Most finance candidates targeting Stanford MBA have interesting stories. This is not your cliché Banking bros. Investment Banking, Private Equity and VC roles are opportunities to take families out of the ‘struggle’. Many use the momentum to take on large societal problems through funding solutions. For this example, the applicant – a South American, has a close association with Nigeria through the family’s agribusiness. He has a vision to streamline the industry through IMPACT investment.
Section 1: The opening line takes the reader to the applicant’s background - his father's occupation, where he grew up, and his association with Nigeria as a Brazilian. The narrative then transitions to his career in Finance while parallelly narrating droughts in his family farms. His role as an Investment Banker advising on deals for pension funds captures a deal that required customizing the pitch to balance ESG metrics with profitability. The impact of the pitch and the funds it brought to the farmlands in South America is the line that allows the applicant to transition to the next paragraph.
Section 2: The section starts with a goal statement and why Stanford MBA is essential. The applicant shares how he will take advantage of Stanford’s IMPACT fund and streamline performance metrics that would transform the Food and Agriculture industry in Africa. By citing the specific problems that affect the region, his exposure to the region, and the opportunity that lies ahead for Nigeria, the applicant lays out a plan.
Section 3: The applicant concludes by highlighting other aspects of the Stanford MBA experience that would help him transition from Investment Banking to Venture Capital.
Sample Why Stanford MBA Essay: Career Switching (Investment Banking to Venture Capital) (393 Words)
Each summer, our family trip was planned around my father's negotiations with farmers in Benue. Growing up in a farming community, as a Brazilian, I developed a close association with Nigeria. In 2014, when I started my Finance career, our family farms faced the biggest draughts. My heart sank each time news of crop failure reached my alerts. When in 2018, I was invited by <x> - the largest pension fund pivoting to prioritize ESG factors in the investment strategy, I found a win-win strategy that infused funds into the South American market. I declared my family ties with the region before suggesting the framework for strategically investing in South America and pitched the opportunities to improve the yield of the farmland. Although the investments were prioritized on maximizing return, one in ten farmlands acquired by these large funds could bring sustainable water and resource management practices into the entire industry.
For the first time, I..
