Some motivations to switching from one job function to another could happen in the midst of a high-stakes project.

For this Sample Essay, we use a profile of a Private Equity Analyst who found her interest in operations while wandering into a Coffee shop.

First Section: In this example, the applicant was stuck at Heathrow Airport waiting for a transit flight. To kill time, she began browsing through the luxury and souvenir shop. At the end of the hunt, as a reward, she entered a coffee shop. Immediately, her attention was caught on the operational efficiency of the barista and the server. Noticing an efficiency gap, the applicant does a mental calculation of the loss the coffee chain is accumulating from a seemingly insignificant operational glitch.

Second Section: The excessive attention on operations became an epiphany for the applicant’s transitioning interest. Although the applicant is in the middle of a high-stake Private Equity (PE) project, her interest lied in operations. A follow-up discussion with the CEO leads to a decision to pursue an MBA and make the transition.

Third Section: Stanford’s General Management focus and leadership development in the core are quoted as the reasons for selecting the program. The applicant then cites the face to face client meetings as instrumental in questioning her assumptions on the Financial models that are part of PE due diligence.  

Similarly, she values the experiential learning at Stanford MBA program and internship to provide a reality check on the challenges the client is facing.

Fourth Section: The final section concludes by highlighting how the applicant derived value from mentors and colleagues at <y>. She equates the experience to the learning at the club and social events that are part of the daily Stanford MBA schedule.

Sample Why Stanford MBA: Career Switching (Private Equity to Operations) (399 Words)

When the transit flight from London Heathrow Airport was delayed by 3 hours, I took a break from analyzing revenue forecast for the $20bn company we were acquiring. The end of the customary browsing through the airport’s souvenir shops brought me into <z>, a coffee shop chain. 90 seconds passed before the cup in the counter reached the customer. 60 seconds too long. The server was doing other chores, while the barista failed to communicate the order status. A 60-second delay brings down the temperature and masks away the unique bitterness of the beverage..