Post-MBA Goal (Short-term): Senior Associate (Leadership responsibilities)
Build strategic decision-making, communication, and marketing skills to improve the service offering of the PE firm
Post-MBA Goal (Long-term): Scale the PE firm
Knowledge Gap: Leadership to transform the culture and build new allies in North America
Career Pathways: Leadership, Strategy, Private Equity
Electives, Clubs, and Initiatives: I have shortlisted electives and collaborations according to the skill and knowledge gap of the applicant:
- Future of Work: Strategy & Leadership
- The Leader's Voice: Communication Skills for Leading Organizations
- Private Equity Field Study Lab
Strategy: After an impressive career growth to earn a senior associate role in under 4 years, the applicant is taking a strategic career break to relearn the fundamentals of scaling the PE business using technology, partnerships, and marketing. A Columbia MBA will upskill her business, leadership, and PE acumen and empower her to take over the New York office of the fund. Since the firm is a new entrant to the North American market, conveying fit with ‘American’ values is the focus here. And since the fund is based out of the Middle East, the applicant ensures that her multicultural and international perspective is highlighted in at least one-third of the essay to avoid stereotyping as a person working with a regional player.
Opener: For any school out of New York, especially Columbia, you must highlight cross-cultural collaboration to demonstrate fit – first in the resume and second with some parts of the essay, preferably the opening paragraph. Once you establish ‘fit’ or ‘credibility’ in the opener, the reviewer will be receptive to your goals.
Sample Columbia MBA Goals Essay: Scaling Private Equity Firm (500 Words)
I learned the building blocks of Finance through an exploratory internship at <y> in Singapore. The internship expanded my perspective of Finance from a quant exercise to a reflection of the culture, policy and aspirations of a country. The reports I created had all the makings of a short story, merging interactions of ....
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