Haas MBA Feels Alive essay doesn’t exist on its own. Berkeley Haas School of Business has four essays: one on Feels Alive, the second on goals, the third on expanding on one of the Haas principles (Student Always, Beyond Yourself, Questioning the Status Quo, and Confidence without Attitude), and the fourth on DEI.
Since you have several options to focus on your community engagement and IMPACTFUL professional achievements, the Feels Alive Essay should focus on an aspect of your personality, life experiences, or perspective that could not be easily captured in other questions.
Here are three 3 Strategies to Answer Haas MBA Feels Alive Essay:
1) Break Down What you love about your Hobby
Last week, I fixed the doorknob of two of my rooms. As someone used to staring at a screen and typing words that evoke certain emotions, I found the experience challenging and satisfying.
Figuring out the different types of screws and cutting the excess metal with a makeshift axle blade all felt like unearthing a mystery with a hint of danger.
Each time I went to the hardware store to figure out the steps to fix the knob, there was always another customer – a plumber or an electrician, who opined with a perspective. It was like learning 3 new things in 3 different trips.
I could see the satisfaction they felt sharing their wisdom.
It felt comical to reflect and see a simple handiwork taking 3 hours for a writer. But I felt alive – an experience I didn’t have when doing the same task in my first year of engineering.
Our love-hate experience with an activity evolves with age.
Break down why it feels alive to do what you do – an activity you do as a hobby.
Include an atypical example for your background.
For a Haas MBA applicant, learning about flying, the array of buttons, and the thrill of taking the plane off the ground felt like being alive. But the actual narrative could be strategically used to share a vision you have for the industry if you plan to continue working on an inter-generational problem.
Two feeling-alive examples in one essay are possible. That is what I added for the Sample Haas What Makes You Feel Alive (Flying and AI in Healthcare)(299 Words)
For another Haas MBA applicant, It was about thinking through the minute details of design that we all take for granted in our day-to-day lives that made him feel alive.
2) Prioritize Unique Personal Milestones
The experiences around Berkeley Haas through student clubs, events, and the campus location should be leveraged to match your personal milestones.
Some of the interesting personal milestones I have read include:
- Getting into shape (mostly applicants in Desk Jobs for the greater part of their career – Technologists)
- Meditation (Yoga or any activity that offers a feeling of oneness with nature and the world)
- Dedicating weekly 3-5 hours to rescuing animals (caring for and finding owners to adopt)
- Dedicating to a skillset that you had lost touch with (drawing, dance, music, pottery, or painting)
- Helping with Education (tutoring, career orientation)
An MBA is an intense experience but unlike work experience for the past 5-7 years, where a month-long break is a reality for a few, prioritizing personal milestones and connecting how it makes you feel alive is a strategy that works for Haas MBA application. You have the time to prioritize personal milestones when doing an MBA.
Read Sample Haas MBA Alive Essays | Download F1GMAT's Haas MBA Essay Guide for the Full Samples
3) Values vs Principles
Values vs Principles is a broad topic.
There are enough opportunities with Haas Essays to reiterate examples that show that you have certain principles that remain consistent in all behaviors.
Values evolve with experience and exposure.
Like any top school, Haas prefers candidates who are open to suggestions – a foundational skill for learning. Each learning experience should have changed your values or reinforced your values.
If the overall theme of your essays is around the principle of Beyond Yourself – a pre-requisite for DEI initiatives, some values cover interesting aspects of your personality.
Principles vs Values
- Student Always vs Openness, Humbleness
- Beyond Yourself vs Compassion, Community
- Questioning the Status Quo vs Courage, Imagination
- Confidence without Attitude vs Humbleness
Several other traits don’t fall into the principles but could make you an excellent leader or a person capable of managing a diverse team.
To brainstorm complementing values that could be strategically highlighted for your Haas MBA Feel Alive Essay, Subscribe to F1GMAT’s Essay Editing Service.
