Before you create a narrative for the Harvard MBA open-ended essay with cliched accounts of the challenges of exploring in unforgiving terrains, and the roadblocks a manager faces working with rig workers of diverse motivations and cultures, you must learn about the historical perspective on where Harvard University stands on the fossil fuel industry.
Position of Harvard University – Oil and Gas Industry
The divestment protests at Harvard hit a peak in 2019 at the 136th edition of The Game – the football match between Yale and Harvard. In two years, Harvard switched from a libertarian and practical perspective on the Energy transition from Oil and Gas to taking the lead in divesting its $41.9 billion endowment fund from the Fossil fuel industry.
With this understanding, approach the Harvard MBA Essay using three strategies.
1) Life Outside Work
Maybe I am typecasting the client base from the Oil and Gas industry. The majority of the professionals from the industry have a certain calm about challenging obstacles and setbacks. The demographic might be used to watching the majesty of machines the size of 4 story buildings creating value from seemingly unfruitful terrains. The mindset to choose a physically demanding career when opportunities lie in industries that require more glute muscles to sit for long hours staring at the screen is the mindset of a contrarian.
Contrarian life experiences outside work are one way to create narratives that don’t remind the Harvard MBA admissions team that you are part of the problem. For the Sample Harvard MBA Essay - Guilt of Working in the Oil & Gas Industry, I highlighted the sacrifice the applicant and her family made for the greater good of rural Education in India in the opening paragraph.
2) Perspective Through Destruction
Buddha didn’t wake up one day and renounced from the life of mortals, their worries, and petty account keeping. He faced war and destruction. A similar perspective about the good and bad of the Oil and Gas industry often works in the Harvard MBA Essay over the one-dimensional account of why there is no value that we can acquire from the O&G industry even for the transition to greener technology. The largest talent base leading the renewable energy industry – either through consulting or operations are professionals from the Fossil fuel industry. This balanced perspective is appreciated at Harvard even if the university has publicly stopped investing in the legacy industry since 2021.
To capture the destructive aspect of oil exploration, I captured a line showing how a one-minute release of oil waste destroyed a square mile of pristine flora. These lines were strategically placed in the middle after offering the perspective of the challenges of working in the oil and gas industry as a woman.
Balance is essential, even if you are criticizing the industry.
3) Career Switch
When billions of funds are taken away from the Oil and Gas industry, and investors are shamed if they even mention interests in the industry, a clear demonstration of skills outside operations in Oil and Gas, including strategic planning, management, technology operations, or consulting, should be mentioned in the essay.
A common strategy is to highlight interests in Education or serving the underprivileged through non-profit engagements. The contributions should be meaningful and showcase skills outside your core expertise.
