Sandy’s Take On The New Harvard Business School Essay Book

ESSAY 7. The Very Hard Worker 

The Story: Apparently very high performing military pilot of some kind (facts really jumbled, although may be editor’s and not writer’s fault) who organizes a story around how hard he worked at each step of his career. Annoying (for me!) to read, and klutzy prose style and organization but his many accomplishments begin to add up so this turns into a talking and bragging resume, which is evidently one mode of essay that works, IF, your resume is rock solid to begin with. Also real long and semi-tedious (three long paragraphs) on why HBS.

Sandy Says: Worth looking at to see how a confused writer begins by saying “As with most prospective students, my application package provides an accurate representation of my  [yadda, yadda]. . . .but does not fully capture the “me.  Neither does the rest of his essay, in any meaningful way except to show us a guy who works hard, is real down-to-earth, and who knows a lot about HBS.  But we get the idea, if you already have the goods in terms of stats and resume, this is one way to go.  This essay did not move the needle.

ESSAY 8. The Uncomfortable Associate 

The Story: A former consultant and female engineer now works in private equity and chooses risky (well in the world of application essays) path of going to a PE portfolio company in another country because she speaks the language.  Learning ensues and our heroine once again realizes how important it is to get outside her “comfort zone.”

Sandy Says: Good way for someone (female engineer, private equity)  who was probably heading an admit with no essay to get through this exercise. After a semi goofy set-up (quoting Abraham Maslow on the need to take risks), a story outline of going to a new place, meeting the new company, learning to adapt to new cultures, all executed serviceably, well, that’s all you need. Better than average rap on why a PE gal needs an MBA from HBS, worth looking at if you are facing that part of your essay.

Probably did not move the needle but likeable, organized, lots of subtle cues that she is a Harvard Business School type: Humble seeming, high achieving, goofy humorist but not too much.

ESSAY 9. The Hyperactive Engineer 

The Story: A high-performing industrial engineer, first in his class from a selective university, takes you through a brag sheet version of growing up curious, working hard in middle school (always a favorite of science teachers, he tells us), honors in college, and a full life of  being a “competitor, never a sorrow loser.” Deadly earnest at every step of the way, and aside from never wanting to meet this guy, effective in its plodding and cliched approach. Surprisingly, no section about work. It is all growing up with Legos, college triumphs, and well-rounded activities, including tennis and golf.

Sandy Says:  Future CEO.  Good model to follow if you are an industrial engineer from a selective school with a 4.0 and nothing to say and no experience in presenting yourself to others. Not stated in the essay, obviously, but HBS actually will help this dude become more self-aware about how he comes off to others, the “case method” is vastly overrated, but it does do that!

ESSAY 10. The Tough-Choice Maker 

The Story: A consultant gives up on a prestigious Musical Theatre Pre-College program in junior year in high school and decides instead to attend academic college to ultimately  have a larger impact as a “leader” and make a “sustainable impact on the organizations I touch” (instead of being an unemployed dancer and singer for life). At college, she becomes the lead in 11 organizations and serves as External Affairs Vice-President and is tested by explaining tuition increases to her classmates and later — with “bullhorn in hand” –as a go-between the administration and students during a student riot  At her consulting job, in what seems like a non-M/B/B consulting shop, she manages by dint of hard work and “networking-up” (my term)  to get a lot of strategy assignments.

Sandy Says:  Organized, brassy, serviceable and we believe her. Energizer Bunny type and essay both overtly and covertly convinces us. The organizing idea that she gave up a life as an entertainer (her junior year in high school) for one of social impact is a stretch, but that kind of hocum is admissible in this context.  Basically a talking resume, once it gets going, with some tour guide notes on college and work parts.

If it is the case that she worked at a non-M/B/B consulting firm (which is not totally clear from essay), this essay and some very solid stats may have made the difference.  The essay is not powerful, but it does draw your attention to the most winning parts of  her story. If you have nothing much to say –and at bottom this gal did not (along with most applicants!), that is a good strategy.

Have questions about the Harvard Business School essay? Ask Sandy in the comment section below. Please no handicapping profiles here. Sandy will be back with our handicapping series shortly.

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