Diversity, really?

I don't think schools care whether you're staying in the same industry or switching to something completely different, as long as a person's goals make sense.

Let's say you're a journalist and you want an MBA so that you can assume a general management role at a major newspaper after graduating, and maybe from their move on a more business-oriented track within journalism, like maybe you want to be the CFO or the CEO of some publishing institution. That would make sense to an ad-com.

But if you said that you want an MBA so you can switch to investment banking, it might seem like a strange transition to the ad-coms. If there's a reason you want to make that switch, and the reason is compelling, then I'm sure they would be happy with that.

At the end of the day I think business schools want to make sure that they're not admitting people who (1) have no idea what they want to do, but are sort of interested in something very lucrative or (2) want that school's MBA credential just so they can have that credential.

Obviously people change their minds all the time with respect to their ultimate career goals, but I think ad-coms just want to see that a person is capable of putting together an intelligent career plan. If work in pharmaceuticals and really want to move into something else via an MBA, maybe it makes sense to say in your essays that you want to continue in pharmaceuticals just for the sake of having an intelligent well-structured career plan.

IMHO the big deal for schools to want you to have a "diverse" profile is the unique input you can provide during coursework. Being a rhinoceros trainer is a *solid* advantage compared to the horde of IT geeks (yup, I'm one of the horde). However, you steel need to be smart and competitive - they don't want a retard just because he's a swahili interpreter.

Thanks... of course, I am making the assumption that other things in the app would check out. Just curious on people of different work industries.

I currently work in the insurance industry and have prior healthcare industry experience. With a background in biology, I'm looking to move back into healthcare/biopharmaceuticals.
I was hoping that my science background would be a plus.

The thing is they really don't work this way. There isn't a "100 consultants" quota, or a 100 ibankers quota.

Ryhme,

Well I guess schools don't have actual quotas, but they do have general percentages of industry types at some schools. When I visited HBS the student who worked at the admissions office who was showing me around said that (I forget the exact numbers here so bear with me), "They break the class into sections of 90, and each section always has the same mix of consultants, bankers and finance people. They keep it the same every year."

So if there was like a ten thousand percent jump in the number of super-smart Rhino trainers that apply this year, I think they will still keep their percentage of those sorts of unorthodox candidates at a certain level. The thing is bankers and consultants are pretty much sure-bets for the school. They're people who will further the school's legacy because they're already on a track to be succesful and rich, so schools want to have a solid base of those types.

Also this kid at HBS told me that the class of 2008 includes two UFC fighters which I couldn't believe. Pretty interesting stuff.

Of course, you need to be strong in all of the areas adcoms look at - see Hjort's post (https://www.gmatclub.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=19450) for more.

Many, many applicants will be acceptable in all areas. That's the first thing you need to worry about. Next, how can you stand out? Being Junior Investment Banker #1457 isn't going to help you stand out. But if you're a top-notch opera singer who wants to get into the business side of theatre...well, now you're interesting.

Being interesting will help you tell a fresh story and be memorable. Being memorable (in a good way) will only help you.

And being interesting has nothing to do with how many elephant trainers they're looking for this year.

What's a UFC fighter?

https://www.ufc.com/
basically, that's a mix-fight
those guys are tough

I wonder how those essays read...

"My three years experience as a UFC fighter started when I joined an underground fight to the death rally in southern Dallas. Only 19, I was scared that I might not be able to leverage my teamwork and leadership skills to win the matches. The stakes, after all, were high. If I failed, I would die.

During my first match, when I stepped into the barbed wire ring, I immediately thought of Lagan, and remembered the movie's important words "Break your opponents neck with your fist, not with your fingers. Murder everyone". I approached Blagojevic, my Russian opponent, and realized that teamwork would be critical in achieving my success. I yelled to the audience to throw me a shank, and as I completed my roundhouse, contacting with Blagojevic's now fractured jaw, I grabbed the shank in mid air. You see, I had contacted Misha and Roman, members of the Russian Mafia who wanted Blagojevic dead earlier in the week. By building a team - myself, Roman and Misha, we knew we would succeed in our goals. They agreed to smuggle in a rusty iron shank. Twisting off my left foot, I drove the shank into his throat. The arterial spatter coming from his severed vena cava, covered me in the taste of success: blood.

That night, as Blagojevic's body was being dumped into a trash bin behind the strippers house, I reflected. I realized then that I had succeed in part due to the shank sticking out of Blagojevic's neck, but also in part because I had leveraged my communication skills to "yell for a shank".

I knew then, just as I know now, a Harvard MBA education is what I need to become the Ultimate Fighting Master of Doom(tm). Confusing my opponents with complex case studies will disorient them long enough for me to put them to sleep, for good. Yelling black-scholes equations which I poorly understand because all I've done is read case studies for two years and lack any true analytical skills, will be both exciting for the audience and for myself, as I tend to become enraged when thinking about finance. No doubt, this is something I will have to watch carefully during my study group sessions, but the doctor says medication should help. "

Funny stuff. Yeah I'd pay a lot of money to read those essays, can't imagine what they talk about. I also wonder how well these guys fit in when they show up on the first day of class with cauliflower ears.

rhyme, you are really bored at your job right now, lol

yes.

me 2. And I haven't been admitted anywhere yet!

Wrong approach, rhyme. BS doesn't care about teamwork. It's all about leadership. Who fits the description of an ultimate leader better than a dirty-mouthed blood-hungry arrogant crowd-arousing SOB of an ultimate fighter? If you do not agree with him he will reap your heart and make you eat it.

Blagojevic is a Serbian name - not Russian Regardless, it was an interesting essay. Bravo!

Thats true... my mistake. I just used to know this hot girl named Blagojevic, so it popped in my head. She ended up in modeling actually, lucky her. She fits in of course.