Harvard Business-Minded Essay
• Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)
Background Information: The applicant cites one moment as a 5-year-old self when he found a passion for ballet dancing. The pursuit of this unorthodox career materialized because his father supported his inclinations. The parent’s attitude is hinted at as a value that the applicant adopted throughout his career.
Theme: Creativity
Theme (Explained): Applicant positions himself as someone who follows his passion and creativity while getting out of his comfort zone. The consulting engagement in Nigeria is one such example. By working with the government, non-profits, and local entrepreneurs, he used his creative skills to develop an immersive experience for the pitch that converted to a billion-dollar deal for America’s leading brand.
Profile: Investment Banking, Consultant
Industry: Finance, Consulting
Similar Narrative (Industries): Investment Banking, Venture Capital, Private Equity
MBA Essay Strategy: Serendipitous entry to careers works in an essay as long as you switch back to a traditional career. Aimless wanderer narrative without the self-awareness of your strengths and weaknesses will read poorly in HBS essays. For this essay, the applicant highlights creativity as a factor in his impactful career.
Opener: By starting with a traumatic experience from childhood, I am strategically sharing the applicant’s unconventional background.
HBS MBA Business-Minded Essay - Creativity, Investment Banking and Consulting in Africa (300 Words)
Eyes closed, swaying to Tchaikovsky's score, I danced on the stage unassumingly. My friends were snickering at my poses. At 5, I innocently asked, “Is ballet dance only for girls?”
My father, without missing a beat, said, “Don’t worry about your friends. They will find their ballet dance.” The non-judgmental approach became my value in influencing project outcomes.
As a professional ballet dancer, I learned..
