What is ultimate goal of life.

Well to be fair that is the crux of my whole point. The entire business school application process is a clinic on measured deception and hoop-jumping.

-We spend countless hours creating convincing arguments for why MULTIPLE schools are the perfect fit for us and why we would never want to go anywhere else.
-We spend countless hours describing in great detail exactly what we have always wanted to do with our lives with full knowledge that 75% of us will change our minds while we are in school (of course, one of the main reasons to go to business school is to see the possible options and DECIDE what we want to do)
-We spend countless hours explaining why we have such a strong academic, professional, and leadership background (often with calculated exaggeration) that we could get the job we want without business school. Those who actually NEED a business education are not welcome.
-We spend countless hours preparing perfect answers to interview questions in such a way that they don't appear rehearsed.

Yes, my application explains how I have always wanted to give back to the world. Just as it explains why Wharton, and Kellogg, and Sloan, and Haas, and Ross are ALL the perfect school for me to reach those lofty goals.

Perhaps I am cynical. But I just find it funny that NO ONE on the site will admit that a big part of why they are going to school is the dancing money signs that sleep with them each night. Certainly some people have much nobler intentions, but they are by all accounts a minority.

Money is not the aim for me.
Keeping life interesting. If I'm doing something i enjoy, then the only money i need is to live comfortably when i am not working. No extravagance needed. The goal is life? For me, the focus is a balance of raising my kids and enjoying my work.

Find meaning - in love AND in work. If we don't know what we want, we don't get what we want. This is true for love and in work. Often, the first step to find meaning is to understand who you are.

Work - A lot of us first pursue money, then pursue authority/power and then we realize that it is probably important to like what we do. If you want to truly live, reverse this order and you will find that authority and money will chase you. The irony, however, will be that you won't care about authority or power or money once you find meaning. I am not saying these things will not be important, but they won't be your goals anymore.

Life - Learn to live with less. This will allow you to focus on things that are important. That sweet Porsche you've been eyeing (I plead guilty) will only be a distraction. If your parents did just fine with that beat up 10 year old car, trust me, you can too.

I think after this whole b-school application process, my goals in life include:

- To do something that I'm passionate about: I'm sick and tired of going to work every day doing stuff that is "interesting", but not what I love. Without the passion, I have a hard time motivating myself to work hard at it and love it.

- To make enough money so I never have to worry about $$ again: I don't need to get filthy rich (though I wouldn't mind ), but I want to have enough money that I can have the mobility to move wherever I want, travel wherever I want, and buy whatever I want (within reason). I probably won't go out and buy a 40-ft yacht or a Ferrari, but if I want that nice Audi S5 or move to NYC and rent a place in Greenwich Village, I don't want to worry about finances too much.

- To be able to travel and work with a very diverse group of people: I really enjoy learning from people who are different from me. How the different cultures evolved and sometimes merged/fused is fascinating to me. Part of the reason I wanted to look into international business.

- To have a good group of quality friends around me: Friends (and lovers) are the pillars of my life, so I definitely want to maintain and build a lasting relationship with those who I care about.

- To have enough money and influence to give back to the world: River's noble goals inspired me to include this as my ultimate goal in life too. I do hope that some day I can be so rich (like Bill Gates) that I can use the money to influence legislation (lobbying, not bribing, peeps ) or donate to organizations out there that will help change the world for good.

In the words of Stephen R. Covey:

To live

To love

To learn

To leave a legacy (the primary driver behind me deciding to apply to Business Schools).

I like all of your life goals above, so I'll copy them, kryzak. but I'll add one more.

- To be original enough that I don't have to steal other's life goals. hahahaha

ps- I esp like the "To have a good group of quality friends around me"

thats a very deep question.. i have thought often about it and have realized that as i change, times change, my goals will change. But what should not change is my need to know that my life was worth something to people other than my immediate family. I often think that 5 years after i am gone, if there are 5 people in this whole wide world other than my family who still remember me and miss me and say that i was a nice guy, i would consider my life well spent. and that is my goal.

My goal is to enjoy life to the fullest. I think that pretty much emcompasses everything. Family, love, money, luxuries, hobbies, etc. Whatever I end up doing, I want to be doing it to the best of my abilities and enjoying the hell out of it.

Goal of life??? Yes I think we all want to be successful, but what we consider a success is what differentiates us. I am sure that many MBA students view success as a seven figure salary in the not too distant future. While I don’t begrudge people for having this view, it definitely isn’t mine. That said I don’t think many grads from top MBA programs will not be at least somewhat financially successful. Most of us will make over 100K first year out, probably well over that. So in reality even those not chasing the big bucks will still be in the top 5% of earners. Obviously if I am being paid a huge salary and bonus in 10 years it means I am much more likely to be able to have the impact that I hope to have…since it will signal I am being rewarded for my success.

Personally, I could happily live my life the way I am in terms of luxuries and lifestyle. I have an amazing wife, we have a nice house, drive pretty nice cars, can afford vacations (well could before grad school came along), and overall I live the American dream. The real reason I am pursuing an MBA is not to add 3,000 more square feet to the size of my house or to buy an Audi S8. I want to do something that matters. I firmly believe my post MBA career goals will benefit the world, not so much making rich people richer but my children (if I have some) will have a world better than it otherwise would be.

Yes there are some global warming deniers, but they are starting to be viewed in the same light as holocaust deniers. Since agreement on global warming is pretty much on the same level of scientific agreement on evolution, we are starting to see a rising of interest in combating it. My career goals tie in with the need for huge supplies of energy that don’t produce carbon dioxide. I am not foolish enough to think that I will be the next Al Gore in terms of my impact but I would like to think if I am successful enough in my career that I could wield some influence that could make a difference.

That said you never know where the world will take you. For all I know I could go from a goal of working in strategic management at a utility to a big bank providing financing for new plants. Either way I just hope to leave a legacy my hypothetical children could be proud of.

“We all die. The goal isn't to live forever; the goal is to create something that will.”
- Chuck Palahniuk

For me, obviously, it's the money. Living and working in Manhattan, you learn to streach a dollar. I am not greedy by any means but I would like to have some nice things in life. After all the hard work is done, you would like to see that you struggled for years in schools, taking exams, for a reason. My parents came to this country in the late 60s so my goal is to live up to their dreams and expectations. After all, they moved here to make a better life for their kids. It would be absolutely wrong for me not to make that happen and take advantage of this opportunity.

My other reason ties with number one : When I eventually have kids, I want them to live worry-free. Worry-free in the sense that, they don't NEED to work during high school or college like I have done, they don't NEED to worry about bills, etc. That is to say, I'm definitely not going to spoil them, but would prefer that their academic pursuits are unobstructed by work and bills.

Again, by putting the money first, I am in no way implying that I'd run out and get a Ferrari or a huge house, etc. I simply want that 'comfort level' that comes with having a decent amount in savings. My ultimate goal, like you asked, is to live off interest. But with the rates as low as they have dropped in the past couple of weeks, I think I have to consider a plan B. =/
- tsd

PS - and this is sort of an aside - I have come to find out that a very large majority of the people who live in my building (in Time Square) are graduates of various top and ivy league schools. I have seen tons of people with Chicago GSB sweatshirts, Wharton, Yale, Columbia, Harvard et al. I have been very motivated by seeing such established people in my building. It just makes me work that much harder at achieving my goals.

My goal in life is M7.

There are actually several condo buildings located in Time Square - and a few more within a 1 block radius.




To get a larger apartment

LOLOL - I'm just kidding.

Touche. And more power to you

the R8 is nicer

but well said river. I forgot to add that part in, where if I do become filthy rich, at least I can do more in terms of help the world, similar to what Bill Gates is doing. I will add that as my 5th goal in life then. Thank you for reminding me. Maybe I can help you with your goals someday? (I'm quite interested in energy too, just have no background in it).

Did you guys write about these goals in your admission essays? I kind of wrote about big 'dreams' in my essays and lately I have been having doubts if I approached the essays well because my goals are kind of too unreachable .... but I am a dreamer

My ultimate goal in life ties to the region of the world that I am from. But my short term goal is to achieve work-life balance post MBA, be sucessful and have a great family at the same time .... yeah I know wishful thinking since I want to go in consulting

~ some small island in caymens, with pristine beaches and blue blue sky.. with a Pina colada in one hand and a book in another, goggles and suntan

I want to travel the world and end up in the small island.

If I could afford it I would get an R8 tdi if they end up making it not just as a concept. At least I could justify it as the most fuel efficient supercar there is.