Leaps and bounds - Harvard - Free example business school essay
Free example business school essay
Misconceptions abound about the undergraduate program at Wharton. Rumor has it that its students are all finance geeks and disconnected from the rest of the Penn community. My experience at Penn decidedly did not reflect any of those things. In the pursuit of a dual degree in English and economics, I naturally felt that I was part of a larger academic environment, exposed to a wider range of students, faculty, and opportunities. I proactively took advantage of all my resources to ensure a robust and engrossing academic experience.
One of my most fulfilling undertakings was the opportunity to take my personal interest in literature and translate it into a business context. Working with Wharton professor Daniel Raff, we traced the evolution of the U.S. book publishing industry from a perspective of technology and scale. I added value by not only researching the distribution side of the business, but also by analyzing the drivers of demand, which leveraged the history of popular culture in literature gleaned from my English program. For me, this was particularly engaging because it shed light on how the books I had come to know and love actually got onto the market and into my hands. The multiple and unique perspectives from both management and literary history helped me to see a more dynamic (and personal) picture of the industry.
Through such experiences, I recognized that the formula for successful learning involves elements outside of the traditional classroom.
As a board member of the Joseph Wharton Scholars Society, a group focused on emphasizing the importance of the humanities and sciences within a business education, I was able to highlight the need for academically rooted programs that would encourage collaboration across academic schools, not just within Wharton. The introduction of the annual Shah Lecture Series brought together economic gurus Jeremy Siegel and Robert Shiller to discuss theory and application in a debate environment for the benefit of the entire Penn community. By fostering communication through the sharing of ideas between the speakers and students, I helped to cultivate a setting where academic principles could confront the issues of real-world application.
My varied undergraduate academic experiences allowed me to discover that knowledge was not only acquired in the classroom, but also accomplished by bridging resources across programs and finding opportunities to engage with diverse peers who brought extraordinary perspectives. I walked away from Penn with a full and well-rounded education as well as the drive to continue my learning in creative and distinct ways.
Analysis
Faye tells her relatively straight-forward story with a flare that distinguishes it from other undergraduate business major narratives. She first catches the reader’s attention by boldly stating that typical assumptions about her and other Wharton undergraduates are wrong. The remainder of the essay serves to prove her point. In writing about the Wharton Scholars Society and the Lecture Series, she touches on her undergraduate leadership experiences while highlighting that she is a well-rounded, interesting applicant.
In using these stories, she may be reiterating points on her resume, but the color and context add a new dimension that could not have possibly popped off her resume. It is imperative to highlight the things that make you a progressive and dynamic applicant, and this is especially important for candidates with traditional business background like Faye, who has passed the test with flying colors.
From 65 Successful Harvard Business School Application Essays edited by the Staff of the Harvard Crimson. Copyright (c) 2009 by the authors and reprinted by permission of St. Martin's Publishing Group