{"id":29623,"date":"2015-07-19T01:04:35","date_gmt":"2015-07-19T08:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=29623"},"modified":"2023-11-01T03:40:40","modified_gmt":"2023-11-01T10:40:40","slug":"do-stanford-gsb-grads-really-change-lives-change-organizations-change-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/do-stanford-gsb-grads-really-change-lives-change-organizations-change-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Stanford GSB Grads REALLY \u201cChange Lives. Change Organizations. Change the World.\u201d?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Episode 3 in our Big Brand Theory Series<\/a> for MBA applicants: Stanford GSB's motto.<\/em><\/p>\n

Who wouldn\u2019t want to change lives, change organizations, and change the world<\/i>? \u00a0Right? For Episode 3 in our Big Brand Theory series, I set out to prove that Stanford GSB admits, transforms and graduates students who accomplish great feats. \u00a0I wanted to demonstrate that Stanford GSB students, faculty and graduates lived GSB\u2019s brand.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always been a big proponent of Stanford GSB<\/a> (even when they had classrooms and desks that reminded me of my high school). \u00a0Regardless of their old environs, the Knight Center makes their facility live up to their students and their program.<\/p>\n

I love the vibe when I walk onto Stanford\u2019s campus. \u00a0I love the fact that their students have infinite access to Silicon Valley. \u00a0I love that the faculty turns their electives over so frequently that the course catalogue reads like a fresh new book each year. \u00a0I love the questions Derrick Bolton asks on his application. \u00a0In fact, I love Derrick (don\u2019t tell my husband). \u00a0I do believe Derrick has done a great job in selecting some of the smartest people I know. \u00a0My clients who have gained admission to Stanford surprise me with their intelligence, talent, accomplishments and ideas. \u00a0They are futurists who can see beyond the horizon, but they still need me to plant the seed for their ideas to grow into great essays and interviews. \u00a0Regardless, I love my clients too (my husband already knows that fact).<\/p>\n

Stanford GSB Alumni: Famous and Infamous<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, when I looked at Stanford GSB\u2019s list of \u201cnotable\u201d alumni, I only saw a handful of game changers. \u00a0\u00a0The list is similar to those I see at other schools with notable founders, CEOs and investors like GM\u2019s first female CEO, Mary Barra, Acumen Founder Jacqueline Novogratz, Charles Schwab of Charles Schwab, Nike\u2019s Phil Knight, Ultra-investor Vinod Kosla, Atari\u2019s Nolan Bushnell, KPCB\u2019s Brook Byers; notable authors like Tom Peters and Jim Collins; and \u201cfamous celebrities\u201d like Alex Michel (Alex Michel, really? \u00a0Do \u201creality\u201d TV participants count as celebrities? More importantly, does anyone really watch The Bachelor<\/i>?).<\/p>\n

Stanford has also has its share of CEOs and a handful of leaders who have been heavily criticized like former BP CEO, Lord John Browne who was forced to resign, not because BP\u2019s Texas City, Texas plant exploded under his watch or because he commissioned Deepwater Horizon that also forced his successor\u2019s resignation, but because a newspaper \u201couted\u201d him when he lied under oath about his boyfriend\/male escort. Lord Brown cut costs for financial gains and as a result, he changed BP and also the Gulf of Mexico.<\/p>\n

Go Deep and Authentic for What Matters to You Most<\/strong><\/p>\n

So how can you present the fact that you will change the world for the better? \u00a0Stanford asks two questions<\/a> that I know Derrick and his team really take to heart. \u00a0My clients typically struggle with \u201cWhat matters most to you and why?\u201d The latter part of this question being equally, if not more important that the former. \u00a0This question requires a tremendous amount of introspection and if done well should show that you have the heart to change the world.<\/p>\n

It requires you to know yourself at a very personal level and share that self-awareness with an admissions committee. \u00a0It\u2019s not easy, and the best essays I\u2019ve seen on this topic have knocked the wind out of me. \u00a0Several have made me cry. It is a dig deep into your soul question. \u00a0Derrick is a very smart and authentic individual, and he wants to get to know what drives you.<\/p>\n

I begin brainstorming this question with clients by asking them for what they would give their life. \u00a0At that point, you already know it will be an intense brainstorm. \u00a0Often I hear, \u201cfamily\u201d or \u201chelping others,\u201d which can fall into the trap of discussing work. I ask my clients to frame this into a one- word value, and then I begin to peel away the layers until we find something deep and raw and revealing. After this digging, my clients also understand why they feel this value is most important to them.<\/p>\n

Most of those clients have gained admission to Stanford GSB. \u00a0Some have not. The application<\/a> is a complete picture and while you have revealed something raw to the committee, you may have other flaws in your application.<\/p>\n

Why Stanford: Reveal the Capacity to Effect Change<\/strong><\/p>\n

Or you may not demonstrate in your \u201cWhy Stanford?\u201d essay that you have already or have the capacity to change lives, change organizations, and yes, change the world. \u00a0If the first question is about heart, the second question is about intent and ability. \u00a0Do you intend to initiate change and have the talent to make it happen?<\/p>\n

You really do need to think beyond the horizon for Stanford and make certain that you know why you need the Stanford MBA for you to create change: Jacqueline Novogratz did it; Vinod Kosla did it; and of course, Phil Knight did it. You just need to \u201cjust do it\u201d like them. Swoosh.<\/p>\n


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