For Sale: Successful HBS Applicant Essays

‘I WANT TO WORK AT THE INTERSECTION OF FINANCE AND THE UNDERPRIVILEGED’

How did those openings at the start of this article end? The applicant with the tattooed father joined the Air Force, got a college education, and began teaching critical thinking skills to prisoners. His ultimate goal: “In the long-term,” he wrote, “I want to work at the intersection of finance and the underprivileged. I’ve seen the way in which the financial services sector benefits the well-off but often serves as a barrier to the lower income, and I’m convinced this is where my work would matter the most.”

What about the applicant whose brother had Robert’s Syndrome? His brother lived for only four years, but he was grateful “for the lessons I learned from him. My generosity, hard work, team work and independence, come directly from him bring in my life. And learning to deal with that level of stress and responsibility made me a much, much stronger person than I would have been without (him).”

And the MBA candidate whose curiosity in people became the topic of an essay? It was to demonstrate that he is the quintessential networker. “I cannot wait to connect with my peers and use their collective experiences to optimize the MBA experience for the Class of 2016 as I elevate my business intelligence, leadership skills, and overall way of thinking to the highest possible level. I am dedicated to making my classmates and all the HBS faculty, staff, and alumni part of my timeline for all the years to come. I also cannot wait to meet you. What is your story?”

DON’T MISS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO NAVIGATING THE HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL ONLINE APPLICATION or THE MOST IMPORTANT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ASKED BY HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL