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dharmabum
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Concentration: CSR and Non-Profit Management
Schools:University of Michigan Erb Institute '12
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Exposing a weakness in an essay 20 Jul 2008, 18:17
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I come from a background that is heavy in leadership, but is not in the "business world". I was an econ major in school, but am now working with Teach For America. It will be obvious from my resume that, aside from some internships, i have no real business experience. Do you think it would be detrimental to my essay to talk about how Columbia's Master Classes will give me experience in real world situations?
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solaris1
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Exposing a weakness in an essay 20 Jul 2008, 18:39
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In my relatively uninformed opinion, that might not be the best approach, dharmabum. I think your Teach for America experience is a very significant plus, and to tell you the truth has probably exposed you to situations that are arguably more "real world" than a lot of the cases you will study in business school. You need to emphasize that aspect of your profile rather than divert an adcom's attention away from it.

Think about how a Master Class might help you combine the experiences you already have with the technical skills the Class will provide to bring about more innovative solutions to business issues.
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dharmabum
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Concentration: CSR and Non-Profit Management
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Exposing a weakness in an essay 20 Jul 2008, 20:56
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Great insight Solaris, I really appreciate it. Kudos for you. Any other thoughts out there?
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sudden
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Exposing a weakness in an essay 21 Jul 2008, 06:03
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I agree with solaris. I think your goal has to be to take anything in your profile and connect it to the school in a positive way. It doesn't really matter what you have done as long as you can sell it and make it seem relevant.

Why do you want an MBA? You may want to write about how an MBA will allow you to pursue your goal of working in adminstration (executive role, not secretary) at some kind of educational institution by giving you the business training you need to further develop the real world experience you have gained. I'm not saying that's your goal, but it's a relevant example of something that makes sense. Don't ever say, "Well, I did this, but it wasn't that cool, so now I'd like to do this other thing." Say, "I did this, this, and this, and that will help me be better at such and such other thing I want to do. Columbia will help me bridge the gap by providing X training and Y classes."