Stanford GSB MBA Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (650 Words)
Background Information: The applicant - a Zimbabwe native, narrates the struggle to raise funds for his undergraduate degree at MIT. The hyperinflation in Zimbabwe and his innovation with cryptocurrency helped address the biggest challenge that citizens faced – access to cash.
Theme: Freedom
Theme (Explained): Zimbabwe has been struggling with hyperinflation for 15 years. With attempts to introduce a new currency and the government’s interest in setting policy for cryptocurrency after a ban, the applicant – who works in the FinTech industry, is excited to help citizens gain the freedom to trade.
Profile: Entrepreneur
Industry: FinTech
MBA Essay Strategy: FinTech as a shortcut to overcoming banking inefficiency is like how mobile connections overcame the limited reach of wired connections in rural regions. But for the applicant, FinTech and Cryptocurrency are tools to overcome inflation as money managers, who speculate and control the exchange rate are kept out of the system.
The essay is a reinforcement of the applicant’s motivation to serve the country after experiencing the zero-sum game of acquiring cash. The setback when his partner exits from the stake of a cryptocurrency accentuates his doubts on whether he can lead in a new industry.
The essay captures the ups and downs of the country and the applicant’s entrepreneurial journey.
Opener: I have used a philosophical line to set up the zero-sum impact of Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation.
Stanford GSB MBA What matters most to you, and why? (Freedom from Inflation) (650 Words)
When a nation is impoverished, the route to relief is an endless maze with frequent sorrow and desperation.
Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation reached a record 500 billion percent. Our family had exhausted our credits, reputation, and connection to finance my engineering studies at MIT. The scholarship helped, but for other expenses, there was no dollar in sight.
Accompanying my Father to Fifth Street – a mile-long private exchange that offered better terms than nationalized banks, I watched him haggle for $200. As the sweat of Harare’s summer heat settled, I wondered ..
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