“I am currently working on a robotics project that would solve the potential food shortage in 2030”
The MBA applicant was answering my question on “what is your core story”
He began insisting that the project is unlike any other. I agreed. Among all the ‘cool’ technology solutions I have heard, this was the first one that had an ‘Avenger’ like ‘saving humanity’ theme to it.
“Your cool project is not your core story”
It is tough to admit especially from someone like me whose identity is closely linked to what I do.
If you ask me ‘what is my core story’, I can go on about the diverse content and services that we are offering, but it is not.
When I began partnering with an MBA Admissions consultant in 2010, I introduced an Applicant to her services. She had the reputation – an Ivey league background and the standard ‘published article in mainstream media’ title to her. I imagined this would translate to a great service. According to our partnership, I introduce the applicant, she offers the service, and if the applicant is happy, I earn a commission. Great deal right. The meeting was scheduled for 7:00 pm. The superstar consultant didn’t show up. She had a strict preference for working from 9 to 6. By not owning the responsibility of the applicant’s experience, I felt a level of disappointment that was the fodder for our Consulting and Editing service.
Instead of a fixed office time, I became available for my clients without any restrictions and vowed to answer all the questions in my free consulting form. This commitment was tough to follow-through. Last year, I was looking at the likely chance that my office would be flooded from a dam mismanagement. Through the anxiety of evacuating, I was obsessively thinking about ‘how to structure’ the client’s second paragraph for Harvard MBA Essay.
There are moments in your life that would reveal your ‘core’
It doesn’t come naturally.
The applicant was not just a brilliant technologist, he was a leader. This might not be obvious to an MBA admission team, despite his consistent contribution in school, or in college as an elected class representative. Most strong applicants have a trail of leadership stories and many fearing that such experiences would turn into a cliché don’t report them all or hesitate to elaborate.
It is tough to reflect and find stories that defined you. I was staring at a blank paper for two days, before translating this idea to an article.
It can be done If you search for the vulnerable moments in your life.
Don’t polish it. Don’t spin it.
List them all out.
Ideally, seek external help. Not from your family and friends. They know you as the person who wet the bed until 3rd grade or the one who was blackout drunk at an office party. Those are not the vulnerable moments I am talking about.
List at least one moment in your life when you felt:
1) Self-doubt (when you questioned your ability)
2) Anger (when you couldn’t achieve the expected results)
3) Loyalty (when you believed in your team despite their weaknesses)
4) Inspired (to continue despite imminent setback)
5) Joy (when you accomplished a goal)
These should not be empty emotions.
You should have taken some action from these emotions or felt the emotion after accomplishing a goal; something related to a project, a career decision, a founding story, a volunteering initiative or a family event.
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