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kryzak
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Status:Um... what do you want to know?
Location: SF, CA, USA
Concentration: Technology, Entrepreneurship, Digital Media & Entertainment
Schools:UC Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA 2010
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11 Jul 2007, 00:02
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Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I do have an important question (at least to me) to ask Rhyme, especially after reading about the "Why and MBA?" question-answers.
How did you (Rhyme) answer the "Why an MBA" and "Why Now" in light of your reasons for getting an MBA? I know you said that you have to show that you're "passionate" about something else, and show what you've done in the past that relates to that something else. Is that what you did? Could you provide some short examples?
Thanks a bunch in advance!
How did you (Rhyme) answer the "Why an MBA" and "Why Now" in light of your reasons for getting an MBA? I know you said that you have to show that you're "passionate" about something else, and show what you've done in the past that relates to that something else. Is that what you did? Could you provide some short examples?
Thanks a bunch in advance!
11 Jul 2007, 11:57
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kryzak
Honestly, I just picked one of the various areas I am interested in and ran with that. In other words, I wrote about something I *think* I might be interested in, but I don't *know*... That is, I wrote the truth (I didn't just make something up)... but I just wrote with more conviction than I really have.
It doesn't really much matter at all what you pick as long as it makes sense... and making "sense" doesn't mean "Is this a realistic career for someone like you" it just means "Can you explain in some logical way WHY you want to work in X?"
For instance, lets say you are an engineer and want to work in IB. Let say the only reason you want to work in IB is so you can stuff your ears with money. You don't really care about banking at all, you just want money and power. Well, writing that, of course, isn't going to go over well. Similarly, just saying you want to work in IB without any explanation wont sound true either.... it'll sound unconnected and leave the reader wondering "why?"...
Don't outright lie, but explain how you came to be interested...
Possibilities include:
1. Ever worked on a project with a financial focus? Say how that got you interested!
2. Do you know anyone in IB? Have you talked to them? Maybe you have, and maybe thats how you got interested.
3. You read an article online about IB and have been researching it...
4. Anything else thats a reasonable explanation.
The adcom isn't assessing whether or not you will be goot at IB - they probably don't know anyway - they simply assess whether or not you are bringing a passion and interest that is based on something more than a love of money.
For instance....
Some other possibilities.... they are endless...
Want to go into consulting?
Ever work on a project with multiple diverse teams? Consulting is very similar. Talk about how the project paralleled your itnended goal of strategy consulting..
Want to go into marketing?
Ever been fascinated by a product? Say the apple iphone? Or fascinated by why something you thought was meaningless became so sucessful? Ever worked at a company that launched tangible (that is, you can hold) products? Talk about it and how you wanted to know more..
Want to go into Hedge funds or asset mgmt?
Ever bought a stock and watched it soar? Did it light a fire under your butt? Do you eat drink and sleep CNBC now?
Now to give you a more concrete example.
Lets say you are in IT and you want to go to strategy consulting... pretty common theme I think.
You could say:
"I have been working in IT for three years and am looking for a change. I have worked on a lot of IT projects and want to learn more about business. I think management consulting for Bain or BCG will be a good fit for me because I like travel and working on lots of things all the time."
It's a pretty unconvincing story....
Alternatively you could say:
"Although I've been working in IT for three years, I've always been most fascinated by the nature of the business problems I've worked on. In 2006, I had the opportunity to work on the launch of XYZ. Working closely with various departments including marketing, legal, finance and risk management, I spent six months learning how our business works on both a tactical and strategic level. The diversity of the teams I worked with and the new and challenging strategic elements I faced sparked an interest in consulting. Since then, I've had several conversations with an old friend at FIRM XYZ, which has solidified my desire to pursue a career in management consulting..... "
Soemthing like that....
It just has to make some sense.. Some reason that you are interested in X. It doesn't have to be earth shattering stuff, just reasonable, logical extensions of something you experienced, learned or otherwise were exposed to that made you interested in an MBA and in industry X.
Hope that makes some sense.... let me know if it doesnt.
kryzak
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Status:Um... what do you want to know?
Location: SF, CA, USA
Concentration: Technology, Entrepreneurship, Digital Media & Entertainment
Schools:UC Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA 2010
GPA: 3.9 - undergrad 3.6 - grad-EE
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11 Jul 2007, 12:14
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Thank you Rhyme! That made a lot of sense, and it's very comforting for someone like me to read the examples. I was a little worried about transitioning from business development (with an engineering background) to international business and entrepreneurship, but I think with what you said, there are enough experiences in my life that can be used to support going into that field.
I know it's all in the details and how you put it together, but I'll probably be talking about two points:
- Entrepreneurship: having my career dip into small groups where people had to do a lot of different responsibilities gave me a glimpse of what this is all about. Also having some friends (whom I'll interview) in the business, and talking to some entrepreneur club students (which I'll do soon) at School XYZ has convinced me that I want to focus on entrepreneurship.
- Global Management: Being born and raised mostly in the US, living abroad in Asia during my middle school years and returning almost every year has shaped the way I see things. I've always had a desire to utilize my cultural experiences and background (even though I'm an American, not an international student) to do business in the Far East. I'll be talking to some global management club students at School XYZ to fill in the details.
I think this'll work, but I'll need to spend a lot of time researching the details and sound passionate and convincing about my story.
Thanks again Rhyme!
I know it's all in the details and how you put it together, but I'll probably be talking about two points:
- Entrepreneurship: having my career dip into small groups where people had to do a lot of different responsibilities gave me a glimpse of what this is all about. Also having some friends (whom I'll interview) in the business, and talking to some entrepreneur club students (which I'll do soon) at School XYZ has convinced me that I want to focus on entrepreneurship.
- Global Management: Being born and raised mostly in the US, living abroad in Asia during my middle school years and returning almost every year has shaped the way I see things. I've always had a desire to utilize my cultural experiences and background (even though I'm an American, not an international student) to do business in the Far East. I'll be talking to some global management club students at School XYZ to fill in the details.
I think this'll work, but I'll need to spend a lot of time researching the details and sound passionate and convincing about my story.
Thanks again Rhyme!
