Columbia Business School

In discussing Columbia Business School, Dean R. Glenn Hubbard remarked, "We have established the mind-set that entrepreneurship is about everything you do." Please discuss a time in your own life when you have identified and captured an opportunity.

Sample essay1510 words

Sample One

I began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity two years ago as a volunteer builder. During my time with Habitat, I’ve found that volunteers are more likely to become repeat volunteers if they go home after a day of volunteering feeling as if they’ve really made a difference. To me, this seemed critical to the progress of the organization; if the Habitat leaders could more effectively keep volunteers engaged during the building events, they would be much more successful at maintaining a steady supply of repeat volunteers. Repeat volunteers are especially important because they provide a ready source of volunteer hours and they’re able to develop into very skilled and autonomous builders.

Through my initial experiences with Habitat as a volunteer builder, I saw several opportunities for improvement and came to realize that I could best implement my ideas by stepping up my involvement in the organization and becoming a Crew Leader. As a Crew Leader, I would have a direct influence in keeping volunteer builders busy and satisfied with their tasks, increasing the likelihood that they would return in the future.

At first, I was hesitant to move up to the Crew Leader position (after all, I knew little about home construction aside from what I had learned during my previous Habitat experiences). But I was encouraged by the Habitat staff and assured that leadership skills, which I would develop from training seminars, as well as on-the-job, were much more important than construction skills in this role. Once I began meeting and talking with other Habitat leaders, we were able to discuss some of our ideas for improvement. For example, I suggested an alternative to the typical oversight that occurs at Kansas City build sites: the few Crew Leaders assigned to certain sections of the house tend to find only those volunteers they need to complete a task while other volunteers are left to wait and watch until they are needed. My recommendation was to instead assign particular groups of volunteers to Crew Leaders, so they could ensure that all of their assigned volunteers stay actively engaged – regardless of the task - and happy during the building event.

Another opportunity for improvement I had seen as a volunteer builder was to make better use of the few highly-skilled volunteers that are usually present at any particular build site. It seemed that volunteer builders were being more or less randomly placed in teams for various tasks, and I felt this was not the most effective method. So, once I was working on site as a Crew Leader, I tried to leverage each person’s unique skills accordingly, placing less experienced framers with construction professionals, for example, so that the volunteer builders could help each other learn. This also has the effect of freeing up Crew Leaders so they can spend more time managing the tasks of the volunteers and keeping them involved instead of spending time teaching construction techniques. These strategies have helped the Kansas City chapter considerably and I think the proof lies in the fact that I have begun to see many more familiar faces weekend after weekend! I’ve now seen how an individual, such as myself, with a slightly different vantage point can sometimes more effectively identify opportunities to improve a process.

Sample Two

My parents, both immigrants and entrepreneurs, encouraged me to study abroad to broaden my perspective. However I never prioritized studying abroad until my senior year of college; the same year I witnessed the transformation of my younger sister, Tanya, a high school junior, who spent the year in Florence, Italy. When Tanya returned, she was more mature, worldly, confident, and open to try new things; her transformation was inspiring. I realized that it was time for me to leave the US to instill in me those same characteristics.

After graduating from Cal Tech, I focused on living and working in Paris. Even though I never studied French, I dreamt of sipping coffee at a café and staring at the Eiffel tower. I boarded the transatlantic flight, struggling to understand the announcements in French. I was embarking on the biggest challenge of my life; I would have to establish a life in Paris, learn French, make new friends, and become self-sufficient in a foreign environment. I didn’t have the comforts of home or the support of my family and friends. I only had my determination, my positive attitude, and my resourcefulness; I quickly discovered that these were the only things I needed.

My temporary landlord, Madame Chabert, was friendly and introduced me to her neighbors and friends. After settling into her apartment, I enrolled in an intensive six-week introductory French course at Sorbonne University. Through my class, I met friends from across the globe – from Israel, the UK and Japan. To improve my French, I realized that I had to speak with French students. Overcoming my shyness, I approached and became friends with French students at the Sorbonne. Rather than searching for a studio apartment, I opted to live with other international students, sharing a cozy apartment with Brigitte, a French-Norwegian student. With the help of Madame Chabert and my newly expanded network of acquaintances, I eventually met the SVP of Marketing at Martex. Impressed with my ability to quickly learn French, my persistence in an unfamiliar territory, and my high energy, she offered me a position in her international marketing group.

As I think about my strolls along the Seine, meetings with my Econocom colleagues, my favorite café, and my nights out on the town with Brigitte, I smile and look forward to returning to France. But even more than good memories, I reflect on the lessons I learned by seizing this opportunity. Through my courses and work, I met people of all nationalities and learned about distinct cultures and heritages, which collectively broadened my perspective. I learned to venture into the unfamiliar, shedding my reserved nature and approaching new people and situations. Lastly, I learned to be more appreciative of the comforts of home that I previously took for granted.

By living France, I learned about myself and what I can achieve. I am more confident, self-sufficient, and resourceful. I am overwhelmed with a sense of personal satisfaction knowing that I can adapt to any environment and establish a life for myself anywhere in the world.

Sample Three

In high school I was always an active member of my school orchestra, participating as a member of the violin section. I am not a naturally talented musician, but had spent many years practicing the instrument and enjoyed developing my musical skills as part of a group. Many of my friends were also orchestra members and it was a happy memory of my elementary through high school experience.

After college, while working at Goliath Bank in Baltimore, I started volunteering for an organization called A Kid’s Place that sponsored after school programs for disadvantaged youth. At first I helped with the after school art classes and enjoyed assisting the teacher and getting to know the kids. After a few months I learned that the children I worked with had absolutely no music education in their school. Where organizations like A Kid’s Place were filling the gaps by providing art and physical education activities for kids after school, we didn’t have a music program. I hadn’t played my violin for several years, but I pulled it out and started practicing again. Playing the violin reminded me of what being part of the orchestra for many years had taught me about working towards a larger goal with a team, a lesson I applied every day at my job. I was determined to help the kids we served have the same experience.

I started by speaking with the program manager at A Kid’s Place, and she was thrilled to have my focus on a possible music program. She suggested a few music teachers and musicians in the area who might be willing to volunteer and I started making phone calls and visits. I was able to find two willing volunteers who could alternate Tuesday afternoon sessions at the center. Then I needed to raise the money to find instruments for the kids. We started out small by calling a few key donors to find the funds for a box of recorders and a xylophone.

After a few months of music lessons a few of the children were especially engaged, and I wanted to raise more money to buy practice instruments for a small musical group. I organized a fundraiser and invited all of my friends and colleagues. We raised $3,500 with a cocktail mixer and I was able to buy two violins, a cello and a viola for the kids to form a string quartet.