At the age of seven, I left my “kid days” of playing banker behind to open a lemonade stand on the front porch. Capitalizing on my parents’ planned garage sale, I sold cold drinks and red licorice to the visiting bargain-hunters. As the years passed, my ventures evolved into neighborhood car washes and a business called Personalized Urban Puppy Sitters (PUPS).

More than a young entrepreneurial instinct, I attribute my actions to the set of values I was imbued with by my parents. They succeeded in teaching me the importance of work and the value of money. While my friends received flat allowances of $20 a week, my sister and I received none. When I begged for the latest gimmicky toy, my mother said, “Save up your money and buy it.” Sure enough, after I had saved enough to purchase a Nintendo set in the fifth grade, I was overflowing with pride. Granted, my sister and I only had enough money for one game, but we played it with relish.

At the age of eleven, I became an avid babysitter, filling my nights, weekends, and even early mornings with child-care commitments. By the time I took off for my junior year in Spain, I had enough savings to cover my personal expenses for the entire year abroad. Churros tasted sweeter and movies were more enjoyable remembering the work that afforded those luxuries.

While taking full loads to complete two bachelor’s degrees, I held down several part-time jobs to help support myself through college (working from fifteen to twenty-five hours per week). This, on top of holding multiple club leadership positions and squeezing in time at the gym or with friends, caused friends to question how I fit life into twenty-four-hour days. But work has never been an optional item for me. Though my parents never demanded it, they have taught me why it is indispensable, and it has made me a more independent and disciplined individual.

Analysis

In the context of the other essay topics, it might be difficult to explain how the author of this essay became hardworking, independent, and disciplined. The subject matter is not exactly a defining experience in leadership development, nor does it easily qualify as one of the three greatest accomplishments. 

Nonetheless, it effectively illustrates the author’s everyday work ethic, as well as its origins.

At first glance, stories about selling soda and babysitting might appear banal, but the author clearly explains how those experiences played a formative role in her personal development. While the other essays in her application most likely describe an accomplished young businesswoman, this one affords a glimpse of how she got there. In this sense, the essay rounds out the application and allows the admissions committee to get to know the author on a more personal level.

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