NYU Stern MBA Essay 1: Change: _________ it (350 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

In today’s global business environment, the only constant is change. Using NYU Stern’s brand call to action, we want to know how you view change. Change: _____ it. Fill in the blank with a word of your choice. Why does this word resonate with you? How will you embrace your own personal tagline while at Stern? Examples:
Change: Dare it.
Change: Dream it.
Change: Drive it.
Change: Empower it.
Change: Manifest it.
Change: [Any word of your choice.]

Background Information: An investment banker introduces the concerns of the junior bankers to the management and opens a channel for authentic communication, bringing reform and perspective to all stakeholders in the culture.

For the Investment Banking community, working long hours for live deals and waiting around for the client’s queries, even past 2 am, is a routine hassle. When a late-night dinner reimbursement is canceled from the perks, the team hits an all-time low in morale.  

The applicant’s intervention to represent the junior bankers and convey the discouragement while also listening to the reasons for the management’s return to office mandate is the context of the essay.

Theme: Communication, Authenticity, Leadership

Theme (Explained): Dare it as a theme in the NYU Stern change essay can also mean unconventional communication. The importance of such communication needs to be explored with the culture of the organization, and the existing conflicts.

Profile: Investment Banker

Industry: Finance

MBA Essay Strategy: My idea is to present the culture of Investment Banking while also narrating the challenges the management is facing with the rapid devaluation of commercial real estate that is set to hit a pinnacle in 2025.

With aggressive targets to reallocate assets, returning to the office is a necessary step. By showing both sides of the story and bringing the applicant into the middle of the story, I am demonstrating the applicant’s maturity and courage to communicate authentically. 

To make the narrative realistic and to show that not all suggestions are often accepted by the management, I have also highlighted the collaboration with NAMI-NYC, the affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, to address mental health challenges many junior bankers are facing with the 120+ hour work schedule.

In a culture of managing communication sensitively, communicating the important milestones that will drive a change in culture is a classic leadership trait. 

Opener: I wanted to start with a line that shows the shocking culture of the industry

NYU Stern MBA Change Essay: Dare It (Communication Gap Around Mandate to Return to Office – Investment Banker) (349 Words) 

The 21 hours of continuous work that caused the death of an analyst – although tragic, was a secret rite of passage for all junior bankers, even in 2023. After a stellar 2021, large M&A didn’t happen as we anticipated in 2022. 2023 started on a rough note when the CEO mandated a return to office. Junior Bankers protested. My first year physically in an office was spent managing conflicts. 

Attrition was expected, but ..

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