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What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals?
The most important thing I learned in school was not taught in any classroom. Through my involvement in different student groups, I learned that I have a passion for leadership. I realized that I was well suited for management. I enjoy connecting with people, getting them to come together to find a solution to a problem and working in partnership to reach a goal. This face-to-face interaction with people involved in a project, an organization, or an idea, and the opportunity to make them passionate about it, is exciting to me. My current job requires me spending many days in close personal contact with a computer monitor. As a missile defense analyst, I know my work is not glamorous, but I enjoy what I do. I am contributing to the defense of my country, I am using my electrical engineering skills, and I am broadening my once limited understanding of aerospace engineering. I read classified documents, I write stories of how ballistic missile conflicts may come about, and I use computer simulations to shoot missiles from threat countries in these wars. But nothing is as enjoyable to me as taking a step back and figuring out how we are going to get it all done. I like being in charge of a project, seeing it through from start to finish. Recently I was the coordinator for a Threat Scenario, directing five of my team members in order to accomplish our goal. It was exhilarating, and it reminded me of when I was the president of a fraternity, in charge of numerous projects and getting everyone to work together. Immediately after graduate school, I hope to find a management position in a technology firm that will allow me to be involved in more leadership activities. I hope to use the management skills that I will learn in school to create many more leadership opportunities. I also need to learn the necessary business skills to compete in the modern corporate environment. I hope to join these skills together with my passion for leadership, for connecting with others, and for creating an atmosphere where people respond to me while I learn from them, and apply this to my love of science and engineering. Continuing to work in a high-tech industry will allow me to do just that. I hope to stay on the innovative path that my current career has allowed. New technologies emerge and inventive approaches come about, allowing the high-tech world to stay fresh all the time. It is an exciting area in which to work, and I would be even more excited to apply all of my skills to a management position in that field. I do not, however, wish to remain a project manager for the rest of my career. I have a long term goal that is another major reason that has brought me to pursue an MBA. I have a strong desire to own and operate a space-technology company. The thought of being in charge, and the feeling I get from leadership is very compelling to me. I have a passion for space science more than any other field of science, and I hope to someday work exclusively in that area. A broad, general background is important for any career, but as I get older I hope to move more into this field. While I recognize that one does not move immediately from business school to CEO, it is something that I will strive towards. I want to be the one who makes the big decisions, and in an industry where I could be ultimately responsible for launching multi-million dollar equipment and even people into space, there are some big decisions to be made. It is also a viable and lucrative industry, still in its infancy. Between government contracts and an emerging commercial sector, the space technology industry is going to be very important in the future. It is my goal to be a part of this. Columbia is an ideal school to help me attain these goals. There are two aspects about Columbia that immediately appealed to me. The first is its well-deserved reputation, which is second to none. Studying at a school of this caliber will allow me to acquire skills and knowledge at a level that very few schools can provide. The second advantage Columbia has over most business schools is its location. New York City is the center of the business world and someone like me who comes with a technical background would do well not only to learn about business in school, but to see business operating everyday. Additionally, as I researched in more detail, I learned that Columbia University has a very strong management school, which is important to my career goals. It also draws people from all over the world, thus providing its students with more of a global perspective. This is important for anyone who wants to operate a business on a global scale, or beyond, as I would like to do someday. Along those same lines, there are opportunities at Columbia, such as the language program, which would assist me in preparing for the international makeup of modern technology businesses. Whatever I end up doing in the future, in any field, Columbia will help me along the way. It is the kind of place that is going to help me attain my goals, and maybe even introduce me to some new ones.
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If you could change one decision you have made, what would it be and why?
I was a little too talkative at times, maybe I joked around a little too much at meetings, but I was also one of the hardest working members of the 2000 01 University of Maryland Senior Council. Consequently, I was selected to be honored at our class graduation ceremony. I was given the choice between leading the procession of Senior Council members and giving the speech about the senior class gift. I had given speeches in front of large crowds before, so it wasn't my nerves that drove me from giving the speech. Inexplicably, I decided I would lead the procession of Senior Council members and carry the school mace. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was because it was the end of five years of hard work and I thought I deserved the easier task. Perhaps I thought there was something appealing about leading the final procession of students in the ceremony. Whatever the reason, I realized soon afterwards that I had made a mistake. I remember thinking about it during graduation. The ceremony is not just for the graduate, it is also for the parents who have invested so much up to this moment. As I walked by my parents, I saw my mom up in the crowd and I thought about how proud she always told me that she was. Then I realized that if I had given that speech, I would have been speaking directly to her. She was the outspoken one in the family, the social one, the reason I could talk to people so easily. She would have been thrilled to see me speak at the ceremony. I had done that sort of thing before, albeit never in front of my parents. I thought it was not a big deal and that I'd have plenty of other opportunities like this for her to see. Unfortunately she passed away about four months later. I missed one of my last opportunities to show her what her son had become. I have her to thank for many of my personality traits, and I see much of her in myself. I wish I had let her see it for herself. I wish I had let her see how much I had become like her in college. Looking back, I still do not understand why I chose carrying the mace over giving the speech. It was an experience I barely remember. Leading a group walking in front of a huge crowd, I was too busy trying not to trip over my own feet to really enjoy the experience. Instead, I could have spoken in front of everyone, and spoken to my father and especially my mother. It would have been a subtle way of saying, "Thank you, you are responsible for me being able to do this," and it would have meant a great deal to them and to me.
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What does it mean to live in a global community?
I had the opportunity to take leadership roles as an undergraduate in college. I learned that good leadership is not something that can be defined by any one trait. Effective leadership ability is comprised of many qualities, which all good leaders should possess. However, in order to be effective, they must be able to connect with the people around them. A leader must inspire those around him or her to act, but must also allow them to do so. Giving words of encouragement and showing a path to move along can be as important as a stirring description of a vision. Additionally, the leader must be able to set an example. People need to see a role model willing to do the same work asked of them. A good leader must bring these aspects together, but my experiences have taught that me even all of this is not enough to be effective. In order to be truly effective, a leader must be able to connect on a personal level with those around. This makes it easier for people to trust the leader's judgment. The ability to successfully perform as a leader is dependant on personal relationships with others. When people see that their judgment is respected, their opinions are valued, and their suggestions are considered seriously, they begin to feel ownership of the organization or project. This is turn makes them more enthusiastic, and a leader is nothing without the hard work of the people being lead. Unless there is a connection with those people, a leader is never truly successful. For example, in college I saw men try to lead a fraternity without understanding the brotherhood. These groups fell behind, and unwilling to put forth any effort, they often got themselves in trouble. Now at work, I see managers who do not bother to learn about their subordinates, and the projects they are working on suffer. Without the ability to communicate, leadership skills can be wasted. A good leader must be able to connect with people in order to lead effectively.
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Please tell us what you feel most passionate about in life.
For me, discovering new places and meeting people from different countries are among the most stimulating experiences life has to offer. As such, I love to travel the world. Working abroad for the first time in San Francisco made me realize how important it is to meet individuals from other countries. NetObjects, an Internet software vendor, had a very different work environment from what I was used to. I discovered an open workplace, with a limited hierarchy and a casual atmosphere. These characteristics seemed to foster employees' creativity and motivation. San Francisco also gave me the opportunity to meet individuals from different backgrounds, and their thinking and experiences challenged my own ideas. I started to seek out diversity as a factor for personal growth. I now take every opportunity I can to broaden my horizons and discover other cultures. My experience in California drove me to travel in countries such as India, Lebanon and Japan. And two years ago, a trip to Mexico was particularly fruitful and allowed me to make close contacts and eventually master a third language, Spanish. In the same way, the Columbia MBA offers an international culture and environment that can challenge my thinking, and allow me to grow through learning about and respecting cultures other than my own. This appreciation of multi-cultural experiences will also be an advantage for my career as an entrepreneur. I envision building a business and eventually expanding it to include employees from the diverse nationalities. In my view, an international culture will help my company be more imaginative and more likely to succeed abroad.
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What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (1000 words)
As a risk analyst at HSBC and formerly a marketing analyst at Capital One, I have developed a passion for shaping business strategies and driving profitable growth of my organization in the financial services industry. I enjoy formulating and implementing business solutions to promote short- and long-term successes of financial products. With an integrated education from Columbia Business School, I want to exert more influence and contributions in the development of business strategies. My short-term post-MBA career goal is to pursue a management opportunity with P&L responsibilities for a financial product. In addition to developing near-term strategies, I will define our long-term business direction and organize group efforts to realize our growth initiatives. As I coordinate projects across functional groups, I will increase my cross-functional knowledge and cultivate my leadership skills. With broad business exposure in the management role, I will continue to hone my analytical abilities and enrich my industry experience. In the long term, my expanded capacities will help me to pursue a senior management position in order to drive strategies at a corporate level. I will focus on managing the strategic growth of my organization in new markets. Because of my interest in the Far East economies, one of my aspirations is to be at the forefront to develop the emerging Asian markets. In particular, as the Chinese financial sector evolves, I want to seize the opportunities to establish market presence for my organization. My understanding of the Chinese culture and language will help me to bridge my organization with the market as we develop our business. In the past four years, I have accumulated valuable professional experiences through expanding my responsibilities in the auto finance and credit card businesses. The undertakings have deepened my knowledge of financial products and the financial services industry. My strategy development work has taught me to maintain an advance planning perspective in the decision-making process. Having worked at two financial institutions, I have also learned to exercise flexibility in devising strategies within different business infrastructures. In addition, my analytical projects have strengthened my problem-solving skills. Through collaborating with my colleagues, I have also obtained valuable teamwork and leadership experiences. Moreover, my work with various functional groups, such as finance and MIS, has broadened my understanding of their expertise. I will continue to build upon my experiences and capabilities as I develop into a business manager. My MBA experience at Columbia Business School will help me to achieve my career goals in many ways. First, the broad-based core curriculum will enable me to cultivate a complete business perspective, which will facilitate my success in the general management role. I will learn about functional aspects that are uncharted by me, such as corporate finance and operations management. In particular, I will understand their significance to the overall business. Secondly, the rigorous finance training will prepare me for a career in P&L management as I deepen my understanding of different profit drivers. I will also expand my knowledge of financial institutions and markets. Thirdly, the international business program will support my long-term ambitions in global business development. I look forward to learning from Professor Robert Fallon about his international banking experiences in his Business and Financial Markets in East Asia course. Besides, I will enhance my leadership abilities through the leadership development course work and collaboration opportunities in team projects. In addition, the cluster system will foster a supportive environment and will promote knowledge exchange. I will broaden my horizon and business exposure through class discussions and interactions with the diverse student community. Meanwhile, my cultural and professional background will enable me to offer a unique perspective to facilitate others in their pursuit of personal and vocational goals. Moreover, I will gain valuable career insights from distinguished business leaders through the lecture series. These intellectual stimulations and my expanded perspective will induce me to refine my ambitions and enhance my roadmap to reaching my goals. Furthermore, my MBA experience will allow me to establish a lifelong professional network, which will open up career prospects and will continue to offer inspirations in years to come. Lastly, the extraordinary program is perfectly supplemented by Columbias proximity to the immense opportunities of New York City. The wealth of firsthand real-world business knowledge, unparalleled access to corporate executives and rich cultural resources will provide me with a phenomenal intellectual experience. The comprehensive curriculum, exceptional finance training, global focus, leadership emphasis, inspiring community and incredible locale have made Columbia Business School my choice for a rewarding MBA experience. With the education and my determination to succeed, I am confident that I will reach my full potential and achieve my career goals.
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If you could change one decision you have made, what would it be and why?
I would reverse my decision to outsource the account volume forecasting function of my risk management group. Six months ago, I reviewed our account volume forecasting methodology for the credit card solicitation campaigns. For the first time, we had an opportunity to employ a statistical approach developed by our statistician group. Results showed that it would improve prediction accuracy by five percent. With the support of management, I decided to outsource our forecasting function to the statistician group to leverage their expertise. Although the new methodology enhanced prediction accuracy, I gradually observed weaknesses in our outsource relationship. Since it required involvement of our statistician group, the process lengthened the project timeline for implementing forecast changes. This limited our flexibility to make adjustments in individual solicitation campaigns. Besides, our statistician group did not have the business knowledge to readily adapt our forecasts for marketing changes. The extra steps complicated our process and opened up possibilities for error. The statistician group also became concerned about their capacity to provide dedicated and ongoing support to our campaigns. In addition, the process obscured my groups ownership of our forecasting function, which was essential to the business. Although we retained responsibility for its performance, we had surrendered direct control of our forecasts. In response, I discussed these issues with the groups and proposed a process change. With their support, our lead statistician and I have begun to develop a new forecasting methodology. We have incorporated strengths of the statistical method in a simplified approach. It will be administered directly by my risk management group. Preliminary results have shown that it will maintain prediction accuracy at the existing level. The new process will restore our project timeline and will re-establish our flexibility in introducing forecast changes. My groups involvement in campaign planning will enable us to promptly reflect marketing changes in our forecasts. The new process will also eliminate our additional work demands on the statistician group. Moreover, it will re-align direct control of the forecasting function to my risk management group. Meanwhile, we will continue to consult our statistician counterparts as we enhance our methodology in the future. This experience has shown me the importance of examining the implementation implications of a process in addition to validating its performance gains. Although we improved forecasting accuracy, our outsource project revealed weaknesses that were hidden initially. By thoroughly considering overall business impact of projects, I will be able to develop better processes and strategies to promote the long-term success of my organization.
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Please select and answer one of the following essay questions. Please use personal experiences in your discussion. (350 words) a. What do you feel makes a person a good leader? b. What does it mean to you to live in a global community?
A global community consists of individuals with diverse talents, personalities, backgrounds and cultures. These differences present conflicts and reveal exciting opportunities. As a global citizen, I believe in my responsibility to confront the challenges as well as my privilege to benefit from the inspiring experience. As a Chinese who grew up in Hong Kong and who pursued study and work in the United States, I have developed sensitivity towards cultural differences. My company has a large international population, which makes it a small global community. Through my workplace interactions, I have learned to cope with the daily challenges faced by a global citizen. For instance, once a newcomer in our group spoke very fast with a strong accent in a phone conference. Many online participants did not fully comprehend his ideas, while our physical constraint added further challenge to the communication. After our meeting, I offered feedback to my colleague. He gratefully accepted it and has since changed his communication style. In addition to resolving conflicts, I have helped to promote cultural understanding in my community. During my undergraduate years, I participated in various cultural activities through the International Association. I enjoyed sharing the customs and traditions of my country with others. In return, the experiences broadened my horizon as I deepened my knowledge of various cultures. Living in a global community, I am also fascinated by its unprecedented opportunities. Recently, our company decided to establish a service center in India. Our senior executive explained that his management team had researched various locations and had selected India for its competitive pricing. His example, and many others, has inspired me to maintain an open and creative perspective as I explore the potentials of a global community. With diversity and globalization, my personal and professional life has become more challenging and rewarding. By remaining sensitive and inquisitive, I will continue to contribute to and benefit from living in a global community.
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Please select and answer one of the following essay questions. (250 words) a. Please tell us about what you feel most passionate. b. If you were given a free day and could spend it anywhere, in anyway you choose, what would you do?
I feel most passionate about basketball. My fervor for the sport developed when I played on a class team in high school. Over the years, I have participated in many amateur games. Recently, I have joined a local recreational league, which holds weekly practices and competitions. It energizes me to take part in a team with players who share my enthusiasm for basketball. We uphold a common vision, pursue a collective goal, support one another in tough competitions and share our joy at victories. Through the games, we have developed mutual trust and strong friendships that can only be fully appreciated by others who participate in similar team sports. In addition, basketball fascinates me with its challenges at the personal and team levels. I enjoy stretching my limits to enhance my skills and to better support the performance of my teammates. It is immensely fulfilling to see my efforts pay off in my improved skills. Lastly, I love basketball for its excitement, intensity and surprises. The fast-paced game presses me to remain focused, since an opportunity can emerge and vanish on a blink while a lead may be reversed in seconds. The team spirit, continual challenges and ultimate thrill of basketball have drawn me onto the court through these years. I deeply cherish the joy I have found in the sport and it will always maintain a special place in my life.
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If you could change one decision you have made, what would it be and why? (Minor: Recommended 500 word limit)
I am currently leading a regional photography shoot for the Middle East, an experience that calls for both leadership and teamwork skills. Advertising, as a field, inherently requires an ability to balance these two attributes. Managing six highly differentiated markets adds an extra dimension to this combination. Several markets in the Middle East recently launched the Nestli Pure Life Home & Office Service. While the local agencies develop the communication pieces appropriate to advertise this drinking water in their market, they have neither the resources nor the finances to initiate large-scale shoots. Internationally we agreed to prepare an image bank to create efficiencies, provide them with high quality photographs, and control the Nestli Pure Life brand image. Publicis Dubai developed the creative concepts and I managed the project out of Paris. I liaised with the art director, the photographer, the international client, and local markets to develop lifestyle images that projected the global brand image while taking local realities into consideration. As the centralizing force, I enhanced the team's effort by ensuring each individual's contribution lead to a unified whole that could be used throughout the region, and potentially adapted in Latin America. As a leader, I initiated the project by convincing the international client of the project's long-term benefits and developed a procedure to manage the process. I supervised creative development and decided how to balance the constraints of each market. I judged how to weigh the requirements of an extremely regulated Saudi Arabia with the desires of a western-influenced market such as Lebanon. Even a seemingly simple decision such as how the traditional costume is worn varies between markets and influences the end use of the shot. Above all, I resolved conflict and ensured all decisions were made in accordance with the budget. Many of these skills are inherent to advertising. The very definition of client services is to manage expectations. It can mean convincing an Art Director that his work, while creatively valuable, does not address the marketing needs of the Client or playing a mediating role between a creative director and a producer. On an international level, this demand is amplified. Explaining to a Dubai art director that the French Client does not like the Lebanese photographer's vision of an image that will be used in Turkey requires great leadership, as well as tact. In particular, I believe I enhanced the project by encouraging the various local agencies to work together through the international unit, of which I am a part. Previously the local Middle Eastern agencies were accustomed to focusing on their individual markets and reporting to only the Client in their country. My work has ensured that each individual is now aware of each other's action, and is willing to take each other's ideas into consideration. In short, I tried to bring my cross-cultural teamwork skills to the local markets.
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What does it mean to you to live in a global community?
Each February, my team at work leads a two-day seminar in Paris. Managers from local Publicis agencies around the world are invited, and every year a different issue is addressed. Approximately one hundred managers, representing sixty nations worldwide, gather to discuss the business, address common concerns, lend each other support, and bring a new perspective home to their agencies. Last year we focused on tactics for winning the Nescafi business worldwide, currently managed in only a handful of Publics agencies. We were divided into four teams: not based on regions of the world, but on the situation of Nescafi in our individual markets. Representing France, I worked with colleagues from different markets, with one thing in common: that we all lived in a coffee drinking country where the population preferred roast and ground coffee to instant. This could be considered a true global project, but it was only an initial step. Upon returning home, each market was asked to relate the strategy to local consumer insights. Companies are becoming increasingly multi-national. Yet, cultural differences remain important. My client, Nestli Waters International, has the ability to mass produce a drinking water and export it to fifteen different countries. We can easily hop on a plane, and in twelve hours sit in a meeting room halfway across the world, discussing brand attributes in a common language. Yet, the person in Nigeria who might utilize his scarce pocket change to buy a pouch of our water has probably never left the country. Does he purchase our brand because of the international Nestli name or because we have created an accessible product that understands his concerns? While the same brands are available worldwide, how they are presented, how they are used, how they speak to the consumer and how they are distributed is different. Working on international communication developments I have had the opportunity to delve deeply into local market situations, and have learned how vital it is to understand the native culture. A sound business plan is ineffective if it does not take into account how the local consumer thinks; likewise, the executive must comprehend how a company functions in another culture. Technology and communication have made the world more accessible, but they have not erased cultural differences. Living in a global community means understanding how to balance international necessities and local realities.
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If you were given a free day and could spend it anywhere, in any way you choose, what would you do?
If I were given a free day to spend anywhere, I would take a one-day trip to Saudi Arabia. I have always loved to travel, but had never really explored the Middle East until recently. Last February, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop in Cairo. I must admit that I held many preconceived notions about the region. Heading to Egypt a few weeks before the war with Iraq was due to break out, I was wary of how the other participants, representing mostly Middle Eastern nations, would view me. I experienced quite a shock. Over the course of five days, my image of the Middle East was turned upside down. Over dinners, we discussed topics ranging from Islam's bearing on professional and personal behavior to my colleagues' views on the war. The conservative, one-sided image I had built in my mind was replaced by the understanding of a multi-faceted culture trying to balance tradition with the freedoms of the 21st century. Recent meetings in Beirut have supported this discovery and further opened my mind. Yet, I am still unfamiliar with the more conservative Gulf region. I work closely with Saudi Arabia, but as a women, do not have the right to apply for a professional visa. If given the opportunity, I would like to experience life there first-hand. Only by spending time with a local family and participating in their functions could I see what lies behind the image projected in the media. The experience would allow me to scratch beyond the surface and witness the small cultural details that truly define the country.
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ESSAY 1 WHAT ARE YOUR SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM POST-MBA GOALS? HOW WILL COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL HELP YOU ACHIEVE THESE GOALS? (MAJOR ESSAY - RECOMMENDED 1000 WORD LIMIT)
Career Goal I have achieved success in my field through a formal technical education, a valuable hands-on management experience in an international setting, the mastering of three languages, and an in-depth knowledge of the Civil Aviation field. After being a line manager for several years, I am convinced that my skills are best suited for a senior management position. This goal can be only realized upon graduation of the Columbia MBA program. To achieve this, I need to round up my education in areas of Strategic Management, Organizational Behavior and especially Corporate Finance. Civil Aviation has become a very challenging field, with terrible threats but also great rewards. Entrepreneurial and determined in nature, I have already seen some exciting opportunities; However, I want to be a well-rounded businessperson prior to pursuing some of these options. Equipped with the combination of my existing skills and experience, and the training and credibility a Columbia MBA will allow, I believe I can attain my long-term goal: That of holding a general management position within a global player of the Civil Aviation industry. Why Columbia ? - US MBA with a strong international focus When considering my options for education, I focused on where in the world I needed my future diploma to be recognized, and where I required my network of contacts to be located. European by birth, having lived many years in North America, and opened to the idea of exploring further continents, I intend to graduate from an MBA program recognized worldwide. While a top US Business School will definitely be a strong reference in Europe, I do not believe the opposite is true to the same extent. I therefore believe that a US MBA provides me with the widest opportunities after graduation, both through diploma recognition and Alumni network. With a focus on getting the US perspective on business issues, I too want my future MBA program to be global. With 30% of students being international, I believe that Columbia MBA is the perfect fit for me. Why Columbia? - Program duration Having a considerable work experience, and not looking for a career switch but rather a vertical career path within my industry, I am convinced that the duration of the Columbia 'J' program is a key element. This accelerated program is in that respect best suited to my needs, as it will require less time out of the job market. Why Columbia Full Time MBA ? Finally, when my choice was narrowed down to Columbia, I considered starting the joint Global Executive MBA between Columbia and London Business School. After analysis, however, I came to the conclusion that I would rather dedicate 16 months to my learning and life experience rather than spending part of my energy commuting between two continents. Personal Goal: Further developping an international way of life Initially, moving from France to Canada, then to Austria, then back to Canada, was very exciting. The thrill reached its peak when I was commuting between Vienna and Ottawa, living three weeks in each city, for two years: I had the feeling of getting so much more than just 'my share of life'. Now however, boarding a plane from Ottawa to Vienna has become as usual as taking a subway. What I am looking forward to through the Columbia MBA, on a personal level, is to open wide again the tap of life. After having lived and integrated myself into Austria, Canada and France, I want to broaden my views by further developing my international and cross-cultural experiences. I believe that Columbia Business School can help me to reach that goal in two ways: First, I am looking forward to making further friends out of different backgrounds. I have seen by myself, while attending social events on the campus, that the Columbia life experience will allow me to meet friends from diverse origins, citizenships and cultures. Second, while visiting Columbia Business School, I was told about the MBA program itself and about New York City, that 'it's like drinking from a fire hose'. I am looking forwards to such an intense way of life, both trough my studies at Columbia Business School and my personal experiences in New York City.
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MAJOR ESSAY (Re-applicant Essay) - Please provide an update regarding your professional progress since you last applied, clearly stating how you will apply the tools of the MBA in meeting your short term and long term goals. Articulate why you still feel strongly about getting a Columbia MBA and how you feel Columbia will help you reach your goals.
I am pleased to report that my 'traditional' professional life is going well. In light of the current job market, I have not only managed to remain employed but also secured a promotion to the next level at Capco. I was officially awarded the title 'Consultant' in February 2002. Since then, I have been co-managing the development of a formal middle office function for HVB (HypoVereinsbank) New York. There, I developed and implemented the initial set of applications and models that are currently being used by the group to support the bank's various trading desks. The middle office's primary function is to calculate and analyze the mark-to-market profit and loss (unrealized), accrual income (realized), and cost-of-funds (carry) for a $50 billion hedged balance sheet. Life has been good, but what I am about to share with you makes it even better and more exciting. Intuition suggests that in a city with 8.8 million residents, the probability of 'bumping' into people from a past life is infinitesimal. Yet, New York is small world, after all. Only a few weeks after I received Columbia's decision regarding my application to its 2002 MBA program, I ran into one of my best friends from high school with whom I had lost touch. It turned out that Dave was a real estate lawyer for a highly specialized practice in midtown Manhattan. That re-earned him my immediate respect. You see, right around then, I had just finished reading The Real Estate Game by Bill Poorvu. It is a book about the real estate business that aims to generate an interest for those people currently practicing allied professions such as banking, law and consulting. I was convinced that 'Dave' was a sign; he practically fell into my lap. That evening, albeit another excuse to grab drinks and catch up with an old friend, marked the beginning of my foray into real estate as an investment opportunity and hopefully as a career. This has been the focal point of my activities for the last six months. I have spent time clarifying my vision, identifying my short and long-term goals, educating myself extensively about the real estate markets and completing the purchase of our first investment property. Currently, we are in the process of launching an investment partnership, recruiting a third partner for our business venture and negotiating the purchase of three more condominiums in Edgewater, NJ. I have also been nominated to participate in this year's elections to my home building's Board Association. I hope to relinquish my title as Junior Officer and be elected as one of the seven primary Board Members required to serve in the association as per the bylaws of our building. If all goes well, I should be well on my way towards achieving my short-term goals. I am not certain about how this transformation in my interests came about, but I am willing to bet that Bill Poorvu had a lot to do with it. Suddenly, several decades of working my way up the corporate ladder in a generic investment-banking field no longer sounded so relishing. That career track seems too focused and too bland. Instead, I would like to pursue a longer-term involvement in real estate, perhaps even become involved in 'development.' This is a more interesting, stimulating and exciting field that combines widespread activities under one roof, which include structuring deals, raising capital and managing people. Furthermore, the lack of profitable investment opportunities in today's equity markets is translating into more investors cashing out and waiting on the sidelines. Real estate is poised to be a strong winner in this equation. The excesses of the past are gone, and both lenders and borrowers have become increasingly disciplined. Yet, their options are limited. As the total issuance of government securities decline, in conjunction with the demise of the 30-year Treasury Long Bond, 'Ginnie' and 'Freddie' will emerge as the new benchmarks for long-dated 'cost of funds.' I am convinced that real estate stands to be one of the biggest beneficiaries from the potential inflow of capital tied to this newfound popularity for mortgage-backed securities. In midst of this phenomenon, I see a tremendous opportunity for myself. I am multilingual, possess knowledge of the capital markets and have a strong technical background in finances. My academic and professional experiences can be a very positive catalyst for my success in real estate development. I am convinced that such a career is a good choice for me! The next stage is very critical. While I may have already laid the foundation for my short-term goals, I recognize that an MBA in Real Estate Finance from Columbia is the necessary ingredient to help me achieve my long-term goals. It is the best platform to gain the necessary legitimacy, confidence and network to learn how I can successfully convert the aforementioned drivers of change into opportunities for myself. As you can imagine, I am most interested in Columbia's Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate. In reviewing the program's 'course map,' I was particularly impressed by how well the two-year curriculum integrates specifics related to both real estate and corporate finance through a rigorous course of study that blends theory with practice led by actual professionals in the industry. The salient strength of Columbia's Real Estate program is the dual advantage of receiving a top-ranked MBA education in one of the most opportunistic and diverse real estate markets in the industry. I am equally enthusiastic about joining Columbia's Real Estate Association and becoming an active member. In short, I am ready for a MBA now. My career goals are clear and concise. I recognize the huge benefit in having a home-field advantage, and Columbia's 'New York advantage' is what makes your institution the only choice on my list.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Personal Statement (Essay 1)
Setbacks are my strongest sources of inspiration. Long ago I lost the conviction that lights would automatically turn green for me, and with each red light I encounter, I use its glow to illuminate my shortcomings. After working to improve the deficiencies that had impeded my progress, I re-present myself at the important intersection where I once was refused passage. After applying to the Columbia Business School MBA program for September 2002 entrance on January 22, 2002, I was interviewed and waitlisted. After spending several months conducting a waitlist campaign with Associate Director XXXX, I was turned down for admission. In the time since that disappointing event, I have enhanced my competitiveness for admission to Columbia Business School, and have further clarified my educational and career goals. Now, as I submit my Early Decision reapplication, I request a sincere reevaluation from the Admissions Committee for September 2003 entrance. Reassertion of First-Choice Interest Columbia Business School is, and always has been, my first choice institution for graduate business study. My prior experience with Columbia Business School personnel and students is extensive: while earning my MA in XXXX at Columbia, I worked closely with members of the Graduate Business Association, spoke with MBA students about Columbia course offerings in conflict resolution, and attended various Business School events. Thus, my interest in the School is a truly informed interest. Given my career aspirations in the media industry, the School's renowned media concentration and proximity to major media companies further intensifies my interest in attending the School. Improved GMAT Score and Academic Profile I recognize that an applicants GMAT score is an important indicator of future performance in graduate business coursework. Thus, I have improved my GMAT score to a total score of XXX, with a more evenly balanced XX/XX verbal/quantitative performance. In a sincere effort to further prepare myself for the quantitative rigors of the Schools coursework, I have completed an Introduction to Financial Accounting course given by XXXX, and I am currently finishing an Economics for Managers course also given by XXXX. My performance in the accounting course merited excellent marks (see enclosed transcript), and my performance to date in the economics course, including a midterm exam and class assignments, has been of A-level caliber (see enclosed note from course professor regarding midterm exam performance). My performance on quantitative coursework is summarized in the following list of courses: (Relevant quantitative courses and my grades for them were listed here.) Additional Recommender With new recommender XXX, I have now submitted four recommendations to the School. Following is a summary of these recommenders, their relationships to me, and their backgrounds. (Summary of recommenders and their backgrounds was included here.) Continuing Accomplishments I have led my media company XXXX through a very difficult period in U.S. economic history, and have maintained month-to-month profitability for XXXX. In a sense, my company has come full circle: the company was initially well-capitalized (I raised $XXXX million in order to establish company operations), then suffered financial difficulties (I found it impossible to raise additional rounds of financing as the recession worsened), then experienced financial stabilization (I reengineered the companys product focus and distribution strategy and attained consistent profitability). In order to detail the recent accomplishments of XXXX under my leadership, I have enclosed a scrapbook explaining the nature of recent XXXX products, and the strategies for marketing and selling these products. The financial stabilization of XXXX has not meant rapid growth for the company. When I founded XXXX, I believed that it had the potential for high growth and massive revenue. I believed that it could redefine instructional media. Though XXXXs innovations continue to positively affect the media industry landscape, I no longer have such lofty beliefs about my company. XXXX is, and will probably remain, a small business that occupies a unique niche for sports media. Because I no longer believe in the high-growth potential of XXXX, and because recent changes in equity structure and investor ownership would allow my eventual departure, I see XXXX as a training ground. In this training ground, I have gained leadership experience that belies my relative youth, and I have demonstrated my ability to forge a reality from a vision. Long-Term Career Mission and Vision My mission is to positively influence the world of media. The media arena is my industry of choice because media executives must draw upon personal creativity as well as traditional business skills, and because I believe that interactive media is poised to profoundly change the course of human history. My vision is one of myself in a leadership position with a major corporation that maintains holdings in many areas of the media industry. In this position, I will champion new forms of interactive media that deepen the quality of global communication, that enhance scientific and cultural understanding, and that enable our involvement in our own entertainment. Examples of these new forms of interactive media include the pervasion of video satellite phones, the development of second-generation Internet educational delivery, and the widespread introduction of interactive television. The most progressive innovations in media come from small, independent companies whose autonomy has allowed them to be at the forefront of technological innovation. However, these innovative companies often do not have the resources to achieve worldwide pervasion of their products; this pervasion is best achieved through cooperation with an established media conglomerate. Thus, within the environment of a titan media corporation, the optimal method of influencing the embracement of new media technologies is to ascend to a strategic position that oversees mergers, acquisitions, and strategic investments. Such a position typically lies within the discipline of corporate development and strategic planning. The corporate development function manages company growth and shapes the strategic direction of the company. Corporate development executives are vigilant evaluators of small company acquisition targets, and they are skilled financial dealmakers. In their capacity as evaluators of small companies and new products, it is very helpful for corporate development executives to have entrepreneurial experience. This experience, I have: I am skilled in the assessment of the health and potential of entrepreneurial endeavors. The second type of necessary training, I do not have: I lack the education in finance and corporate strategy required for the construction of elaborate merger and acquisition deals. It is this gap in competencies that makes my education at Columbia Business School imperative. Short-Term Educational and Career Goals Upon entering Columbia Business School, it is my aim to become heavily involved in the activities and organizations that encompass the School's Media, Entertainment & Communications concentration. In addition to my core curriculum coursework, I will emphasize the financial and strategic aspects of media, by completing courses such as Media Economics and Accounting in Media. I will seek office in the Media Management Association, and will seek membership in other clubs, such as the Motion Pictures Business Association, the Harlem Tutorial Program, and the Ski Club. During my two years at the School, I will make a special effort to further improve the quality of the Schools relationships with the media industry, and to increase the number of media firms recruiting on campus. For a summer internship, I will seek an analyst-level (or department rotational) position with a New York based media corporation. Such companies might include centralized conglomerates such as AOL Time Warner or Viacom, or their subsidiary companies, such as HBO or MTV. As my courtship with media firms progresses, I will nurture contacts in corporate development and strategic planning departments, especially those within the company with which I complete my internship. Prior to graduation, I will aggressively seek a role that will position me for ascendance within these departments. Possible position titles include Senior Analyst of Corporate Development (with a large media corporation) or VP of Corporate Development (with a mid-size media organization). From my beginnings in that role, I will prove my ability to identify advantageous strategic directions for the company, and to create important acquisition and investment deals. The result will be a media company on the leading edge of interactive technology, one whose finger stays on the pulse of independent innovations. Conclusion To Columbia Business Schools 2003 entering class, I will contribute a practical understanding of all the operational functions of a media company, and an unending enthusiasm for future innovations in interactive media. I will emerge from Columbia Business School with new skills in corporate finance and strategy, new contacts in the New York media industry, and a focused knowledge of corporate media dealmaking dynamics. By ascending through a major media company's corporate development function, I will attain a senior strategic position characterized by the acquisition of, and investment in, leading independent media technology companies, not unlike the company I founded years earlier. After being denied admission to Columbia Business School on my first attempt, I have cast a critical eye over my qualifications. I have demonstrated my commitment with an Early Decision application, I have improved my GMAT score and my academic profile, I have submitted a fourth recommendation, I have continued my professional and personal accomplishments, and I have further clarified my career goals. I thank the Admissions Committee in advance for its thoughtful, thorough assessment of my improved qualifications for admission. Sincerely,
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Recommended 1000 word limit)
As long as I can remember, I have always been technically inclined and curious. One of my earliest memories is of an alarm clock my mother gave me while she looked after the household chores. I recall repeatedly disassembling and reassembling the alarm clock to discover how it worked. My favorite childhood book was entitled 'How? Why? When? Where?' and those are the questions I still like to ask today. Thus it is no surprise that I was drawn to the areas of mathematics and science in my education and excelled at them. When it was time to choose a college major, I elected to study electrical engineering. At the time, I knew what I enjoyed doing and learning about but I did not know what type of career I wanted. I did know that I wanted to work with technology. It was in my junior and senior year in college that the possibility of a career in technology management occurred to me. I was involved in several group projects and found myself moving naturally into a project management role. Although a leader was not chosen formally, I took on the responsibility of determining project milestones and delegating tasks. The experience was challenging as it required not only technical skills but also interpersonal skills. I also discovered the benefits of teamwork and that I enjoyed working with people as part of the team environment. When it was time to graduate from college, I made the decision to pursue graduate studies in engineering. This may seem out of place for someone aspiring to a position in technology management. However, this was part of a plan that will help me achieve my short-term career goal of managing an R&D design team. I believe that to be successful in technology management, I must also understand the underlying technical issues facing the people to whom I am providing leadership. Thus, I have focused on the development of my technical skills and knowledge. Currently, I am employed as an R&D design engineer at Agilent Technologies, and on excellent track for a leadership position. One of the technologies I invented is awaiting a patent award and is being developed into a marketable product. This is a significant accomplishment as most R&D projects fail to make the transition from research to development. Having full autonomy over my R&D projects, I have continued to build on my time management skills by setting project milestones and prioritizing tasks. By working with all levels of management and engineers from other disciplines, I have also developed and refined my interpersonal skills. However, continuing in my present role will only enhance my technical skills. To achieve my short-term career goal of becoming an R&D manager, I believe I need to understand other aspects of business, such as manufacturing, finance and marketing. Although I will be able to gain such experiences within Agilent, this will require a long time. An MBA from Columbia can provide me with a wider exposure in a compressed time frame, thus accelerating my learning. The experiences I gain within Agilent are also limited to Agilent's 'way' of doing things. By entering the MBA program at Columbia, I will have the opportunity to learn about other styles of management, which will facilitate the development of my own leadership style. Furthermore, now is an opportune time for me to take advantage of the learning opportunities Columbia offers while the relative costs of attending business school still remains low. Specifically, I need to develop the quantitative analytical skills that would allow me to evaluate the likelihood of success of R&D projects, both technically and commercially. Since companies have limited resources, it is vital that those resources be allocated to research efforts that will contribute to the company's growth and success. This has become even more important in today's economic environment. Columbia's highly regarded Decision, Risk, and Operations Division will allow me to develop these skills. I also believe that many technical managers are poorly prepared to make such decisions with little or no training in business. By obtaining an MBA, I will be able to supplement my technical skills with business knowledge, making me a well-rounded manager. I have also encountered several situations in my career where a promising technology or a technically superior product was not successful in the marketplace. Technical excellence itself is not sufficient to guarantee a successful product. An MBA from Columbia will give me a better understanding of what market drivers determine the success or failure of a product and how to factor them into R&D decision-making process. The Columbia MBA experience will also help me achieve my short and long-term goal by accelerating my personal growth. The demanding and sustained workload at Columbia will stretch me emotionally and mentally, allowing me to develop a greater capacity for stress and to improve my self-confidence. This will result in more effective decision-making under pressure and uncertainty. Until now, most of my personal interactions have been limited to people with backgrounds similar to mine; highly educated students or professionals in the technical field. My time at Columbia will broaden my interpersonal experience by exposing me to people from diverse educational backgrounds, with various levels of career achievement, and with different professional aspirations. The heterogeneous student body at Columbia will enhance my international experience and also allow me to calibrate my strengths and weaknesses on an international level. I will be able to identify the areas I am particularly good at, and the areas where I should focus my self-improvement efforts. Though in the short term, a Columbia MBA is indeed a major investment, I believe that the longer-term rewards of a Columbia MBA are significant. An MBA from Columbia, together with the personal growth from my Columbia experience, will allow me to progress from my short-term goal of being an R&D manager to my long-term goal of starting my own high-tech company.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
If you could change one decision you have made, what would it be and why? (Recommended 500 word limit)
If I could change a decision that I have made, it would be to move out and live on my own when I entered college rather than to stay at home. The higher education system in Australia is very different compared to that in the United States. Unlike the United States where certain colleges, such as Columbia, are renowned for their quality of education, most Australian colleges are academically comparable. A graduate of one college does not have a significant advantage over a graduate of another college when it comes to education and subsequent career opportunities. Thus when it was time to choose a college, there was no incentive for me to relocate. Deciding to stay at home while attending the local college was a natural progression from high school. Although I had considered the possibility of moving interstate, I decided against it for pragmatic reasons. At the time, the perceived benefits of attending an interstate college did not outweigh the financial costs. It was not until after I spent a year in Japan as an exchange student that I realized the value of living independently. When I lived at home in Australia, I led a somewhat sheltered life. My sole responsibility, shaped by my parents, was to do well in my studies. To ensure this, my parents did everything else for me, from the laundry to the cooking. I had little understanding or appreciation of life outside of academic pursuits. Thus, my time in Japan became a time of rapid personal growth. It was both my first time in a foreign country by myself, and living independently away from home. On a very basic level, balancing academic demands with the mundane tasks of life, such as doing the laundry, was challenging. Through this experience, I also gained emotional independence. In Japan, I did not have the advice of my parents to guide me. I had to make my own decisions, based on my own judgments, and lived with the consequences. For example, I chose to rent my own apartment to develop my independence, and took a part-time job to help supplement my living expenses. I also became more resourceful intellectually and emotionally in order to meet the challenges of independent life in a foreign country. Since Japan, I have learned that there is more to life than academic pursuits, and have subsequently led a more balanced life. I have developed effective time management skills, skills that were invaluable when I pursued graduate studies at Stanford University. I have also come to appreciate the value of how an intensive life experience can be an accelerated path to emotional maturity. My life experiences and personal growth would have been enhanced had I been on my own earlier. As a result, I try to anticipate the skills I need to succeed later in life and place myself in situations that will develop them. Pursuing an MBA at Columbia is part of my preparation to become a successful leader of a high-tech company.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Please use personal experiences in your discussion. What does it mean to you to live in a global community? (Recommended 350 word limit)
Living in a global community means to develop skills that transcend cultural, social and religious boundaries, allowing me to be more effective in communicating with and leading people of different backgrounds. The world is becoming more and more international each day, and an understanding and appreciation of other cultures is essential to have a fulfilling personal life and a rewarding professional life. I speak from experience as I am product of a global community. I spent my childhood in Singapore, my youth in Australia and my adult life in the United States. I have lived in four different countries including one of the most densely populated and one of the least densely populated. My education took place on three different continents and I have degrees from Anglo-American institutes of higher learning. Baptized into the Christian faith, I have lived in a Buddhist country. I speak four different languages and can communicate with 1.4 billion of the world's 6.0 billion citizens. Furthermore, my current work environment is a global community in itself consisting of a Chinese Australian, a Taiwanese, a Swiss, and two Americans. My experiences have opened my eyes to the uniqueness of different cultures and societies. Living in a global community has made me aware of the values and beliefs of each culture, as well as their taboos and customs. By drawing upon this knowledge, I have developed a unique way of communicating by tailoring my approach based on the person's background, whether they are my colleagues or people I meet on my travels. I am able to understand the rationale behind a person's decision, behavior or value system which is important when leading a global team. As a result of living in a global community, I have developed the skills to lead and communicate effectively with people from different backgrounds. I have also acquired an appreciation and understanding of the importance of heterogeneity in any environment. These are the skills that will allow me to become a more productive and effective global citizen and leader.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
If you were given a free day and could spend it anywhere, in any way you choose, what would you do? (Recommended 250 word limit)
If I were given a free day, I would spend it taking photographs. I have a deep interest in photography though this was not always the case. My interest in photography developed the moment I realized that the world is a very different place when seen through a lens. How many times have we taken a photo of something beautiful only to be disappointed by the results? On the other hand, how many times have we taken a photo of something boring only to be amazed by the captured emotion? A photograph has the ability to capture what words cannot describe. 'A picture says a thousand words', the saying goes, but I prefer to say, 'A photograph tells a story'. To me, a compelling photograph is as captivating as a New York Times best seller. A photograph can make us cry, it can make us laugh. It does not matter where I spend my day taking photographs because photography has taught me to approach a subject from different perspectives, both literally and figuratively. Photography has taught me to see the beauty in the bleakest landscape and to find hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. Thus no matter where I go, I am constantly on the lookout for photographic opportunities. And no matter what life throws at me, I always try to find the good in every situation.
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Essay Question:
Career goals - Major essay
In the short term, I would like to use the skills I learn and the connections I make at the Columbia Business School to help construct the financial market for environmental credits, specifically the carbon dioxide market. My studies will build on the work Im currently doing in this field and give me the background to excel in higher levels of management. Long-term, there are many other related environmental commodity markets that are either in their infancy or have not yet been thought of and having established a track record of experience in carbon dioxide, I would like to branch out and develop new models for managing environmental financial resources. I am currently doing economic analysis and market research for the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), the first and only greenhouse gas emissions exchange in North America. This job, between semesters at Columbias School for International and Public Affairs, has allowed me to build on the knowledge and skills Ive developed in my undergraduate studies in environmental science, the management and sales skills gleaned from years of managing an internet-based fresh food delivery business, and my studies in the International Energy Management and Policy Program at SIPA. Additionally, it has provided me with a perfect outlet to blend my skills and interests in energy, environment, finance and management. CCX was developed by Richard L. Sandor, the architect of financial futures and former chief economist of the Chicago Board of Trade, as way for companies to trade reduction credits, which are generated when a company is able to successfully reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by becoming more energy efficient, switching to a cleaner fuel, or changing management practices in the case of many chemical emissions sources. I have an excellent understanding of the environmental side of the business from my experience in the environmental field and a knack for the financial side, but I believe that a CBS education will equip me with the best financial skills to master the usage of financial derivatives so that I can design financial options and futures contracts for environmental financial markets. Additionally, there is a lot Id like to learn from CBS marketing courses, in order to be effective in promoting the concept of environmental financial markets. I will continue my studies at SIPA while at CBS. The International Energy Management and Policy program provides excellent detailed analytical courses specific to the energy industry, but in my belief the program is somewhat lacking in instruction in the financial background necessary to be an effective leader in the energy field. I will continue to take energy-related courses at SIPA, while developing financial, organizational and marketing skills necessary to pursue my career goals at CBS. When I graduate from Columbia with a joint degree from SIPA and CBS, I will be well equipped to work in the strategy and planning for an exchange like CCX. I am excited to commence work in designing and marketing financial products and systems that function well by serving the interests of capital markets for profit from trading in well-delineated and quantified commodities, while stimulating clean industrial development. Armed with an environmental ethic and an understanding of each of the players in a successful capital market, I will be well-positioned in my career to bring to fruition the ideas of pioneers in the design of environmental financial products like Dr. Sandor. Just as he was able to design an innovative solution to an investor risk problem using interest rate futures in the 1970s and an innovative solution to an environmental problem in the 1990s using the financial markets, I hope that I will be able to further develop the models we are currently working with to provide solutions to the environmental problems of tomorrow.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
I am reapplying within 12 months of my original application, so Columbia Business School asks only one question: "How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied and reiterate your short-term and long-term goals. Explain how the tools of the Columbia MBA will help you to meet your goals and how you plan to participate in the Columbia community"
I am reapplying to Columbia because I believe that I have substantially improved
my candidacy since last year. I also believe I may be better suited to the
16-month program than the 2-year program to which I originally applied.
I will focus my reasons for my reapplication on five key areas of improvement:
1. Enhanced personal qualities: leadership, international perspective, and
business maturity
2. More focused goals
3. Clearer "why Columbia"
4. Clearer "why MBA"
5. Clearer "why now"
~~~~~~~~
1. ENHANCED PERSONAL QUALITIES
I have developed enhanced personal qualities in several ways. Most importantly,
I have lived most of the time since my original application (6.5 months) in the
Netherlands (on transfer from the Firm's San Francisco office), which presents a
unique opportunity to build business maturity, gain exposure to new ideas, and
experience world cultures.
Living in the Netherlands, I developed a greater ability to learn from and
contribute to the international aspect of Columbia through working in teams with
non-US clients and consultants. For instance, I like complex sentence structures
and colorful language. Here, I realized that to be persuasive (and understood),
I
need to communicate as clearly and simply as possible. Also, I had to improve my
ability to receive communication, as non-native speakers rarely understand or
produce the subtle intonational nuances that Americans use to give meaning to
words. I also had to adjust to new ways of working with clients, who are
typically more focused on "the task" than in the States. Because families are
tighter-knit here, there is much greater pressure to finish the day's work by
19h
(7pm). One of my clients once said that he needed to leave in the early evening
because, "I have no light on my bicycle." (I am still trying to adjust to seeing
suit-clad executives pedaling ramshackle old bicycles through Amsterdam's rush
hour.)
I also traveled to 17 countries in Europe this summer for both business and
pleasure, where I focused on learning the history, culture, and business
climate.
I have visited 47 countries since 2001-I am really fascinated by how others
live-and my travel website receives 200,000 unique visitors a year. This summer,
I have tried to piece together WWII history to gain greater understanding of
eternal questions like "why war?". Not until one experiences places like
Auschwitz-Birkeneau, Stalinist torture/execution chambers in the former USSR,
and
young Anne Frank's Amsterdam hideout, can he understand why so many men my age
sacrificed their lives on the shores of Utah Beach and the hills of "the Bulge."
My recent client work allows me to bring to Columbia greater leadership ability
and a sharper general manager perspective than in my first application. My
current 6-month project in the Netherlands has exposed me to a situation where
nearly everything in a business is broken and the general manager needs to
decide
where/what to fix first. (This is a situation few outsiders, even consultants,
get to participate in.) I hope to build on this perspective in a class like
"Building Turnarounds that Last" or "Strategy Formulation." In addition,
immediately before coming to Holland, I worked for a small private equity
portfolio company that was being squeezed from the market by bigger competitors.
This helped build empathy for classmates whose family companies may not be the
Fortune 500 titans that we consultants usually work with. (This project also
found me interviewing the host of a popular fishing showquite unexpected when I
joined the Firm!)
In the Columbia community, I intend to be involved in political, "better place",
and social organizations. I discussed my political work in my original
application, including being Campaign Director of a successful challenger
candidate for Mayor of my hometown, and I hope to be involved in increasing
political awareness at Columbia. In terms of "better place" projects, I have
been
involved in projects at my undergraduate school and at the Firm to make each a
"better place." For example, during undergrad, I led opposition to dining plan
changes that were overwhelmingly opposed by students, including negotiating with
administrators to strike a compromise. At the Firm, I frequently make time for
projects to improve the office, such as helping to organize the annual summer
meeting or informally discussing ways to improve the office community. Lastly, I
enjoy coaching others, and I look forward to doing this both formally within
Columbia's social organizations and informally.
Although a short time has passed since my initial application, I believe I have
maximized the time to build business maturity and my ability to contribute to
the
Columbia community. Further, I hope that my reapplication again signals my
interest in Columbia and my desire to join the Class of 2006.
2. MORE FOCUSED GOALS
Over the short and medium term, I enjoy my career at the Firm and I believe I
can continue to learn general management skills at a rapid pace in the Firm's
environment, perhaps even aspiring to join the Firm's management ranks. I enjoy
using my analytical skills, problem solving skills, and business insight to
generate results in complex situations across nations, industries, and
functions.
Our San Francisco office, which I expect to rejoin in November 2004 following my
current transfer to Amsterdam, has committed itself to doubling in size/revenue
from 2003 to 2008, and I want to use the skills I could gain in the Columbia MBA
program to help to drive this growth (and hopefully recruit a few other Columbia
MBAs to join us).
Over the longer term, I want to lead (as general manager) a large firm,
preferably privately-held, in which I have a sizeable equity stake. Over the
past
six months in the Netherlands, I have worked with senior managers attempting to
turn-around one of the largest of Europe's private companies. My experience
suggests that privately-held companies can be more risk-taking/entrepreneurial,
and this is particularly important when they reach inflection points like
encountering a "Rome is burning" need for turnaround. This is the point at which
I would like to invest in the company and be personally subject to the risks and
rewards of my decisions rather than just being an outside advisor. The
complexity
of a large company is what drives me to learn, and turning-around a distressed
privately-held company combines the best of both entrepreneurialism and the
challenges of being a general manager of a large organization.
3. CLEARER WHY COLUMBIA
I have given this topic much more consideration and want to update three reasons
why Columbia is my top-choice school, in addition to factors discussed in my
original application.
First, Columbia will best help me to gain a general manager's well-rounded
business knowledge. If my long-term goal is to buy part of a distressed company
and turn it around, I need a strong finance perspective, and I believe Columbia
is a leading MBA finance program. Taking a finance perspective at Wharton
undergrad prepared me well for my early years in consulting because the Finance
organization (or the CFO) so often makes the key decisions in turnarounds.
Further, buying into distressed companies in particular requires deep knowledge
of the investment banking side of finance, including capital structure and
corporate portfolio management. While I have no intention of becoming a banker,
Columbia's academic and social orientation towards finance will be essential to
rounding-out my skills realizing my long-term goal.
Second, since I intend to remain in the same career in the short term, I prefer
to reduce the opportunity cost of the full two-year MBA program, and Columbia
clearly offers the best accelerated program in the world. Although I outlined in
my original application an idea for the internship (working with the Royal
Government of Bhutan on tourism initiatives), the summer period in a two-year
MBA
program may not be the best time to pursue this. This summer, Bhutan was soaked
by monsoons, diverting the government's attention to relief efforts. I still
would like to pursue the Bhutanese option, but perhaps through the Firm's
externship program. In other words, because I see an MBA as a springboard rather
than a transition mechanism, it is better for me to apply to the accelerated
program. My contacts with Columbia's admissions office and [a recent J-term
graduate] confirm that the accelerated program is well-suited to my needs.
Third, I have developed greater appreciation of Columbia's international
perspective. A successful business advisor or general manager must know the
international environment. While some business concepts translate across all
geographies, I realized in Europe the limitations of America-centrism. For
example, in my current client work, one of our key challenges is sequencing
turnaround efforts in the context of Europe's complex patchwork of 25 nations'
social regulations. Further, I hope to continue working overseas in the
long-term
and wish to develop a global network. (For instance, I see great long-term
potential in the Baltics and Poland.) I look forward to learning in teams that
include foreign instructors (50% at Columbia) and students (40% in the
accelerated program).
Lastly, although very hectic client schedules and living in the Netherlands have
precluded me from spending much time in Manhattan recently, I appreciate
centralized university campuses where the business school is not an enclave
across a busy road, river, etc. Some of my best friends in undergrad were from
outside my program, and I look forward to interacting with the rest of the
Columbia student body. Yet it is self-limiting to focus on just the Columbia
campus when Manhattan is so easily availablee.g. the opportunity to make a
difference in Harlem or to study capitalism in action in Mid-town and Lower
Manhattan.
4. CLEARER WHY MBA
I need the skills gained in an MBA program to become a trusted advisor to senior
client leadership and ultimately a general manager. I am currently working
through a transition from being an analyst to an advisor. Although I believe I
have good long-term potential at the Firm, the more I have become an advisor,
the
more I recognize the need for an MBA to improve my competencies, round-out my
skillset, and broaden my business exposure.
Over the past 6 months in the Netherlands, I have built relationships with
senior clients usually dealt with by Managers and Partners, such as Business
Unit
Presidents and the heads of functional areas. (This work has involved leading
teams of senior clients in developing confidential plans to reduce their cost
base, which are then presented to the CEO and CFO.) I realize from these senior
clients, who typically have MBAs or even PhDs from top schools, that they expect
me to have that a similar breadth of knowledge. The difficult questions I have
recently been asked demonstrate this expectation: "how do we compare against
other companies on our approach to corporate venturing?" or "what are the pros
and cons of outsourcing area X?" Although the ability to handle difficult
questions like this will not come by magic, the MBA experience will allow me to
gain a breadth of business experience that will help in becoming a trusted
advisor and, ultimately, an effective general manager.
Further, as I do not have formal background in operations, I would like to round
out my general manager skillset by studying topics like factory operations. I
have long felt myself lacking in knowledge of operations, and recently leading a
Supply Chain team confirmed that I could learn much in this area. In short, it
has become much clearer over the past six months that an MBA is essential to
conducting my client work and, therefore, to advancing at the Firm. Over the
long
term, my recent client work has shown me how important an MBA is to being an
effective general manager turning-around a distressed company.
Finally, Remko, my manager and recommender, has helped me to realize the
importance of softer skills like facilitation. Although I have always considered
teamwork to be a core strength, I also know that an MBA offers a rare
opportunity
to study and enhance softer skills, leadership styles, etc. Last summer, working
as a peer with an MBA intern, I was impressed with her ability to recognize and
adapt to leadership models she had studied as an MBA student.
5. CLEARER WHY NOW
As mentioned above, my career is transitioning from being an analyst to being an
advisor. Although this is a multi-year process, it has become apparent to me
over
the past six months that now is the ideal time to begin MBA studies. I have
spoken with many people within the Firm who related their personal stories that
show how it is still important to begin MBA studies now (meaning January rather
than September). Nonetheless, Columbia's is the only program I am applying to in
Fall 2004, and I intend to matriculate if accepted.
The most important reason to begin MBA studies now is that the Firm's long-term
career path is structured around obtaining the MBA after 3 years with the Firm,
and I am currently at 3.2 years. Although I noted this in my original essay, I
do
not think I fully demonstrated the implications of not doing an MBA now. Even
waiting four years post-undergrad to obtain an MBA can be challenging because it
allows much less time to prepare for the promotion to Manager. A manager told me
this summer, "When I returned after putting in four years before b-school, it
was
difficult for managers to see that I had four years of tenure and to staff me
accordingly," which makes the promotion to manager all the more difficult.
Therefore, because I eventually want to be promoted to manager, it is important
that I do my MBA now.
In a broader perspective, I believe I am at the point in my career where I bring
to Columbia very broad experience but need to learn how to tie it all together.
I
would come to Columbia having worked with clients in four countries (US, Canada,
Korea, and the EU). I would come having worked with clients in all the major
corporate functions such as sales, HR, the executive suite, and the maintenance
cellars of senior-citizen apartment complexes. I would come with expertise in a
dozen industries like retail, consumer goods, and infomercials (or "direct
response television" as they call it). I have been kicked out of many Target
stores; I have learned all about potash, garment production contracts, and
selling hot dogs in convenience stores; I have discovered to my disappointment
that chocolate factories have no Oompa Loompas. I have developed a broad
experience base and believe that now is the time to tie my observations into
knowledge. With this knowledge, combined with an MBA education's broad focus,
depth of study, and problem-solving approach, I will best be positioned to
become
a business leader/general manager and a trusted advisor. To address this goal, I
am eager to start my MBA studies at Columbia in January.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Recommended 1000 word limit)
(Columbia) What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Recommended 1000 word limit) It is 9:30 a.m., the time at which the New York Stock Exchange opens. A woman with a confident smile rings the bell in the daily ceremony announcing the opening of the stock market. Her recent comments in Fortune Magazine assert a significant influence on the market's activity and performance. Each day she leads her 'consulting army' to explore business opportunities. I look forward to shoulder that responsibility as a leader in the business world ten years after my graduation from the MBA program at Columbia. It is a dream I have had since childhood, and I am now striving to make it a reality. Although the 'dot com' bubble has burst, I still strongly believe in the critical role that technology plays in moving the business world to a more prosperous era. A corporation leader can no longer be confined to pure business theories. To improve his or her competitiveness, he or she must also possess an acute awareness of technology and be able to apply it intelligently. My long-term career goal is to establish a technical consulting enterprise and promote a new era for global business and technology, while co-managing my father's business in China that I inherited. I will start my plan in China because applying technology to solve business problems is still a relatively new concept there. Throughout my 18 years of living in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, I have drilled into the heart of Chinese culture and politics. The business relationship I established with the government and nationally owned corporations in those regions through managing my fathers company, together with my native cultural background, will provide me with a great advantage in starting off a successful business in China. Three years of technical honing at Morgan Stanley's state-of-the-art technology 'laboratory' have given me strong problem-solving and technical skills. I also learned how to multiply a company's value and potential through creative implementation of cutting-edge technology. To gain practical entrepreneurial experience, I established a fine-dining restaurant and led it through numerous ups and downs. Meanwhile, I managed to turn around my father's deteriorating enterprise in four months. My work experience in the U.S. and China helped me direct the focus of my career, but it also made me realize that I need to acquire more in-depth skills in management, finance, strategic risk assessment, and to sharpen the skills and talent required to become a successful entrepreneur. Columbia's MBA will stand me in very good stead to enable me to reach my goals. Beyond its international status, I find Columbia's comprehensive curriculum, practical teaching methods, world-wide enthusiastic alumni network, and international culture exceptionally exciting and perfectly suited to my background and experience. The university's Chazen MBA Exchange Program offers me a unique opportunity to explore the business world from a desirable global perspective. The experience will broaden my professional relationship with interesting and intelligent people from other countries. Through widening my business vision and life experience, I will become more creative in defining issues and developing solutions. In particular, I am extremely excited about the Center on Global Brand Leadership in which Columbia partners with leading business schools worldwide. In this fiercely competitive corporate world, the establishment of a new brand can greatly affect a companys fate. An impressive image and sound publicity effort can accelerate the success of a business. Through open discussion and exchanges of ideas with leading schools abroad, I will not only explore branding techniques for local markets, but I will also learn to identify current trends and develop effective solutions for foreign regions, especially Asia, where I plan to start my dream. In China, investors and CEOs are still doubtful about the role of technology in the growth of their businesses. The reserved Chinese culture has undermined their trust in allowing external consultants to help them investigate problems and develop solutions. Strategic branding can target these subtle issues and win the confidence of our clients by delivering a message to show that we can 'answer what matters.' In addition to developing management intelligence and global business perspectives, building an extensive people network is another element that attracts me to invest in an MBA education. Columbia's wide-ranging network will virtually connect me to people from many professions from all corners of the world. Such professional relationship will play an extremely important role in successfully globalizing my future consulting enterprise. To make my dream a reality, I plan to start off with a consulting position within the first three to five years after achieving my MBA. I will immerse myself in the world's business center - New York, and take advantage of its diversified business environment. I will utilize those few years to fine-tune my long-term aspirations and carefully plan the steps necessary to realize my goal. New York will be an ideal starting point because its diversity and aggressive atmosphere will allow me to explore more options and to meet with people from various levels and origins. Ideally, I will start my journey at McKinsey & Company in order to develop a solid and well-rounded consulting foundation. McKinsey's far-reaching ambitious and pioneering perspective will offer me the best environment to sharpen my consulting skills and broaden my experience. With these tools, I will be equipped to develop my own perspective and theories. I hope my team and I will become the pioneers of the next generation in business consulting. My goal is to eventually lead my 'consulting army' to introduce a better business model in the Chinese corporate world, and to work toward enlightening their vision. While I might not be the MBA candidate with the most work experience and the highest test scores, I will be a good fit for Columbia because I believe in my potential and I clearly understand what I need and what I want. Columbia's inspiring atmosphere and location in the heart of the world's business center will help me explore my full potential. I believe Columbia will help to make me shine in my career!
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Major -- Re-application essay: How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied and reiterate your short-term and long-term goals. Explain how the tools of the Columbia MBA will help you to meet your goals and how you plan to participate in the Columbia community.
For me, much of this past year was a time of reflection, which started on the very day I got a rejection letter from Columbia. Not being able to get into my Business School of choice was a wake-up call to reevaluate my personal and professional goals. Still, in the end, I have only reaffirmed my belief that a career in business is something that I should pursue and that Columbia would be the perfect place for me to jump start this next phase of my life. Even the process of writing the essays was highly beneficial as I realized that, beyond my entrepreneurial endeavors, I had limited exposure to how major business decisions are made in the corporate world. Thus, last February, I asked to be transferred to a different department where I was hoping to gain more insight into contract management and procurement processes. As a result, I received a leadership role on a vendor selection effort for a crucial component of a Navy defense system. This was a real chance for me to prove myself. I had to quickly become familiar with every technical option available and learn the proper procedures for Military supplier sourcing, a rather convoluted and bureaucratic process. In a relatively short period of time, starting with 15 manufacturers and working our way through the bidding process, we narrowed the field down to three serious candidates, including the incumbent. Ironically, after six months of an intense search, our formal selection process resulted in a tie. Consequently, a preliminary internal decision was made to stay with the original supplier, which once again provided the lowest bid. However, fully convinced that going back to the incumbent would be a grave mistake, I took initiative to write a formal "white paper" on why it could end up costing our company millions of dollars, not to mention our reputation with the customer. After a few sleepless nights and in just three pages of condensed analysis, I presented the numerous technical and financial risks of doing business with the current vendor (which I am including in lieu of the last essay). As soon as my trade study was released, it took on a life of its own, circulating its way to upper management and prompting them to reevaluate the situation. The matter will be decided in the next few months. Last year, I could only speculate about what it would be like to make a difference at the corporate level at a Fortune 500 company. This summer I got to actually live through the experience and it provided me with the kind of exhilaration that makes life worth living. This was also a great opportunity for me to analyze a business problem and to learn how to effectively communicate my findings to others. I realized the importance of having a good understanding of the dynamics of an organization and how invaluable it can be in trying to influence the direction in which the company is moving. This is precisely the kind of knowledge that I hope to expand upon at Columbia. While finding success in my current occupation, I continue to have new ideas on the kinds of business opportunities I would like to explore. In my spare time, I've been doing small case studies on companies I admire, ranging from JetBlue to Hotwire.com to Honest Tea. What all of these diverse businesses have in common is that they were latecomers into fairly developed industries, yet were able to offer a successful niche product that was clearly superior. While none of them aimed to become market leaders, they were still able to make a tangible difference in people's lives. I also look for potential new ventures everywhere I go. In particular, in my recent travels I have stumbled upon a few sizeable market niches that the domestic online travel industry is failing to address. To date, nobody offers a centralized system that would allow to make reservations for inexpensive non-chain motels along major highways, or B&B's in resort states like Vermont. Apparently, this is possible in Europe, but not yet in the U.S. Another promising business idea arose while my fiancee and I were looking for an engagement ring. The market for this kind of jewelry is so uniform that there is no place for people who want a custom ring whose value cannot be measured in carats, but rather in its uniqueness and craftsmanship. There are also quite a few individual artists with original designs striving to achieve greater exposure. I've been contemplating these ideas lately, discussing them with friends, and trying to formulate a coherent business plan. Still, every time I go through these mental exercises, I invariably realize that I am lacking both the background and the connections to be successful in such undertakings, which is precisely what an MBA is supposed to provide. There is only one school where I am truly passionate about getting this degree, and it is Columbia. Since I first visited the Manhattan campus in 1995, I've always felt that I would fit right in. This notion was only reinforced while I was living in New York where I became friends with a number of Columbia alumni who have inspired me to apply to their alma mater. They are the kind of enthusiastic, open-minded, and cultured people with whom I'd love to study and work. I also have a great love and fascination with New York and all the things it has to offer. And there is simply no better Business School than Columbia to help me gain entry into the business community of the Big Apple. Last but not least, I am very excited about Dean Hubbard's new initiative for integration of entrepreneurship into the MBA curriculum, which would provide me with additional opportunities to gain the perspectives that I need to crystallize my business ideas. While at Columbia, I would like to utilize my extensive academic research experience to collaborate with either Eugene Lang Center for Entrepreneurship or the Center for Excellence in E-Business. I could also contribute my journalistic expertise and analytical skills to a Columbia publication, such as the famed Chazen Web Journal. Additionally, I hope to enter one of my entrepreneurial ideas into the annual Lorne Weil Business Plan Competition. Upon graduation, I would like to work for a smaller, more dynamic Management Consulting company where I could apply my strong technical and analytical background to assist in making business decisions or optimizing business transaction processing. This would allow me to get exposure to the kinds of opportunities that are available within different industries as well as the technological and operational challenges they face. I believe that all of the above would prepare me best for what I now see as my ultimate career goal, which is creating and sustaining my own business. And, once I finally find my market niche, I am confident that I would be able to rely on the Alumni Club and a network of my Columbia peers to work together to make my dream a reality. Suddenly, it all comes together.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals?
Growing up on the vast Siberian tundra, I witnessed firsthand the toll of mismanagement in the Soviet energy sector. This impact was palpable in economic, social, and environmental terms. I remember the beautiful night sky sparkling with pink needles of light, not a supernatural phenomenon, but a reflection of torches burning natural gas wastefully. While the burgeoning oilfields surrounding my hometown supported the entire Soviet Union, Nizhnevartovsk had a low standard of living, drinking water tainted by petroleum, and food and basic necessities rationing until 1990. These experiences shaped my determination and the pattern of my beliefs, attitudes, and instincts that led me to pursue an engineering degree at Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology, one of Russia's premier engineering schools. I relocated to Moscow as a 17-year old, and I quickly matured as an individual with old-fashioned values of personal responsibility, accountability, and self-reliance. I persevered at the rigorous quantitative and analytical coursework even during the economic hardship and social turmoil following the collapse of the Soviet Union, received a prestigious Soros Foundation scholarship, and graduated with Honors in the top 5% of the class. Next, I pursued a Master's degree in engineering at Tufts University. I fully financed my postgraduate education through teaching and research scholarships. Upon graduation, I contributed to the growth of an engineering startup, RAM Environmental, by developing its capabilities in the field of human health risk assessment at contaminated industrial sites. Next, I took a position with Roux Associates, an environmental consulting firm, to broaden my exposure to engineering projects. At Roux Associates, I have demonstrated the breadth and depth of my multifaceted knowledge and comprehensive analysis skills by taking part in diverse projects such as historical research, engineering design, and regulatory compliance evaluations. I have also been extensively involved with projects concerning environmental forensics, liability assessment, and cost recovery. In addition, I have been developing my project management skills. I demonstrated the crucial ability to move a team forward by involving the group around an idea, engaging both the hearts and minds of all team members. I effectively managed projects, even those with very tight budgets. In fact, the projects I managed reached profitability levels of 36%, approximately 150% higher than the company's average. During my involvement in reorganization and bankruptcy cases for companies with environmental liabilities, I have come to realize that the problems I solve as an engineer are caused as much by shortcomings of technological processes and accepted industrial practices as by managerial near-sightedness and failure to consider environmental and social costs. These observations of value destruction and my instinctive desire to rectify detrimental practices have prompted me to refine my future career goals. My short-term career goals are to learn how to effectively address the root causes of environmental and social problems. Initially, I will pursue a career with a global energy firm. I am particularly interested in working for British Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell, companies with significant presence in the Russian energy sector. This will enable me to promote economically beneficial, financially sound, and environmentally and socially responsible projects in Russia and throughout the world. I see myself taking responsibility for conceptualization and development of innovative responses to the challenges of sustainable development by identifying and evaluating financial, economic, technical, and institutional aspects of corporate initiatives. I believe that, by putting an economic value on reduced pollution and preserved resources, and bysaving on ecological disaster relief efforts and medical costs, companies can minimize environmental and social costs while gaining competitive advantages. In the long-term, I would like to provide expertise to the International Finance Corporation, a World Bank Group, a global investor and advisor that promotes sustainable projects in developing countries, because I believe that abundance of natural resources should be a blessing, not a curse, for the developing world. Having learned from my engineering experience during the six years of consulting energy, mining, and industrial clients, I now need to broaden my economic and financial skill base. My pursuit of the Columbia MBA is based on the intellectual quest to supplement my technical knowledge with financial and economic expertise for a successful career in international businesses related to extractive industries in general and the energy sector in particular. My combined financial and technical expertise will be a valuable asset to firms in these sectors because I will offer an insightful perspective backed by strong engineering, analytical, and management skills. The intellectual coherence, practical curriculum, and interdisciplinary programs that Columbia offers will help me achieve my goals. At Columbia I plan to major in Finance and Economics, pursuing a corporate finance career path, to prepare myself for a career in the heterogeneous extractive industries sector operating in national environments under economic and political risks. I am particularly interested in learning about valuing economic services provided by environmental assets and ways of controlling the impact of economic activity on environment from Prof. Heal and in contributing to the University Seminar on Legal, Social, and Economic Environmental Issues. I hope to share my engineering knowledge and professional experience in the new Finance and Sustainability class. Columbia's remarkable program could help me build fundamental knowledge and professional skills. I look forward to learning more about sustainable development initiatives, issues related to emerging economies, business ethics, and corporate social responsibility. As a person with international outlook on both professional and personal levels, I am thrilled about The Chazen Institute MBA Exchange Program and study tours, which would enhance my educational experience. Outside of classroom, I would be a valuable contributor to the Columbia community. I would join the Energy Club to learn about the energy sector from my peers. I also hope to lead the volleyball team to victory in both intramural tournaments and intercollegiate and city championships. I am a believer in doing good while doing well and feel strongly about community service. I would be honored to promote Columbia's leadership internationally among women professionals. Your program is my top choice school and I am looking forward to the privilege of studying at Columbia.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
What personal value means the most to you and why?
I highly value honesty in friends, colleagues, and strangers and let this virtue guide me in my life. Last summer I managed a project that involved a petroleum contaminated wetland. To establish the wetland's jurisdictional boundaries, Roux Associates, on behalf of a client, contracted a surveying firm. This subcontractor provided a quote and signed the contract to survey the wetland without visiting the site at the client's request. This client's decision ultimately led to cost overruns by the subcontractor. As the project manager and the client's advocate, I made it clear to the subcontractor that halting work was not an option and neither was exceeding the budget. However, I was convinced that denying the subcontractor an opportunity to visit the site before asking him to provide a quote was the reason for the problem. I had built good relationships with this surveyor in the past. He had always delivered sound results within the agreed upon schedule and costs. This surveyor proved to be dependable and reliable, he had always acted in good faith and I trusted him. I decided to present the facts, my reasoned analysis of the issue, and my proposed solution to the client. The honest conversation was intense and demanded clear articulation of my points. In the end, the open exchange of ideas brought about understanding and compromise. The client authorized more realistic contract terms and the subcontractor honored the new contract. Honesty isn't always easy or comfortable, but it is vital for just resolutions of difficult situations.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Please tell us what you feel most passionate about in life.
I feel most passionate about the exhilaration of new challenges. Challenges are empowering and invigorating experiences. They provide insight, open new perspectives, and add fresh air to stale environments. I actively pursue new experiences on academic, professional, and personal levels. In addition to earning an engineering degree at a premier engineering school in Russia, I pursued an advanced degree in the US. My multicultural educational experience resulted in my innovative mindset and shaped my 'can-do' attitude in professional life. As an engineer, I have repeatedly risen to challenges that at times were outside of my professional 'comfort zone.' In fact, I thrive on the excitement, and enjoy adapting to diverse environments, generating creative solutions and having fun doing it. My curious mind drives my quest for knowledge while my stamina and dedication help sustain the highest standard of performance. On the hunt for new experiences, I have hiked the Grand Canyon and the French Alps, have gone SCUBA diving off the coasts of Puerto Rico and Bermuda, and have gone paragliding in Turkey. Roller-blading, biking, and hiking are all favorite activities. During the last year I started playing tennis and significantly improved my skiing skills, in addition to continuing my life-long affair with volleyball. I like to feel active, engaged, challenged; it makes me feel alive. I love New York, its intensity and dynamism, vigor and multiculturalism. I never miss an opportunity to visit this vibrant city that offers myriad opportunities for work and play. I now dream about my Columbia MBA experiences and the new and exciting learning opportunities they would undoubtedly bring.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Major Essay: What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Recommended 1000 word limit)
My long term goal is to own my own catering company that specializes in fusion cuisine. There are a number of short terms steps I need to take before I can reach that goal. One major step is to learn more about the financial and management aspects of running my own company. Another is to apprentice for a chef to further develop my culinary skills. Lastly, I would like to meet more people who have started their own companies to better prepare me for the challenges ahead. Hopefully, I can learn from their mistakes and successes while making valuable contacts. I believe that getting an MBA from Columbia will help me to achieve all three of these goals. Although I have some entrepreneurial experience, I know that there is still much to learn. I started my own company from 1999 to 2001, and have been a financial consultant for a small catering company for the last year and a half. In working for myself for a total of three and a half years, I've realized that long term, I want to be in business for myself. However, I've kept the stability of a full time job while pursuing my dream, and I plan on attending business school before I fully commit to that goal. I'm hoping that Columbia Business School will help me to combine my varied experience. Additionally, reviewing numerous case studies of why businesses failed and succeeded will help me as well. Most importantly, I will be able to learn from my classmates, many of whom have no doubt already gone down the entrepreneurial path. In fact, even before being admitted, Columbia has already helped me to learn. At a recent info session, I met two partners who own their own leather goods shop in New York. Both were planning on applying to Columbia's Executive MBA program, and they shared many insights about starting a business, particularly in New York City. Columbia is an obvious choice for me in terms of location. New York City is home to some of the most amazing restaurants in the world, and some of the most talented chefs. I have been apprenticing under Chef Bibby Gignilliat (founder of Gourmet Gatherings) for about a year and half, but would love to make a change and start learning from someone new. I am hoping to apprentice under another chef while in business school, learning more about the culinary side of the business. I think that New York City is the ideal place to learn more about cooking. In fact, even if I end up going to school somewhere else, long term I plan on starting my company in New York. I've always been very interested in the culinary industry, and have been an avid cook for years. About three years ago, I started volunteering at Sur La Table, a store that sells both culinary equipment and that teaches many cooking classes. I started volunteering as a teacher's assistant. This allowed me not only to attend many cooking classes for free, but it gave me a chance to work very closely with people in the industry. I started doing informational interviews with everyone I met; food stylists, personal chefs, cookbook authors, professional chefs, restaurant owners, caterers, bed and breakfast owners, nobody was safe from my barrage of questions. Doing this for a year made me realize that I wanted to combine my entrepreneurial spirit with my love for food. I have also explored as many aspects of the culinary field as possible by volunteering. I have served and cooked for several catering companies, bartended, helped Bibby with her cookbook, and served as a business manager for two partners who wanted to open their own bakery. I have spent the last three years trying to figure out where I wanted to reside within the vast culinary industry. Through my research, I have decided on starting a catering company that specializes in ethnic food, since I also love to travel and sample new things. The two business partners that I met at a recent info session are not the only reasons why I am applying to Columbia early decision, or why it's my first choice. While visiting, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend one of the weekly Thursday happy hours. I went to the 420 bar with several current and prospective students, and was amazed at how friendly everyone was. During my student chat on campus, almost every person that walked by said hello to my student guide, and one even went so far as to bear hug him cause he hadn't seen him in a couple of weeks. Every student I spoke to, and even one professor, mentioned how people help each other out at Columbia, and the fact that the atmosphere is not cutthroat. On top of the culture of Columbia, there is the obvious quality of the curriculum and the fact that the school has spent a lot of time and money over the last several years to develop their Entrepreneur concentration. Also, what I heard and witnessed of the classroom environment fits with what I hope to gain from class. For example, I had three separate students tell me about the Managerial Negotiations course and how most of the class time is spent on actual negotiations with other students as opposed to hearing a professor lecture about theory. Another student mentioned that in one class, students' answers to last night's homework assignment are posted online. During the class, the professor will ask each person to present their answer and defend it. In fact, every student that I talked to mentioned that classes are interactive and that you learn as much from your fellow students as you do the professor. That is an environment that I wish to learn in. Overall, I believe that Columbia Business School is the place for me. I loved everything about the two days I spent on campus: the location, the student culture, and the amazing restaurants. When I pair that with an outstanding curriculum and teaching staff, there is no doubt in my mind that Columbia will enable me to realize my dreams.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Major: In discussing Columbia Business School, Dean R. Glenn Hubbard remarked, "We have established the mind-set that entrepreneurship is about everything you do." Please discuss a time in your own life when you have identified and captured an opportunity. (Recommended 500 word limit)
I firmly believe that "entrepreneurship is about everything you do.". There are opportunities all around us, and one only has to recognize and take advantage of them. I've chosen to highlight two such times in my life, though there are many other examples throughout my career history. My third year at Berkeley, myself and three other students decided that we wanted to start our own company. We ended up starting Camera Ready Productions, which was focused on web consulting for dot coms. 1999 was the perfect time to contract out this highly demanded talent. Starting this business taught me that a huge part of being an entrepreneur is being flexible. For example, when we launched the company, I was working for a recruiting company. Naturally, the hiring responsibilities fell to me. When I started working at Prudential Securities as a financial advisor, I logically took on more of the marketing and business development, since sales was such a large part of my role at Prudential. When the dot com industry started tanking, we quickly changed our business focus to target different clients. In general, we were quick to take advantage of changes, and I believe that is why we remained profitable in very uncertain economic times. When we dissolved the business in 2001 to focus on our full time careers, I left knowing that I would start another company one day. For the last year and a half, I have been consulting for Gourmet Gatherings. The company throws cooking parties where guests work together to cook their own meal under our guidance. I originally got involved with the company hoping to learn more about cooking, but an opportunity arose one day when the two owners were complaining to me over recipe testing. The two owners were frequently interviewed, and they lacked concrete financial sound bytes for articles and TV interviews. I explained my background, and they hired me as a financial consultant. At first, my task was simple, but I have expanded it over the last year and a half. I have developed a model by compiling pertinent financial data to determine the most profitable pricing structure and where their marketing dollars are most effective. This model has also enabled the two owners to predict performance for the next three to five years given a specific set of variables. In other words, I have grown the position; the owners never knew they needed a financial advisor on the staff, but now find my input invaluable. Additionally, the knowledge that I have gained will one day be applied to my own company. Overall, I have taken advantage of the entrepreneurial opportunities that have been presented to me. I am constantly seeking out other ways to learn and challenge myself. I believe that there are opportunities all around us, and taking advantage of those openings is core to being a successful entrepreneur.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Minor: What personal value means the most to you and why? (Recommended 250 word limit)
The personal value that means the most to me is open-mindedness. I truly believe that a person should try everything once, because you never know what may turn out to be successful. I try to take this to heart both in my personal and business life. I have been lucky enough to live in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, and several states throughout the country. This has taught me to be adaptable and tolerant, and I am a better person because of it. Had I refused any of those moves, I would have missed out on some amazing experiences and personal growth. Additionally, some of my closest friends, and people who I've had the most meaningful relationships with, are people who didn't necessarily make the best first impression. From a professional sense, I think it's important to try many things to make a project or company work. I've had non-traditional marketing ideas have a much higher response rate than expected. I've tried working at four different catering companies before I found Gourmet Gatherings. In addition, I've talked to people in all facets of the food service industry, and I've learned something from each informational interview that I've conducted. When I first started exploring my interest in cooking, I volunteered for any job that would allow me to learn more about the industry, and I'm glad I did. The only way to truly figure out what you like is to try it, so because of that, I'll try anything once.
Essay Category:
Essay Question:
Minor: If you were given a free day and could spend it anywhere, in any way you choose, what would you do? (Recommended 250 word limit)
If I had a free day, I would spend it as someone who is completely opposite from myself. This is because no matter how open-minded I strive to be, I'm sure that everything I have learned to date is interpreted by my mental filter in amanner that is different from anyone else's. I spent two years living in Beijing, and tutored many local students. When I first arrived, I felt sorry for them. Their lives were so backwards, their homes so rustic, their knowledge of the world so limited. One of my students was a gentleman who had never been outside of Beijing and who thought that Westerners are ruining his beautiful city. I had thought that we were improving it with modern transportation and an increased exchange of knowledge. After studying with him for a few months, I realized that not only was he content with his life, but that he looked upon my life with pity, and in some cases, scorn. His perception of Americans' lack of culture shocked him as much as China's lack of plumbing shocked me. We grew to better understand each other through those months, but I'm sure it can't compare to actually being able to think his thoughts and recall his memories. The reason that I would want this experience is to expand my realm of thinking. I think that even the best listener can only understand someone to a certain degree. As one of my favorite quotes states, "Before you criticize and abuse, walk a mile in my shoes."
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Essay Question:
Major: Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history.)
The one additional thing that I want to address is my low undergraduate GPA. I can attribute it to two factors: I didn't apply myself enough in college, and I was very involved in extracurricular activities at a time in my life where I was not capable of proper time management. I think that both of these things have changed in the five years since I graduated. In terms of being hard working, my reviews, long hours at work, and raises on the job should prove that my dedication to success has increased. In terms of time management, I do more in a day now than I did in college, and have learned how to prioritize in a way that I couldn't while at Berkeley. Lastly, I believe that there are many indications of my ability to do well in the Columbia MBA program scholastically. In terms of extracurricular activities, you can see from my application that I was very involved on the Berkeley campus. On top of that, I worked part time the entire time that I was in college. Although I should have been able to prioritize school work above these activities, the truth is that I did not know how to manage my time, and my grades suffered. In the five years that I have been working, I have stayed similarly active outside of my full time job. The first couple of years that I worked full time, I started my own company. For the last three years, I have had a number of part-time jobs in the culinary industry to learn more about the industry. On top of these part-time jobs, I have also volunteered for numerous causes, and trained for and ran a number of challenging races. However, throughout these myriad distractions, I have been very dedicated at work. In the three-plus years that I have been at Providian, I have received 3 annual raises that averaged 17 percent. At a company where the average annual raise is 4%, I believe this shows that I am consistently hard working, and that the management in my company recognizes it. Additionally, I have been promoted at each and every annual review. I could not have balanced my job and other responsibilities if I had not learned how to better manage my time. Additionally, I wanted to point out that I was only at Berkeley for three years. My 7th and final semester, I worked full time, and took night classes to fulfill my final requirement. Although a clerical error prevented me from properly transferring those credits until December of 2001 (my technical graduation date), I think that graduating in three and a half years at a school where the average tenure is 5 years also should be taken into consideration. Finally, I do believe that I can excel academically at the Columbia MBA program. I don't think that my undergraduate GPA reflects my ability to grasp financial concepts, or perform well in an analytical environment. The last year and a half that I have spent working at Gourmet Gatherings, I have modified their pricing structure, and developed a comprehensive financial model that has over 60 variables. This model enables the two owners to predict profits over the next three to five years. This has definitely developed my analytical skills. In addition, my experience with portfolio analysis, both at Prudential and at Providian, has made me very comfortable with processing data from the financial services industry. Lastly, my GMAT scores should prove that I have the reasoning, logic, and quantitative skills necessary to excel in business school. In conclusion, please don't look at my undergraduate GPA and immediately discount me. I think that I have the drive now that I was lacking eight years ago, and I have proven my ability to think analytically as well. I have full confidence that if given the chance, I would excel in the rigorous MBA program that Columbia has to offer.
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Essay Question:
What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (recommended 1000 words)
Although my career aspirations are not yet solidified, I have a clear picture of the path I wish to travel. My career progress to date at KPMG has provided me with a great opportunity to observe the corporate landscape and devise a strategy to realize what I'm most interested in doing in the upcoming years. To offer an analogy, I feel as if I know the exact street on which I wish to live, but simply have not yet determined which particular house I want to buy. I'm experienced enough to realize that the career planning process is complex and subject to many intervening variables, so I offer this brief articulation of my personal expectations and goals in hope that it clarifies my need for continued education and training. My career aspirations stem from my definition of success. In my view, success is the ability to exceed expectations by bringing out the best in each individual within a group. Using both my business expertise and my political acumen, I hope to influence large groups of individuals by presenting them with circumstances that will foster self-improvement and, in turn, help the group exceed its objectives. My first steps toward achieving my career goals have been taken over the past four years at KPMG. In my efforts to create a culture of self-improvement for as many individuals as possible, I realized that my ability to explain the technical and jargon-laden language of corporate financial statements to the investing public is a service of great personal and financial value. Additionally, the auditing profession attracted me because it mandates an attitude of self-respect, pride, high morals and top-notch ethicsall characteristics that I look forward to exercising at Wharton and in the years beyond. During my third year with KPMG, I assumed a position that usually takes five years to reach. I've been selected for the most prestigious assignments available to an employee at my level and have been offered a management role if I decide to stay with the firm. Senior management has put me in charge of instructing the incoming classes on all aspects of our job, from KPMG audit methodology to leadership characteristics and people management skills. I've been asked to present my ideas to peers and have been placed in a market leaders group that communicates highly strategic information to the Board of Directors. All of these accolades are a testament to my work ethic, efficiency, and improvement-oriented mind-set. In short, I've learned a tremendous amount at KPMG and I'm extremely proud of my accomplishments with the firm. As can be inferred, my career progress to date has been very satisfying and bodes well for the future. I've been successful in a variety of ways. From a performance evaluation perspective, I've been in the top 2% of my class all four years and have been told by management that I'm on the same track going into my fifth year. More importantly, my experiences at KPMG have helped me conceptualize and prioritize my short-term and long-term career aspirations. From a short-term perspective, my career aspiration is to integrate into a managerial track at a reputable corporation in the financial services fields of asset management, consulting, or investment banking. More specifically, I want to use my unique background and distinct training to influence, strengthen, and expand the company's Latin American market. As an Argentinian immigrant, I believe that my ability to speak fluently and intelligently from both an American and a South American standpoint makes me a valuable part of any forum. The type of managerial position I desire will provide me with an outstanding opportunity to influence both fellow colleagues and outside investors and shareholders. I believe that graduate education at Wharton is an extremely powerful means to achieve this end. An MBA from Wharton is accompanied by a prestige factor that is unrivaled in business-centered academia, and having the imprimatur of an internationally renowned institution of higher learning will enhance my reputation and professional credibility. Moreover, the framework of knowledge and experience I will gain from Wharton's intense curriculum and superstar faculty - along with the amazing support network that I will form - is instrumental to my occupational ambitions. From a long-term perspective, my ultimate career aspiration is to segue from the financial services field into the political realm. My social skills and interpersonal alacrity have become subjects of great renown among those who know me. 'When are you going to become mayor?' is a question that I'm often asked. 'I'm only 25, give me some time!' is usually my response. The question arises because I enjoy spending time with people and learning about their experiences. I make them feel comfortable by asking the right questions and showing genuine interest. My ability to be personable has helped me build a tremendous network of friends and colleagues. The ability to be part of the legislative architecture is arguably the most direct method of reaching many large groups and helping them achieve success. Political involvement will certainly provide me with that avenue. Wharton's reputation for producing capable leaders is well established, and I'm certain that the business school will facilitate the development of my leadership abilities. Moreover, the multitude of opinions and ideologies espoused by Wharton's diverse student and faculty populations will invariably broaden my intellectual boundaries. As such, an MBA from Wharton is imperative to my development as a future political leader. Now is absolutely the right time for me to matriculate into Wharton's two-year MBA program. I feel experienced, energetic, passionate, and motivated'attributes that serve as prerequisites to entry into a competitive and demanding curriculum. Fortunately, my current martial status and social/familial responsibilities give me the ability to devote 100% of my physical, emotional, and intellectual assets to Wharton.
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Essay Question:
In discussing Columbia Business School, Dean R. Glenn Hubbard remarked, "We have established the mind-set that entrepreneurship is about everything you do." Please discuss a time in your own life when you have identified and captured an opportunity? (500 words)
On March 27, 2003, KPMG senior management concluded their audit of the 2002 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings of Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) and congratulated each other on a job well done. Having worked long and hard on this ostensibly successful campaign, I sat and pondered why I felt dissatisfied. Despite management's contentment and accolades, I couldn't come to terms with my misgivings. Accordingly, I committed myself to constructing a plan that would ensure that I wouldn't be faced with the same dissatisfaction after the following year's audit. I wanted our 2003 SEC filings audit to be more efficient, focused, and thorough. It was an ambitious endeavor for a third-year employee to present a plan that would change the audit methodology of a multi-billion dollar enterprise. However, I felt confident that through better allocation of personnel and responsibilities we could reach the goals that I had in mind. I presented my plan to upper management in June 2003 and explained that we could conduct a more thorough audit by allocating disclosures and their related audit work to task-appropriate personnel. Further, I expressed my concern that we should dedicate more time to the so-called 'problem' or subjective areas. Finally, I presented the argument that proved to be most impactful on upper management: By implementing my streamlined auditing procedures, we could reduce the amount of time spent on the audit by approximately 10% versus the prior year-all while performing a fundamentally better audit. The plan was accepted by management and I was put in charge of successfully implementing it as part of our 2003 SEC filings audit. On March 25, 2004, KPMG senior management concluded their audit of the 2003 SEC filings of CSFB. This time an incredible feeling of accomplishment filled the room, effectively displacing any of the latent dissatisfaction that tainted our earlier campaign. During our audit, we alerted CSFB to some insufficiencies in their disclosures and audited so thoroughly that, as a by-product, we were able to offer some suggestions for improvement of their existing internal controls. CSFB congratulated our team on bringing these points to their attention and complimented our efficiency and attention to detail. The successful implementation of my plan was very well received by upper management and has given me excellent professional credibility. The CSFB audit was completed 25% under budget and my methodology is currently being rolled out to other account teams. From a personal development standpoint, this experience helped me make the transition from a valued employee to an indispensable leader who influences procedure and policy. I have proved that I possess the ability to think analytically, articulate my viewpoints, and change the minds of my industry's decision makers by identifying and capturing an opportunity. By honing my critical analysis skill set and continuing my business education, I'm confident that I'll be able to climb the corporate hierarchy and open a new forum for my ideas and strategies.
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Essay Question:
1. What are your short-term, long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Recommended 1000 word limit)
As Roland Berger Strategy Consultants plans to sponsor my MBA studies, I hope to return there as a Project Manager for a period of two to three years. Roland Berger offers a challenging and educative work environment that I think will help me put my studies into practice and will allow me to further develop my management, leadership and commercial skills. As a Project Manager, I will be given responsibility for the completion of large projects, and have the chance to manage large teams of consultants and client members. Furthermore, Project Managers are responsible for developing project methodologies and leading teams towards the completion of the project within the established time and with the highest quality. Another clear benefit of this position is that Project Managers at Roland Berger are responsible for identifying business opportunities, defining project proposals for potential clients, and developing customer accounts which later serve to create long-lasting relationships with clients. The business knowledge, the international scope and the network acquired at Columbia together with this position as Project Manager at Roland Berger are the basis for the achievement of my long-term goals. In the long-term, I plan to establish my own consulting company whose mission will be to contribute to the economic development of Spain through both the assessment of multinational companies willing to invest in Spain and the redefinition/restructuring of the business operations of companies already in Spain now facing the threat of delocalization. The current economic framework of Spain and the emergence of new business in developing countries and regions such as China, Eastern Europe and North Africa has shifted the investment plans of multinational companies towards these locations and away from Spain (foreign direct investment in Spain has decreased from 6,7% of the GDP in 2000 to 2,4% in 2003), and is forcing many companies in Spain to reconsider their strategies. This change has resulted in a lot of companies making the decision to move production outside the country. Examples of industrial business relocation in the last year are countless and thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the industrial sector have been lost, increasing the unemployment rate and reducing the number of job opportunities dramatically. In this situation, governmental agencies have demonstrated inefficient in addressing this problem, primarily due to the lack of long-term strategy by the governing party and the difficulties they have to retain talented professionals. Again, the private sector should develop a profitable solution to address this problem and concentrate on an issue that concerns the Spanish society as a whole, namely continuous economic growth and the retention and creation of job positions. My proposal and goal is the formation of a consulting company based on three main pillars: 1. A thorough knowledge of the Spanish business environment including both private and public sectors. 2. A group of outstanding professionals with international experience and capable of developing creative solutions. 3. An international network with contacts at the highest industry levels worldwide. My experience at the Investment Promotion Bureau allowed me to acquire very specific knowledge and skills for carrying out investments in foreign countries, and gave me access to the public sector and its internal processes. My recent experience at Roland Berger has contributed to my business education in a very analytical and goal oriented way, giving me the opportunity to assess real strategy issues of multinational companies (including restructuring processes) and it should also provide me with the needed experience in managing large projects in the near future. However, and despite all these enriching professional experiences, I personally feel that I need to acquire some missing pieces in the puzzle that only Columbia Business School can help me develop in order to achieve my goals: - Educational and personal development: the Columbia Business School MBA is the optimal way to acquire some tools that will be key in my career plan such as Finance, Entrepreneurship and International Business. After having spoken to several Columbia students and alumni about the benefits of the program and the excellent professors, I am convinced that my stay at Columbia Business School will enhance my interaction with top professionals and faculty, such as Professor B. Greenwald in Finance, Professor P. Tierney in International investments or D. G. Hubbard in Entrepreneurship, who I am sure will serve as role models, contributing to my personal development and future career accomplishments. By sharing their experiences, they will illustrate to me the latest management methods and some real investment or turnaround situations that could be applicable to my future project. Moreover, I want to get involved in some of the Student Groups such as the Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization, the Management Consulting Organization or even found a Team Handball Club. - International focus: the outstanding group of students that I will find, with different backgrounds and cultures, will enable me to meet amazing people from all over the world and, using their know-how and experiences, develop different solutions and approaches for the same problem. Also, different ways of thinking and understanding business imply different investment behaviors and patterns, and the understanding of all these human elements will be a key factor for my international goals. Moreover, I believe that my classmates will become an incredible contribution to my personal development and I hope I can achieve a better understanding of world issues while, at the same time, creating a group of life-lasting friends. - Professional opportunities: the internship opportunities accessed through Columbia will be a good opportunity for me to understand the investment and strategic planning of a large multinational company. The target clients of my venture will be multinational companies, and a comprehensive understanding of their investment planning and needs will be key for the success of my company. However, apart from this factor, access to these companies will also be a must. The Columbia Alumni are currently leading some of the major global companies and will continue to do so in the future. Hence, becoming part of this network will not only be motive of pride, but also one of the main assets in my future career goals. - Triple location advantage: Firstly, the city of New York, house of every single culture in the world, is the perfect environment for me to develop my international potential and cultural awareness and will let me gain the required sensibility of the needs of foreign people when moving to another country. Secondly, the US experience and the chance to see first-hand how the US is attracting foreign direct investment and successfully warding off the threat of delocalization; retaining businesses that would otherwise go to South America or China. And thirdly, less career-oriented but no less sincere, the possibility that my fiancee is able to live close to her family, which is living in New York, after four years abroad. However, I realize that an MBA is not only about what I can get out of it, but also about what I can give. I believe that I am a very well-rounded person and that I can offer a different perspective to my classmates through my personal and professional background, international experience and open-mindedness.
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Essay Question:
2. In discussing Columbia Business School, Dean R. Glenn Hubbard remarked, "We have established the mind-set that entrepreneurship is about everything you do." Please discuss a time in your own life when you have identified and captured an opportunity. (Recommended 500 word limit)
The situation
After college, I faced one of the first professional decisions of my life. On
one hand, I had a very attractive job offer from Arthur D. Little, a prestigious
strategy consulting firm with more than 70 professionals in Spain. On the other
hand, I had an offer from the Investment Promotion Bureau (SEPI), a governmental
office whose objective is to contribute to the Spanish economy through the
attraction of foreign investment in Spain.
The dilemma
Should I go for the strategy consulting company that would offer me access to
amazing assignments in multinational companies based in Spain, or should I
accept
the unique opportunity of working for my country and helping to contribute to
the
economic development of Spain?
The decision
Although the idea of becoming a strategy consultant was very attractive, I
concluded that consulting was a job that I could probably access again in the
future. However, there was only one place in Spain where I truly felt I could
have an impact on society and contribute to the development of Spain. After
some
debate, I decided to go for the job at the Investment Promotion Bureau, a
decision that implied a cut in prestige and salary, but proved to be highly
gratifying and drove me to discover my professional passion.
The job at SEPI allowed me to develop myself in a more entrepreneurial
environment and get in touch with real investment plans of multinational
companies. This job opened my eyes to the public sector and the complexities
within a governmental officeboth good and bad.
Furthermore, within this job I was able to use my business sense and curiosity
to identify sectors and companies interested in investing in Western Europe,
convince them about the advantages of coming to Spain, assess them during their
new investment venture until the operations start-up, and last but most
importantly, be a witness to the results of my own effort through the creation
of
real businesses and job positions.
Final result: opportunity captured
Working at SEPI was challenging from the beginning. In a very short period of
time, I found myself dealing with high executives from Japan, England, Germany
and the Ukraine (to name a few) who were interested in investing in Spain. At
SEPI, I was able to actively contribute to the start-up of new businesses and
develop my own ideas and initiatives in a very entrepreneurial environment.
With each project I was involved in, I got to delve deeper into the true needs
of my country and discover what we have to offer to the rest of the world; I was
able to see first-hand how foreign investment impacts our economy and that of
others. I found my experience in this office to be both enlightening and
encouraging. Working with and for professionals from many different cultures
and
backgrounds reinforced my interest in international business, and my experiences
at SEPI have inspired me to focus my talent towards the betterment of my
country.
My participation and management of several investment projects gave me the
opportunity to contribute to the economic development of my country. While
there, I personally contributed to a total investment of 7 million Euros and the
creation of almost 400 direct jobs. Not only do I feel that I captured a great
professional opportunity, but I can honestly say that I am proud of the work I
did there and the new angle it lent me for my future professional endeavors.
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Essay Question:
What personal value means the most to you and why?
RESPECT is the value that means the most to me. Respect is the basis for human relationships. Without respect, couples cannot live together, teams cannot work together, and societies cannot live in peace. Lack of respect for others slows down progression and limits our potential for social advancement. However, I think that respect needs to start at home. Respect for others is not possible if there is no respect for oneself. Everyone has to be proud of who he or she is and what he or she has accomplished. Appreciating oneself and one's differences forces individuals to analyze other cultures and beliefs. When we are able to understand and respect others, we can begin to appreciate the richness that our many contrasts bring to any decision. In today's world, we're now facing a new challenge that will require the maximum degree of respect for each other. Globalization is blurring borders and is making previously isolated problems, worldwide issues. This situation requires persons and professionals who know how to deal with cross-cultural issues and who understand that our differences are what prompt our growth. Respect allows us to produce dialogue, negotiate and reach realistic conclusions. The world needs people who are aware of the differences among countries and even within the same country, people who bear in mind that although there are many people like you, many are not, that is respect for others.
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Essay Question:
4. Please select and answer one of the following essay questions. (Recommended 250 word limit) If you were given a free day and could spend it anywhere, in any way you choose, what would you do?
If I was given a free day, I would spend it with my mother and my two brothers in the apartment we have on the coast. It is a place that means a lot to us and where we have shared a lot of good moments. My mother bought this apartment with some money that my father left us after he passed away and, since then, it has become my favorite place. Every time I am there I am reminded of how important my family is to me and how nice it is to spend time with them. My current job involves a lot of traveling and has meant that I don't get to see my family very often. As a result of this, the scarce time that I am with them has become more precious. On such a day I would not need to do anything very amazing. Actually, what I like to do most is to talk to my brothers and my mother around the table while eating lunch. When we are all together at this beach apartment we are all very relaxed and can enter in conversation very easily. Our lunches on the balcony are not about the food, but about storytelling and shared memories. When I am there with my family I am able to forget about all of my worries and truly live in the moment.
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Essay Question:
5. (Optional) Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history.)
I would like to use this space to comment on several issues that I believe need further explanation. 1. Academic strengths I would like to address my potential as a graduate student in this essay since I believe that my GMAT score is not a good indicator of my academic ability. Firstly, I would like to emphasize my high performance in one of the most demanding business schools in Spain, where I ranked sixth out of 170 students (top 3.5%) who completed their studies. My performance during these years improved every year and, despite investing a lot of time in my studies, I was able to balance my studies with two demanding but very challenging extracurricular activities such as running a University Association and playing team handball at a professional and semi-professional level. Moreover, due to my academic performance and the degree of my involvement at the university, I was able to pursue two exchange programs during my fifth year at university (an opportunity given only to those who show academic excellence). Additionally, my strong analytical skills have also been proved through my work. First at SEPI with the analysis of investments and business plans, and later at Roland Berger where I have been in charge of the more quantitative project modules. Along the same lines, I would like to point out that my high level of English allowed me to spend a semester abroad at Emory University and that, apart from academic records, my fiancee is American and we have been living together and speaking in English for the last four years. I understand that the GMAT is a way for the admissions committee to get a sense of the applicants aptitude, but I strongly believe that my university and professional performance are more reflective of my capabilities. All of this said, I would appreciate the chance to have an interview in order to demonstrate my true capability. 2. Professional team handball player One of my life goals was to reach the professional level in the sport I have always practiced, team handball. Before starting University at ESADE, I saw my dream come true. I was given a chance to play on my hometown team, BM Granollers, and was unable to refuse the offer. Although playing professional handball and starting university at the same time implied a huge challenge, I decided to do both, and, in following my passion, I was not able to dedicate as much time to my studies as I would have liked. Playing a sport at a professional level and completing a university degree at the same time is very uncommon in Spain. Professional handball involves more than 8 hours of practice and game time a week and very few players pursue another activity while playing, least of all, a university degree. Moreover, this experience turned out to be very valuable to me. I learned how to deal with and balance two very demanding activities in my life, to be a strong team-player, to learn from failures, thrive for challenges, and become a leader in the playing field; lessons that I have later been able to apply to many situations at work. Despite the pleasure I received from being able to play at such an elite level, after that year, I made the difficult decision of concentrating on my studies and decided to give up professional handball and start playing on less demanding teams. In the end, I knew that a university degree would take me further than handball, but I am proud to say that I was able to achieve my childhood dream. 3. ESADE Sports Association While at ESADE, I got very involved in the extracurricular activities that the university offered, especially with those related to sports. In my second year, I was elected President of the Sports Association, office that I held until graduation. My responsibilities were to organize the yearly soccer, basketball and tennis leagues among ESADE students and with other universities within the Barcelona area. Furthermore, we also organized weekend events in places outside Barcelona, with the objective of fostering relationships among students in ESADE in a non-curricular environment and with the healthy benefit of practicing sports. But, perhaps the most important thing I did together with my team was the revival of EUROESADE. EUROESADE was a forgotten idea of some former students who dreamed of organizing a pan-European sports tournament among several European universities, but which never became a reality. However, I am proud to say that together with my team, we accomplished this dream and, in its third year (2000), we reached a participation level of more than 250 European students. Through this experience, I learnt how to organize large events, prepare budgets and assign resources, search for funding (mainly from ESADE and sponsoring companies), negotiate contracts with hotels and sports facilities (ESADE has no sport facilities), and manage the large group of volunteers that worked on the tournament. My time as President of the ESADE Sports Association served as valuable and practical experience for my future leadership roles and work situations. 4. GPA Calculation ESADE is one of the most prestigious undergraduate business schools in Spain. Due to its extremely demanding curriculum, only around 50% of the entering class of any given year actually graduate. In the class of 2001, more than 350 people started and only 170 finished. Along with being a very challenging school, ESADE's grading system (0 to 100) is slightly different from that of other universities, considering a grade above 85 an A. Therefore, obtaining a grade above 80 is very difficult and is a sign of academic excellence. Hence, in considering my GPA, I have applied ESADE's grading perspective and used the following scale. 85 to 100 - 4.0 70 to 84 - 3.3 60 to 69 - 2.3 50 to 59 - 1.3 My overall grade for the five years calculated by ESADE is 74.54, which transferred to the 4.0 scale would be a 3.0. Along the same lines, it is necessary to point out that ESADE does not transfer the grades from other universities (Emory and Universitat zu Koln) into their system, I only receive credit for having completed them. Hence, I could not calculate the GPA for these two semesters. 5. Languages As indicated in the online application form, I would like to use this space to mention that, apart from being a native Spanish and Catalan speaker, I also speak English, German, and have basic knowledge of French and Japanese. I have had the opportunity to learn and practice my English throughout my life in summer camps in England, at school and at work, where I have been assigned projects abroad and many of our presentations are done in English. I started learning German when I was sixteen and since then I have studied and practiced it at university, living in Germany, and at work in some assignments that I have had with Roland Berger Germany. My knowledge of French is very basic. I have never had formal education in French, but I spent five months in Luxembourg where I studied on my own. However, written French and Catalan are very similar and Catalan speakers can pick up French easily. My knowledge of Japanese is very basic, while at Emory University I took a four month course. Thank you for your time and consideration.
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Essay Question:
What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? Major Essay.
The Perfect Setup for Success My primary long-term goal is to build on my three years of economic research and economic policy consulting experience, in preparation for an international management position in Colombia. Ultimately, I aim to combine my passion for the hunt of new business opportunities 'that bring not only a personal benefit, but also an intellectual challenge', with my desire to manage my own business. I want to create a company that, in the long run, has the capacity to attract clients to do international business in a variety of fields, by acknowledging people's needs, by searching for resources compatible with those needs, and then by identifying solutions that create value. This approach will give the Company a very broad scope, which will suit my creativity and strong entrepreneurial character. The type of enterprise I envision resembles a small but highly specialized company, one that is capable to seize the opportunities that arise from the volatile environment inherent to an emerging economy located in an underdeveloped region, as well as one that can quickly respond to technological change, allowing it to profit from transferable knowledge developed elsewhere. This is the type of activity on which the future of Colombia depends, as companies are forced to search for foreign business opportunities in response to a long-standing sluggish local economic performance. To create this type of enterprise, I plan to assemble a small team of qualified individuals with diverse skills but common interests. Compensation will be based strictly on performance rather than tenure, so that all members who share the responsibilities may also share the profits. Personal profit, however, will not be the sole motivation. The team will also be motivated by a common interest in economic development and welfare in Colombia. Efficient and smart international business conducting is crucial in the environment of an emerging economy with internal demand problems. This is so because such setting creates countless business opportunities for a creative manager with adequate knowledge, inventiveness and networking capabilities. I see that these opportunities are often lost in Colombia because the country has a serious lack of human capital: people with the professional and intellectual skills necessary to grasp the many international business prospects that arise when domestic markets are not in good shape. The fields in which these prospects are found, range from foreign trade of goods and services in which Colombia has comparative and absolute advantages, to capital flows, which Colombia, as an emerging market has very high potential to attract, in the form not only of foreign direct investment but also of short-term and long-term public and private debt. That is why, fully understanding the functioning of international business and of global capital markets, meeting the right people and building a network, and positioning myself in a highly competitive environment that promotes my entrepreneurial instincts, are the three short-term goals in line with my previous personal and professional experience, that I want to attain as means to create an organization dedicated to the promotion of international business in Colombia. I realize that in order to be successful as an entrepreneur in international business, I will need to acquire a wide variety of skills to manage across an entire organization, ranging from global economics and finance, to managerial economics and decision model designing. I have developed strong skills in economic analysis and gained experience in line with my objectives, and while it is hard to assure that an MBA is the perfect substitute for experience, it will certainly help me to accelerate the process providing me with the framework necessary for effective decision making in international business. The MBA program in the Columbia Business School would also allow me to further research my business ideas through the experience of my highly-qualified peers, independent studies, and related summer employment. Education and experience may not change my goals, but they may well change the means by which I achieve them. Moreover, since I will not be able to create this organization alone, nor is it my intention, I look forward to the opportunity to meet not only other individuals who share my interests in entrepreneurship, international business and emerging markets, but also those with whom I do not share as many interests, as from them I can learn the most, and I am sure they can learn from me as well. Aside from enrolling highly qualified individuals and having prominent teaching staff, CBS has three particular traits that make it the most suitable School to help me achieve my career goals and therefore my first and only choice. The first of these traits is its permanent international focus. It is not only a question of the courses in international business I can take 'which happen to be outstanding', but essentially is its diversity, global outlook and constant contact with multi-national corporations and governments. The CBS program is enriched by the diversity of its students, almost half of which were not born in the United States, by the frequent conferences of global leaders and business men, by the study trips, by the Chazen Institute and its insightful Web Journal of International Business, and certainly, by locating its base in dynamic New York City, the best place in the world to gain a global perspective and to learn about the functioning of the global marketplace. In the end, not in vain, dean Feldberg refers to CBS as the finest international business school in the world'. The second of these traits is that CBS fosters entrepreneurship both inside and outside the classroom in a determined, organized manner. My long-term goals require coaching in the focusing and development of my entrepreneurial skills and the Columbia Entrepreneurship Organization provides just that. Finally, I am currently enrolled in the Master of International Affairs at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs. Completing the dual degree will provide me with the precise tools, knowledge and exposure I require to attain my long-term ambitions.
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If you could change one decision you have made, what would it be and why? Minor Essay
A Lesson on Attention to Detail and Over Trusting. In order to explain the decision I would like to change, I will provide an overview of the environment in which the decision was made. Two years ago, under the Pastrana administration Colombia had an agreement with the International Monetary Fund which involved the disbursement of $2.7 billion, conditioned to meeting certain macroeconomic targets. This capital was key to the recovery of the financial sector and ultimately to the creation of an environment suitable for sustainable economic growth. The level of commitment inherent to this kind of agreement is very high, as not meeting the targets jeopardizes the disbursement. This agreement was the cornerstone of Pastrana's economic plan. I worked on the foreign economic policy team at the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit under the Pastrana administration. One of my responsibilities was to team with the IMF officials to monitor the achievement of the agreement's targets. In terms of the external debt semi-annual top agreed, I gathered information from the public entities acquiring external debt, set individual targets for each of them, and under no circumstance, allow for the total debt top be exceeded. To do this I had to alert the Vice Minister when an entity stopped following its external debt schedule. On a monthly basis, the head of the External Debt department in the General Directorate of Public Credit sent an e-mail to the entire team with an attachment containing external debt issuances of every government entity. After about a week of reviewing May's file I realized one of the largest government companies was exceeding its debt top by over $240 million. Should this situation remain uncorrected by the June 30th target deadline, the second semester disbursements of the IMF agreement would not be assured and Colombia would, for the first time, fail to meet an international obligation, thus sending terrible signs to the international capital markets. I contacted the head of the External Debt department and requested the latest version of the data base. He sent me an e-mail saying that the information was not different from that of May's report, but still he attached the file. Trusting this person's judgment I did not open the attachment. I figured I would rather use my time to design a financial strategy to correct this excess. The following weeks were nerve-racking as the Minister himself made this case his top priority. After we had implemented the strategy, this person contacted me saying that the entity in question had not exceeded its top debt. He said that that information was on the data base attached to the e-mail he had sent. I checked the attachment and, in fact, the file was different from the one in May's report. The operation made to correct this excess, which cannot be explained in such short lines, had to be reversed. Colombia lost about $2.5 million in international reserves. I would like to change the decision of not opening the attachment. I have learned that even if I work with efficient, highly qualified, and trustworthy people, I still have to pay rigorous attention to detail. I have to trust my peers but never make a decision without knowing all the facts. Had the information attached been the same as the one in May's report my decision not to open the attachment would have been efficient, but that was something I could not assume even if it was explicitly stated in the e-mail.
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What do you feel makes a person a good leader? Minor Essay
The Leader and the Good Leader A leader is someone who can make others follow him or her. There are some personal characteristics that the leader has to have for this to happen. First: Strong communication skills, in order to transmit his or her ideas and goals in a clear manner. Second: Honesty, which is the key to respect. A person only follows someone he or she respects. Third: Vision. People follow when they know where they are going, or at least when they know their leader knows where to go. Fourth: Creativity. When the path is dark, people will follow the one who turns the flashlight on, that is, the most creative, and the one with the best ideas. Fifth: Knowledge. Leadership without knowledge is just not sustainable. Sixth: Passion, which is crucial to inspire others. People will follow if they feel inspired by their leader. Now, a good leader is someone who leads people to a good place and whose objectives are noble and oriented towards welfare. Several personal experiences prove I am not only a leader, but also a good one. However, space constraints only allow me to mention one. The Banco de Bogota, the bank with the highest net income in Colombia in 2002, hired the National Financial Institutions Association(ANIF) 'where I worked' to study the profitability of investment in government bonds. I asked the president of ANIF to assign me the study because I have always been appealed by the multiplicity of business opportunities inherent to public finance. I got the assignment based on my experience on the public sector. Along the way I realized I could design a model to determine Colombia's public debt sustainability, but that would be a much larger project. At first the Financial VP of the bank was reluctant because of the magnitude of the project. I structured a plan to persuade him, based mainly on the obvious benefits of having a model that determined the sustainability of public debt for the bank. My strong analytical abilities and structured thinking came in handy. A good leader has to be prepared but is not necessarily the most prepared one. The VP knew his business better that anyone, yet I was able to show him something new about it. I got him to follow.
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Please tell us about what you feel most passionate. Minor Essay
The Land of Endless Opportunities When compared to other countries, Colombia shows very poor investment conditions: Violence, weak institutions, macroeconomic volatility, and sluggish internal demand. What makes me feel most passionate is that regardless of these conditions, business opportunities never cease to come. The constant elimination of international barriers opens countless business prospects and the country's current strategy of negotiating trade agreements with key partner nations, and redesigning regulation laws for foreign investment, means Colombia is moving on the right track. Globalization, however, is not the only source of international business growth in Colombia. The very fact that the country is an underdeveloped economy, makes the return on investing in it far grater than that of investing in an industrialized country. What is fascinating is that that return does not come only in a pecuniary form, but also in terms of social welfare. Living standards in developed economies are closer to a steady state, whereas in Colombia social improvement is potentially enormous given the economys initial allocation. I am extremely enthusiastic about the future of international business in Colombia. I believe there are major breakthroughs yet to be made in the field. For instance, I am currently working in a team project to employ artisans deployed from their homelands by insurgent organizations. These people have incredible talent, which would otherwise be wasted as they cannot find employment opportunities in the cities. We have found that international demand for this kind of craftsmanship is actually very high, and even higher if sold under the concept of helping people that have been affected by violence. My personal passion, which I believe can best be accomplished as a professional and competent businessman, consists of this sort of opportunities.
