MIT Sloan seeks students whose personal characteristics demonstrate that they will make the most of the incredible opportunities at MIT, both academic and non-academic. We are on a quest to find those whose presence will enhance the experience of other students. We seek thoughtful leaders with exceptional intellectual abilities and the drive and determination to put their stamp on the world. We welcome people who are independent, authentic, and fearlessly creative — true doers.

Berkeley Haas MBA What Makes you Feel Alive Essay Example (Flying and Building Tech Products)

Extra-curricular feeding into the profession can be structured with two strategies. 

One – finding a common set of skills that are useful in both endeavors. 

Two – sharing that both have a unique purpose in your life. 

In this example, we have used the 2nd strategy - by highlighting an extra-curricular that makes the applicant feel alive. Then a professional endeavor which has provided a similar meaning to the applicant’s life. 

Berkeley Haas MBA What Makes you feel Alive Essay Example: Pushing oneself until Failure and Learning from Diverse Teams

Theme: Entrepreneurial Thinking, Failure, Diversity

Required Haas MBA Essay #3: One of our goals at Berkeley Haas is to develop leaders who value diversity and to create an inclusive environment in which people from different ethnicities, genders, lived experiences, and national origins feel welcomed and supported. Describe any experience or exposure you have in the area of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging whether through community organizations, personal, or in the workplace?

Pre-MBA Employer: Facebook
Pre-MBA Title: Product Manager
Post-MBA Title: Associate
Post-MBA Employer: Venture Capital Firm

Foundational Knowledge: Because the candidate has extensive experience in Technology, the curriculum mentioned in the goals essay was customized to include foundational skills in Finance and Investments.

Q) Tell us who you are. How have your values and experiences shaped your identity and character? How will your background contribute to the diverse Tuck culture and community? 

Background Information: A Product Manager in Healthcare shares her experience in transforming the culture in a healthcare company to support working mothers. 

Theme: Gender Equity, Working Mothers

Post-MBA Goal (Short-term): Product Management to Strategy (FinTech in Consumer Finance)

Post-MBA Goal (Long-term/Dream Job): Start a Consulting Company specializing in Consumer Finance solutions

Problem (Narrative): For this Sample MBA Essay, I had to focus on the healthcare niches in the Columbia MBA curriculum and connect with the applicant’s exposure and experiences. 

Knowledge Gap: Strategy, Entrepreneurial Leadership and Consulting 

Traditional Leadership, where the goal is to establish authority and, through posturing, enforce compliance, works in a large organization with systems, structure, and a clearly defined chain of commands. Although the style works in an environment where the margin for error is high, and the company can absorb losses in the short-term, in a start-up, openness and aligning the team’s incentives with the company’s milestones are crucial for gaining traction. This could be in the form of a vesting period and other bonus structures. The hours are different, and so is the commitment.