is not the prestige, the brand nor the New England eternal sunshine.
What made me leave my very tight community and warm family isn’t even the Harvard case
studies per se. It’s being in a collective environment and never ending discussion on what
either of us would do as a leader who makes a difference in the world.
Now that I am here before you, the skinny [INDIGENOUS NORTH AFRICAN ETHNIC GROUP]
kid from southern Morocco, who turned out to become a French-educated engineer with
strong ties to his native land, is going to call his mom this evening and say “Ma, the MBA
students might not be the best at learning things, but I get a sense they might be the best at
teaching”. I even secretly hope, that the Case Method, through the debates and reflection it is
going to bring, will better equip me to argue with her in the future.
From the words I am using, you might gather that, this MBA is about much more than
education to me. I have been raised to strive for the buzz of an engaged classroom and
passionate academic debate. I look forward to the intellectual challenge that comes from being
in a completely different environment. I want these two years to change the way I think for the
8
better. No matter what kind of car I drive, what kind of house I live in, which top-tier consulting
firm or investment bank I join, or how many zeroes are on my bonus check; I want to know that
a few years down the line, when I look myself in the mirror in the morning, I am applying what I
will have learnt with you guys to touch lives and make a difference that matters. This is
fundamental to me. Shortly after I started on my MBA application process, I lost my twenty-
year best friend to a striking heart attack. This forced me to remember that I - and by extension
us - only get to do this whole life thing once. So, we owe it to ourselves not to wake up at 50
years old, wondering if we had accomplished what we had planned with what Mary Oliver
would call our “one wild and precious life”.
The very fact that you are standing here today, means you already waged and survived the
uphill battle. And we should be grateful thus far. But, as Casey Gerald put it in his inspiring
commencement speech, "we have more work to do”. Our very predecessor exhorted his
classmates as follows, "Hard work, frightening work, uncertain work, unending work. Work that
may test us, work that may defeat us, work for which we may not get the credit, but work on
which the whole world depends."
Researching MBA programs, (re)taking the GMAT, writing essays, chasing after
recommenders, all while balancing a demanding full-time job. That was only the beginning. But
we are up to the task. WE ARE!
The case method derives most of its value from learning from your peers. My dream of going
back to Morocco to develop telecom and tech economy is therefore now intimately linked to
the ambition each and every one of you carried getting in here. And I do hope to hear more
about those ambitions, in order to help make them happen and get each of us to the finish line,
as a collective of leaders who ACTUALLY make a difference in the world.
For me, technology, and mobile technology in particular, has the potential to be a tremendous
tool for empowerment. You don’t believe me? Think of how distressing it is when your battery
runs out!
There are now two billion people across the world with Internet access through handheld
devices. Cheaper handsets are allowing entire nations to leapfrog over the PC revolution into
the mobile one. Uber and other apps have made the mobile device a remote control for life.
But in order to develop the Moroccan tech economy, I need your help. And if I may be so bold,
I can offer you mine. We need to learn to assess critically, to articulate our positions in public,
to think on our feet, to figure out what information is important to make decisions, and how to
deal with imperfect data.
But, before we join passion and preparation in order to make the transition successful, before
we get to work on this arsenal of world-class management skills, before we roll up our sleeves
and hit the ground running ; tell me, who’s in for a Moroccan trek with probably the first
9
[INDIGENOUS NORTH AFRICAN ETHNIC GROUP MEMBER] ever to walk into Aldrich Hall ?
Now, that that’s settled, please, join up, let’s take a selfie to send to my mom.
Message : Mom, I might be bringing some newly-made friends over soon.
Word Count: 1304

Author’s Comments: “I worked on it over the course of 2 months. 3 major drafts which I had
looked over by family and friends, who shared advice steering the story towards specific
directions, until final draft.”
10
ESSAY 3: The Achiever
Author’s Home Country: United States Of America

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Investment Banking - Sales and Trading
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: The author structures this essay around a central theme of how
important he feels relationships are. He uses this theme as an anchor to describe
his successes and failures, as well as his family’s achievements and setbacks.
The author thus comes across as a mature professional who focuses on building
long-term relationships with people and is not too affected by short-term
setbacks.
Hi, my name is [NAME OF THE AUTHOR]. To introduce myself, I could go down the
usual avenue and talk solely about my accomplishments. I could go into how I received
a full time job offer from the [NAME OF A BANK IN UNITED STATES] at 16 or how I
was fortunate enough to be receiving offers from many of the largest investment banks
before many of my peers started their first internships. I could speak about awards,
scholarships and leaderships roles but in doing so, I would be doing myself a
disservice. One of the primary reasons I chose to attend business school was for the
relationships it would afford me. In my experience, the most lasting relationships are
not built on what can be summarized in an individual’s CV. To introduce myself to you,
some of whom I will hopefully know for years to come, by going over my work
experience and extracurricular accomplishments would likely repel the very people I
am trying to attract. Rather, I think it would be much more worthwhile to tell you about
some of the experiences that have made me who I am and the relationships that
helped sculpt them.
So, again, my name is [NAME OF THE AUTHOR]. I was born in [NAME OF A CITY IN
UNITED STATES] and have moved more times than I care to count. One of the first of
those moves was from [NAME OF A CITY IN UNITED STATES] to [NAME OF A CITY IN
UNITED STATES]. My parents chose to start a software company together and [NAME
OF A CITY IN UNITED STATES] was the best city in the US for black entrepreneurs.
During our ten years in [NAME OF A CITY IN UNITED STATES], I saw my parents go
11
from being considered two of the top black entrepreneurs in technology to losing it all
and having to support 3 kids while living under the poverty line. During that time,
relationships were the constant through the change and provided the support and
sense of continuity my parents needed. Though it was a trying time for my family, it
gave me a perspective that remains with me.
My mother was a Div.-I athlete in college and majored in aerospace engineering. She
designed space shuttles at NASA, bombers at Northrop Grumman and was admitted
to [NAME OF A COLLEGE IN UNITED STATES] before choosing to become an
entrepreneur. My father was an All-American sprinter in college, is currently training to
break an age group world record in the 4x400 and is considered one of the top
investment bankers in the world at what he does. My maternal grandfather was one of
the first black students to graduate from [NAME OF A COLLEGE IN UNITED STATES],
received a presidential appointment within the Department of Agriculture and ran the
largest agricultural facility in the US until he retired. My paternal grandmother had my
father and dropped out of college when she was 18. After raising three children, she
went back to school and went on to become a professor at the [NAME OF A COLLEGE
IN UNITED STATES]. My paternal grandfather worked in intelligence through much of
the Cold War and has asked me not to say anything more on the matter. I have spent
my entire life around overachievers. Not only in classrooms and on trading floors, but in
living rooms and dining rooms as well.
I say these things not to boast, but to give credence to my claims about success and
how inadequate it can be in describing a person. In my view, the relationships people
are capable of developing and maintaining are a much better means of gaining a
holistic profile of that person than claims of success. Experience has taught me that an
investment in relationships is by far the best use of a person’s resources. My parents’
experience with their software company showed me that you can do everything right
and still fail. By investing in people, besides the obvious benefits of relationships, you
provide yourself an additional form of support that is likely to remain when others fail. I
have been fortunate enough to develop numerous of these types of relationships and
was able to see benefit of them in the last few years. In my first year in [NAME OF A
CITY IN EUROPE], my company announced the partial divestment of my division,
which resulted in seven managers in my first 12 months. Alongside that professional
turbulence, I had to stay focused through my parents’ divorce after 30 years of
marriage and the cessation of an 8-year romantic relationship. All of this happened as I
started a new job, moved to a new continent and transitioned from a student to a full-
time banker. Given the amount of time and effort I put into preparing to start my career
12
in the best position possible, I found the beginning that actually materialized to be very
unsettling. During a time when I felt more alone than I had before, it was the visits from
friends I had made in the years before that allowed me to stay focused on the goals I
had made and excel through the period of adversity. I believe the strength of those
friendships, and the basis for the perspective that led me to invest in them, provide the
best prefatory introduction and I look forward to continuing that introduction over the
next two years.
Word Count: 854
Author’s comments: The process took me a couple of months. it was useful for me to
read the prompt early and to get notes on a page early to get ideas flowing. I ended up
adding to those notes with everything from ideas to well worded phrases over a long
period of time, which made a big difference in molding the essay. I probably wrote 5+
drafts and sent to a range of editors (family/friends). I think giving myself enough time
was the most important part of putting together a cohesive essay (and application).
13
ESSAY 4: The Infamous Name

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Project Engineer in the Energy Industry
(Oil & Gas, specifically, Petrochemical Refining)
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: The author structures this essay by describing three things that
motivate him. This innovative way of structuring the essay helps the author
communicate his professional achievements as well as how he will contribute to
HBS in an easy-flowing narrative. The author also makes an effort to explain to
the reader why he is going for an MBA, given that his previous experience has
been in engineering.
My name is [RICKY JONES], and to be honest, that was the most difficult portion of the
application for me. It wasn’t the essay, or the resume revisions, but rather the
thirteenth overall piece of information requested: “Preferred First”. For years I have
imagined making the transition from [RICKY JONES], to [RICHARD JONES]. It sounds
better – more powerful. [RICKY JONES] provides comedic relief. [RICHARD JONES]
provides valuable insight. [RICKY JONES] runs to stay in shape. [RICHARD JONES]
runs companies. [RICKY JONES] gets confused for [INFAMOUS FELON WITH SAME
LAST NAME]. [RICHARD JONES] gets confused for no one. This new beginning with
new peers was the perfect opportunity, too. “Nice to meet you. I’m [RICHARD JONES]
with [JONES] Enterprises.” It works. Nonetheless, here I am introducing myself as
[RICKY]. The simple truth is I’m no [RICHARD JONES], though I aspire to be, and I’d
rather earn your respect as [RICKY].
I held a similar internal debate as I prepared to begin college, but my excitement to

pursue an undergraduate engineering degree trumped any identity-related concerns.
During the second half of high school I discovered my passion for physics and
mathematics. Additionally, I learned that the personal satisfaction of truly grasping a
once-foreign concept served as a key motivator when facing new challenges. In fact,
the success of my career thus far can be largely attributed to three specific motivators,
and in my opinion, explaining what motivates me is an honest, simple, and effective
way to expedite this introduction.
14
I am motivated by adding value.
It isn’t simply a mindset I’ve trained myself into having, or a means to justify my pay
check. It just seems to be the way I’m wired. Tasks become enjoyable for me when
that feeling of purpose is present. In team settings, my competitive nature takes hold,
and I become fixated not just on adding value, but adding the most value. It can be
incredibly beneficial so long as it facilitates a healthy comradery. When I first started
with [GLOBAL ENERGY COMPANY], one month after graduating, I was still a student
of engineering, eager to put my degree to work and ready to design and construct in a
real world environment. Thankfully, I was hired into a position that allowed me to gain
practical experience while also adding value to the company. Right out the gates, I had
a feeling of purpose that aligned with my own aspirations. After an initial year of
gratifying project work, though, I had satisfied my itch to complete a mechanical
project, and found myself searching for a new challenge and motivation.
I am motivated by the process of continually learning and understanding the big

picture.
I distinctly recall a moment from the day the [MAJOR OIL COMPANY PIPELINE
SYSTEM] was sold in June 2013. I was given the opportunity to work on the divestiture
team, and specifically tasked with preparing a discount to the previously agreed upon
asset value reflecting changes that occurred as a result of recently discovered system
integrity issues. Eventually we received the company wide email reporting the sale was
finalized and the purchase price was discounted exactly per our recommendation. It
was the perfect example of an effort that added value to the company, but I found
myself distracted by something larger: the question of why. Why were we selling this
asset? I understood the functional objective of our efforts, but I couldn’t align it with
the commercial objective of the company. The motivation to understand a foreign
concept was taking over, and my focus shifted to the big picture.
I am motivated by educating others.
Throughout my preparatory and collegiate years I held various positions of visible

leadership, but I didn’t truly understand this specific aspiration until after building a
foundation of industry experience at [GLOBAL ENERGY COMPANY]. In Houston,
where Oil & Gas is the prominent industry, the general populous has a basic
understanding for how energy companies operate. Back home in [LARGE U.S.
SOUTHEASTERN CITY] though there isn’t as much industry-related common
knowledge. When I was questioned by friends and family about what my job entailed, I
was pleasantly surprised to encounter genuine intrigue, curiosity, and follow-up
15
questions to my answers. I quickly discovered that I love explaining the responsibilities

of my position to others. Upon returning to Houston, I started spending more time with
non-engineering project team members, such as cost controls specialists, schedulers,
and procurement representatives, discussing anything they had questions about, from
engineering design principles to the basics of welding. Similarly, I anticipate that as I
develop a better understanding of my business school curriculum, I will eagerly
communicate those concepts to engineers and project managers, bringing further
clarity to each employee’s vision of the company’s goals. My habits at [GLOBAL
ENERGY COMPANY] were recognized and formalized when I was offered the position
of official mentor for new hires joining our group. Focusing on this motivation to
transparently spread industry knowledge has led to the greatest professional
accomplishments of my career thus far. As a result, I have become more intentional in
my research and have developed habits such as recording conversations with key
executives and project leaders. I am eager to continue this personal journey of gaining
perspective by engaging the individuals in my first-year section. I want to interface and
understand the efforts of the fund raising portfolio managers that make capital projects
possible, the financial analysts that evaluate company success, and the environmental
activists that potentially disagree with what I do.
In April of 2015, I found myself on stage at the downtown Houston Hilton delivering a
presentation on the economic justification for conducting business between [MAJOR
OIL COMPANY PIPELINE DIVISION] and [MAJOR OIL COMPANY CHEMICAL
DIVISION] given the current market conditions. The experience, exposure, and
subsequent opportunities were terrific, but most importantly I got a taste of what it’s
like to command a room from the stage, share valued knowledge, and inspire a group
of my peers.
I am an engineer, and my participation in the classroom will illustrate that, but my

motivations are the reason why I applied to Harvard. I anticipate that a drive to add
value and a desire to share knowledge will benefit the learning team experiences at
HBS. I’m confident that my need to fully understand and communicate the big picture
will help prepare me for case method participation. All in all, I hope that my
contributions to the Class of 2018 will be appreciated by my peers, critiqued by my
professors, and transformed into a skill set that will someday allow [RICHARD JONES]
to effectively motivate others.
Word Count: 1089
16
Author’s comment: I took the essay writing process slowly, ensuring that I stepped
away from my work for a day or two on multiple occasions. A key takeaway - force
yourself to write at least one alternate version. Even if you know you aren't going to use
it, approaching the same question with a different mindset (for example - this version
will be more technical or this version will be more confident) can conjure up ideas or
stories that you would have overlooked otherwise. Once I had several versions, I was
able to mix and match, picking the best anecdotes across all the revisions, to create a
strong final draft, that turned out to be the best representation of my voice.
17
ESSAY 5: The Biomedical
Entrepreneur
Author’s Home Country: United States

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Social Sector Entrepreneurship
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: In this essay, the author shares his vision for providing better access to
medical equipment to developing countries. He describes his experience of
starting up and leading an NGO on the same topic. The author not only comes
across as a focused entrepreneur who is committed to his cause but also shares
how HBS will help him in his future goals.
I was in my apartment on a Saturday night with a soldering iron in one hand, and
resistors and capacitors in the other, when I looked around and noticed that I was
completely alone with an ear-to-ear smile on my face. Uh, yeah...I was being a huge
dork. I had been building a heart rate monitor that would be used to train people to
repair medical equipment. It then dawned on me: this might be a little more fun - and
perhaps slightly less embarrassing - if I got some other people involved in my
endeavor. So the NYC chapter of [BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING NON-PROFIT] was
born, and surprisingly has more than 20 other fully-fledged dorks. Although now, it’s
grown into something far bigger for me.
The ‘aha’ moment really came when I learned that Friends Without a Border (FWAB), a
non-profit that’s building children’s hospitals in South East Asia, would not accept
used medical equipment, even if it were fully functional. It seemed counter-intuitive that
impoverished communities wouldn’t want to take advantage of this donated medical
equipment. I just couldn’t rationalize this, so I tried to find out why.
It's shocking, but between 40% and 70% of all medical equipment in the developing
world lies inoperable, and wastes away at a $12.8 billion loss. The equipment’s usually
not designed to function in the third-world environment, so it breaks down quickly, and
the hospitals don’t have the resources to service it. So it just sits there in these medical
device ‘graveyards’. I believe a commercial model to collect, repair, and resell the
unusable equipment could provide a cost-effective and scalable way to reallocate
these resources. This business would support local communities not only by impacting
direct patient care, but by elevating healthcare education, providing vocational training,
18
ESSAY 5: The Biomedical
Entrepreneur
and making livelihoods more secure.
I want to build this business - that’s why I’m here. I want to learn how to make this
happen.
That’s why I initially got involved with [BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING NON-PROFIT], an

NGO that sends engineering students to the third-world to repair some of this
equipment; I’ve been working closely with the CEO to better understand the medical
waste challenges. Through FWAB, I’ve connected with hospitals to establish a base in
South East Asia, where I would launch this business first. We’ve had the director of
[SOUTHEAST ASIAN PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL] Skype into one of our [BIOMEDICAL
ENGINEERING NON-PROFIT] chapter meetings to elaborate on equipment issues, and
I’ve connected her with [BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING NON-PROFIT] national for
advice on how to train her lab technicians to service the equipment. What started out
as an initial curiosity has amazingly taken on a life of its own and it feels like this issue
is begging to be addressed one way or another, with or without me.
While I’ll develop business and leadership skills at HBS, at the end of the day, it's really
the network and experience of my section that’ll continue the momentum and help me
actualize this business.
I want to learn from those of you who have worked in the recycling industry, and from
those of you who have experience operating in grey markets. I want to connect with
those of you who have started your own businesses so I can understand what might
work and what probably won’t. I want to befriend even those of you who think I’m
totally nuts so you can point out the holes in my plan, and if it doesn't work out, can tell
me ‘I told you so’, and then hire me into your companies.
That’s supposed to be a joke...but really, it’s all of you, who’ll be providing me with the
most valuable lessons. Anyway, it’s awesome to finally meet you guys. I’m excited to
be here - it’s going to be a lot of work and a lot of fun - and I’m looking forward to the
years ahead.
Word Count: 640
19
ESSAY 6: The Visionary
Author’s Home Country: Japan

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Project Manager in an Investment
Company
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: In this lengthy essay, the author shares his vision for the development
of Africa and backs it up with stories of how through his work and extracurricular
activities, he has made tangible impact in Africa. The author thus comes across
not only as someone who has a clear vision of his long-term career, but also as
someone who has already done significant work towards realizing his vision.
I am [APPLICANT’S FULL NAME]. I aim to be an Empowering Business Leader who

creates synergy between business and empowerment of people in Africa through the
private sector initiative. I plan to do this by (1) discovering potentials in frontier
economies in Africa and turning them into opportunities; and (2) empowering local
citizens in these economies by offering them appropriate knowledge, skills, and
technologies so that they will grow capable of taking up those opportunities.
[FOR TWO YEARS], I led development of the first-ever desalination project in Sub-
Saharan Africa in [WEST AFRICAN NATION] as a local project manager from
[COMPANY’S NAME], a Japanese trading and investment company. This $130 million
project financing was important for me in two ways. First, it succeeded in creating the
impact on the lives of people which aligns with my career goal in Africa. With
commercially-viable solutions under public-private partnership, it enabled supply of
potable water to half a million people who lacked access to safe water. Second, it led
me to develop a concrete vision of a business leader who connects multiple
stakeholders to get things done. As I discussed with headquarters in Tokyo, London
Office, and the [WEST AFRICAN NATION’S] authorities, I developed mutual
understanding and trust needed to align the interest of the global investor with that of
the government and local people. This experience helped me to take initiative in the
next project in [CENTRAL AFRICAN NATION] to integrate my vision of empowerment
into business.
My interest in business development in Africa can be traced back to my travel to Africa

in 2001, just after graduating from high school in [LARGE JAPANESE CITY].
20
Throughout high school, I had a great curiosity to see a wider world and view my life
from different perspectives, so I decided to take a gap year and left Japan. Arriving in
Yemen, I took a fisherman’s boat to Djibouti and travelled across the African continent
to Sao Tome & Principe through eight countries. Immersing myself in local people’s
lives, I was inspired by their energy and resilience to live a life in a tough environment
and survive uncertainties. This experience posed an enormous impact on an 18 year
old Japanese student and I began to live in a positive and proactive manner.
One life-changing encounter occurred in Cabinda, Angola. I met [NAME], a refugee

from Congo. He had left his country to find a better life in Angola, but he had no choice
but to make a living outside the formal economy as a street money changer. I lived with
him for a while, standing with him on the street from dawn to dusk, and counted bills
till midnight in his container-sized shack dimly lit by only one naked light bulb. As I
shared his life, I wondered what if he had an option about where to study, what to
study, and what job to do. I learned from this experience that it was the limited access
to opportunities and his lack of knowledge, skills, and technologies that trapped him in
the economic difficulty. If he had those, he would have been able to do much more in
his life – and I came to appreciate the chances that majority of Japanese have.
Upon my return to Japan, I studied development economics, but recalling that most of
the African people I met were doing small trade or sales in order to meet their daily
financial needs, I realized that I wanted to work as a business leader to create the
future hand in hand with people rather than as an economist to provide prescription
packages. In addition, I came to explore how Japan’s experience of successful
industrial development could possibly be transferred to African countries. I concluded
that the duplication of the experience would not be enough, but the adaptation of the
experience to the local African context would be necessary, and that the adaptation
would require someone who understands Africa deeply and is able to bridge Japan
and this continent: here I found my unique role and responsibility.
In 2007, I joined [LARGE GLOBAL TRADING & INVESTMENT COMPANY] because it

was the most ambitious Japanese company to explore business in Africa at that time.
After working for three years at the company’s headquarters in [LARGE JAPANESE
CITY], I earned a chance to take charge of business development in West Africa as the
youngest Director of the company’s [WEST AFRICAN COUNTRY] office. I spent over
four years there developing a desalination project in [WEST AFRICAN COUNTRY] and
also pursuing other new business in West Africa.
In particular, a project I initiated in Equatorial Guinea (EG) to acquire and run a

methanol plant is a benchmark in my career. It was the first project which materialized
my vision of incorporating empowerment into the business framework. I succeeded in
establishing an effective give-and-take relationship between two parties: while Sojitz
benefits from the country’s low cost raw materials, [LARGE GLOBAL TRADING &
INVESTMENT COMPANY] responds to EG government’s request for localization of the
21
operation. The plant originally depended on expatriate workers for around 40% of its
workforces, and no local companies in EG had been capable of marketing methanol
products that they produce. I developed our proposal to transfer knowledge, skills, and
technologies to EG workers, and while the deal is still under negotiation, this model is
applicable to other projects as well. In fact, now in [LARGE JAPANESE CITY], I am
spearheading an initiative to introduce Operation & Maintenance business with
technological transfer programs for power and petrochemical plants in developing
countries.
Empowerment is not only my job, but it is also my lifework. I have collaborated with my
wife in founding [PROJECT NAME], a community-based project for developing
entrepreneurship in Africa. Harnessing her skill as a Japanese traditional textile artist,
[PROJECT NAME] empowers African traditional artisans in improving their skills and
developing new designs. Their products are marketed in Japan. [PROJECT’S NAME]
flagship project is reinvigoration of Adire production. Adire is a traditional indigo dyed
cloth in [WEST AFRICAN COUNTRY], but its technique and production had been
declining due to modernization. [PROJECT’S NAME] assists Adire artisans through re-
training and creating demand for their products beyond traditional buyers. While mega-
projects can take years to develop and to finally materialize their intended effect,
[PROJECT’S NAME] directly involves artisans at the community level, so the changes
created through our daily activities can be felt immediately at an individual level and in
a vivid way, which is an important source of my motivation.
Through my work for [LARGE GLOBAL TRADING & INVESTMENT COMPANY] and
activities with my wife at [PROJECT’S NAME], I have been incubating my vision for the
future – that is, to create a triangular framework to foster industrial development
underpinned by human capital development, through a concerted effort among
businesses, schools, and governments. In order to make it happen, I am aiming to
strengthen my leadership at HBS by expanding my ability to integrate various
stakeholders and create significant impact.
As a first step to realize my vision, I plan to create an automotive industrial cluster park
in [WEST AFRICAN COUNTRY]. The park will be developed with competitive
infrastructure and logistics, one-stop administrative services, and residential and
commercial facilities, including technical training facilities that will help [WEST
AFRICAN COUNTRY] workers develop knowledge, skills, and technologies required in
the production, starting with the assembly of cars and later extend into the production
of components. This private-led initiative will fill in the gaps created by the insufficiency
of governmental institutions and help [WEST AFRICAN COUNTRY’S RESIDENTS]
achieve competitive industrial growth. I envision that the model will be extended to
other African countries so that more opportunities will be created for people in this
continent. I am going to make full use of my two years at HBS as a platform to launch
this initiative.
Word Count: 1276
22
ESSAY 7: The Non-Traditional MBA
Author’s Home Country: United States of America

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Military
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: In this essay, the author describes his role in the military and how an
incident inspired him to introspect and decide to do an MBA. The author, thus
conveys a clear vision behind his decision to do an MBA while also highlighting
his non-traditional background.
I’m probably what you’d call a “non-traditional” MBA. I’m a theater geek who spent his
college years running a sketch comedy troupe. I’m a history major who wrote his
undergraduate thesis on the NYPD and its relationship with New York City’s homeless.
And for the past decade, I’ve been a [MILITARY BRANCH] intelligence officer analyzing
terror threats and planning intelligence collection missions. Suffice it to say, there’s
not a lot on my resume that screams “business school.” So how did I end up here?
My story begins inside one of the Pentagon’s most notoriously demanding offices: the
Chief of [MILITARY BRANCH] Operations Intelligence Plot. The Washington Post once
described my old office as “The Crucible,” though I always preferred to think of the
place as “Top Gun for intel nerds.” For two years I was one of about a dozen mostly
junior intelligence officers charged with providing round-the-clock intelligence support
to the [MILITARY BRANCH’S] top brass. We were crisis managers and midnight
phone callers, but above all we were analysts responsible for keeping senior
[MILITARY BRANCH] leaders up-to-speed on major world events. Our primary vehicle
for doing so was the [REPORT’S NAME], a seven-page analytic report delivered every
morning to thousands of defense and intelligence community professionals around the
globe. For a little more than a year, I had the privilege of calling myself its editor-in-
chief.
As editor-in-chief, one of my responsibilities was to meet in person with senior

[MILITARY BRANCH] leaders whenever one sought additional information on a topic
23
raised in the [MILITARY UNIT’S DAILY UPDATE NEWSLETTER]. The most memorable
of these invitations came shortly after the resignation of Egyptian president Hosni
Mubarak, when the Secretary of the [MILITARY BRANCH] asked for a briefing on the
Arab Spring. Within two hours of the invitation, I found myself sitting inside the
secretary’s office describing the key actors, likely outcomes, and potential worst-case
scenarios in each of several Arab countries experiencing large-scale protests. After a
few straightforward follow-up questions, I was asked to elaborate on the root causes of
the uprisings. It was a question I was prepared for, so I confidently rattled off some
stats. Four hundred million people living in the Arab world. Sixty percent under the
age of 25. Unemployment rates of 25 to 50 percent—and rising. A perfect storm of
economic underdevelopment, demographic pressures, and bad governance had
compelled a generation of Arabs to take to the streets in protest against their
unresponsive and unaccountable governments.
The room went silent. As the secretary wordlessly mulled my answer, I felt anxious
and confused. Did I say something wrong? Then, in a flash, it dawned on me: I had
just told the Secretary of the [MILITARY BRANCH] that he was powerless to do
anything about the Arab Spring. For all its might, the [MILITARY BRANCH] couldn’t
create new jobs in the Arab world. It couldn’t launch large-scale infrastructure
projects, stimulate foreign direct investment, or finance aspiring entrepreneurs.
Economic underdevelopment had just wiped out two Arab governments and was
threatening half a dozen more, yet there was nothing that anyone in the [MILITARY
BRANCH] (nor anyone else inside the Pentagon) could do about it.
The realization hit me hard. I had committed to a five-year service extension just a few
months prior, confident about the prospects of a life of military service. But the
meeting that should have been the pinnacle of my young [MILITARY BRANCH] career
forced me instead to realize that the work I longed to do could only be done outside
the military.
That’s why I’m here. I want to learn how to help companies thrive in emerging and
frontier markets. I believe that such work isn’t just good for business, but is essential
to improving people’s lives and promoting global stability. Don’t get me wrong—it’s
not as though I think the MBA is a license to solve all the world’s problems. But I do
believe that business has a critical role to play in making the world a better place to
live, particularly when it comes to providing people the opportunity to lead their lives
with dignity. It’s an effort I’m eager to become a part of, and I can’t wait to spend the
next two years getting to know others who feel the same way.
Word Count: 915
24
Author’s comments: The first draft came pretty quickly...maybe 90 minutes of writing.
But I continued to revise and tweak for a long time afterwards--perhaps a dozen or
more sessions, usually 10 to 20 minutes in length.
25
ESSAY 8: The Athlete

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Accounting, Private Equity
Author Gender: Female
Analysis: In this essay, the author shares her background of growing up in a

small rural town, supporting her father in his business and her passion for
basketball during her high school and college. Thus, the author is able to
highlight her unique upbringing and the values that it instilled in her. She also
shares her conversations with an HBS alumnus and a current student to
demonstrate her commitment to the HBS MBA program.
Alongside [NAME OF A HIGHWAY IN UNITED STATES], there is a sign that reads,

"Welcome to [NAME OF AUTHOR’S HOMETOWN], Home of [NAME OF THE
AUTHOR], [NAME OF A STATE IN UNITED STATES] Miss Basketball 2006." This sign,
an explicit reminder of my responsibility to faithfully represent all 100 people in my
hometown, provides me courage as I seek to compete with the best—from high school
basketball in [NAME OF AUTHOR’S HOMETOWN] to Division I basketball in [NAME OF
A STATE IN UNITED STATES], from public accounting to private equity in [NAME OF A
BIG CITY IN UNITED STATES], and now, to HBS.
With no grocery store or police force, [NAME OF AUTHOR’S HOMETOWN] is the

epitome of a rural town. My public high school totaled 15 students, including my class
of two. My sisters and I spent our teen years shoveling mud and battling hideous tan
lines in service to my family's third-generation water well drilling business. Drilling wells
provided me an invaluable education. I witnessed sincere gratitude from farmers after
we toiled in temperatures from -30℉ to 110℉ to restore their water. Each night as we
arrived home, I felt the strange blend of satisfaction and exhaustion that only hard
manual labor provides. My dad consummated expensive contracts with a handshake,
due the mutual trust he developed with customers. His firm reply of "Don't worry, she's
got it," to the protests of grizzled old men watching me load 100 pound sandbags,
filled me with self-confidence. Dependably and without fanfare, my mom packed
lunches and laundered an endless river of filthy clothes. She was the glue that held our
family together, and the grease that kept the business running. From my upbringing,
26
I've learned that education is not necessary for wisdom, that gophers love Pringles,
and that being female is not a handicap.
If I wasn't drilling wells, I was on a basketball court. There, I learned that sports build
self-esteem, instill discipline, and sometimes break your heart. During my junior year, I
made an amateur highlight tape and mailed it to universities nationwide. Incredibly,
coaches began flying to [NAME OF A CITY IN UNITED STATES] and driving over an
hour to my tiny town. I secured gym space and begged local farm boys to play against
me. Eventually, I accepted a full scholarship from [NAME OF A UNIVERSITY IN UNITED
STATES], a place that worships basketball fervently. I chose [NAME OF A UNIVERSITY
IN UNITED STATES] with the sober understanding that I may never play and, in doing
so, rejected dozens of smaller schools where I was virtually guaranteed to be the star.
Ultimately, my fear of the more difficult path was outweighed by the desire to push
myself, and sheer curiosity to learn where the trail would lead.
[NAME OF A UNIVERSITY IN UNITED STATES] basketball changed my life. I

developed tolerance—the day I scanned the locker room and realized that gay or
straight, black or white, rich or poor, my teammates had transformed into my sisters. I
understood teamwork—after we overcame a losing record to play in a tournament
championship game, shattering female sport attendance records in the process. I
learned discipline—the first time I set a 4:30 AM alarm to study before practice. Most
of all, I gained the quiet confidence to continue pitting myself against the best
throughout my career. I learned to believe in myself, to trust that after selecting the
next daunting path, I would muster the resolve to traverse it. The desire to share with
other women the benefits that competitive athletics provided to me is why I have
mentored an adolescent girl for the past eight years, and why I volunteer for a charity
that teaches entrepreneurship to low income teenagers at a sports-focused high
school. It is also why I want my MBA.
I always felt that basketball fueled my professional success, but was shocked to learn
that 52% of female C-Suite executives played collegiate sports. Many female athletes
seamlessly transition from sport to challenging careers, but the potential within
thousands of others remains dormant. I want to change that. I want to enable more
women to leverage skills shaped through athletics to become leaders, and for their
success to foster gender parity in the world. Long-term, I intend to partner with schools
and athletic associations to weave leadership training and mentoring into elite female
athletic programs. We will identify high school girls with both athletic and leadership
potential, and provide them with the tools to thrive as college athletes, often in
27
environments where winning is prioritized above long-term athlete well-being. Once at

the collegiate level, we will help these women balance school and sport, and equip
them with the professional skills to use athletics as a springboard to career success. I
have a foundation of personal and professional experiences on which to build. A
Harvard MBA, followed by social enterprise consulting experience at an organization
such as The Bridgespan Group, will assist me in realizing my vision.
HBS alumnus [NAME OF ALUMNUS] ('91) raved about the pattern recognition skills he
gained from the curriculum, but I didn't appreciate the value of the case study method
until my class visit. The students were incredibly engaged, and the synergy created by
their diverse backgrounds was readily apparent. Each person's input elevated that of
the prior speaker, even when their perspectives conflicted. During coffee with my
former colleague [NAME OF COLLEAGUE] ('18), I was inspired by her stories of
personal growth from ongoing, deep interactions with section peers. I am convinced
that the unique atmosphere and teaching method at HBS will provide the ideal
environment to deepen my understanding of gender equality issues, and to distill my
aspirations into a sustainable business model. Courses such as "How Star Women
Succeed" will expand my knowledge of why organizations try—and fail—to achieve
gender equality, how smart people fall victim to subconscious biases, and how women
balance their dreams against economic, religious, and cultural realities. After speaking
with [NAME OF ALUMNUS] ('93), I know that mentoring from Rock EiRs will help me
select an enterprise platform and funding strategy. Whether I am contributing tax and
accounting expertise to a case discussion, assuming a leadership position in the
Women's Student Association, or bonding with peers on FIELD 2, I know that I can
meaningfully contribute to HBS life. In short, a Harvard MBA will help me fulfill my
mission of using sports to develop female leaders. I think the people of [NAME OF
AUTHOR’S HOMETOWN] would approve.
Word Count: 1034
28
ESSAY 9: The Motivator

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Ecommerce- Marketing/ Merchandising
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: The author structures this essay around his interest in ‘motivating
others’. Through this theme, the author shares his interest in e-commerce,
generating consumer insights, marketing and leading a team. Thus, the author is
able to explain in detail his professional background as well as his future goals.
My name is [NAME OF THE AUTHOR] and I love motivating others. Throughout my life,
I have been fascinated by customer psychology and driven to understand what
motivates behavior. This interest was established at a young age. As a child visiting
family in [NAME OF AN ASIAN COUNTRY], I remember whizzing around downtown
[NAME OF AN ASIAN CITY] with my cousin on his moped. He pointed out sights along
the way but what struck me most were the vibrant, shining signs of recognizable
brands: the electric red “Coca Cola” logo with “chilled, fizzing drink” written in [AN
ASIAN LANGUAGE] and the bright blue posters lining the streets with the Colgate logo,
promising “Dentist’s top brand”. Even in a foreign land in a language I barely
understood, amidst a sea of new, exciting products, these captivating marvels spoke
to me and compelled me to crave a Coke or brush with Colgate. This experience
planted a seed, inspiring me to focus on answering the question: how can I motivate
others to act?
One of the most effective lessons I learned about motivating others came in college
when I directed the marketing and planning for a national South Asian dance
competition. The now annual [NAME OF THE COMPETITION] raised $5,000 for charity
in its first year. Excited to generate an even bigger second-year donation and
audience, I polled prior attendees about what attracted them to the event. I repeatedly
heard that people loved the culture, music and excitement of the show. With this in
mind, I launched a campaign that included dance workshops all around the city,
wooden sculptures of the dancers on campus with music booming in the background,
and a video with the prior year’s highlights on our website. That year, we doubled our
charitable donation and grew attendance 30%, becoming one of the country’s largest
29
collegiate dance competitions. I learned that people are motivated by feeling and that
feeling is
powerfully evoked by creating an experience.
My interest in motivating others has also energized me professionally. At [NAME OF A

CONSULTING FIRM], I learned the basics of customer psychology through retail
engagements. But I wanted more direct impact on the consumer so I joined [NAME OF
AN E-COMMERCE RETAILER], a home decor ecommerce retailer. There, a promotion
to lead strategy for [NAME OF AN E-COMMERCE RETAILER]’s email communications
allowed me to focus on building new parts of the business to improve the customer’s
experience. Leading focus groups and talking to customers, I heard several shoppers
talk about finding pieces that fit their “aesthetic style”. I realized we had an opportunity
to organize our product in a different way and I quickly lobbied to launch a new “shop
by style” section in our daily email. I convened a working team and shared examples of
what the end product could look like, asking them to bring their vision to the project. I
watched with pleasure as our VP of Creative imaginatively constructed the design and
our merchants carefully handpicked the assortments to support style shopping pages
like [EXAMPLES OF NAME OF PAGES]. Within the first week, customers responded
positively: our “click” and “convert” rates jumped 5% above average, some of the
biggest lift we had ever seen. I learned firsthand that listening to the customer’s needs
and packaging product in an “experience” that meets those needs can have a big
impact in shifting behavior.
In addition to motivating customers, I’ve discovered how satisfying it is to motivate a

team. As one of three senior merchandising managers at [NAME OF AN E-
COMMERCE RETAILER], I worked to lead a team of diverse backgrounds in hand-
crafting “flash sales”. I took members of the team who were trained visual
merchandisers on in-depth “tours” of competitors’ websites to spark imagination,
pointing out seasonal trends. For teammates who responded to logic-based
presentations, I created decision trees to help guide behavior, talking through
scenarios and charting action plans against each potential outcome. When I sensed
that a team member was stressed or frustrated, I listened to his or her feedback and
worked diligently to find a solution. I discovered that no one tactic worked to motivate
the team and that different people needed to be reached in different ways. I’ve found
the same to be true outside of work, where my love for teaching spurred me to lead a
book club with first-grade students. For some students, I found success in relating
books to TV shows and video games they loved. For others with big imaginations, I
generated enthusiasm by reading to them in the characters’ voices and acting out
31
scenes. Across these experiences, I found success in motivating a team by effectively

relating to my teammates.
My fascination with motivating others has shaped my life. Professionally, I’ve sought to
understand customer psychology and discovered that I love building new ideas to
motivate new behavior. Personally, I’ve found a side of me that loves to inspire and
support others. For a while, I thought education was my calling, but seeing the parallels
between teaching and leading has shown me that I can “teach” in any environment.
Instead, one day I hope to run my own ecommerce brand in men’s personal care,
where I can motivate a collaborative, supportive team in creating a product the
customer wants.
I am at HBS to build on the skills I’ve started developing in marketing, consumer

behavior and team management. Most importantly, I am here to learn from you. I look
forward to debating cases and exploring business problems together. And I can’t wait
to get to know you, through nights out with the Brew Club, training for the Boston
Marathon or coaching local students with the Social Enterprise Club (all things I’d love
to do with you). So I’m excited to learn…what motivates you?
Word Count: 948
Author’s comments: I was a re-applicant. I wrote the essay over the course of 5-6
weeks, spending anywhere from 5-15 hours per week (nights and weekends). For the
most part, I would spend nights when I didn't have other plans or weekend days
working on the essay. From first draft to last draft, my essay definitely changed quite a
bit (probably had 12-14 drafts) but the last 5 or so drafts were not materially different. A
few days prior to the HBS application deadline, I decided that I couldn't keep trying to
react to every piece of input I got from people around me. I sent the essay to ~20
friends and family members for review and at times, I found that their feedback was
contradictory. Ultimately, it's important to look at all the feedback you get and make
the changes you feel comfortable with. I think having others review is helpful as it
provides you with useful insight but you have to be able to filter out the things that
won't make a material difference and should only act on the things you feel
comfortable with. You probably don't need to reach out to as many people as I did.
Ultimately, think about the really compelling, unique story that you have to tell (I found
linking personal experiences to professional choices was a cool route), outline it, write
from your heart, have people review and then edit. Don't over think and don't
32
overspend your time -- in my opinion, I don't think that admission is correlated with
drafts turned or hours/ weeks spent writing.
33
ESSAY 10: The Multinational
Author’s Home Country: France

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Oil, Venture Capital
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: In this essay, the author describes his academic and professional
journey and uses that to highlight different aspects of his personality. He also
emphasizes his multinational background. Through the essay, the author comes
across as a proactive professional who is willing to challenge himself by taking
up new roles which add to his skills.
Hi, I am [NAME OF THE AUTHOR], a “[A EUROPEAN NATIONALITY] international”.

Born in [NAME OF A COUNTRY IN SOUTH AMERICA], raised in [NAME OF A
COUNTRY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA], [NAME OF A COUNTRY IN ASIA] and [NAME OF A
COUNTRY IN EUROPE], I learned to constantly reach out to people and make new
friends. From this necessity to adapt emerged my ability to embrace challenges, my
natural curiosity, and my drive to make every day count, which have guided my life
ever since.
Hearing about the clean-tech revolution emerging in [NAME OF A STATE IN THE US]
while I was a college student in [NAME OF A COUNTRY IN EUROPE], I dreamt of
taking part in it. My best option was to pursue a Master's degree in an American
University, but instead of applying and waiting for an answer, I decided to directly
demonstrate to professors my values and competences. I had identified several [NAME
OF A FAMOUS UNIVERSITY IN THE US] professors conducting research within my
fields of interest, so at the start of the summer I flew over to [NAME OF A CITY IN THE
US] and walked into [NAME OF A FAMOUS UNIVERSITY IN THE US]’s Mechanical
Engineering department. I did not manage to convince the first few professors I met,
but perseverance led me to knock on the office door of Professor [NAME OF
PROFESSOR], who gave me a chance, and let me work in his research lab that
summer. This began a lasting friendship, and with his recommendation and support I
joined as a Masters student 10 months later.
34
The entrepreneurial drive on campus was like nothing I had ever experienced. One day,
I randomly engaged on the subway with the co-founder of an energy storage startup. I
convinced him I could help, and working there in parallel to my studies, I contributed to
increasing the amount of energy stored by the system. More importantly, I was part of
a small team dreaming big, and experienced first-hand the ups and downs of an
entrepreneurial venture. I enjoyed the start-up environment and suspected I would get
back to it, but first I wanted to experience the operational side of a big energy
company.
I took a technical role at [NAME OF A EUROPEAN OIL COMPANY] that included

working on an offshore rig in the North Sea. The multi-cultural and team-oriented
setting was great, but after two years I was ready to head back to an entrepreneurial
environment. I joined [NAME OF THE VC ARM OF THE EUROPEAN OIL COMPANY],
with a mandate to find and help implement radically innovative technology from early
stage start-ups.
Being involved with entrepreneurs at the creation of their business, I thrive on helping
others fulfill their dreams. Within a few months of joining, I identified a promising serial
entrepreneur with a great concept: a radical take on the design of the electrical motor.
As I started building the investment and implementation case, my manager felt I was
ready to lead the whole process going forward, regardless of my youth and relative
inexperience. However, right before completing the investment, the founder lost both
his life partner and daughter within days. This turn of events impacted me deeply and
taught me to put things into perspective: achieving a good outcome now included
helping this man emerge from the unthinkable. Listening, offering support, and
deciding not to forego the investment, but simply delay it, all contributed to helping him
surmount the tragedy. Today, the entrepreneur is in good spirits and the company,
which we now back, has just hired its seventh employee. I was consequently promoted
and became the youngest-ever Investment Manager in the team.
Building technology start-ups has naturally exposed me to many real-life case studies.
One key learning has been how crucial it is for early-stage companies to properly
understand their customers’ needs, as this impacts everything from product
development to marketing and distribution channel decisions. My ability to engage with
end-users, build relationships, and understand their thinking, has enabled me to
identify the right selling angle and earned me the trust of the entrepreneurs, and of my
teammates, who encouraged me to share best practices. As an observer on the board
of four companies, I work closely with my fellow, more experienced colleagues (full
35
board members), and the executive teams. Facing together the emotional rollercoaster
that comes with scaling early-stage companies creates lasting bonds, and I now count
all these colleagues as close mentors. All in all, working with entrepreneurs who use
technology to create a positive change in the Energy space has been incredibly
fulfilling. I also apply my VC experience to my volunteer role with the [NAME OF A
EUROPEAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE], where I take pride in assisting prospective
entrepreneurs enter the [NAME OF A EUROPEAN COUNTRY] market. By helping them
to clarify their marketing pitch and set up meetings with the right clients, I help them
achieve their goals.
I have been fortunate to find an activity that enables me to have an impact. After four
years in [NAME OF A COUNTRY IN EUROPE] I believe that I have left a mark on the
people around me, and within the local venture capital community. However, I crave
the chance to make a bigger impact on the world, and Harvard Business School is the
logical next step to reach my ambitions. HBS represents the ideal environment in
which to develop new skills by experiencing business dilemmas across a broader set
of industries, cultures, and countries, all while building lasting relationships.
Surrounded by world class professors and some of the sharpest minds of my
generation, learning from their experience and contributing with mine, will yield, I am
certain, life-changing opportunities.
I will also build relationships outside the classroom. In addition to joining the HBS
soccer team, I would spend quite some time at the i-lab, partnering with classmates to
nurture venture ideas and leverage the exceptional resources that Harvard has to offer.
Word Count: 931
36
ESSAY 11: The Techie
The Techie
Author’s Home Country: Peru
Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Brand Management, Customer Sales
Analysis: In this essay, the author describes in detail her professional journey
from the pharmaceutical industry to tech industry. She also talks about her
experience of giving back to the community through her work in NGOs. She,
thus comes across as a driven individual who is not afraid to explore different
industries. The author mentions that her partner is currently studying in HBS
and recounts her experience of joining the HBS Yacht week in Croatia, thus
suggesting her strong connect with the HBS community.
“I am. I can. I ought. I will.”
I went to an all-girls British school in [MAJOR CITY OF PERU], Peru with a notable
focus on empowering students to think big and achieve big. I carry our motto in my
heart. Constantly pushed beyond my limits and encouraged to express my mind and
my creativity, I got involved in all kinds of activities: the debate group, athletics, school
plays, short story writing challenges and even the unique (and random) cake
decoration competition – which I finally won in my senior year by creating an alligator
cake! Perhaps the most meaningful to me was to actually lead and motivate other girls
as House Captain. Curiosity, diversity and drive shaped who I am.
My stimulating experience in school made me aware that I was privileged, and in a

position to drive change, especially as a woman. I was shocked by the fact that most
children in Peru do not have access to a proper education, and that many of them –
particularly girls – do not feel worthy of achieving great things in their lives. The
problem is beyond their skills. For this reason, when I started University I became
determined to undertake an active role in promoting education in my country.
First, I came across [NAME OF A NON PROFIT] and was inspired by their mission: to
promote personal and social development of Peruvian children living in poverty.
37
Together with a team of volunteers, we regularly visited a town south of [MAJOR CITY
OF PERU] devastated by an earthquake in 2007, and engaged in games and activities
to enhance the children’s self-esteem, confidence and leadership skills. It was heart-
warming to soon see the community gather around and cheer us when our bus arrived
once a month.
Last year, I joined [NAME OF A NON PROFIT], an organization that funds world-class
education for children with high potential. We secured scholarships to fund 1,200 kids,
and launched a Leadership Program to boost their capabilities. I now mentor three girls
in this program; I’m constantly amazed by their brilliant minds and encourage them to
follow their dreams in the same way I was encouraged to follow mine. I even motivate
them to repeat my high school motto!
Exploring who you are and what you are made of often requires you to explore beyond
the tried and true. I grew up admiring my father’s courage: at the age of 20, he
dropped out of engineering school in Peru to join the [NAME OF AN AMERICAN
UNIFORMED SERVICES] in [NAME OF A MAJOR CITY IN US] because he dreamt of
being a jet pilot. He ended up becoming a mechanical engineer and venturing into the
mining industry, which led him to travel around the world. I have never heard more
exciting and fun stories than his! He instilled in me an urge to travel just like him, to
discover unexpected places and cultures.
This urge took me to the most fulfilling experiences such as working at ski resorts in
[NAME OF A MAJOR CITY IN US] and then again in [NAME OF A MAJOR CITY IN US],
[NAME OF A STATE], where I met people from dozens of countries, and learned to love
skiing. Only in the past year, I have been exploring beaches in Brazil, trekking on
glaciers in the Argentinean Patagonia, and wandering the coast of Italy in a scooter!
This urge also motivated me to say yes when I was offered a position to move to
Santiago, Chile, while working as a Brand Manager in a pharmaceutical company.
Moving to Chile as an expat was definitely life changing. It was a personal challenge,
having just recently turned 24 and moving permanently to a city I barely knew. Women
in Peru usually settle for a safer career path near home, so my family was not excited
as I was. It was also a professional challenge, because I was expected to lead the
company’s top brand, an iconic and influential healthcare brand in Chile. I was inspired
to learn that marketing is more than creative ideas and effective promotion; it is about
human connections that are shaped by different cultures. I was also happy to find out
that being away from my hometown made me appreciate it more and be proud of its
38
uniqueness. And to my family’s and my own surprise, I actually learned to cook, and
turned out to be pretty good at it!
Chile is a hub for entrepreneurship in Latin America, and I even caught the bug while I
was there. My journey in tech began in a startup project a friend created: a social
media and digital marketing agency with the objective to help brands connect with
consumers in innovative ways. At the time, digital platforms represented roughly 4% of
advertising budgets in Peru, so our most important obstacle was to transform
mindsets. I committed to contribute part time from Chile and took on the challenge to
learn and work remotely, strongly motivated to change the marketing landscape in
Peru. The possibilities were endless; we crafted digital plans for companies ranging
from a new taxi app, to restaurants, to sportswear! I discovered passion in the fast-
moving Internet world.
I soon challenged my company to “go digital” too and built a case to shift marketing
online. It was hard to get others on board; the company had in fact been very
successful in building brands in Chile ([NAME OF A BRAND] – the brand I managed –
made it to an HBS case for this in [YEAR THE CASE WAS PUBLISHED]!), and moving
away from traditional media was uncertain. It was a great step forward just to get one
of the company Directors to call me into his office to show him “this Facebook thing I
was talking so much about!”
This experience prompted me to come back to [NAME OF A MAJOR CITY IN PERU] to

join the [NAME OF A DEPARTMENT] team at [NAME OF A MAJOR TECH COMPANY]
Peru. I could not have imagined a better place from which to transform my passion for
marketing and tech into impactful and long lasting changes in Latin America than
[NAME OF A MAJOR TECH COMPANY]. It’s been a year that feels like so many, in a
company that changes and reinvents itself every day, and a growing and challenging
market. I feel women are underrepresented in the tech industry – specially in Latin
America – and hope to lead initiatives in the future that help change this. I have started
doing this by being an active member of the Women at [NAME OF A MAJOR TECH
COMPANY] community and continue to support education initiatives such as coaching
students in [NAME OF A NON PROFIT], an NGO that teaches women to code. I know
there is an opportunity to mirror the innovation approach that guides game-changers
like [NAME OF A MAJOR TECH COMPANY], to reimagine our education system and
take “moonshots” to make it happen.
39
I once heard that a mind that is stretched by new experiences never returns to its own
dimensions. I now realize that my “unusual” journey into the tech industry: starting out
in [NAME OF A BIG PUBLIC COMPANY], transitioning to a Brand Manager position in
a traditional pharmaceutical company in Peru and Chile, and ultimately leading a digital
entrepreneurial project, stretched my mind in an unimaginable way. I feel each
experience added to the next in unique and powerful ways and helped me become a
distinct and flexible leader. I hope to bring this diverse background to my MBA
experience, and hopefully come back to the tech industry to lead digital transformation
for small and medium businesses in Latin America.
Last summer, I had the chance to spend a week travelling in Croatia with over 150 HBS
Class of [20XX] admits. My partner – currently a [NAME OF THE YEAR] student -
brought me along, and I was a little afraid that I might not fit in. I was proven wrong
every second of the trip! Not only did I have ridiculous amounts of fun, but I was also
amazed by every single person I met and the experiences they shared with me. I felt an
extraordinary connection with the group and took with me a strong desire (and utter
impatience!) to soon be a part of the HBS community. I am eager to learn, lead, grow,
and be challenged. But above all, I am excited to meet and be inspired by each and
every one of you.
Word Count: 1343
Author’s Comments: I was traveling for some weeks in August so, the time allocated
was pretty tight! I started in late August and the deadline was September 9th, I had
around 2 weeks for the essay. It was the first application I did and the most "open"
essay so basically lots of introspection, thinking about key achievements in my career
and personal life, then what matters most to me in terms of interests and goals and the
stories, tying all of this together! It was very challenging to have a question with barely
no boundaries and also using a more informal tone since it was supposed to be
addressed to my class. I guess my key takeaway would be to think in terms of stories
since this is the way we communicate and create interest in ourselves in real life!
40
ESSAY 12: The C-Suite Executive
The C-Suite Executive

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Environmental Consulting
Analysis: The author uses a very innovative way to structure this essay. She
narrates an imaginary interview in which she is a successful CEO and is being
asked questions by a reporter. This structure allows the author to talk about a
range of topics without worrying about the flow of narrative. Through the detailed
interview script, the author comes across as an adventurous and fearless
individual who is passionate about the topic of environmental conservation and
has made career choices driven by this passion.
One of my favorite Sunday rituals is reading "Corner Office" in the New York Times
business section. Every week reporter Andy Bryant interviews top executives about life
and leadership. I am fascinated to learn about how successful CEOs got their starts. I
often think about how I would answer Bryant's questions, as I aspire to one day hold a
C-suite position. As a means of introducing myself to my HBS classmates, this is what
I will say if I have the chance to be interviewed for “Corner Office.”
[FULL NAME OF APPLICANT] − CEO of a renewable energy "supermajor”: Redefining

the Energy Future with Passion
Q. What were some early influences for you?

A. The environment in which I was raised, both at home in [LARGE U.S.
NORTHWESTERN CITY] and traveling with my family, had a profound impact on my
early development and continues to inform my choices today.
I grew up in [LARGE U.S. NORTHWESTERN CITY] and spent my winters skiing and
summers hiking. My love of the outdoors guided my education and career choices
towards environmental issues.
41
I had adventurous parents who wanted to expose my brother and me to different

sights and cultures. When I was just four years old, our family took a 14-month trip,
visiting 27 countries. That year, the world was my classroom. I learned about marine
biology snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef and animal conservation in the Kenyan
bush. After living out of a small duffel bag for over a year, I adopted my parents'
philosophy that life is about "doing," not "having," a value I continue to live by.
When I was 13, my family moved to [LARGE SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY’S

CAPITAL CITY] a to have a full cultural immersion. Despite initial fears about being
uprooted to a country where I didn’t speak the language, the experience was a life
highlight. I attended an international school, made friends from around the world, and
was introduced to the value of global perspectives. This is critical in the energy field,
given that climate change is a global problem and a solution requires universal
cooperation.
Q. How did you get your start as an entrepreneur?

A. During high school, when I needed to raise money for a volunteer project in a Costa
Rican village, I started a business creating and selling hand-painted glassware. I found
that there was a market for my art and started to sell my glasses through Etsy, an
online retailer for artists. I create my own designs and take custom orders, including
bridesmaid champagne flutes and beer steins with college mascots and insignias. In
addition to fostering the creative element, as my business matured, I recognized the
need for processes and implemented mechanisms to optimize pricing, manage orders,
and ensure quality.
I love to paint; it provides a peaceful escape to relax and reflect, and I love to see
friends and family enjoying their personalized glassware. My glass-painting experience
helped me realize the importance of passion in driving a successful business.
Q. Did you know what you wanted to study in college or what you wanted to do after?
A. I have always enjoyed and excelled at math and science. I enrolled in the
engineering program at [TOP U.S. PRIVATE MIDWESTERN UNIVERSITY] because I
wanted to apply those skills to solve real-world problems. But after spending one year
in the cramped confines of the computer lab, I knew I didn’t want to continue as an
engineer. I decided to take a year off to make a new plan. Leaving a top university and
excellent career path was a huge decision, but it was one of the best I have ever made.
My gap year gave me time to get to know myself and explore my passions. I gained
42
confidence in myself and the courage to take large risks, attributes I now value in my
professional life.
Q. So what did you learn during the year off?

A. I spent three months backpacking in the Indian Himalayas with the [NAME OF
WILDERNESS EDUCATIONAL SCHOOL]. My 16 teammates and I took turns leading
the group over 5,000-meter mountain passes and across waist-deep glacial rivers. The
mountains were awe-inspiring, but I was shocked to see the environmental
degradation: garbage heaps, deforestation, and soil erosion. This experience inspired
me to study environmental science at [TOP U.S. PRIVATE WEST COAST LIBERAL
ARTS COLLEGE] and pursue a career focused on minimizing environmental impacts.
Q. What was your first management role?

A. After college, I joined the environmental consulting company in charge of assessing
damages from and cleaning up the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. After less than one
month of working, I travelled to the Gulf to lead a team evaluating the economic
damage to the region. I’m sure they were shocked by how young I looked, and I was
initially apprehensive about managing older, more experienced economists. However, I
found that by using their technical expertise to guide my decisions as the project
manager, I learned how to harness their talent, and they accepted my leadership.
Q. What other leadership lessons did you learn during your consulting career?
A. In the field work portion of my job, I started managing large teams early in my career
and quickly learned the importance of leading with confidence. For example, I was in
charge of implementing a complex sampling procedure at an oil field in Wyoming in
order to identify and reduce risks associated with transporting waste water. When I
walked into the conference room to lead the kick-off meeting, I was hesitantly greeted
by 30 middle-aged male oil field workers. I could read the shock on their faces that a
20-something “girl” from [MAJOR U.S. WESTERN CITY] was in charge. While these
men understood oil field operations, I was the only environmental scientist on-site. I
defined the project objectives and developed the sampling plan to achieve them. I
continuously evaluated the quality of the in-field data and on-site risks, including
extreme weather and unique health and safety concerns, to guide the sampling effort.
My team quickly learned to trust my competence and directions. They were sad to see
me leave at the end of the project and sent me home with a suitcase full of Wyoming
mementos.
Q. Why did you decide to go to business school?
43
A. I worked on many fascinating projects as an environmental consultant. I met the

[KEY NATIVE AMERICAN OFFICIAL] while hosting public hearings on coal mining on
[NATIVE AMERICAN] lands, and I snowshoed in the Sierra Nevada Mountains to
assess the security of hydroelectric dams against terrorist attack. However, after
working for six years on reducing the environmental impacts of the entrenched energy
system, I realized that the impact of my work was too limited.
The turning point for me was a study I performed with two colleagues on the
environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” at a large urban oil field in
[CALIFORNIA]. In this first-of-a-kind study, we selected thirteen pertinent
environmental impact areas, developed study methodologies, and collected and
analyzed a year’s worth of data. Our study and analysis identified no significant
impacts from hydraulic fracturing. I was proud of the scientific integrity of our
methodology and analysis, which subsequently not only served as a model for how to
assess environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing but also guided development of
California’s hydraulic fracturing regulations. However, I was personally conflicted about
how hydraulic fracturing increases access to cheap fossil fuels, which contribute to
global warming and reduce the incentive to transition to renewable energy.
I believe that climate change is one of the most crucial long-term problems facing the
world, so I decided to rededicate my career to helping end our reliance on fossil fuels. I
wanted to lead an innovative renewable energy company capable of redirecting the
energy sector towards clean energy. I recognized that promising clean energy
technologies existed, but we lacked business leaders committed to using scalable,
economically competitive business models to deploy these technologies. I had the
scientific background, but recognized that I needed to complement it with stronger
business skills. HBS was my first choice: renowned professors conducting innovative
research, an accomplished and inspiring peer group, a focus on global perspective,
hands-on learning with the case method, the most influential with opinion leaders, the
list goes on.
Q. Now you are the CEO of a renewable energy “supermajor.” What does that mean?
A: The term “supermajors” historically referred to the world’s largest oil and gas
companies that provided the majority of the world’s energy. After graduating from HBS
I helped build and lead a renewable energy company that meaningfully competes with
and has begun to displace these fossil fuel giants to create a more sustainable energy
future.
44
Q. What surprised your HBS classmates to learn about you?

A. Harvard’s case methodology is a powerful approach to learning. My classmates
were surprised to learn that there is a case study written about me! Toward the end of
the [NAME OF WILDERNESS EDUCATIONAL SCHOOL] trip in the Indian Himalayas,
which I mentioned earlier, I developed appendicitis while trekking at 16,000 feet. After
several days of mysterious malaise, the severity of my condition escalated and
necessitated immediate evacuation—the Indian Air Force flew me 10 hours in a 2-seat
helicopter to [MAJOR INDIAN CITY] for an emergency appendectomy. I later learned
from a former [NAME OF WILDERNESS EDUCATIONAL SCHOOL] board member that
[NAME OF WILDERNESS EDUCATIONAL SCHOOL] now uses my experience to train
new employees on how to evaluate risk and execute rescue operations in the field.
Q. What career and life advice would you give to recent college graduates?
A. Having a fulfilling life and career is about pursuing your passions. I was lucky to find
my passion for the environment at a young age and to nurture it growing up with travel
and outdoor adventures. I would encourage graduates to take time to understand their
true passions and goals and to then stick with them, because only with passion can
you achieve great success.
Word Count: 1672
Author’s Comments: “I applied to five business schools. Harvard was the last. I spent
a lot of time thinking about how I wanted to approach the very open ended prompt
(Introduce yourself to your classmates). I was searching for an innovative and creative
way to weave together my story. Once I found my angle, the actual writing process
was quite straightforward. For me, the first application was the hardest. By the time I
got to my fifth, it was easy. I would give yourself PLENTY of time (months) to let ideas
percolate, let your essays evolve, and perhaps consider saving the best (HBS!) for
last.”
45
ESSAY 13: The Challenger
Author’s Home Country: Brazil

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Consulting
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: The author begins by describing several stories from his professional
life. Through these stories, the author comes across as someone who does not
give up despite failures, who is willing to stand up for things that he believes in
and who is willing to take on challenging roles. The author then goes on to
describe in a lot of detail his long-term career vision and what he aims to get out
of the HBS journey. By making references to HBS courses and other aspects of
campus life, the author demonstrates his commitment to the HBS MBA program.
Introducing myself revolves inevitably around the question of who I am: a highly
determined person, bound by my personal values and driven to improve constantly as
a professional. I am passionate about my country and driven by the idea that by
helping solve our infrastructure bottleneck, I could play a leading role in pushing the
[LARGE SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY] economy forward.
At university, I had the first opportunity to show grit: although my first try to earn a
scholarship to study in [LARGE WESTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRY] failed, my
determination not to give us associated with a better preparation and additional 60-
hours of [LANGUAGE] classes led to success in the second attempt. Towards
graduation, receiving a “no” from [TOP GLOBAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM]
recruiter reminded me of the need of perseverance, which at this point I considered a
strength of mine. Two years and more than 15 mock interviews later, I proudly stepped
into the office for my first work day. These opportunities taught me one of my most
important values: triumphs are always preceded by effort.
While at [TOP GLOBAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM], I realized that through

hard work and dedication I could develop my best qualities and stand out within a very
distinctive crowd. But the fast-paced reality of consulting constantly challenged my
46
personal values. My core principles of being close to my loved ones and having a rich
personal life were being threatened by the work-centric reality I was inserted, which
made me realize that I needed to stand up for them at all costs. I always disagreed that
consultants should sacrifice the now, not spending enough time with their partner or
children, to enjoy later and continually verbalized this disagreement. One should be
able to sustain lifestyle balance and still be recognized as a valuable professional. By
experiencing my fiancée’s routine of treating breast cancer patients, the importance of
being present now was reinforced. Even though I fought internal battles within [TOP
GLOBAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM] to preserve a lifestyle that was aligned
with my personal values, after 2 years I managed to be recognized as a solid performer
while keeping a healthy and rich personal life. It wasn’t easy as most consultants tend
to follow the cultural norms already established, and several of my peers and superiors
advised me to stay quiet, but I had proven my values could coexist even in a high
performing culture.
Now, as a more seasoned professional, my drive is to challenge myself every day by

establishing development goals that put me outside my comfort zone; this discomfort
is what pushes me forward to improve as a professional. When working as a business
strategy specialist at [LARGE GLOBAL LOGISTICS COMPANY], I was the only non-
manager entitled to a portfolio of clients, conducting negotiations directly with them
and leading the internal staff to develop suitable solutions for their needs. Although
completely new to me, this experience was rewarding as it constantly demanded me to
watch my more skilled colleagues and learn from their experience, whether by
improving my client development skills or by refining my corporate finance toolkit when
evaluating possible business ventures.
Looking ahead, I envision leading and impacting those around me by putting into
action my leadership as a value-driven business leader who helps solve [LARGE
SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY’S] biggest bottleneck for growth: the lack of proper
infrastructure. Did you know that [LARGE SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY] is currently
ranked [RANKING #] in quality of infrastructure by the World Economic Forum, despite
being the [RANKING #] biggest economy by GDP? To achieve this level of impact, I will
use these next two years to develop myself in three forms: learning about businesses
at the base of the pyramid, capitalizing on your experience during case and field
method discussions and strengthening my personal and management values.
47
From an HBS standpoint, beyond discussing and practicing how to lead effective
organizations, I hope to develop insights on how to build businesses at the base of the
pyramid from C-Level and shareholder perspectives. This will be extremely relevant as
I evolve in the Infrastructure industry, in which the private sector has an enormous
potential to impact the lives of the less fortunate beyond the role of public policies.
By observing how each member of my learning team puts its leadership talents into
action during our discussions of complex business problems, as well as enjoying my
own opportunities to do the same, I hope to capitalize on your collective experience. I
also hope to share with you my experience of conducting business analyses,
synthesizing and communicating key messages and implementing business strategies.
This will be useful for both case and field methods.
My strong personal ideals will heavily benefit from the HBS experience as a whole. In
Leadership and Corporate Accountability classes, I hope to mature my values both
during case discussions of tough business decisions and while learning about state-of-
the-art ethics and management frameworks. By taking seriously and fully living by
HBS’ Community Values, as I have done with [LARGE GLOBAL LOGISTICS
COMPANY’S VALUES STATEMENT], I will further solidify my own personal beliefs as
an integral part of my management style. As [LARGE SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY]
is profoundly touched by corruption schemes and unprofessionalism in high levels of
management, I aspire to apply and share my values as I advance in my leadership
journey.
Finally, as your classmate and friend, you’ll discover my passion for burgers, craft
beers and TV shows. Drinking a pint of a [LARGE SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY’S]
acai-infused stout or a west coast IPA, analyzing why Five Guys is the fastest growing
burger joint, or discussing why Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson is one of the best TV show
hosts in the world, you’ll get to know me well during these next two years.
With this in mind and a humble introduction, I look forward to this amazing journey with
you, my classmates, at HBS!
Word Count: 970

Author’s Comments: For me it took over three months to go through this entire journey.
It took me that long because it was important to take two steps back and think about
48
my path so far and what I envisioned myself doing for the next 5-10 years. Coming
from consulting, you are exposed to a vast array of industries, but you never fully land
in one before your MBA. So what to write about?
I thought about my life, my parents, my country, my childhood dreams and my past

experience to come up with my story, something that fully show my potential while
being true to myself.
So my advice would be to start early, be true to yourself and develop a story that
catches admissions' attention.
49
ESSAY 14: The Advocate

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Healthcare
Consulting Author Gender: Female
Analysis: In this essay, the author talks about how she developed an interest in
the healthcare industry because of her family background and her experience in
different roles in the healthcare industry. She describes her long-term goal and
how HBS will help her in that. She also talks in a lot of detail about her extra-
curricular initiatives for giving back to the society. The author thus comes across
not only as a highly-focused professional but also as someone who believes in
giving back to the community around her.
Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself and I am looking forward to hearing
more of your stories in the coming days. To give you, my fellow section-mates, some
background, my story starts back in adolescence when family circumstances led me to
develop a passion for changing the healthcare industry. My aunt was brain damaged at
birth due to delivery complications, resulting in a form of Cerebral Palsy so severe she
cannot walk, talk, or use fine motor skills. Throughout my youth, I watched my mother
struggle to be not only her legal guardian and health advocate, but also her sister. My
mom often took on the insurmountable with things like getting my aunt health
insurance and ensuring she got the proper care in her assisted living facility.
Witnessing my mother’s financial and emotional battle inspired me to dedicate my life
to making a difference, both in healthcare and in helping others.
While at [TOP U.S. NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY], I entered the pharmaceutical

sector of the healthcare industry through chemical engineering internships. There I
learned to conduct data analyses and developed a passion for quantitative focused
work. Soon, however, I realized that chemical engineers interact with only a small
portion of the healthcare landscape. Seeking a more macroscopic and team-oriented
view while maintaining quantitative rigor, I took my first job at [GLOBAL
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES COMPANY] in healthcare consulting and focused mostly
50
on payers. After two years, I switched to a job in care management at [LARGE HEALTH
MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS COMPANY], where I could take an innovative approach
within health care to impacting people’s lives and simultaneously see how a company
functions from within.
Today I have incorporated data analysis into my healthcare work. I have created
multiple business cases to show cost savings prospects in a variety of healthcare
management areas at [GLOBAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES COMPANY] – risk
adjustment, healthcare sourcing, and account installation – and also at [LARGE
HEALTH MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS COMPANY] for product management and
operational cost savings initiatives. Further, I have built multiple reporting and analytics
tools: one at [GLOBAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES COMPANY] for [QUALITY RATING
SYSTEM COMPANY] to report on a $150M revenue opportunity after learning Visual
Basic (a programming language), and another at [LARGE HEALTH MANAGEMENT
SOLUTIONS COMPANY] for tracking mail costs incurred by the product team
throughout the organization.
Having observed the healthcare landscape and gained industry experience, I now want
to impact healthcare by becoming a leader in venture capital. Specifically, I want to be
part of the team that makes the vision of healthcare startups a reality. I look forward to
connecting with those of you who have also focused within healthcare or are interested
in going into venture capital so that we can share past experiences and discuss paths
forward.
Beyond my career ambitions, I also enjoy helping and developing others. Through
[LARGE HEALTH MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS COMPANY], I organized and led the
[NAME OF HEALTH MENTORING PROGRAM] to help Analysts get staffed on projects
that interested them while learning from high ranking Strategy Consultants. I also led
an employee resource group of 300+ people called the [NAME OF TEAM]. This group,
run by the Analysts, allows them to network, socialize, and learn from SMEs.
Additionally, I established and ran bi-weekly events with [CAREER DEVELOPMENT
NON-PROFIT] called “[NAME OF GLOBAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES COMPANY]
Day at the Career Center,” where volunteers assisted [CAREER DEVELOPMENT NON-
PROFIT] members with job readiness skills. However, the charity I am most dedicated
to is [NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT NON-PROFIT FOCUSING ON THE HOMELESS
POPULATION], which combines my passion for helping others with my passion for
promoting health.
51
Due to its long-standing national relationship with [NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT NON-

PROFIT FOCUSING ON THE HOMELESS POPULATION], [GLOBAL PROFESSIONAL
SERVICES COMPANY] built a partnership with the NY chapter when its doors opened
in [YEAR]. Inspired by [NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT NON-PROFIT FOCUSING ON THE
HOMELESS POPULATION’S] mission, I volunteered to lead the charge. [IT] is a non-
profit creating independence and self-sufficiency among veterans struggling with
substance abuse, people previously incarcerated, and the homeless by encouraging
physical activity as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem. Once
members start to change their self-perceptions through running and building a support
network, [THIS ORGANIZATION] prepares them for independence and assists them in
finding a job.
Over time I have expanded my involvement with [NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT NON-

PROFIT FOCUSING ON THE HOMELESS POPULATION]. I joined and ultimately
became president of the [EDUCATIONAL & MENTORING SERVICE FOCUSED ON
YOUNG GIRLS] where, as a team, we successfully fundraised and over-delivered to
budget by 85%. Also, to experience the heart of the mission, I began running once a
week with veterans in the [NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT NON-PROFIT FOCUSING ON
THE HOMELESS POPULATION’S] program. [IT] has taught me the importance of
leading by example in all areas of life, and I am proud that our workshops and
[EDUCATIONAL & MENTORING SERVICE FOCUSED ON YOUNG GIRLS] will help
[NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT NON-PROFIT FOCUSING ON THE HOMELESS
POPULATION] continue growing for years to come.
Looking forward, I want to continue developing others both personally and

professionally. I will stay involved in the non-profit space and transition from the
[EDUCATIONAL & MENTORING SERVICE FOCUSED ON YOUNG GIRLS] to the
Board. And just as I supported female engineers as president of the Society of Women
Engineers at [TOP U.S. NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY], I intend to develop women in
the Venture Capital space. Also luckily, [NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT NON-PROFIT
FOCUSING ON THE HOMELESS POPULATION] has a Boston chapter and I look
forward to continuing to run at 5:30am with [ITS MEMBERS], so if any of you would like
to join let me know.
Being here in our HBS section is exciting. I look forward to gaining the financial
analysis and marketing skills I need to evaluate and position healthcare start-ups – and
since healthcare has plenty to learn from other industries, hearing your unique, diverse
perspectives will educate me tremendously. The case method will strengthen us as
52
leaders as we learn to present persuasive arguments and think on our feet. Further, the
HBS Healthcare Club is a great place to learn from peers in other areas of the
healthcare ecosystem. Finally, I am thrilled about doing FIELD together, especially
through the course Innovating in Healthcare, where we will pool our strengths to solve
customer problems.
Finally, I do have a life outside of healthcare and helping others! I love trying new
restaurants and would gladly provide recommendations to those visiting
[APPLICANT’S CURRENT CITY OF RESIDENCE]. I enjoy Broadway shows, my favorite
being Wicked, and religiously watch “Suits” every Wednesday. Also, I recently started
cooking, and despite many failed attempts, I love it!
Today I am excited to share my passions and hear about yours. I know it will be
amazing getting to know each of you, and I look forward to building lifelong
friendships.
Word Count: 1021

Author’s Comments: “As soon as I decided to apply to business school and starting
looking into schools/studying for the GMAT, I started to think about how to frame my
story in an essay. By the time I started outlining and then writing my essay I had a clear
outline in my head. I then iterated on it ~10 times to try to improve the
grammar/phrasing/structure of the essay. However, the bulk of my time came in
thinking about how to frame my story before I even started the outlining/writing
process.”
53
ESSAY 15: The Hard Worker

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Investment Banking, Private Equity
Analysis: In this essay, the author writes about her family background and how
that has helped her become career-oriented and driven. She highlights that she
has worked in different geographies and in an industry that is typically male
dominated. She also talks about her philanthropic efforts. Thus through the
different themes of this essay, the author comes across as a well-rounded,
hardworking and ambitious professional.
Hi y’all! My name is [NAME OF AUTHOR], and I grew up in [NAME OF A CITY IN

UNITED STATES] with a strong [NAME OF A STATE IN UNITED STATES] family that
has always been excessively encouraging and relentlessly supportive. My parents and
younger brother, [NAME OF BROTHER], are a closely knit bunch: we ate dinner
together daily and attended Catholic mass every Sunday without fail. I’m sure you’re
wondering – yes, the political discussions always favored the conservative party
(surprise!).
My academic motivations and wildly ambitious attitude stem from none other than my
mother, a truly inspirational role model who doesn’t know how to give anything less
than 110%. She is a career-driven, extraordinarily successful working mom, ranking in
the top 100 producers in sales at [NAME OF AN INVESTMENT BANK IN UNITED
STATES] every year for as long as I can remember. Although I have discovered my own
passions, it’s no secret that I can thank my mother’s encouragement, drive, and will to
succeed for my hard-working nature.
As I began thinking about college, I felt naturally drawn to finance and quickly set my
heart on the [NAME OF A BUSINESS SCHOOL] at the [NAME OF A UNIVERSITY IN
UNITED STATES]. Much to my dismay (and surprise), my admissions letter read that I
had been accepted to the liberal arts program but rejected from the business school.
Thankfully, my childhood had prepared me to face adversity.
Growing up in a supportive, modern household led by my self-made mother and my
selfless father – he assumed all of the “mom” roles and responsibilities without
54
hesitation, despite living in an ultra-traditional Texas town – taught me that nothing

comes without hard work, motivation and dedication. These lessons aided me when at
age 5, doctors diagnosed me with amblyopia, a disorder in which miscommunications
between the brain and one eye drastically reduce vision quality. The doctors could only
prescribe one remedy: covering my good eye with an eye patch each day to force the
weaker one to strengthen over time. I quickly realized that children are not always
overly sensitive or welcoming to someone “different”, and at times I struggled with
acclimating and developing with my peers. Due to confidence instilled by my family, I
learned to draw on my own strength, focus on positivity, and plow ahead. Becoming a
student in the [NAME OF A BUSINESS SCHOOL] merely represented another
challenge to overcome. With this mindset, I enrolled in the liberal arts program with the
intention of transferring into business at the first available opportunity.
Sophomore year, I was admitted to [NAME OF A BUSINESS SCHOOL], an opportunity
I appreciated more after being initially denied, and I strove to take every advantage of
the learning tools I had at my disposal. You could find me in the front row of every
class, and I scribbled out reading notes longer than the materials themselves. I became
a teaching assistant for a core curriculum class, BA101, and I loved navigating through
problems with my fellow classmates to help them develop. I pushed myself
intellectually and ultimately graduated first in my class, proving to myself that I
possessed the grit to persevere and excel even when the path was wrought with a few
challenges.
I was also determined to find a way to make a difference on campus. I joined [NAME
OF A PHILANTHROPIC SORORITY], a sorority that supported [NAME OF A HOSPITAL]
and quickly became passionate and involved in philanthropic efforts. Junior year, the
sorority elected me President, and I had the privilege of visiting the hospital that
summer. Upon my return, I shared our experiences with the entire chapter so that they
too could appreciate how our fundraising and support was contributing to the charity’s
already herculean efforts.
As I approached my professional career, I searched for an opportunity that would not
only challenge me but also allow me to learn and grow in a dynamic and frenetic
industry, and [NAME OF AN INVESTMENT BANK] oil and gas investment banking
division in [NAME OF A CITY IN UNITED STATES] fit the bill. Although the work proved
both mentally and physically exhausting, it taught me the critical fundamentals required
to excel in the world of finance. I learned to love and thrive on the hard-working,
competitive nature of the industry and gained constant inspiration from the drive and
intelligence of my peers. After two years, I ranked at the top of my class and received a
third year offer. I decided the time had come to risk living outside of [NAME OF A CITY
IN UNITED STATES] for once, so I joined the oil and gas team in London through a
55
competitive rotational program. As expected, the work was equally taxing (if not more
so, as they often staffed me as an associate), but this experience allowed me to
experience new cultural norms in a melting pot of European colleagues – my incessant
use of “y’all” provided constant entertainment across the floor. Personally, my year
abroad deepened my sense of wanderlust to an almost unhealthy level – my favorite
“hobby” involves looking for new passport stamps, so if anyone ever needs a travel
buddy, you know where to find me! All in all, [NAME OF AN INVESTMENT BANK]
proved to be the perfect platform to launch my career.
For the last two years, I have been at an energy private equity shop with $8 billion of
committed capital. Here, I have a much more intimate role in the day-to-day financial
analysis and operations, building and interpreting financial models and communicating
with portfolio company management teams and Boards on a daily basis. Although I
began my career as a banking analyst somewhat hiding behind a spreadsheet, I have
grown more confident in my roles, embracing the tumultuous, high-energy oil industry.
My pink steel-toed boots on the drilling rig field trip and pink-stitched hunting attire at
the duck camp make quite the statement!
In my dreams for the future, I envision myself as the CFO of an oil and gas company, a
high-energy financial position where I am intimately involved in day-to-day
brainstorming, strategizing, and decision making. I have recently been working closely
with the CFO of [NAME OF A COMPANY], a company targeting gas assets, and we are
ultra-focused on optimizing the near-term execution strategy in response to rapidly
deteriorating gas prices. This experience, among others, has opened my eyes to what I
am truly passionate about: bouncing around ideas at a conference table, creating a
shared vision of the Company’s goals and executing those ideas in real time.
It doesn’t take long to notice that the oil and gas industry is both insanely competitive
and heavily male-dominated, and being a woman vying for a top spot can sometimes
feel like an uphill struggle. The notorious nature of the ‘good old boys’ club can be
slow to embrace change, and I want to pursue a Harvard MBA to tackle this challenge,
transform the perceptions in the oilfield, and be well-qualified to sit at the management
table and optimize the company’s outcomes. I’m so excited to experience this journey
at HBS, and I can’t wait to get to know each and every one of you!
Word Count: 1156
56
ESSAY 16: The Doer

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Design Consulting
Analysis: In this essay, the author talks about her long-term vision of providing
clean water to a Caribbean country. She shares how she has lived with this vision
since her high school - thus highlighting persistence and an awareness about
social sector problems since a very young age. She also shares a story from her
experience in design consulting which emphasize her ability to learn from her
experiences and being flexible without compromising on the overall goal. Thus,
through this essay the author is able to highlight her skill sets and her long-term
goal of contributing to the social sector.
My name is [NAME OF AUTHOR], and I’m going to get right to the point. I don’t like
waiting for things to happen. I walked out of Waiting for Godot.
I work in business development at the cutting-edge design-consulting firm [NAME OF
DESIGN CONSULTING FIRM], which is currently redesigning the voting experience for
[NAME OF A COUNTY IN UNITED STATES].
But I think the most important thing to communicate about myself is that I’m more a
doer than a talker, and I like to think big, act big, and have faith in myself and others to
create change. Naïve? Some say so, but I disagree.
For example, when I was studying [NAME OF A CARIBBEAN COUNTRY] in high
school, I got fed up that the country was such a mess. It killed me that I didn’t have the
skill set to take action immediately, but I promised myself that I would. In college, I
started to focus on providing clean water as the easiest place to have an impact—I had
discovered a residential water-filtration system that is organic, self-sustaining and easy
to use. I raised money, first from a grant, and then by founding a nonprofit called
[NAME OF THE NON-PROFIT]. To date, I have brought 100 filters to [NAME OF A
CARIBBEAN COUNTRY]. And I’m far from finished with [NAME OF A CARIBBEAN
COUNTRY]—in fact, it’s a big reason why I’m here.
My desire to take on huge problems brought me to my current position at [NAME OF A

DESIGN CONSULTING FIRM], where human-centered design is applied to solve
intractable problems. I loved the opportunity and rushed to work—head-first, into a
57
ESSAY 16: The Doer
wall. In my rush to make an impression, I forgot to bring my whole personality to bear

and let the “get-it-done” side run rampant. I couldn't even wait for [NAME OF
AUTHOR’S TEAMMATE], my teammate on a new project, to give me his outline on the
way he thought it should go. I moved ahead on my own. When I presented my plan, it
was clear that I had missed key points, which, incidentally, had all been on [NAME OF
AUTHOR’S TEAMMATE] outline. Working at [NAME OF A DESIGN CONSULTING
FIRM] taught me that I had to slow down to recognize the genius of others.
So now, I embrace both words and action. On my first trip to [NAME OF A CARIBBEAN
COUNTRY], I traveled with another group to save funds. By the time we arrived, I had
hijacked their trip with some persuasive words. My project inspired them, and they
changed their original plans to help me. Words also helped me network with
community leaders in [NAME OF A CARIBBEAN COUNTRY], enabling me to give filters
to families who would put them into practice effectively. Filters designed for one family
actually served neighborhoods.
I’m proud that through [NAME OF THE NON-PROFIT THAT AUTHOR FOUNDED] I am
making a real and tangible difference in the lives of [NAME OF A CARIBBEAN
COUNTRY]. Tackling some of the biggest challenges at [NAME OF A DESIGN
CONSULTING FIRM], however, made it clear that my first solution, providing filters,
isn’t the best one. A permanent water infrastructure would be so much better. And, of
course, I remain convinced that I can be the person to bring that to [NAME OF A
CARIBBEAN COUNTRY]. Which is why I’m here.
At Harvard, I look forward to learning from the case study “Sarvajal: Water for All,”
about an off-the-grid water purification company. I will adapt that model to build a
private water company that ultimately would land in the hands of [NAME OF A
CARIBBEAN COUNTRY], keeping the economic benefits inside the country. If I
manage to pull this off, I can’t imagine where my path will lead next. But with my
combination of drive, empathy and ego, I will try to tackle something big, maybe child
labor practices in Southeast Asia.
Classmates, I want you to know that I walk my own path, unafraid to take on the
biggest challenge, and I can’t wait to get the input of your genius. Together, we can do
the unimaginable.
Word Count: 616
58
ESSAY 17: The Balance Act

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Manufacturing/Engineering Project
Management and Operations
Analysis: In this essay, the author talks about her journey in life through a very
interesting narrative of ‘balancing chaos and control’. The reader learns about
the author’s athletics background, her love for cooking and her regular travel as
part of her job. Towards the end, the author ties in her theme with the HBS case
method by describing the cases as a perfect combination of ‘chaos’ and ‘control’
- thus emphasizing, in a very innovative way, how the program will be a perfect
fit for her.
“I’ve been to Reno, Winnemucca, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Buffalo…” What sounds like
a verse from Hank Snow’s “I’ve Been Everywhere” is actually the chain of cities I’ve
crossed four times since 2011. You see, the first engineering position I took after
college required that I relocate for new assignments every six months.
If you had peered inside my car during one of those moves, you’d have struggled to
guess my age (more than 300 vinyl LPs lay stacked in the trunk), my profession (the
back seat was jammed with boxes of cake decorating tools), or why a person with
Illinois plates owned a Buffalo Bills football (as my Bills enter the 2016 season now
having missed the playoffs for 16 consecutive years, I’m struggling with that one too).
The link behind these seemingly dissimilar interests lay on the dashboard, in a dog-
eared page of Sheena Iyengar’s “The Art of Choosing”. On that page, a Wynton
Marsalis quote read: “You need to have some restrictions in jazz. Anyone can
improvise with no restrictions, but that’s not jazz. Jazz always has some restrictions.
Otherwise it might sound like noise.”
59
The thing to know about me is this: my two favorite things are CHAOS and CONTROL.
“Get Smart” reference aside; I love rules (“restrictions” for Marsalis), but also disorder. I
love routines, but also spontaneity.
Contradictory? Not really. My desire for routine (jigsaw puzzles over coffee every
Sunday) and my flair for spontaneity (impromptu urban taco crawls) at times reveal
themselves in quite separate pursuits. But more and more, the two combine into
structured, yet inventive projects (most recently, a Kanban inventory system for custom
cookies in my four-person apartment).
My upbringing built in me the love for “control.” My dad, a lawyer and a lifelong coach,
taught me to trust rules and fundamentals. I started playing baseball, repeating daily
the same basic drills on the batting tee. I taught myself to cook, studying family recipes
and following them to a T. I listened to my parents’ LPs, memorizing every lyric and
mimicking every note on the violin or piano.
Routine ruled my life. And I loved it, particularly as an athlete. I was recruited to the
[TOP U.S. MIDWESTERN CITY PRIVATE UNIVERSITY] Softball team, where I
continued emphasizing the fundamentals: throwing, glove work, sprints. These
fundamentals made the “fun” stuff —making diving catches, throwing people out,
winning—possible. Where fans saw graceful, instinctive skill, I saw a series of
assessments, decisions, and actions.
This unwavering faith in fundamentals would propel me to success until 2010, when,
after 15 years spent perfecting the skills my sport demanded, I hit a slump. To
respond, I worked harder at the same drills I had always known. I re-ran weekly our
toughest workout (up every stair in the 48,000-seat football stadium) with the
expectation that more practice would make me “good” again.
No effort I made led to improvement, however, and I was eventually benched.
I to that point had defined self-worth solely by athletic performance. So when I felt my
career ending despite extreme effort, I almost lost faith in those fundamentals.
That same year, though, I had joined a campus group, [NAME OF CAMPUS
CHRISTIAN ATHLETE GROUP]. A group leader one day called for someone to bring
food to the meetings. Remembering studying family recipes as a kid, I volunteered.
60
I ended up cooking for [CAMPUS CHRISTIAN ATHLETE GROUP] every week for two
years, earning the nickname “Chef [APPLICANT’S LAST NAME, WITH AN ‘IE’ AT THE
END].” I quickly discovered that the thing I loved about softball, I too loved about
cooking – that I could learn fundamental “rules” (like throwing a ball, or packing brown
sugar) to do something bigger (like winning a game, or baking a killer snickerdoodle).
But I discovered a freedom in the kitchen that I had never experienced as an athlete. I
was instinctively substituting an ingredient here, tweaking a step there, to create new
recipes. Just as Marsalis and others did with their music, I was taking the cooking rules
and now re-arranging them into improvised creations, such as the ever popular
“Molson Maple Glazed Donut.”
That small change in approach in the kitchen gave me the appetite to improvise, and
even explore, elsewhere. It provoked me to take the rotational position that soon sent
me packing to new cities every 6 months. It motivated me to embrace new cultures as I
moved, rather than live inside my known rules. It led me to taste stinky tofu in
Hangzhou, China, to become the biggest Buffalo Bills you’ll ever meet, and to try hang
gliding in California (I won’t be doing that again).
Throughout these adventures, though, I’ve held onto rules, to traditions. I explore each
new city by running its best stairs, to honor those [UNDERGRAD UNIVERSITY]
workouts. And I fill each new apartment with my boxes of LPs and cooking supplies.
The rules, the routines are still important – in fact, necessary – for me to create.
That’s what brings me here – that mix of rules and improvisation, of control and chaos.
I want the rigidity of finance and engineering mixed with the volatility of interacting with
real people. I want to study through Case, the perfect marriage of preparation and
adjustment. I want to take my existing knowledge of operations in manufacturing and
transform it to retail and consumer goods.
I hope you’ll each introduce yourselves to me over the next few weeks. You can find
me running Harvard Stadium on Fridays or watching the Bills at Bleacher Bar on
Sundays, as I learn to combine my existing routines with this new school and new city.
And as we go through TOM, I’ll create a miniature cookie “factory” in my kitchen for
anyone who wants to practice the basics of production flow. I’m thinking we can make
Heath Bar Sandie’s.
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Word Count: 958
Author’s Comments: “I worked on and off for 2+ months on the essay, starting in June
when the topic was released. The drafts took on 4 distinct storylines/formats, with
about 10 drafts between the top two when all was said and done. I put in more than 30
hours of writing and editing. For review, I had each a writer and a friend (also applying
to HBS) critique my drafts. The best strategy I employed was to read my essay out
loud, as if I was actually introducing myself to my section mates. Reading out loud
helped me to tweak or eliminate any awkward phrasing and make my essay smoother
and more conversational.”
62
ESSAY 18: The Consultant

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Consulting - Human Capital, Healthcare
Industry
Analysis: In this essay, the author presents her skills and experience through five
distinct themes. The upfront structuring of the essay around five themes allows
the author to present different sections without worrying about the flow of the
narrative. Through the five themes, the author shares with the reader her interest
in healthcare industry, her extra-curricular initiatives and examples from her
consulting experience.
I always sit in seat 7A. I know every sound the CRJ aircraft makes, and I can tell you
exactly when it is safe to turn on your laptop. I pay $2,000 a month for a view of [NAME
OF A LAKE IN UNITED STATES], although most of my nights my view is of the [NAME
OF A RESTAURANT] in [NAME OF A CITY IN UNITED STATES]. Because of this travel,
I have platinum status on [NAME OF AN AIRLINE] and [NAME OF A HOTEL CHAIN]
until 2017. While these were some of the day-to-day quirks of my professional life, here
are the five things you should know about me as we start our business school journey
together.
I am analytical. Growing up, I always had a penchant for numbers, whether it was
helping Spot and Blaster save Galactic Command in my favorite game, Math Blaster,
or always needing to be the banker in Monopoly. Thanks to my undergraduate degree
in Finance, I also am the go-to resource to explain any business concept to my family,
from the complex topics of derivatives to the plot of “Wall Street 2: Money Never
Sleeps.” During my academic and work experience, I have had the opportunity to
further expand these analytical skills and apply them to real-life situations. My favorite
project in college was assessing the supply and demand of water usage in China’s
agricultural industry to determine when demand would outstrip supply (in fact, I argued
it could be as soon as 2020). As such, I not only am excited to bring these skills to
63
each of the cases that we will be working on, but also to apply these skills in other
areas, such as investigating the role of big data in business.
I am a consultant. In sixth grade, I really wanted a dog. Instead of hinting or begging, I

made a PowerPoint, complete with the top five arguments on why having a dog would
improve my life. And so the consultant was born. During my experiences at [NAME OF
A CONSULTING FIRM], I had the opportunity to work on projects across the consulting
industry, ranging from implementing system changes at a large health plan to
assessing the leadership strength of a hospital system’s CEO. I am excited to bring
these experiences to section, whether it is discussing trends in human capital or the
fundamental issues that arose in the organizations with which I worked.
I am passionate about the healthcare industry. When I started at [NAME OF A

CONSULTING FIRM], I was on the beach for four months. For those non-consultants,
being on the beach is no vacation; there are no romance novels or fruity drinks with
umbrellas, but just anticipation of what one’s next project will be. When I was finally
staffed on a healthcare client, I was at first just happy to take a break from online
trainings. However, the more I worked directly with the hospital’s leaders and better
understood their challenges, the more I realized the impact that I could have on the
local community and the health of individuals by helping to strengthen hospital
systems. Furthermore, I saw how this industry is connected with my passion for
helping others. As such, I spent much of my time at [NAME OF A CONSULTING FIRM]
working with hospital systems. Therefore, I am excited to be able to participate in
HBS’s Healthcare Initiative and further develop my healthcare knowledge to become a
leader within the industry.
I am a team player and a leader. When I am a part of a team, I commit 100%, no

matter the activity. When my friends decided that we should dress as Occupy Sesame
Street for Halloween, I had no shame in dressing as Elmo and walking around all day
carrying a sign saying, “99% of Cookies are Consumed by 1% of Monsters.” I also do
not shy away from leadership responsibilities. For instance, at [NAME OF A
CONSULTING FIRM] I served for three years as a recruiting lead for the central region
and planned the national annual Women in Human Capital event. I am excited to
further develop these skills, learning from and working with the fellow members of my
discussion team and leading various club activities. In particular, I am looking forward
to planning the annual Healthcare Conference.
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I am excited to be a part of the HBS Class of 2018. I am eager for the bonds and
memories that we will develop over the next two years. I am looking forward to
applying our different backgrounds to the real-world environment, from case number
one to number five hundred. I cannot wait to travel the world together through classes
like FIELD (and be able to put my accumulated consulting reward miles to good use). I
am excited about the community we will develop together – in the cold months, my
discussion team will definitely be by the fireplaces in Spangler! And, most importantly, I
am looking forward to seeing the leaders we become as we put our learning into
practice.
Word Count: 814
Author’s comments: While the initial draft of my essay did not take more than an hour
or two, it was the revision process that I spent a significant amount of time on. I think
the most important part of the essay writing process is to ensure that your story and
personality come through - and this is perhaps the most difficult part! To help with this,
I had individuals who were not as familiar with my story and why I wanted to go to
business school provide me with feedback in addition to those with whom I worked
closely.
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ESSAY 19: The Mentee
Author’s Home Country: USA

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Management Consulting
Analysis: In this lengthy essay, the author describes in detail the struggles of her
early life, how that has shaped her personal and professional life today, her
experience of working in consulting and her vision for her long-term career.
Please note that in this essay, the author shares that her company is sponsoring
her MBA - thus highlighting her achievements at the company and also her
commitment to return to the company after completion of her MBA.
Hello, my name is [NAME OF AUTHOR] and I would love to take a few minutes to
introduce myself. As my Instagram describes, “I’m a Silicon Valley management
consultant focused on customer centricity for technology companies. I’m also a
hobbyist in CrossFit, Paleo, cooking, diversity, and education.” While these may seem
like unrelated sides of my life, I’ve grown to embrace my collective self both
professionally and personally as the same individual and embark in life as the best
single self that I can be.
As a little background on how I’ve developed into who I am today, I was born in [NAME
OF A COUNTRY IN NORTH AMERICA] and moved to United States with my family
when I was six years old. Growing up, my family had limited choices in education and
standards of living. Like many other things, poverty is relative. I did not realize that I
had grown up under the poverty line until I left for college and was suddenly exposed
to standards of living that were foreign to me. My family of six maintained itself through
free food programs. During my childhood, I was not able to enjoy the extracurricular
activities that many children in the United States enjoy. However, through the
encouragement and support of my family, I became highly focused on seizing the
opportunities afforded to me in order to be the first in my family to go to college. I
wanted to provide my family with a better life, and I knew that the key to doing so was
66
securing my education at a world class institution and later working at a world leading
company like [NAME OF A CONSULTING FIRM].
Throughout college, I spent a significant amount of time giving back to underserved

communities through educational workshops and mentorship programs. I am driven to
dedicate my time to this cause because in my own life, I have experienced the impact
of mentorship, and its value in my own support system. One of my high school
teachers, [NAME OF TEACHER], invested in me, opening the door for the opportunities
that ultimately led me to [NAME OF A COLLEGE IN UNITED STATES]. As my AVID
(Advancement via Individual Determination) teacher for four years, she supported my
ambitions and helped me find scholarship opportunities that would have not otherwise
crossed my path. I was fortunate to be awarded the [NAME OF SCHOLARSHIP]
Scholarship, funding my degree at the [NAME OF A COLLEGE IN UNITED STATES].
This was the first stepping stone in my transformation into an independent college
student that wanted, as the [NAME OF SCHOLARSHIP] tagline notes, “To be a future
leader of America.”
My background has given me a different perspective than many of my peers. First, I

bring a global perspective in my professional work by understanding different cultures
and backgrounds and the impact they have. Secondly, I represent first generation,
underserved communities and am passionate about breaking the cycle of poverty.
Giving back is a part of my personal brand and I continue to be a strong advocate for
education accessibility. At Harvard, I am enthusiastic to be engaged in a strong
entrepreneurial ecosystem to continue to harness my knowledge in social
responsibility. Harvard provides a huge breadth of knowledge in corporate social
responsibility that I will be the first to embrace. I look forward to enrolling in “Leading
Social Enterprise” by Professor Leonard and engaging in the social enterprise student
organizations.
Another core value I am continuing to develop revolves around fitness and nutrition.
Growing up with the limited food quality choices, I was always overweight. Entering
into college, while I wanted to continue to just focus on my achievements, it was
impossible to not recognize the criticality of my weight on my “education success.” I
reached a point where I was 215 pounds at 5’4 and had little self-confidence. I
continued to notice how differently I was treated based on how I presented myself.
Senior year in college, I decided that something had to change and I engulfed myself in
the world of fitness and nutrition. Over the last four years, one of the top three values I
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have is my health. I have lost over 70 pounds and spend countless hours a week
learning and practicing fitness and nutrition. I absolutely love nourishing my body and
pushing it through workouts to reach new personal records. I’ve embraced a Paleo,
nutrient-rich food lifestyle while participating in sports such as CrossFit, tennis, and
running. The most important part of my journey has not been the number on the scale,
but the confidence that I have attained in myself and my own self-worth. My
relationship with food continues to evolve and I still have a long journey ahead – but
through this journey, I am only grateful for how comfortable I have become in the
individual I am today. The reason I share this is because it is important to me to be my
full self in professional settings. While some people draw a line between the two sides
of their life, I bring forward my individuality to be my full authentic self.
To highlight my career thus far at [NAME OF A CONSULTING FIRM], I’ve heavily

focused on customer centricity my engagements for technology companies. [NAME OF
A CONSULTING FIRM] has enabled me gain a breadth of knowledge in this area
through complex engagements and extensive learning opportunities. In my three years
with the firm, I have been on four of the largest account teams for Fortune 10
companies. I have built strong relationships with my clients and invested in learning
about their culture and ensuring I am driving value in their business. I am humbled and
thankful for all the opportunities and support [NAME OF CONSULTING FIRM] has
provided me, especially through the [NAME OF A SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM]
Scholars Program, which is a full MBA sponsorship through the firm for a select
number of professionals each year. As a company, [NAME OF A CONSULTING FIRM]
has allowed me to embrace all my core values and bring them to the firm. I can only
imagine how much additional impact I’ll be able to bring to the firm after my MBA. I am
an integral part of my company’s efforts in corporate responsibility, recruiting, and
diversity programs at both the national and local level. I am passionate and excited
about my company’s strategic objectives and want to help achieve these goals through
continued focus on providing community impact, enabling diversity recruiting,
delivering high quality client services, and growing and fostering talent.
I am here to receive my MBA to help accelerate my goal to be a leader at [NAME OF

CONSULTING FIRM]. An MBA will allow me to first grow myself as a professional, and
then help grow the talent in the firm. The knowledge gained through an MBA will
transform my capabilities and increase the sophistication in which I am able to think
strategically, lead teams, and deliver solutions to my clients. It will also enable me to
bring innovative ideas back to my clients and teams. I plan to focus on a marketing
68
immersion, which will help my customer competency in strengthening its marketing

capabilities. The expertise and confidence in customer-specific knowledge I will gain
through classes here at Harvard will be invaluable to continue to grow my company’s
global customer practice. The skills I obtain will propel me as a role model for other
diverse talent, such as Latinas, to have a seat at the table and pursue their own
aspirations. I want to gain more knowledge in management and leadership to attract
and retain a diverse workforce and allow my company to be known for the inclusivity
we embrace as a firm. An increased representation of women and Latina leaders at my
company will help pave the way for new talent. Currently, [NAME OF A CONSULTING
FIRM] has one female Latina partner in the United States, which does not represent the
demographic distribution of the country. I hope to lead the effort to tap into the talent
available and change representation in firm leadership. I will be at the forefront of the
initiative to drive [NAME OF A CONSULTING FIRM]’s diverse workforce.
I am excited to be surrounded by a network of other highly motivated future industry

leaders, and hope to make positive future relationships to support [NAME OF A
CONSULTING FIRM]. Being a partner at [NAME OF A CONSULTING FIRM] is my
aspiration and I believe that I can reach that goal through [NAME OF A CONSULTING
FIRM]’s continual investment in my professional career. Harvard, like many of you can
resonate with, is my dream school and I am so grateful to be surrounded by the
diverse backgrounds and knowledge here. I am looking forward to meeting everyone
else and getting to know each individual as their full, authentic self.
Word count: 1402
Author’s Comments: The essay process took a few months for me to really figure out
how much to share and leave out of my experience. It was helpful to bounce it off a
few people that knew me really well and a few people that didn't know me that well to
get different perspectives. I didn't use an admissions consultant. Key takeaways - just
really be yourself. Be honest, heartfelt, and give good reason why HBS is the right fit
for you.
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ESSAY 20: The Patriot
Author’s Home Region: South America

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Management Consulting; Project
management in regional Pharma company
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: This essay is focused around the author’s love for his home country.
The author describes how he has expressed this love through his work at a top
consulting company as well as through extra-curricular activities like organizing
a summer camp after high school. The author also presents a very clear picture
of how he aims to contribute towards his home country’s development as a
management consultant.
"I am [APPLICANT’S FULL NAME] and a proud citizen of [NORTHERN SOUTH

AMERICAN COUNTRY]”. It feels good to say that because I was not always proud of
my country. In fact, when I was in middle school in [SOUTHEASTERN U.S. STATE], my
friends wondered why I never got angry when people said [APPLICANT’S
PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED SOUTH AMERICAN HOME COUNTRY] was a place of
drug dealers and terrorists. It was because I thought they were right.
I was seven years old when my family left war-torn [APPLICANT’S SOUTH AMERICAN
HOME COUNTRY] for the United States. Here is where I developed my love for
American sports (huge ‘Phins and Marlins fan) and my saxophone. After six years,
however, we moved back to [SOUTH AMERICAN HOME COUNTRY’S CAPITAL CITY],
and embracing my country became my passion. I travelled to the corners of
[APPLICANT’S SOUTH AMERICAN HOME COUNTRY], getting to know its people,
ecosystems and their challenges. I was able to get a taste of what solving these
challenges looked like after high school, when I began working in a summer camp
organization during my holidays. As camp Director, I led a surprise project with
campers and staff member in which we literally build a fruit stand near a tourist beach
out of nothing so that the local employees of Camp (mainly single mothers that worked
as kitchen staff) would have work year around. I still have in my wallet a small card with
70
the face of the Virgin Mary, which [NAME], the kitchen lady, gave to me when we
showed her our gift to her. It is an incredible treasure I hold very dear.
My passion for my country grew, as did I. I studied industrial engineering, but struggled
mightily to unite my passion for my country with my academic and professional
aspirations. When I heard about [TOP GLOBAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM] I
felt that perhaps it was the vehicle. I was hired as an intern and later as a business
analyst.
Being part of [TOP GLOBAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM] helped me bring my

two passions together – challenging and impactful work and my country. In a little over
two years I participated in nine engagements, six in [APPLICANT’S SOUTH AMERICAN
HOME COUNTRY], all of which led me to the same conclusion: There are immense
opportunities to make [APPLICANT’S SOUTH AMERICAN HOME COUNTRY] a better
place for many people, and that I can best help shape these opportunities from the
private sector. Every engagement showed me how hard [SOUTH AMERICAN HOME
COUNTRY’S RESIDENTS] are willing to work and how plentiful opportunities are to
make companies better, but need management support to extract the full potential of
their capabilities. Although [TOP GLOBAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM] is not
the easiest place to lead tangible change, I believe I can make it so. In fact, I am a big
believer in [TOP GLOBAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM] - if I am persistent
enough, I am convinced that the Firm will let me do anything that makes sense from a
business perspective and even a "change the world" sense. In [APPLICANT’S SOUTH
AMERICAN HOME COUNTRY] we have a good example with a partner, [NAME OF
PARTNER AT APPLICANT’S SOUTH AMERICAN HOME COUNTRY’S TOP
MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM]. He was emphatic about developing our public
sector practice even when no other regional partner or director was invested in doing
so. He "made his own" [TOP GLOBAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM] and has
been able to lead important engagements in the public sector. I would like to be the
next [FIRST NAME OF PARTNER AT APPLICANT’S SOUTH AMERICAN HOME
COUNTRY’S TOP MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM], and, in fact, that is the reason
71
I decided to do a year out as a project manager at a struggling local pharmaceutical

company before coming to business school. I needed to understand life inside a
company, rather than as a consultant who give advice and leaves. This experience
was challenging and rewarding, and it gave me a totally new perspective on how to
approach change in organizations.
These are some of the experiences I bring to Aldrich Hall, which I will be happy to
share. However, I am especially interested in learning about all of you, what motivates
each of you and what your goals are beyond HBS.
Now, before the next presenter comes up, I would like to share with you two more
important pieces of my life. Somewhere along my journey I met [WIFE’S NAME], my
wife, and, along our journey we had a little surprise, an early arrival if you will. His name
is [SON’S NAME], he is almost [SON’S YOUNG AGE], and he is very excited about this
two-year adventure here in Cambridge. I truly hope they will meet you all very soon.
Word Count: 701
Author’s Comments: “At risk of sounding like a consultant, I would probably split my
essay process in two parts:
● The first phase would be the thought process. I would say this took 3 weeks,
probably 4-6 hours of work, but lots of hours of thinking and talking things
through. In this phase I:
○ Wrote outlines
○ Chose and thought thoroughly examples I was going to use
○ Chose and thought thoroughly examples I was going to use
○ Made sure my essay “fit” with the rest of my application
○ Bounced ideas with mentors and family, etc.
● The writing phase probably took 10-12 hours over 10 days. I highly recommend
putting a starting and ending date on this part of the application, or else it could
go on forever and ever with marginal benefits with each new version. During this
time I:
○ Wrote my first draft
○ Reviewed with mentors and friends
○ Re wrote and edited for word count
● Overall I think the key to the essay is to make sure:
○ You answer the question
○
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○ You are able to transmit how your personal and professional experience
makes you an interesting candidate for HBS
○ Make sure it “fits” with what your CV, recommenders and work
experience say about you”
73
ESSAY 21: The Soccer Fan

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Software Industry, Product Manager
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: In this essay, the author covers two themes - his passion for football;
and his interest in entrepreneurship which is driven by his family background.
His story about leading a high school football team is especially compelling as it
demonstrates his leadership from a very young age. Towards the end, the
author talk about his visit to HBS, thus convincing the reader about his
commitment to the HBS MBA program.
Hi, I’m [APPLICANT’S FIRST NAME]! I’m [APPLICANT’S AGE] years old, grew up in
[LARGE URBAN U.S. WEST COAST REGION], and I’m a soccer fanatic. One of my
fondest memories comes from my senior season of high school soccer. My high
school had less than 300 people, so soccer players were hard to come by. In the
summer before my senior year, feeling personally responsible for the success of my
team, I recruited anyone with potential to try out.
Eventually, my persistence yielded 45 boys at tryouts. One was a basketball player

named [BILL] who I convinced to try out as our goalie. He had never picked up a
soccer ball before, but by midseason, he and three other new soccer players were in
our starting eleven. After the season, [BILL] told me that playing on the soccer team
was one of the best times of his life. Looking back, I think about how lucky I was to
introduce the game I love to those new players. [BILL] and I still keep in touch, and the
relationships I built with my teammates made soccer my favorite part of high school,
hands down.
74
I wanted to share that story with all of you because it represents the importance of
soccer in my life. Even at age ten, my enthusiasm for the sport was so out of control
that I convinced my grandma, whom I was staying with for the summer, to rent a cable
box so I could watch the 2000 European Championship on Pay-Per-View. In high
school, I lobbied for a school trip to England, and then convinced the organizers to
include a Manchester United game. Best of all, I was lucky enough to see the USA take
on Belgium at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Though soccer is quite popular now in America, it wasn’t always like this. I owe my
fandom to my family, who brought their love of the game with them to the United
States, and introduced the sport to me at an early age. As Jews, both sides of my
family fled religious persecution in [MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRY] in the 70s and 80s.
My dad and his three brothers settled in [LARGE U.S. WEST COAST REGION], co-
founding a successful company when I was a kid. Because of their venture, I was
exposed to entrepreneurship early and often. During our weekly Shabbat dinners, I
listened to them strategize about their own businesses and discuss investment
opportunities. I am inspired by their “American Dream” story, and feel like I have
entrepreneurship in my own DNA. But although I have wanted to be an entrepreneur
for a long time, my specific goals didn’t come into focus until recently.
As you can tell, I really value my relationships with my family and friends. But what you
don’t know is that I am always looking for better ways to do things using technology. I
am driven by efficiency, from using Apple Pay for my groceries, to using Mailbox to
organize email, or DocuSign to register players for my soccer team. And I think the
combination of these two things is where my ultimate goal lies: to help people in the
modern world focus on what’s important to them by simplifying their lives in some way.
Being here reminds me of my visit last year. I was so impressed by the classroom
dynamic that I instantly knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. I visited
75
Section G during “The Entrepreneurial Manager” with Professor Fuller. The class
discussed Yamsafer, a travel-booking site based in Ramallah. As simple as it sounds, I
appreciated that everyone was seated and eager to participate before class had
started. I could tell the students were well prepared by how they shared their views on
the day’s topic. The flags around the room made the diversity of opinion clear, like
when a Palestinian student shared an insight about the West Bank only he would have
known. During that visit, the closeness of the section and the respect between section
mates stood out to me. I know we’re all here to learn in a formal setting, but beyond
the classroom, I’m also just really excited to spend time getting to know all of you. I
look forward to building friendships, and I can’t wait to get some of you out on the
soccer field, too!
Word Count: 722
Author’s comments: It took me about a full month, with a couple drafts of my outline
and then 4 essay drafts. I took the prompt very literally and imagined how I would feel
and what I would say if I was actually standing in that room on the first day of class,
rather than what I think the admissions committee would want to hear me say.
76
ESSAY 22: The Real Estate Entrepreneur

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: N/A
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: In this essay, the author talks about his long-term goals in the real
estate sector, his struggles as a Division I football player and in his early career,
and his experience of setting up a program to provide mentorship to minority
students. He comes across as someone who is persevering, believes in
contributing to the community and has clear long-term goals. He also talks about
how these aspects of his personality will help him contribute to the HBS
classroom.
I am a sucker for a good pair of Italian loafers but I can never justify paying full price, so
in my spare time I scour eBay for steals. Each aspect of the loafers’ design perfectly
contributes to the overall allure of the shoe: the leather supple and smooth to the
touch, the soles durable, and the style timeless. I have a deep appreciation for
flawlessly executed designs, and this passion extends well beyond my pursuit of
quality shoes. I have spent many nights biking up the West Side Highway admiring
New York City’s signature skyline. Those moments allow me to view architecture and
real estate differently—not as the [TOP GLOBAL BANK] mortgage analyst, for whom
buildings represent little more than loan collateral with downside potential, but as the
engineer and creative who sees the upside, inspiration, and opportunity in each
structure.
During a visit to Accra, Ghana, I witnessed the tremendous impact that real estate can
have on infrastructure and economic development. The modern luxury of the
Mövenpick hotel attracted businessmen, tourists, and expatriates making Accra’s city
center feel like an international business hub. Still, many areas in West Africa, including
Accra, lack a fully developed infrastructure. Gifted West Africans, such as my parents,
pursue graduate education and employment opportunities abroad and rarely return
partially due to such deficient infrastructure. It is my larger mission to address this
issue by developing sustainable commercial real estate in West Africa. In order to
77
effect such change, I must learn to lead development teams to execute multi-billion-
dollar commercial real estate projects in the same way I learned to lead deal teams to
execute multi-million dollar financial transactions. In the process I will go from being a
mortgage analyst coding algorithms to a real estate entrepreneur executing his vision.
Recent conversations with current Co-Presidents of the HBS Real Estate Club
confirmed to me that HBS is the best environment for me to begin pursuing these
goals.
While I can speak confidently about my goals now, they have not always been so clear.
Not too long ago, I was a Division I football player at [TOP U.S. NORTHEASTERN
UNIVERSITY] chasing an [UNIVERSITY’S FOOTBALL DIVISION] championship. While
many of my peers spent their summers on a Wall Street trading floor, I split mine
between working jobs in the [UNDERGRADUATE CITY’S] area and training with the
team. To me, that was the proper path for a committed athlete. Yet, we struggled as a
team and I graduated with residual scar tissue from a sports hernia surgery, no full time
job, and a severely damaged ego. Though I eventually ended up on Wall Street, my
path there was not seamless. Furthermore, once I looked around the trading floor, I felt
as though I just showed up to a party to which I was not invited. It became clear that,
while Wall Street firms value diverse candidates, these firms lack pipelines of diverse
talent. Moreover, many minorities at [TOP U.S. NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY] are
wholly unaware of many corporate opportunities, just as I was.
In order to bridge this gap, a former teammate and I founded [NAME OF PROGRAM], a
program designed to provide personalized and authentic mentorship to [APPLICANT’S
TOP U.S. UNDERGRADUATE UNIVERSITY’S] male minority student athletes. I push
our thirty mentees to take proactive steps towards career development as
undergraduates and urge them not to overlook the opportunities that I did. The results
thus far have been promising: two [PROGRAM] mentees with whom I have worked
closely recently received full time offers to join Wall Street firms upon graduation. I am
also working with [APPLICANT’S EMPLOYER, A TOP GLOBAL BANK’S] diversity
recruiting team to identify and cultivate more pipelines of diverse talent. I understand
that it will take time and the efforts of many before corporate institutions become more
diverse, and I am committed to effecting this change by leading and developing a new
wave of leaders. Throughout my career, I will continue expanding [ABOVE NAMED
PROGRAM] and I hope to inspire all those who I have mentored to mentor others in the
same way.
78
Through my experiences I have come to appreciate the importance of the ‘collective

genius’ to which Professor Linda Hill often alludes. Creative problem solving truly
requires a group effort, and I will keep this in mind throughout my time at HBS with all
of you. While I will approach individual classroom preparation with the same
unwavering tenacity and focus with which I approach all my endeavors, I will also make
sure I am working towards creating a collaborative space when I meet with some of
you in my learning team. When I enter the classroom my goal will not be to compete, it
will be to challenge, collaborate, and create. I seek to add tangible value to the
classroom and to this world as I have done with [ABOVE NAMED PROGRAM] and will
continue to do as I invigorate city skylines. I have come a long way and today here I
am: more humble, more refined, same passion, same heart, same feet, different shoes.
Hello, my name is [APPLICAN’T FIRST AND LAST NAME] and yes, I got these on eBay.
Let’s build.
Word Count: 836
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ESSAY 23: The Actor
Author’s Home Country: Puerto Rico

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: N/A
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: In this very short essay, the author shares snippets of his diverse
experiences in different parts of the world. Thus in a very creative way, the
author is able to share with the reader his multicultural background as well as his
eagerness to try out new things. The author also shares his long-term goal of
giving back to his home country.
Good morning everybody , my name is [NAME OF THE APPLICANT]. I am from Puerto

Rico
born, raised and island educated, a badge that I wear proudly. You may not have
guessed
that from my accent, which can best be described as a mixture from redneck country
time, native Spanish speaker influence, and the pronunciation influences brought about
from years of cable TV.
I started my career about 27 years ago, as an actor. I starred in a [NAME OF A BRAND]

commercial that was very well reviewed. The money was good, however, I quickly
decided the career was not for me and decided to enroll in Kindergarten instead.
Choosing which experiences to share is always an exercise in futility, and for this
reason I want to share just enough to pique your interest a few of what I call the most
interesting chapters of my life. You may be interested in knowing about my foray into
developing a Proto-[NAME OF A SOCIAL WEBSITE] during my high school years, an
experiment that ended up expanding to every catholic high school in the San Juan
metro area, and eventually had regular visitors from every country in Latin America. Or
you may be interested in hearing about my experiences living and working in Germany,
made all the more interesting by living with German-only speaking housemates and my
at the time very limited German. You may be more interested on what it is like for a
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ESSAY 23: The Actor
Puerto Rican to work at a [NAME OF A PLANT] in the deep south, and some of the
friendly encounters I had with a small subset of the friendly locals.
These are just a few of the chapters of my life, and believe me, I enjoy sharing the
details just as much as I enjoy sharing the cryptic headlines. I look forward to getting to
know all of you. My number one goal in life is to do what I can to help the small island
in the Caribbean that has given me so much. I know I have a grand vision for what I
want to do to propel my island forward, and I am excited to learn about the visions you
all have for your own grand plans.
Word count: 370
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ESSAY 24: The Family Businessman

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Supply Chain and Transportation
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: In this essay, the author talks about his plans to lead and expand his
family business. Thus, the author provides a very clear long-term goal,
demonstrates his intent of pursuing that goal (by sharing his experiences of
working in his family business over the last four years) and also tells the reader
how an MBA will help him pursue this long-term goal.
Hi! My name is [NAME OF THE AUTHOR].
In 1924, my great grandfather—[NAME OF AUTHOR’S GRANDFATHER]—bought a

truck.
Ninety years later, his namesake trucking company employs 2600 people and
transports goods throughout North America. I’m here today because all of you will
help me develop into a CEO who expands the business globally and continues my
family’s legacy and stewardship for decades to come.
I thought I’d share a few things about me. On my mom’s side, my grandfather was a
German Jew who escaped from Nazi Berlin and later worked for the CIA. On my dad’s
side, my great great great great grandfather was an Irish chaplain in the Revolution,
and graduated from the very first class of [NAME OF A COLLEGE IN UNITED STATES]
(but I won’t hold that against him). As for me, I like to play the piano blindfolded, I
hiked the Grand Canyon rim-to-river-to-rim in a day, and I’ve been inches away from
the most poisonous animal on the planet.
After graduating from law school in 2008, I joined the business law department of
[NAME OF A GLOBAL LAW FIRM], a global law firm headquartered here in Boston.
For three years I worked on public and private mergers, acquisitions and financings,
and in 2011 I served as lead attorney on six acquisitions with deal values ranging from
$3 million to $52 million. I enjoyed [NAME OF THE LAW FIRM WHERE AUTHOR
WORKED] because it was fast-paced and always full of new challenges. Every
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transaction gave me an opportunity to explore a new business. However, my end goal

was never to make partner or become in-house counsel. I went to law school because
I had seen how my uncle’s legal background made him a more versatile CEO.
In my heart, I always wanted to join and perpetuate my family’s company, because in

doing so I would have a more direct and positive impact in people's’ lives. Trucking is
an essential but underappreciated industry. For example, if you look around this room,
just about every product—the furniture, lights, paint, clothes, and laptops—has at
some point moved on a truck. And while trucking may not be as glitzy as other
industries, my family’s company provides a good living and a dependable career for
thousands of hard-working families.
So in 2012, I left [NAME OF THE LAW FIRM WHERE AUTHOR WORKED] and joined
[NAME OF AUTHOR’S GRANDFATHER’S TRUCKING COMPANY], and I began
learning from the ground up. I started by working our 2nd shift and 3rd shift dock
operations. I learned how to drive forklifts, how to load and unload freight, and how to
lead the dock operations. I also enrolled in our Truck Driver Academy, got my
commercial driver license, and logged over 100 hours driving an 18-wheeler. With my
CDL in hand, I was ready for the next challenge: leading a service center. In 2013 I
moved to our [NAME OF A CITY IN UNITED STATES] facility and, with the help of my
mentor [NAME OF AUTHOR’S MENTOR], I learned how to lead 80 employees and
manage a facility with $11 million of annual revenue.
Building on my successes in [NAME OF A CITY IN UNITED STATES], in 2014 I moved

to [NAME OF A CITY IN UNITED STATES] to lead a service center with 200 employees
and $35 million of annual revenue. Our team was tested in many ways during my year
in [NAME OF A CITY IN UNITED STATES], including historic snowfalls, record business
volumes, and the opening of our new neighboring [NAME OF A CITY IN UNITED
STATES] facility. Nevertheless, I successfully trained three new shift leaders, and our
team increased year-over-year (YOY) freight revenues, decreased YOY labor costs,
and improved [NAME OF A CITY IN UNITED STATES]’s contribution margin from
24.9% in 2013 to 38.1% in 2014.
While I’ve really enjoyed my operational leadership roles at [NAME OF AUTHOR’S

GRANDFATHER’S TRUCKING COMPANY], I continue to use my legal skills to improve
the company. For example, I developed a strategic plan to transition an unprofitable
division into a larger related division, which decreased annual costs by $4 million in
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2015. I also led litigation against a defaulting tenant of a sale leaseback facility,
securing a settlement valued in excess of $7 million.
In addition to serving as an employee, I’ve been instrumental in developing [NAME OF

AUTHOR’S GRANDFATHER’S TRUCKING COMPANY] succession plans. In 2012, I
created legal documents addressing all aspects of ownership succession, including
shareholder decisions, director seats, family employment and estate planning. But my
passion for family businesses isn’t limited to [NAME OF AUTHOR’S GRANDFATHER’S
TRUCKING COMPANY]: I currently volunteer on the board for the family business
program at [NAME OF A UNIVERSITY IN UNITED STATES], and continue to help
dozens of family businesses with a variety of succession issues.
With all that said, I want to step back from [NAME OF AUTHOR’S GRANDFATHER’S
TRUCKING COMPANY] for two years and pursue a full-time MBA program. Here are
the reasons, and they all led me to HBS. First, I’m excited to learn using the famous
HBS case method. In the next two years, we’ll explore over 500 case studies together.
By engaging your diverse perspectives and experiences, I’ll become a better leader—a
global leader with a global mindset.
Second, HBS provides an unrivaled opportunity to build relationships with fascinating

and talented classmates, professors and alumni, and these relationships will help me
become a wise CEO. As an owner/employee, I lack true peers, which can isolate me
from my fellow coworkers. Just as HBS will expose me to leaders from different
industries, cultures and countries, HBS will also expose me to leaders with similar
passions and backgrounds, such as students who are interested in joining the Family
Business Club or enrolling in Prof. Hammond’s Supply Chain Management class.
Finally, I’m here at HBS because I’ve experienced the transformational power of
education. Law school transformed how I think. HBS will transform how I strategize,
execute and lead.
My uncle often says that family businesses try to make decisions that impact lifetimes,
not financial quarters. As a family, we try to be stewards for everyone who relies on
our company, including the 2600 employees and their families. Obtaining an MBA
from HBS will not only be the keystone for my career, but will also help me become the
leader that [NAME OF AUTHOR’S GRANDFATHER’S TRUCKING COMPANY] needs to
carry it forward another ninety years.
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Thanks!
Word Count: 973
Author’s comments: It took me about a month to craft my essay. I then let the essay sit
for another month, returning periodically to tweak some language. I utilized an hourly
package with an MBA consultant, solely for purposes of helping me hone my essay.
The consultant was invaluable: they provided objective and experienced feedback, but
also left me room to craft my story in my own voice.
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ESSAY 25: The Dreamer
Author’s Home Country: Lithuania

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Pharma, US Embassy in Lithuania
Analysis: In this essay, the author talks about growing up in a newly-independent

country, her diverse professional experiences and her long-term career goals. By
sharing her diverse professional experiences, the author comes across as
someone who is not afraid to try out new things and who is willing to go through
the grind (e.g. working as an intern for a year) if it means she gets to work in a
field that interests her.
Hello everyone – my name is [NAME OF AUTHOR].
I feel privileged to stand here in Aldrich Hall at Harvard Business School, being a part
of this intellectually vibrant community at the finest teaching institution in the world. I
feel privileged to meet my classmates, 90 business leaders of today and tomorrow,
some of the brightest minds from all over the world. I distinctly remember, I was 6
years old when I first heard about Harvard. You may wonder what the context may be
in which a first-grader would come to learn about Harvard. Well it just so happened
that I was the finest first-grader and one dear wishful thinker told me that one day I
might get into Harvard. Being an ambitious and determined child, I thought to myself
that I would get there. Little did I know then of what it takes to get here and what it
means to be here.
That wishful thinker who put the dream of Harvard in my heart was my grandfather. It is
justifiable for someone who revolutionized the real estate business and pioneered
private housing estates in [NAME OF A CITY IN LITHUANIA], my hometown, to have
86
wild dreams. But he also knew that I could at least try to achieve it, something neither
him nor my parents could. I was born just a year after Lithuania regained its
independence from the Soviet Union. I don’t know what it means to live in complete
isolation, to lose your job just because you publicly spoke against the regime, or to
have a folk song as your only weapon against tanks, as you block a TV tower from
occupation to uphold free broadcasting. But I was raised to appreciate the freedom to
pursue your dreams, and to cherish international learning and development
opportunities that are now open to me.
Growing up in the country that was being rebuilt on the principles of democracy,
witnessing a difficult journey towards a free-market economy, personally experiencing
the severe consequences of the Great Recession of 2008 through my family-run real
estate development business – I have always had a genuine interest in the powerful
forces of economics and politics and their impact on businesses. I studied Economics
and Politics in Lithuania and spent a semester at [NAME OF A COLLEGE IN UNITED
STATES], learning about venture capitalism and entrepreneurship. I studied with
insatiable curiosity, leading in-class discussions and asking questions on each
occasion, inside and outside the classroom, not only to clear my doubts but to also
stimulate meaningful interactions. My professors eventually gave in and invited me to
join them in their scholarly quests. Solving intellectual problems through rigorous
research methods, revealing and defining new, unexpected relationships fascinated
me. Soon I could see myself shifting from a voracious learner to an intellectual
challenger, adept at finding new patterns and causal mechanisms.
I spent a year working at the US Embassy in Lithuania as an intern, even though I was
no expert in copying or coffee-making. I voluntarily stayed there for one year because I
wanted to learn the art of diplomacy. Because I was doing all the work that a
seasoned, accomplished officer would do, working on a wide range of topics from
energy or defense to US business expansion in Lithuania. Because I became so
87
indispensable to the team that I was repeatedly asked to stay. Because I felt that I was
making an impact, strengthening commercial ties between Lithuania and the US. In the
last two years before joining Harvard, I was in the leadership development program
with [NAME OF A LEADING GLOBAL HEALTHCARE COMPANY]. Mastering the
intricacies of the corporate culture and workplace, grasping the strict regulations and
close scrutiny of the pharma industry, navigating the complex multicultural multilayered
matrix organization while teaming up with colleagues from all around the world – it was
an incredible experience. And yet what fascinated me most about it was driving the
organizational change in the face of pharma digital revolution. Changing the ways of
working, changing mindsets and changing marketing organizations to be more digitally
agile in the Nordic region and globally – I could proudly say that I was the integral part
of it.
Today I have another wild dream. I want to change the world, for the better. I aim to set
up an all-encompassing venture that could match social and technical entrepreneurs
with the much needed funds, provide them with valuable networking opportunities and
business administration expertise so that together we can overcome obstacles to
human progress. The energy crisis, food shortage, longevity and the quality of life, and
our death and dependency on natural resources, just to name a few – these are the
biggest pain-points faced by Man today. These are the problems that I want to spend
my life working on. I realize how fortunate I am to stand here today. I am standing on
the precipice of a great learning adventure, greeting my close companions. I am
standing at the brink of two years of simulated world leadership, about to make some
of the toughest business decisions, but with the luxury of analysis, and not being afraid
to make mistakes. I look forward to two years of collaborative thinking and the synergy
of different backgrounds, cultures, perspectives and ideas of the greatest minds. As I
stand here, I can already feel myself getting closer to fulfilling my goals, ambitions and
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wildest dreams, and believe me when I say, I can’t wait for this chapter of my life to
begin.
Word Count: 915
Author’s comments: The essay writing itself did not take me much time - a few days for
the first draft and a few more for reviewing and finalizing it. I asked my family and my
best friend for feedback - I wanted to make sure that the essay is a reflection of my
true self.
However, it took me a good few months before writing anything for the application to
understand why I want to pursue an MBA, i.e., I knew that I wanted a change but I
started to think what I really want to do as I move forward and if and how the MBA can
help me in my chosen path. I had also reviewed my professional and personal growth
to date, talked with my senior colleagues and mentors and went through a self-
reflection, step-by-step creating my story - where I am now, how I got here and where
and how I want to move forward. This story was the basis of my application - my
answers to the application's questions, my essay and my interview.
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ESSAY 26: The Risk Taker
Author’s Home Region: Western Europe

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Energy (Oil & Gas, Manufacturing) /
Production Manager
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: In this essay, the author emphasizes his love for challenging himself
and forcing himself out of his comfort zone. Through example from different
stages of his life, he comes across as someone who will not shy away from a
challenges. The author also emphasizes his ability to work in different
geographies.
Dear all, I am very pleased today to refer to you as fellow classmates, and soon, I
hope, as my friends of Harvard Business School class of 2018. My name is
[APPLICANT’S FIRST NAME], an engineer by formation, eager to step into the
business world through the gates that HBS education and two years of stimulating
interaction with all of you will open us.
The trajectory of my career started from small objects: Mechanical Engineering taught
me how a wing or a gear is designed. Afterwards, pushed by the desire to understand
how those objects interact in complex systems (e.g. airplanes, cars), I steered my
focus toward Operations. The next step I envision for my personal growth is a further
zoom out of the engineering experience: an education in Management that would help
me master concepts and frameworks to understand the business dynamics behind the
curtains of Operations.
As the body begins to gain strength after reaching the threshold of pain and exhaustion
so does the spirit. I believe that growth comes at the edge of discomfort, walking a thin
line between success and failure. Upon my graduation in [SOUTHERN EUROPEAN
COUNTRY], I applied to [TOP PRIVATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY IN U.S.
NORTHEAST] seeking those challenges. After a week in [UNIVERSITY’S U.S.
NORTHEASTERN CITY], the question I asked myself the most was: “What am I doing
90
here?”, at the time being overwhelmed by the extraordinary people I was surrounded
by. A challenging environment, diversity, little time to spare colliding with the desire of
building personal relationships pushed me out of my comfort zone to a new dimension
that, I realized, was to me the strongest motivator to improve, both personally and
academically.
With the same spirit, after my first assignment with [TOP GLOBAL SUPPLIER OF
TECHNOLOGY & PROJECT MANAGEMENT WITHIN OIL & GAS INDUSTRY]
in [LARGE SOUTHERN U.S. STATE], I seized the opportunity of serving as the sole
liaison with a company’s vendor in [LARGE SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY]. The
supplier was known for poor performance, however, the geopolitical situation cornered
my company to engage them again. The need for a mitigation measure led Operations
to request boots on the ground: an engineer to run the project locally, and I took the
challenge. Soon, I experienced first-hand the negative cascade effects that frail
organizational culture and employees’ commitment can have on a business. I realized
that the best way to achieve my goal was to build drive in the local team and
developed a framework for supplier improvement by seeking inspiration in literature
and exploring a variety of topics such as Management, Lean Manufacturing and
Employees Motivation. Assigning positions to high potential individuals, hosting a
seminar to develop a mission statement, introducing a new communication tool and
delivering trainings in Spanish to shop floor personnel, I managed to enhance
cooperation and commitment and successfully complete the project. It was immensely
rewarding to live and breathe the improvements driven and the growing commitment of
the team to the development plan. Leading by example, sharing and experimenting
with the lesson learned from my readings and not compromising on my values, while
embracing diversity, I was able to influence a greater circle of people and achieved,
through teamwork, something impactful.
Challenges are my motor; I cannot image a life fading away in a flat future, and believe
everyone should have the chance to step out of laid out railways and take an exciting
road trip instead. Our choices shape our destiny, I assumed; but what happens when
we cannot choose, when we are stuck? I did not think about it until a business trip to
India. It only took a few miles down the roads of Mumbai for me to realize that an
incredible number of people is not given an option out of the life they were given. In
[LARGE SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY], where education is fully subsidized, I was
struck by the amount of young students who drop out of school unaware of to the
opportunities available. I took an active role and developed a series of science
91
workshop for local underprivileged schools. Reaching out institutes and gathering
funds was exciting, however, being in front of a classroom of teenagers was the most
thrilling experience; capturing their attention and sensing their excitement during the
experiments was truly fulfilling. Learning how an electric generator works might not
bring a kid out of poverty, yet, triggering motivation, stimulating curiosity and
increasing awareness can unleash his hidden potential.
My aspiration to pursue stimulating goals and the desire to achieve them has been the
common thread of the journey that is shaping me, the mean to an end that is getting
more and more exciting. Life has given me extraordinary opportunities, the one my
parents never got.
My dad does not speak English, however, I like to image him lecturing me, as De Niro
bus driver does with his son in A Bronx Tale: “The saddest thing in life is wasted talent,
and the choices that you make will shape your life forever” (read in thick Italian
Brooklyn accent).
I will not disappoint either him or myself.
Word Count: 817
Author’s Comments: “I started working on the essay right after completing the GMAT,
approximately 3 months before the deadline for application submission, I did not use
an admission consultant.
MONTH 1: research, brainstorming and notes. I spent this time reading blogs and
articles on MBA admission and personal development. Then I started to think back
about my experiences, the choices I made and the drivers behind those choices, where
I want to be next, why and how HBS would get me there. Took notes of all my ideas on
both paper and soft copy, whatever was handy.
MONTH 2: first drafts and bulk of writing. During this time, mostly quiet-weekend-time,
I sat down and started writing based off the ideas gathered before. After I got the
essay to an acceptable state, my girlfriend helped me with the first few rounds of
corrections, I then sent the essay, already in a state I was quite comfortable with, to 2-
3 friends. I did not ask them a word-by-word correction, but rather to give me the
general impression and a "feel" for it.
92
MONTH 3: fine tuning. My friends' feedback was brief and straight to the point, I
agreed with most of them. For this reason, the changes were not too much of a
struggle.
My main suggestion is to focus heavily on self-reflection at first, even to events not

necessarily connected to essay writing, everything might come handy later. For me the
hardest part was the bulk of writing, after the main ideas were down, editing was pretty
smooth, thanks to a handful of great friends!
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ESSAY 27: The World Traveler
Author’s Home Country: Australia

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Consumer Products
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: In this essay, the author introduces the reader to his multi-cultural
background, his experience of extensive travel and how that transformed into an
interest in the consumer goods industry. The author, thus comes across as a
global professional who is not afraid to take the beaten path and has strong
experience and interest in the consumer product industry.
The toughest question I answer on a daily basis is “where are you from?” Through my
life I have lived in New Zealand, South Africa, Dubai, Switzerland, England and
Australia, picking up a bit of each accent as I moved from country to country. This has
given rise to my peculiar accent of clipped South African sentences, flat Australian
vowels and unfamiliar British slang, a sort of aural inkblot-test where my perceived
origin lies in the ear of the listener.
I moved around the world with my family as my father advanced in his career as a
pharmaceutical executive. We were never certain about how long we would live in any
one place. Wherever I set down roots I had to be prepared to pack up and move,
sometimes with barely a few months’ notice. These formative years shaped much of
my character: Rather than remaining disengaged with my new home to avoid the pain
of the inevitable departure, I’d launch in with gusto and try to wring as much out of the
experience as possible. From student council to [TOP U.K. UNIVERSITY] rowing to
lifesaving in the world’s most beautiful beach (in my humble opinion), I would find ways
to engage and integrate into my community. As a lifesaver I would meet plenty of
American backpackers, generally in the context of patching up their jellyfish stings,
managing their surfing injuries – and occasionally fishing them out of the water when
they went too deep.
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ESSAY 27: The World Traveler
In my nomadic existence, I tended to seek small areas where I could keep a sense of
consistency between my different homes. I vividly remember how everyday brands
became anchor points: when I arrived in a new locale I would seek out Pringles,
Cadbury, and even my favorite scent of Omo, all in an effort to retain a sense of
familiarity. These fond memories propelled my career into consumer products –
biscuits, to be precise - where one of the greatest things I’ve learned is that making the
tiniest change to your product can have a major impact on people’s lives. At one point,
my company sent me to our Indonesian office on project work, and I noticed that
wherever we went, we would see locals buying individually-wrapped single-serve Tim
Tam chocolate biscuits from roadside vendors. I asked my colleague why they did not
purchase the larger grocery pack, and he beamed and said that individually-wrapped
biscuits were the only pack format that most locals would buy. Given that workers
were generally paid their modest salary daily, they would never have enough money
on-hand to afford anything more than the 500-rupiah single-serve Tim Tams. It turned
out that making a simple change to individually-wrap our biscuits suddenly enabled
millions of Indonesians to enjoy our products.
With that lesson in mind, my journey has brought me here. I have a vision of combining
my multinational background with my experience in strategy and sales to provide
consumers in the developing world the same access to products that we enjoy in
industrialized nations. And with the opportunity to hear all of your 90 different
viewpoints every day in our case studies, I’m really excited to learn from the real
experiences of business leaders so that at the end of the next two years I’ll be ready to
impact the lives of many - one biscuit at a time.
Word Count: 556
Author’s Comments: “I did seven drafts of the essay over the course of a fortnight so it
felt pretty manageable. I'd done a ton of prep work up front to understand & jot down
the key differentiating factors of myself as a candidate, so I knew exactly what
messages I wanted to land. So perhaps 15 hours all up. The hardest part was getting
the tone right given the unusual Harvard essay prompt - my first few drafts came
across as a generic application essay and eventually I realized that if I truly did
"introduce myself" to classmates with this essay, I'd come across as a total jerk! So I
pretended that I was writing a speech instead, which really hit the mark and made all
the difference to the final result.”
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ESSAY 28: The Change Agent
Author’s Home Country: Pakistan

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Packaged food
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: In this essay, the author highlights his multicultural background and
shares how that has helped him demonstrate a strong cultural and social
sensitivity during his college and in his job. He also shares his long-term career
vision and tells us how that is linked with his belief of breaking down cross-
cultural barriers. The essay, thus revolves around one central theme while
demonstration the leadership shown by the author at different stages of his life.
Good morning folks. My name is [NAME OF AUTHOR] and I’m super thrilled to be here.
I’m [NAME OF A EUROPEAN COUNTRY]. I’m Pakistani. My spouse is from [NAME OF
A EUROPEAN CITY], my parents from [NAME OF A CITY IN PAKISTAN]. I grew up in
ultra-conservative [NAME OF A COUNTRY IN MIDDLE EAST] and in ultra-modern
[NAME OF A CITY IN MIDDLE EAST]. I started my career 10 years ago in a not-for-
profit leadership organization and my last job involved managing the biggest brand of
chocolate in the [NAME OF A EUROPEAN COUNTRY], [NAME OF A CHOCOLATE
BRAND]. I find it hard to describe myself with a single national, professional or cultural
label.
I’m grateful to my parents for enrolling me at a high school that exposed me to kids
from 40 different nationalities. This multicultural environment profoundly shaped my
worldview.
It was not until my undergraduate program at the prestigious, but culturally

homogeneous [NAME OF A COLLEGE IN PAKISTAN], that I was able to appreciate the
true value of the experience with which I had grown up.
It was here that I founded the Pakistan chapter of AIESEC, the world’s largest youth-
driven organization that aims to build leaders that create social change and cross-
cultural understanding. AIESEC represented a cause that naturally resonated with me
as it was incredibly relevant for the youth in Pakistan growing up around religious
extremism and political turmoil.
This startup was built with no capital, a team composed entirely of student volunteers,
and in collaboration with Pakistan’s traditional rival India. My team had the additional
96
challenge of convincing young people from around the world to live and work in [NAME
OF A CITY IN PAKISTAN] – one of the most dangerous cities in the world – for a period
of 6-18 months. This was a unique opportunity for me to champion the positive image
of Pakistan internationally in order to build tolerance and understanding amongst youth
globally. I couldn’t have asked for a better master-class in leadership at the age of 19.
My mission was thus defined: fundamentally breaking down cultural, national and
mental borders.
This sense of purpose has been the guiding light to many aspects of my personal and
professional life. For instance, after progressing through a number of roles at [NAME
OF A FOOD COMPANY], I was given the challenge of turning around a large but
declining European coffee brand called [NAME OF A COFFEE BRAND]. I found
common elements between the brand’s purpose and my own and created Coffee
versus Gangs. It is a program to elevate the brand’s role in [NAME OF A COUNTRY IN
CENTRAL AMERICA] – a major coffee growing country. It aims to have a positive
impact on young people facing the inevitability of life in violent gangs.
Although I presented an analytically sound case, it took over a year to convince a large
consumer packaged goods company to build commercial value through cross-cultural
empathy. It was one of the toughest and most humbling professional experiences of
my life. Facing constant adversity and uncertainty is a remarkably effective exercise in
character-building.
The clarity of purpose galvanized my team to create something that is now critically
acclaimed across the industry as effective, purpose-led marketing. The brand’s value
share grew by 30% and its volume by 80% over the next year. It ignited a shift in my
company’s ethos on marketing. Most importantly, it had a lasting positive impact on
some very brave young people in Honduras.
I feel like we made a difference.
I have experienced that operating with agility can be difficult in large organizations. A
wave of technological progress is disrupting businesses such as mine. The experience
of leading digital-centric marketing strategies has made me conversant and passionate
about technology as a catalyst for macro change.
I want to build a new path in pursuit of my mission. The spread of tolerance currently
relies heavily on physical interaction that is difficult to scale. I want to build a digital
platform that allows people to collaborate across borders on concrete projects that
earns them a financial return. Triggering economic interdependence can result in
cohesion even across traditionally fraught boundaries.
97
I want to create a disruptive technology solution that circumvents physical barriers

created by states and brings people together to achieve specific common goals.
Imagine a virtual space that actively prompts Israelis and Palestinians to work together
on engineering problems or Pakistanis and Indians to co-create more affordable
sanitation.
The Harvard MBA is a crucial enabler. Tapping into the ecosystem here will make this
mission a reality: vast entrepreneurial and technological resources, the potential of
finding co-founders in this very room, the access to practical skills such as raising
venture capital and the time to work on and think about large ideas.
I have been fortunate to have grown up in diversity and to have had the opportunity to
drive large global brands. I am keen to share the lessons I have learnt with my
community here as we build our own paths and add to Harvard Business School’s
legacy.
Thank you.
Word Count: 795
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ESSAY 29: The Mechanical Engineer

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Operations consulting, operations
management Author Gender: Male
Analysis: The author focuses his essay on two themes - his professional
experience as an operations consultant and an experience which motivated him
to go for an MBA. Through the essay, the author is able to highlight his
professional skills, achievement as well as give a clear picture of his long-term
career plans and his reasons for doing an MBA.
I’m [APPLICANT’S FIRST NAME] and I have journeyed here from the hallowed grounds
of [APPLICANT’S U.S. NEW ENGLAND HOMETOWN], where I spent my formative
years amid wild dreams of achieving greatness by setting world records and winning
the Olympics. As I’ve hung up my [OLYMPIC SPORT’S TRADITIONAL SHOES] in favor
of business shoes, those dreams have evolved into a desire to achieve greatness in a
different arena. Today, my dream centers on helping companies leverage technology
to propel their operations into the future, providing unparalleled customer service and
delivery, with an operational efficiency to match.
I graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in [GRADUATION YEAR] and spent

my first 3 years out of college working as an operations consultant. It was my job to
walk into a manufacturing plant and drive significant operational change – for example,
I once spent 3 months walking the sticky floors of a milk plant in [MID-SIZED U.S.
SOUTHEASTERN CITY] helping plant management boost throughput by 30% in order
to take on a new customer. We accomplished this goal with zero capital spend, a feat
many had believed was impossible. In our projects, the biggest challenge was almost
always convincing managers to reach for that extra tad of unseen opportunity hiding
within the operation, because oftentimes it was very difficult to look beyond the daily
struggles that plagued their operations. I worked directly with 5-8 person “rapid results
teams,” coaching them on how to think about operational improvement, motivating
them to sprint towards it, and leading them through the analysis required to capture it. I
99
left those milk, water and oil sands plants with many enduring friendships and inspiring
operational victories borne from our journey from ambitious goals to concrete results.
I’ve spent the past two years working in supply chain management at a private
industrial goods supplier. I chose direct management because I wanted to drive these
same inspirational improvements in an operation I owned. My role was to manage and
improve the operation, and through my experience, I learned the nuts and bolts of the
supply chain industry. However, my dream of innovating supply chain operations
pushed me to consider transitioning to an organization with an ambitious,
transformative purpose. In fact, last year I had a unique opportunity to reflect on what
type of impact matters to me. This opportunity was my first ever trip to [NORTHWEST
AFRICAN REGION], the place of my family’s origin.
On the second day of the trip, I journeyed to [LOCAL NORTHEASTERN AFRICAN

TOWN], a small town nestled next an enormous active volcano that is surrounded by a
wide expanse of rich volcanic soil, which is used to make wine. This wine is sipped by
adventure-seeking tourists relaxing after a long day on the volcano, and thus the
town’s two major industries, wine and tourism, are sustained. When we arrived at the
town, I was shocked to see it buried by an avalanche of volcanic rock from an eruption
[A FEW YEARS PRIOR]. As our guide lamented on the dreary prospects of the Page 2
of 2 town, I was amazed to see just how important these two industries had been to its
development.
Through this real world example, I was able to clearly visualize the impact businesses
can have on their broader environment, an understanding that had not been as evident
to me while working in the larger, more complex American economy. For example, I
had spent hours walking among the dilapidated buildings speckling the warehouse
district in Cleveland, but only after my trip did I connect them to the decline of the
Midwestern manufacturing industry. Upon my return, armed with this broader
perspective, I decided my next step would be to attend business school. There I would
gain the technical, operational and leadership skills to make my transition to an
organization whose goal was to drive change in its broader industry and community, as
those wine and tourism companies had done in [LOCAL NORTHEASTERN AFRICAN
TOWN OF FAMILY’S ORIGIN].
So, that is how I arrived in front of you today. My goal is to humbly learn as much as I
can from our section, our professors, and our experiences. I am excited to get to know
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you, and will always do my best to support our section intellectually and athletically (we
will be the future section Olympics champions!).
How about yourself?
Word Count: 711
Author’s comments: While the initial draft of my essay did not take more than an hour
or two, it was the revision process that I spent a significant amount of time on. I think
the most important part of the essay writing process is to ensure that your story and
personality come through - and this is perhaps the most difficult part! To help with this,
I had individuals who were not as familiar with my story and why I wanted to go to
business school provide me with feedback in addition to those with whom I worked
closely.
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ESSAY 30: The Diversity Advocate
Author’s Home Country: Germany

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Trainee in Finance with international work
experience, Financial Analyst, Accountant for a business segment
Analysis: In this essay, the author focuses on one aspect of her personality - her
sexual orientation and explains her journey of coming out in the open and what it
has taught her. She ties that in very well with her long term goal of becoming a
management consultant as she sees the profession as an agent of change. The
essay is short as it is focused around one central theme and the author chose
not to go over her academic / professional experience as it was covered in other
parts of the application.
When I told my mother that I am gay, she broke down in tears. She told me that I
would never achieve happiness as a gay woman, that I should never let anybody know
about this part of my personality since there is no place for me in society, and that I
would lose everything I have achieved so far. She was clearly a very supportive parent.
The thing is, I have never been deterred by these opinions. Of course, I was initially
saddened, but those emotions were quickly followed by the thoughts of others who
might not have the strength to persevere. From that moment on, I decided that every
person discouraged or distressed because of his or her identity would only fuel my fire
and I swore that I will dedicate my passion, my skills and my power to make a change.
The more incensed my mother became, the more strength I drew. I harnessed these
disappointments and transformed them into the mission of refuting these negative
preoccupations and even acting actively against them. I never got tired of showing her
examples that challenged her opinion. I was convinced that even the most deeply-
rooted opinions could be changed by patience, visibility and empathy for the other’s
motives and I was right; my mother now picks out dresses for my better half.
102
As complicated as my coming-out was, it was even more of an inspiring evolution in

my personal development. It gave me the incredibly intrinsic motivation to make a
change not only in my life, but also in the life and attitude of others. It taught me how to
assess difficult situations quickly and to find a clear and strategic approach to solve
them. I now pursue my goals in an even more focused way and, I’ll be honest, like
many of you, I’ve been fortunate to succeed.
Whether in society or in my company, I no longer sit quietly when I encounter

discrimination. And as my mother changed her entrenched, generations old opinion, I
am sure that companies can change too, with the help of tenacious leaders. Company
leaders such as Susan Wojcicki, Sheryl Sandberg and Richard Branson have taken a
great step forward, but, as we know, a sole decision from the C-suite is not always
enough to end discrimination. Like in all business challenges there has to be action and
visibility, there have to be people who are eager to provide a helping hand, who have
open-minded ideas and who share experiences in order to break down perpetuated
structures to drive change. These aspects can all be found in the consulting industry –
an industry which already enables profound change in our society.
In the position of a management consultant in the social sector after graduation, I will
not only be able to act in such a diverse, challenging and fascinating industry but also
act directly on existing structural and cultural problems. As a managing partner later, I
will address existing inequitable cultural norms and act as a role model to encourage
others by showing that people like me, who do not adhere to heteronormativity, can
have aspirations, can make decisions and can have a valuable impact on both
companies and societies. In this way I can combine my passion to solve problems
through innovative approaches across industries with my passion to fight
discrimination.
As I hone the power to enthuse others, I want to use the far-reaching impact of this
industry to inspire the people with whom I work – the consultants in my company and
the clients in the variety of industries – to value people no matter what identity they
may have. At Harvard Business School, a place of nearly unlimited opportunities, I will
have the best possible chance to enhance my leadership skills through unique
methods of learning and through interaction with extraordinary strong people from the
most diverse functions, countries, backgrounds and experiences with incredible
accomplishments. Here, I look forward to taking a great step forward towards my
professional and social ideals.
103
Word Count: 672
Author’s comments: The process took me about 3 weeks. My key take away is to not
be afraid who you are and share some personal experiences that made you to that
person who you are today.
104
ESSAY 31: The Nomad
Author’s Home Country: Dual citizen (US and El Salvador)

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Consulting (focus on airlines client)
Analysis: The author focuses on her unique childhood where she had to live in
very different geographies and was raised by parents who were very
adventurous. This background ties in very well with the author’s work experience
of consulting travel companies and also with her long-term goal of working in
the travel industry. It also helps highlight her ability to live and connect with
people from different cultural backgrounds.
My name is [NAME OF AUTHOR], I’m 27 years old and - I still hate this part - I don’t
know where I am from. The question is a simple one, but the answer isn’t. I can either
give a quick answer, [NAME OF A CITY IN UNITED STATES], which is wildly untrue or I
can dive into my life story which people often don’t have time for - they were only
asking to be polite. It’s a fine line to walk, but I am going to give it a shot.
In the late 80s, my parents saw an ad in the newspaper to teach overseas. Young and
adventurous, they moved to [NAME OF A COUNTRY IN CENTRAL AMERICA] where I
was born a few years later and where we found ourselves in the crossfire of a civil war.
At the height of the war, my family was held hostage in a closet for over 30 hours. It’s
still hard to believe. Upon our release and safe return to the U.S., a photo of us
stepping out of our house made the cover of USA Today.
Now, my favorite part of this story is not actually what happened to us, but how my
family responded - we went back. A few months after our USA Today debut, we
returned to [NAME OF A COUNTRY IN CENTRAL AMERICA]. My parents continued to
teach, driving to school every day in our beat-up orange Volkswagen beetle, now
riddled with bullet holes. Many called them “crazy” but I call them “fearless”.
105
ESSAY 31: The Nomad
Their bold spirits led us to [NAME OF A SMALL COUNTRY IN SOUTH ASIA] for the
next eight years and [NAME OF A COUNTRY IN SOUTH AMERICA] for the following
ten. There was also a year wedged in-between when we lived in a shabby 24-foot RV
and puttered across the U.S. My parents homeschooled me. My mom, accustomed to
teaching AP English, was set in her ways. So, my fourth grade was full of John Donne
poetry analysis, transformational grammar, and essays by Bacon. Thanks, mom.
I never thought of my parents as eccentric or free-spirited or hippies or “crazy” - all

words which are probably coming to your minds now. As an adult currently living in the
U.S., I can appreciate those descriptors, but I am still going with “fearless”. Their “why-
the-hell-not” attitude is something most adults do not seem to share because, well,
most of us can think of many reasons of why why-the-hell-not.
When we moved to [NAME OF A COUNTRY IN SOUTH AMERICA], there were many

reasons why I shouldn’t have cared so much about making friends or learning Spanish
- the primary being that my Mom was unhappy and said we would move somewhere
else - anywhere else - after the first year. Despite believing that our stint in [NAME OF
A COUNTRY IN SOUTH AMERICA] would be a short one, I adopted the Lewis attitude,
I jumped. I started drinking [NAME OF A TEA VARIETY], a traditional bitter tea, learned
Spanish with a convincing [NAME OF A COUNTRY IN SOUTH AMERICA] accent, and
even became an official member of my boyfriend’s favorite 3rd division soccer team.
To clarify, I don’t actually play soccer. Being a member simply means you pay a few
bucks, get a cheaply laminated card with your picture on it, and can buy game tickets
at a reduced price.
Not surprisingly, when I arrived at [NAME OF A COLLEGE IN UNITED STATES] for

college, I had a very limited understanding of where exactly I was or why all of my
female peers were wearing “sundresses”, accurately described to me by a friend as
“cute, floral dresses for five year olds, but in adult sizes”. I enrolled at [NAME OF A
COLLEGE IN UNITED STATES] - sight unseen. On move-in day, I joined a tour group
for potential students and their parents. The tour guide was confused when I said, “I
actually go here. I just haven’t seen the campus yet.” She looked at me like I was
“crazy”, but I like to think of it as “fearless”. My parents had been moving to countries
sight-unseen for decades, so… why the hell not? Fortunately for me, the campus was
gorgeous, the academics rigorous and the people friendly. Before I knew it, I was
106
ESSAY 31: The Nomad
donning sundresses of my own. I was an American.
But wait, my American friends looked at me like I was a lost puppy and said, “No, you
are from [NAME OF A COUNTRY IN SOUTH AMERICA]. You don’t have a favorite
American football team or an American hometown.” But at “home”, in [NAME OF A
COUNTRY IN SOUTH AMERICA], my peers had always thought of me as their
American friend.
It was at this height of my frustration that I realized that I didn’t have to be from
anywhere. Being fearless and, okay, maybe a little crazy - I am able to feel at home
wherever I go - and I am proud of that.
Before HBS, “home” was [NAME OF A CITY IN UNITED STATES] and a boutique labor
relations consulting firm called [NAME OF A CONSULTING FIRM].
I worked at the same firm for 5 years. I know, “wow!” - at least, that is usually the
response I get from other millennials. I took the job straight out of college because it
was 2011, jobs were still scarce, and why the hell not? It turned out that I enjoyed the
work and the people I worked with. My team specialized in assisting clients with their
labor relations woes. I was fascinated by the psychology of union negotiations and
fortunate enough to sit at the bargaining table and represent exceptional companies
like [NAMES OF SOME COMPANIES IN TRAVEL INDUSTRY].
With my sights set on working for a company in the travel industry, I have a great deal
to learn and can’t wait to get started at my new home for the next two years, HBS.
So… in keeping with the family tradition - I have never actually been to Boston before.
If anyone wants to give me a tour after this, I will gladly accept.
Word count: 946
Author’s Comments: I think I wrote the essay over the course of three evenings. I
started out with a much longer first draft and then cut it down from there which helped
keep it concise and eliminate any extra fluff.
107
ESSAY 32: The Environmentalist

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Energy
Analysis: In this essay, the author describes her life journey - her peripatetic
childhood, her interest in environmental sustainability which inspired her to work
in the energy sector, her experience of working in diverse geographies and her
passion for being an advocate of greater female representation in the energy
sector. The author, thus comes across as a truly global professional who has
demonstrated leadership in causes beyond her day-to-day job.
Hi everyone! My name is [NAME OF THE AUTHOR].
I grew up moving to a different country or city every time my father relocated for a work
assignment. I always tell people that if they get an opportunity to relocate with their
kids, they should take it, because I can say with confidence that the experience
shaped me in many ways, and it especially made me more resilient and outgoing. On
the other hand, I won’t deny that I’ve found it difficult to identify with any one particular
culture, and I still haven’t quite figured out how to give a consistent answer when
people ask where I’m from. So don’t ask me!
My childhood memories are all associated with different locations – I slept through a
hurricane in [NAME OF A CITY IN UNITED STATES], dressed up for Day of the Dead
first grade parties in [NAME OF A CITY IN MEXICO], went to summer camp in [NAME
OF A STATE IN UNITED STATES], rang in Y2K in [NAME OF A STATE IN UNITED
STATES], and hung out at awkward middle school dances in [NAME OF A CITY IN
UNITED STATES].
108
High school in the suburbs of [NAME OF A CITY IN UNITED STATES] was my first
experience with permanence – there I got to attend a school through its entirety, and I
discovered that I felt really comfortable working in the universal languages of math and
physics. As a side note, I’m proof that those languages truly ARE universal, because I
later survived and passed engineering classes taught in [A EUROPEAN LANGUAGE]
during a college semester abroad, after only having learned a few months-worth of
conversational [A EUROPEAN LANGUAGE].
[NAME OF A CITY IN UNITED STATES] was also the perfect place to become
passionate about the environment, which I did from my first attempts at skiing in jeans
to canoeing 100 miles down a river with my high school wilderness survival class. It
also happened to be the home of the [NAME OF A UNIVERSITY IN UNITED STATES],
where I attended undergrad. There I discovered that a major in civil and environmental
engineering suited me really well, and gave me a fitting outlet for my strengths and
passions, including the chance to engage with global environmental sustainability.
As much as I enjoyed my major, approaching graduation I began to doubt that my

plausible career paths, like green building and wastewater management, were big or
exciting enough to sustain my interest. In fact, that feeling reminds me of how much I
enjoy being in [NAME OF A CITY IN BRAZIL], where I was born, with the hustle and
bustle of traffic and planes surrounding me. I love the feeling of being part of
something bigger and of being ‘in the action’.
I wanted to make the most substantial contribution to environmental sustainability that

I could, and I just wasn’t convinced that I had found my career path in civil engineering.
It was during a Green Development lecture at the [NAME OF A COLLEGE IN UNITED
STATES] that I had my “aha” moment – I heard the statistic that confirmed my path
forward: Buildings account for less than one-tenth of global carbon emissions, while
the energy sector contributes nearly two-thirds. As I dug deeper into the energy sector,
I was excited about this field – it made me feel like a part of the action! From that
point, I focused on energy for my Master’s degree and career search. For me, tackling
the global energy industry was the best platform possible to affect major change in the
environment. I also found that grappling with this universal human problem helped me
identify with a worldwide community.
109
I deliberately chose to work as a power generation engineer at [NAME OF A POWER

EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING COMPANY] for my first job out of college, mainly to
gain credibility and lay a solid foundation in a very technical industry. I got to practice
my Spanish and Portuguese while supporting projects throughout the Americas, and I
was able to visit my native country and view it through the lens of a professional.
Always looking for more impact, for my second role within the same company I
decided to move to the business side, where I could have direct access to key
decision-makers in the energy industry. Using my technical experience as a
springboard, I jumped at an opportunity to develop the company’s power generation
sales channels for Asia Pacific and moved without hesitation to [NAME OF A CITY IN
ASIA PACIFIC], which I now consider my latest home.
It was challenging relocating to [NAME OF A COUNTRY IN ASIA PACIFIC] without a

support network. For the first time during a big move, I wasn’t enrolled in school where
I could easily meet people that shared my interests. Working in [NAME OF A
COUNTRY IN ASIA PACIFIC] and dealing with external partners and customers, it
became clear to me that women are extremely underrepresented in the energy sector,
particularly in leadership positions. I became passionate about this issue and have
devoted many hours as a board member of Women in Energy, a non-profit, to helping
women feel that they can and should be leaders in this sector. Trying to fit in as a new
[NAME OF A COUNTRY IN ASIA PACIFIC], working on this issue was an eye-opening
and rewarding vehicle to become a part of the fabric of [NAME OF A CITY IN ASIA
PACIFIC].
I’m thrilled to be a part of the HBS community now and to engage with such a diverse
and interesting group of people. I probably still won’t be able to give you a definitive
answer to ‘where are you from?’, but I’m confident in where I’m going after my MBA – I
want to continue making an impact in the energy industry, where I’m excited about
taking on one of the biggest global challenges of our generation.
Word Count: 893
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ESSAY 33: The Mentor

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Finance
Analysis: In this essay, the author describes two experiences that have had an
impact on her - her experience of mentoring a young female and her experience
of living and working in a different geography. The author also shares her long-
term vision of giving more global exposure to black Americans to help in their
holistic growth. She also describes how she will use her experiences in HBS by
helping expats settle down in Boston.
I am a mentor. Since 2011, I have advised a young black female named [NAME] from
[AREA OF NEW YORK CITY]. As her mentor, I guided her through the experience of her
mother fighting a drug addiction and her father struggling to provide for his family of
seven while living in a homeless shelter. When I first met [MENTEE], she was a high
school junior who needed to pass five more NY State Regents exams to graduate the
following year. [MENTEE] lacked motivation, confidence and a support network. She
was convinced that she would not graduate high school. However, I was committed to
influence her mentality. [MENTEE] and I met on a biweekly basis, set goals and
developed a study plan which resulted in [MENTEE] passing her exams and graduating
with her class. Although it was initially challenging to motivate [MENTEE], after I
encouraged her to create a vision board and to imagine her goals, [MENTEE’S] outlook
began to change. While [MENTEE’S] immediate family encouraged her to work after
graduation, instead [MENTEE] chose to be the first person in her family to go to
college. My name is [APPLICANT’S FULL NAME] and I aspire to help other
disadvantaged minorities, like [MENTEE], achieve their full potential.
The time that I have spent working with [MENTEE] has left as much of an impact on my
life as it has on her life. Observing [MENTEE] take risks in her life to ensure a better
future for herself and her family inspired me to be daring in the decisions that I made in
my life. After two years of working as an analyst at [GLOBAL BANK] in [MAJOR U.S.
NORTHEASTERN CITY], I accepted an offer to move to [U.K. MAJOR CITY] and join
[TOP INVESTMENT BANKING FIRM’S] Credit Risk Management and Ratings Advisory
111
Team. I never envisioned myself voluntarily moving [APPROXIMATELY 3,500] miles

away from home to pursue an international career opportunity at the age of 24, but I
was eager to grow both personally and professionally. I thought that global
experiences such as these would prepare me to achieve my goal of someday serving
as a divisional manager of a multinational technology corporation.
I will never forget my dinner conversation with [MENTEE] where I explained that
although I would always remain her mentor, I was moving to London to pursue an
exciting new job opportunity. As I broke the news, [MENTEE] became filled with awe
and excitement. I knew that as she looked at me, she saw someone whom she closely
identified with make the bold decision to move abroad to pursue an international
career. At that moment, I thought about my childhood mentors and the huge impact
they had on my confidence required to excel in both my engineering undergraduate
studies and in my career at two global investment banks. Although I had already
profoundly impacted [MENTEE’S] life, I knew that my role did not stop there. I wanted
[MENTEE] to see the world.
My four-year journey abroad has taught me more about life, love and fear than any of
my experiences to date. Through my travels to over twenty countries across Europe,
the Middle East and Africa, I learned to challenge my pre-existing beliefs and to defend
my viewpoints to others. As a result, I gained a stronger sense of admiration and
respect for the vast cultural differences that exist globally and a renewed love of
sharing my [CARIBBEAN ISLAND’S] American heritage with others. In the professional
setting, I discovered how to interact in cross-cultural business environments through
frequent interfaces with Spanish, French and German colleagues and clients.
Furthermore, I gained a sense of empowerment and sometimes even slight
apprehension, as the only black female on my team and the high level of responsibility
that came with that distinction. Most importantly, I learned to be humbled by my
challenges, to be adaptable to new environments, and to always take a global view.
I now understand that there is no substitute for the transformative power of living,
working and learning abroad. However, the harsh reality is that the cost burden
associated with travel prevents many underserved minorities, like [MENTEE], from
pursuing similar opportunities. As a result, one of my long-term personal goals is to
launch a non-profit organization that will provide underprivileged youth with
international study opportunities to improve cultural awareness. With only 5.3% of
United States study abroad students identifying as black versus 76.3% identifying as
Caucasian, it is increasingly important to ensure that minorities with disadvantaged
backgrounds are afforded international education opportunities despite cost
considerations. My experience has shaped me into a global leader who is eager to
diversify the population of American students abroad. More specifically, I want to
ensure that other students in situations similar to [MENTEE’S] have the opportunity to
immerse themselves in new cultures, to build independence and to adapt to different
112
education styles. Within our section, I am eager to partner with passionate individuals
to scale the work that I have already started with [MENTEE]. Moreover, I am excited to
share my experiences working abroad with our section mates who are interested in
pursuing international assignments post-MBA. Sitting in the room today, there are
inevitably students who are new to Boston or even new to the United States. Having
initially felt isolated as an expatriate, I look forward to helping you adapt to the place I
call home.
Word Count: 950
Author’s Comments: "I started doing lots of self-reflection and brainstorming ideas
about my story around 6 months before the round 1 deadline. I'd jot down ideas on my
phone at random times - when on the subway, talking to family, catching up with
friends. When I finally started drafting the story, I had about 15 iterations. My final
version was so different from my first draft. It helps to have friends and family read the
story to make sure you're being authentic. Don't be afraid to ditch your original idea
and start over. I had to!"
113
ESSAY 34: The Fighter

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Private Equity Associate, Investment
Banking Analyst
Analysis: In this essay, the author highlights her personal qualities of ‘grit’ and of
giving back to the society. The author describes how her background, influence
of her father and professional failures have inculcated these qualities in her. By
openly talking about a failure in early professional life, the author not only lends a
great deal of credibility to her essay but it also helps to highlight her later
achievements in the same industry (which are covered in other parts of the
application).
I am the daughter of first-generation [EASTERN EUROPEAN] immigrants. When I think

about my dad, I am reminded of his hands. Twenty five years of daily contact with oil,
grease, and harsh solvents has left a permanent reminder of both his hard work and
his working class background. My father is a retired mechanic for [U.S. PACKAGE
DELIVERY COMPANY]. Without a college degree and limited English, mechanic was
the best paying job my dad could find. He would pick us up from school every day,
and my mom would have dinner ready at three o’clock sharp, so that we could eat as a
family before my dad headed out for the night shift. He took every hour of overtime that
was offered, even if it meant working holidays to make extra money. Despite only
having a high school diploma, my dad understood the importance of education and
supported my academic and career pursuits. I remember the day he looked over my
shoulder at my calculus textbook and laughed that he could no longer keep up with my
school work. He may not have been able to help me with derivatives, but he taught me
far greater lessons of perseverance and hard work.
114
When I started my career in finance, it initially provided the validation of success and
financial security that I coveted. I thought I had “made it” as a second-generation
immigrant. However, during my internship on a trading floor, I found the environment
mentally draining. At the end of the summer, I did not receive an offer to join full time,
which was my first real taste of failure. I was disappointed, but began to evaluate what
I could do differently; my “failure” cultivated a heightened self-awareness of my natural
introversion. I am outgoing, but some social situations drain my energy. Not wanting
my introversion to limit me, I began stretching myself outside of my comfort zone for
self-growth, and continue to do so today. It is the reason I take every opportunity to
present to a large audience, push my limits in CrossFit, or go rock-climbing despite my
fear of heights. I’ve developed an anticipation, rather than anxiety, for the unknown.
Since my internship on the trading floor, I’ve continued to exercise and enhance my
grit. Grit is having a passion and a determination to stick with something, despite
setbacks. When I entered a seemingly casual bet with my senior year roommates to
lose weight, I trekked daily to the gym long after my roommate lost his motivation. I
refused to believe that failure was a permanent condition; I was not quitting. Instead, I
persevered and lost 50 pounds, and now health and fitness are integral facets of my
life. CrossFit never gets easier, but it has helped me build mental toughness and
allowed me to push myself further than I thought was capable.
Many people assume that hard work alone will produce success, but my experiences
have shown me that the opportunities presented to people are not uniform. There is an
unmet need for mentorship and career preparation for students who are the first in their
family to go to college. As a Mentor Coach with the non-profit [NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES CAREER DEVELOPMENT & MENTORING FOR
LOW-INCOME COLLEGE STUDENTS], I have taken the first step to bridging this gap. I
became a Mentor Coach because I believe in the organization’s mission to fight for
115
economic mobility for low income, first generation college students. I saw an
opportunity to put my experience, resources, and connections to work to support
others who could not rely on family legacies or professional networks, challenges that I
understand intimately and personally had to overcome. Every other Saturday, I work
one on one with tenacious students to provide intensive career development, including
resume writing, interview preparation, and public speaking training. I share my personal
experiences (and failures), offer support, and celebrate their achievements. I am
excited to leverage the business acumen and experiences of my HBS classmates
when I join the organization’s Young Leadership Board, to help shape and implement
strategic initiatives on behalf of [NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES
CAREER DEVELOPMENT & MENTORING FOR LOW-INCOME COLLEGE STUDENTS].
My parents’ support, coupled with the academic and professional preparation from my
own mentors, were investments others made in me. I am eager to continue paying it
forward.
The calluses on my hand from lifting weights remind me of my dad’s hands; I carry that
grit and perseverance with me today. I ran my first marathon, following through on a
commitment I made to myself at a time when I could barely manage a single mile. Next
November, I will be running in the New York City Marathon to raise money for [NON-
PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES CAREER DEVELOPMENT & MENTORING
FOR LOW-INCOME COLLEGE STUDENTS]. I do not enjoy running; every step is a fight
but I remind myself that the mind will give up a thousand times before the body does. I
run because of the satisfaction in crossing the finish line. Constantly challenging
myself, both physically and mentally, helps me get comfortable with being
uncomfortable. And that is why I’m excited to be here at HBS.
Word Count: 831
116
Author’s Comments: “I worked on it for a month with multiple iterations, and then
scrapped the essay and rewrote it the weekend before the deadline. It contained the
same story lines, but I was happier with the presentation. All in, I probably devoted 50
hrs to the essay.”
117
ESSAY 35: The High Jumper

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Consulting
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: In this essay, the author comes across as a person having strong
leadership skills by describing his experience of going through a physical injury
while he was the captain of his college’s sports team. He highlights what the
experience taught him about leadership and handling adversities. He also goes
on to describe how these qualities have helped him in his professional life.
My Favorite Scar.
To introduce myself, I’d like to play an icebreaker called “My Favorite Scar.” While I
was growing up, my father’s job moved my family from [NAME OF A BIG CITY IN
UNITED STATES] to [NAME OF AN EUROPEAN COUNTRY] and many other cities and
countries in between. I quickly discovered that few experiences are more nerve-
wracking than being the new kid on the first day of school, especially in a foreign
country. As a result, I became really good at ice breakers, and I’ve found that this one
works well. To play “My Favorite Scar,” you show or describe a scar to a group and tell
the story behind it. The scar I’d like to tell you about is on my knee – the result of
breaking my leg while playing soccer in high school. This scar helped shape who I am,
and it’s part of.
A few weeks before I broke my leg, I had finished a successful indoor track season: I
qualified for the State Championship meet and was also elected team captain. All of
that got put on hold when I broke my leg. With my broken leg “fixed” with a 15”
titanium rod and six screws, I found my dreams of becoming a college high jumper in
jeopardy. Determined to make a full recovery, I worked far beyond the minimum
number of required hours with a physical therapist. To stay mentally sharp, I studied
film to get the proper jumping technique ingrained in my mind. I also requested to
remain captain despite my injury so that I could still be a part of the team. All of this
118
effort helped me recover completely. To my relief, I quickly set new personal bests and
was recruited to high jump at [NAME OF A COLLEGE].
Initially, my efforts to quickly recover were solely driven by my desire to continue my

athletic career in college. However, looking back, I realize this was not as important as
what I learned along the way. As captain, I was able to motivate my teammates and
help the younger jumpers with their technique. I discovered that leadership is not
restricted to leading by “doing,” but it can be executed from the sidelines by helping
others to find their vision and set goals. Being a leader while I was injured meant
inspiring confidence in my fellow high jumpers, even when I wasn’t able to lead by
example. I realized that personally succeeding at high jump wasn’t what drove me; it
was working towards a goal with a group of people that I cared about that mattered
most.
What this injury taught me about leadership and teamwork guided me through college,
and it has been central to my success as a consultant at [NAME OF A CONSULTING
FIRM]. For example, I worked across several client departments at a denim company
to encourage their internal collaboration, despite conflicting viewpoints, to develop a
global portfolio strategy. By listening to each department and understanding their
goals, I helped steer the team to develop a recommendation that found common
ground, helping gain support across the organization. Recently, I was asked
unexpectedly to lead a working session with senior executives at a major frozen foods
client. Bad weather led to several cancelled flights for the [NAME OF A CONSULTING
FIRM] Partners, so they could not get there until the end. Instead of rescheduling the
session, the Partners asked me to fill in. Despite being the youngest person in the
room by at least 15 years, I was excited for the opportunity to present. I guided the
client to reach a consensus on the best path forward, leading to the release of a new
product line. My ability to work with others and lead them to successful solutions is
one of the reasons I was promoted to Consultant, something that rarely happens at
[NAME OF A CONSULTING FIRM] without an MBA. This achievement means even
more to me, as it happened in the midst of being diagnosed and treated for testicular
cancer – but that’s a scar story I’ll save for another.
Now that I am meeting all of you for the first time, I look forward to hearing your stories
and sharing some more of my own. Beyond having lively debates over more than 500
cases, I hope to collaborate with you in FIELD workshops and extracurricular activities
such as the General Management & Operations Club. Following our graduation, I plan
119
to continue developing a deeper operational understanding of the consumer goods

business by working on a brand team within a CPG company. This, along with learning
from all of your experiences, will lead me toward my long-term goal of running a major
CPG company. So, to my section – I look forward to getting to know you all and
working toward our goals together. And don’t forget, I want to learn all about your
scars, too.
Word Count: 819
Author’s comments: I put a lot of time into the essay, the final version was v25, or
something to that effect. About the first 15 versions were not constrained by length and
not being super conscious about grammar. In these initial versions I would pull in and
cut various components if they didn't fit into the narrative. The final 10 were spent
tightening it up, removing anything superfluous and ensuring the grammar was proper,
yet conversational given the nature of the prompt. My biggest editors were colleagues
& my parents.
Regarding the narrative - I spend a fair amount of time writing down the traits that I
wanted to ensure I highlighted, and then a handful of supporting examples for each.
Whenever I felt something wasn't fitting, or felt forced, I simply swapped it with a
different example I had written down.
120
ESSAY 36: The Dancer

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Investment banking / non-profit
operational strategy and project management
Analysis: The entire essay is anchored around the author’s passion for dance and
how it helped her navigate the conflicts of her early life, develop self-confidence
and has influenced her personal and professional life. The author also highlights
her community leadership, her passion for cooking and how she chose a
nontraditional career by choosing to work in an NGO after working for two years
as a banking analyst. By focusing the essay on how her background and her
passion for dance has influenced her, the author ensures that the reader gets to
fully understand her as a person.
I love dance down to my bones.
We first met in grade school. I stumbled upon summer-long sessions that fused
Dunham Technique with community theater and the emotionally charged writings of
the Harlem Renaissance. Whether at the [WELL-KNOWN NYC MUSIC HALL] or
traveling at home in [LARGE U.S. MIDWESTERN CITY], every year I stepped on stage
to perform, I came alive. Off stage, dance became an outlet of introspection – a way to
make sense of the conflicting worlds in my life growing up in a disadvantaged low-
income neighborhood, attending a privileged school, and living in a strict [WEST
AFRICAN COUNTRY] immigrant household.
Our relationship got serious in high school. During the school year, I attended African
dance sessions at the [APPLICANT’S HOMETOWN DANCE COMPANY] while in the
summer I was invited to St. Louis to train under the late Catherine Dunham herself.
Exposed to and surrounded by extremely talented dancers was a humbling experience.
But as a result, I slowly built real confidence. I learned the value of setting higher
expectations and how to grow while honoring what makes me different. I quickly
applied this lesson in other areas in my life, confronting my shyness to become my
high school’s first Black student body president in 10 years. I discovered that my
listening skills could be a powerful motivational tool. I realized that leadership was just
another stage with a more compelling audience – people I knew and cared about.
121
I met the family in college. Exploring new dance forms quickly became a fascination. I
learned the Argentine tango studying in Buenos Aires, everything from the quickstep to
pasodoble as a part of the ballroom dance team, and perfected my salsa during a
semester abroad in Spain. In the process, I learned how to embrace change and value
the uniqueness that individual parts can bring to the collective. These skills came in
handy co-chairing the [UNDERGRADUATE UNIVERSITY’S BLACK STUDENT
LEADERSHIP GROUP] where I moderated intense discussions of inclusion and
advocated for deeper partnerships among Black student groups, changing the way the
Black undergraduate community worked together.
We became lifelong partners in the real world. Dance is now a tool to that I use to
evaluate the decisions I make. When I choose new passions or pursue new jobs, every
choice must result in the level of completeness I feel when I dance. That is my
standard.
In my personal life, this benchmark has recently driven me to study culinary

management at a local cooking school, where I wanted to seriously explore how much
I enjoyed sharing my West African culture through food. I wanted to learn how to fuse
flavors, how to create a dining concept both my African and non-African friends could
experience, and how to gauge its feasibility through writing a detailed business plan.
For now, I am using these new skills to keep great friendships going through monthly
suppers I hold at my home where I share my modern renditions of traditional [WEST
AFRICAN] dishes.
Professionally, it has led me down a nontraditional career path. While other banking
analysts who were also awarded 3rd year offers felt content with their promotions, I
challenged myself to pursue the one interest that excited me more than pirouetting on
stage – providing educational and economic opportunities to youth in underserved
communities similar to mine. I took a risk on what I loved and sought out a job at the
[NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION FOR POVERTY-STRICKEN CHILDREN & FAMILIES
LIVING IN NYC]. And when my boss left just days after I started, I used dance as my
decision-making compass to build a breadth of perspective on how underserved
children can succeed. This experience prepared me to focus on the work I care about
the most – tackling [SAID NON-PROFIT’S] toughest college and career readiness
issues. In the end, I discovered that I am built for this work just like I am built to dance
because every day feels like a performance.
Dance is infused in my spirit, connecting everything I find valuable, challenging, and

beautiful. It is my inner narrative that defines how I will draw meaning from my
experiences at Harvard Business School and perspective in my future career as a
venture philanthropist. It guides every part of who I am as a leader and learner and how
I live my life.
Word count: 706
122
Author’s Comments: “I had been thinking about what to write my essay on for about 6
months. I did three exercises during this time: 1) I wrote down every important moment
in my life I could remember charting back to kindergarten, 2) I re-read all my journals
and 3) I wrote down everything I loved to do and tried to ascribe reasons why I loved
them and looked to draw connections. That writing probably took me 30 hours or so.
The actual essay took me 2 hours. I made very little edits to it when I finished the first
draft. Again, I had been thinking about what to write for quite some time and those
thought exercises helped me frame what was important to me to pen.”
123
ESSAY 37: The Adventurer

Author’s Previous Industry/Profession: Engineering / Construction Management
Author Gender: Male
Analysis: The essay focuses on the author’s adventurous attitude. The author
describes his passion for hiking and how it led him to explore different parts of
the world. He brought the same attitude when he ended up in the Middle East for
his professional assignment. By highlighting just one aspect of his personality,
the author is able to convince the reader that he will bring the same positive and
exploratory attitude towards everything that HBS has to offer. The essay does
not talk about the author’s academic and professional experiences at all as
these details are included in his application and recommendation.
A few things about me… 1) I’m from [SMALL U.S. NORTHEASTERN STATE]. It has a
mixed reputation, but it’s actually a really beautiful place. And if I had a dime for every
time I’ve said that, I’d be sitting on a beach sipping piña coladas right now. 2) When I
was three years old my parents strapped skis to my feet and pushed me down a
mountain. I’ve been hooked ever since. And 3), I love traveling, especially through old,
historic cities, with stories woven through their streets and hidden in unexpected
places.
At my core I’m an explorer, and hiking is by far my favorite way to explore. If I ever
have a few days off, you can bet that I’ll be packing a map, compass, tent, and a lot of
Snickers bars, and trekking into the wilderness. Trekking has brought me to some far-
flung corners of the world, and quite a few moments that I will never forget: standing
on the border of Spain and France, nearly 10,000 feet high in the Pyrenees; sharing a
“dram” of peaty whiskey with a Scottish crofter as he tells me about the crumbled
Medieval ruins we stand by; and seeing the massive smile on my friend’s face as a
herd of shouting baboons crosses our path in the highlands of Ethiopia. I think it’s the
combination of being immersed in nature and the steady rhythm of a hike that puts
people on equal footing and enables us to make deep connections. More than
anything, trekking is a way for me to connect with people and places, whether it’s
124
sharing time with friends and family, or meeting fellow hikers along the way and
exchanging our stories.
After graduating from college, I pursued an adventure of an entirely different kind –

living and working abroad. I’ll admit: when I received my job offer from [LARGE,
GLOBAL ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION COMPANY], I didn’t expect it to be in
[MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRY]. But I have found that the most memorable
experiences often come from taking a leap of faith in the face of uncertainty, even if it’s
just a matter of going left when your trail map says to go right. The pull of a new
adventure, and the opportunity to get to know such an elusive part of the world, was
too strong to resist. At the very least, it was a chance to perfect my desert off-roading
skills on the weekends!
My early days in [MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRY] were marked mostly by social

ineptitudes – there was the time I got some laughs for taking an even number of dates
from a bowl in a restaurant (dates must be eaten in odd numbers only) – but I quickly
met a group of [MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRY’S LOCALS] peers who became close
friends. Guided by my friends’ local knowledge, I found hidden treasures that I would
have otherwise missed; joining 30,000 spectators for the annual [POPULAR LOCAL
CAMEL RACE] was a real highlight. Through these experiences I learned about
[MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRY’S] culture and some of the difficult transitions it is
undergoing as the country’s digital-savvy youth challenge the traditional authority of
religious leaders. In many ways, it made me see my own culture in a new light that has
led me to reconsider some of my views on issues of equality, religion, and government
that we face in the U.S.
But what really made me love this country was exploring the outdoors, and in that way,
connecting with its people and the place itself. On Fridays, the [MIDDLE EASTERN
COUNTRY] day of rest, my friends and I would set out on foot to trek desert paths far
off the city grid. What I had assumed was just empty expanse was, to my excitement,
filled with seas of sand dunes, dramatic rock canyons, and an occasional oasis or hot
spring. I have stumbled into more than my fair share of camel farms, and was invariably
welcomed with a warm Arabic coffee and dates (remember, odd numbers only).
Camping under the stars and waking up in the morning to scramble through slot
canyons, I can attest to the fact that, yes, the desert does get cold at night – even in
the summer!
125
In the end, it’s the two-way experience sharing that pulls me towards exploring new
places and engaging with new people; and my travels continuously reinforce the lesson
that we all have something to learn and something to teach. That applies to [U.S.
NORTHEASTERN STATE] as much as it does to [MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRY]! I
strive to take the adventuring spirit everywhere that I go, and I find it helps me maintain
a focus on constant growth in the professional aspect of my life as much as the
personal. I know that the explorer in me will be just as active over these next two years
at business school, albeit in entirely different ways. I am thrilled to embark on the
journey with this group, and I’m definitely looking forward to sharing my love for hiking.
Who’s up for Mount Kilimanjaro?
Word Count: 851
Author’s comments: It took me a few tries to get something down on paper that I felt
was really authentic and in my own voice. I went through about four different versions,
and six or so drafts of the final version. Start early with a lot of self-reflection and seek
input from others on your essay direction. But remember that it is YOUR essay, so
ultimately it's your decision about what goes in!
126

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The Harbus

Summer 2016 Edition www.Harbus.org // @TheHarbusHBS

MBA ESSAY GUIDE

Summer 2016 Edition

ENCLOSED IS A COLLECTION OF 37 ESSAYS,

The question posed to the HBS Class of 2018:

Each essay in our guide is clear, engaging and consistent, of varying

Always remember, there is no “perfect essay”.

YOU honest reflection about your mo-

START back on drafts of your essay

We also appreciate your support

whether your essay really brings Preeya Sud

Since the aim is to aid you in Micah Lanier

Now there's a better way:

Strengths & Weaknesses - Essays - Resume - Recommendations - Interviews

ApplicantLab has helped people get into MBA programs like

Use code "HARBUS10" for 10% off!

ESSAY 1: The Storyteller .................................................................................................. 4

Author’s Home Country: India

Hello everyone. My name is [APPLICANT’S NAME]. I want to introduce myself using

Teaching is one of my passions. [LARGE PUBLIC U.S. UNIVERSITY] has a program

Word Count: 875

Author’s Home Region: Africa

I am an indigenous [NORTH AFRICAN ETHNIC GROUP] from southern Morocco.

Word Count: 1304

Author’s Home Country: United States Of America

Word Count: 854

Author’s Home Country: United States Of America

I held a similar internal debate as I prepared to begin college, but my excitement to

I am motivated by adding value.

I am motivated by the process of continually learning and understanding the big

I am motivated by educating others.

Throughout my preparatory and collegiate years I held various positions of visible

questions to my answers. I quickly discovered that I love explaining the responsibilities

I am an engineer, and my participation in the classroom will illustrate that, but my

Word Count: 1089

Author’s Home Country: United States

That’s why I initially got involved with [BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING NON-PROFIT], an

Word Count: 640

Author’s Home Country: Japan

I am [APPLICANT’S FULL NAME]. I aim to be an Empowering Business Leader who

My interest in business development in Africa can be traced back to my travel to Africa

One life-changing encounter occurred in Cabinda, Angola. I met [NAME], a refugee

In 2007, I joined [LARGE GLOBAL TRADING & INVESTMENT COMPANY] because it

In particular, a project I initiated in Equatorial Guinea (EG) to acquire and run a

Author’s Home Country: United States of America

As editor-in-chief, one of my responsibilities was to meet in person with senior

Word Count: 915

Author’s Home Country: United States Of America

Analysis: In this essay, the author shares her background of growing up in a

Alongside [NAME OF A HIGHWAY IN UNITED STATES], there is a sign that reads,

With no grocery store or police force, [NAME OF AUTHOR’S HOMETOWN] is the

[NAME OF A UNIVERSITY IN UNITED STATES] basketball changed my life. I

environments where winning is prioritized above long-term athlete well-being. Once at

Word Count: 1034

Author’s Home Country: United States Of America

My interest in motivating others has also energized me professionally. At [NAME OF A

In addition to motivating customers, I’ve discovered how satisfying it is to motivate a

scenes. Across these experiences, I found success in motivating a team by effectively

I am at HBS to build on the skills I’ve started developing in marketing, consumer

Word Count: 948

Author’s Home Country: France

Hi, I am [NAME OF THE AUTHOR], a “[A EUROPEAN NATIONALITY] international”.