Stanford GSB MBA Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (650 Words)
Background Information: The applicant’s experience as an insider to his father’s entrepreneurial journey is the hook that sets the narrative to a tragic event. The tragedy set in motion a philosophy of life that was helpful in connecting with an Entrepreneur in Ghana
Theme: Listening
Theme (Explained): Writing an essay around one quality that truly differentiates an applicant will work only when all recommenders point out the trait as the differentiating quality.
The applicant’s listening skills led to a partnership that facilitated the birth of a new generation of Ghanaian engineers capable of managing the backend services in the US.
Profile: Entrepreneur
Industry: Education, Technology
MBA Essay Strategy: Writing an essay around one quality is tricky. I have used a mentor – the father, who is an entrepreneur to reiterate why listening and being present is important. Once I leveraged ‘the story of the entrepreneur’ to reiterate the importance of the ‘trait,’ the applicant’s growth in her career and the new opportunities she found are narrated to keep the focus on the one differentiating quality.
The tone of the narrative is reflective and emotional – a style that is different from other ‘What Matters essay’ examples. It is purposefully phrased to differentiate from a crowded Edu-Tech application pool.
Opener: I have started with the ‘support’ network that allows entrepreneurs to thrive.
Stanford GSB MBA Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (647 Words)(Savor Every Moment and Be Present)
My mother worked three jobs to support my Father’s ambition of building a technology product from our garage. As immigrants from Hong Kong, they recognized the immense opportunity the United States offered for our future. The dedication and complete devotion to their jobs without ever complaining were confusing for us kids.
When my brother and I set a record on bed-wetting, our therapist suggested ..
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