When the average age of Entrepreneurs is 42 in the US, you know that a popular myth of the early 20s hood-wearing tech Entrepreneur is a narrative that works in Silicon Valley for the 1% who make it. For the rest of the 99% hood-wearing ramen noodles eating drifters, the 6-month ‘attempt’ at Entrepreneurship is soon followed by taking the routine 9-9 job. Business School’s expectation of entrepreneurial thinking is different from how a traditional Entrepreneur thinks. But some traits overlap.
The most bastardized trait in MBA application essays is persistence. When I see the applicant use this term explicitly, my blood boils. We all persist through the boring projects, the daily routines we don’t like, and the office meetings. That conveys our inability to say “no” or the fear that any conflict would negatively impact our promotion or reputation in the team.
True persistence is when you are puking blood, and the next day is the D-day for an investor presentation that would bring $2M in funding for the start-up. Or the time when your team called you ‘crazy’ to even suggest a deadline. By showing how it is done, you persisted and showed that nothing is ‘crazy’ just because it hasn’t been done before.
The tales of persistence come in all forms.
In most narratives, there was no one supporting the applicant.
Persistence is delusional thinking for the moment but tales of legend when the goals are met.
You must search for such a unique event when this Entrepreneurial thinking is brought into the essay.
The nuance of why the team missed the obvious without boasting would separate you from the numerous ‘hero’ narratives that applicants use to stand out.
See how to use the Persistence Narrative with F1GMAT's Columbia MBA Essay Guide (Samples Included)
