Describe your career progress to date and your future short-term and long-term career goals. How do you expect an MBA from Wharton to help you achieve these goals, and why is now the best time for you to join our program?
Sample One
My career as a real estate attorney was initially focused on commercial real estate transactions. I worked predominantly on large loan commercial mortgage backed security origination. Through daily contact with issuers and Standard and Poor’s, I was curious to learn more about general finance principles and the economics driving the transactions I was facilitating. I moved back to Chicago to continue practicing law at a firm where I could gain a broader exposure to real estate related legal issues, while still continuing to focus on real estate finance. Eventually I discovered that I was far more interested in working with the financial details of transactions than their legal intricacies. I therefore enrolled in the CFA Program. I passed Level 1 of the CFA Exam and I plan to take Level 2 this June. This program has further fueled my desire to learn about general business management. Studying for the exam provided a great deal of financial knowledge. However, through this process, I could see other areas of business management where I had very limited understanding.
I believe earning an MBA is the next logical next step towards my short-term career objective of obtaining a position in real estate banking at a Wall Street firm. I have progressed to a point in my career where I know what I want to be working on for the rest of my professional life. I have gained enough experience to know that I want and need to develop the skills provided by earning an MBA. As I am currently in a professional transition, the time could not be more appropriate for me to pursue a Wharton MBA. While the CFA Program is a tremendous resource for learning about finance, I want to dig deeper into capitalization and organizational structures both through the Wharton curriculum and shared peer experiences. I also want to improve my managerial skills through organizational behavior coursework. My short-term goals require that I have an understanding of the structure of complex transactions from a variety of viewpoints. I anticipate that marketing classes will help me to develop the skills required to look at my deals from a 360-degree perspective.
In the long-term, I envision progressing along this career path until I’ve gained enough hands-on experience to direct a real estate group within the firm. I hope to eventually determine the types of projects that my firm will finance, and have the knowledge and experience to create and execute these highly complex business transactions. I am personally enthusiastic about this career direction because I believe that real estate financing provides the impetus that can drive entire industries. Having grown up in close proximity to an area where urban blight was more than a catch phrase, I am highly motivated to want to help these neighborhoods through my work. I envision myself in a position to help by creating opportunities for investors to profit through regentrification projects in these areas. One of the most rewarding yet most upsetting deals I worked on was to help obtain a low income housing grant for a developer in Chicago. I was happy to be helping to provide housing to people in need, but I was also disturbed by how little funding was available and how difficult the process was to obtain funds. As part of my work I hope to create opportunities for the private sector to help to profitably fill in gaps that government is overlooking.
Taking a double major of both Real Estate and Finance at Wharton is a tremendous opportunity to gain significant depth in the two areas I find most interesting and most relevant to my future career. Pursuing a Wharton MBA will also allow me to take advantage of the numerous electives and study other topics such as Management of People at Work, Operations Strategy and Process Management. While these courses may not be as central to my main areas of focus, they are topics I find extremely interesting and skills that I need to develop in order to move along my planned career path.
The learning team system used at Wharton is a very strong fit with the way I work and can support my career development. I have participated in teams both as a leader and participant through most of my life. For example, I worked on deal teams from the day I started practicing law. . In the business school context, I am enthusiastic about participating in a learning team that would give me the opportunity to both learn from people who come from different organizational functions and industries and also to share the perspectives I have gained in my legal career. The combination of strong curriculum and peer learning will help me to understand the theory and practice regarding issues associated with my future career in a Wall Street firm.
The day I enrolled in the CFA Program I knew my future was not in law, but in finance. I am anxious to learn everything I can about real estate finance and take the next step forward along my career path. The process of obtaining an MBA will provide me with the skills that I need to not only gain the technical knowledge I need in the short term to thrive in real estate banking, but also the skills to one day direct a real estate group and be able to handle the weighty financial and managerial responsibilities associate with this position.
On a personal level, I would be very excited to participate in Wharton’s BizWorld program. I used to volunteer extensively with the youth group with my church and the rewards of teaching children are immeasurable. I would be excited to have the opportunity to reach out to younger students and share my passion for real estate finance.
Sample Two
My passion for green design began when I was a young painter growing up in an overpopulated Taipei neighborhood. As a boy, I often found the city’s monotonous grey backdrop insufficient for the contents of my canvas. The drastic Taipei urban expansion, resulting from rapid economic growth in the 80’s, drained many environmental resources and plagued the sky with pollution. During this time, I started recreating the city’s outlines into a more ideal community through imagination, and in the process found a passion to combine my artistic talents with my creativity to reshape the surrounding neighborhood. After moving back to the US, I decided to make a leap from my imagination to reality and embarked on a career in sustainable design (planning strategies that minimize environmental impact) by enrolling in the School of Architecture at the University of Florida.
After graduation, I took a position with Thompson Architecture in 2004 for the opportunity to work on program implementations that emphasized green construction. Recognizing the potential impact of my position, I consistently went beyond my defined technical roles to assume managerial responsibilities and became the youngest Project Architect in the 600 employee firm at the age of 24. In this new role, I was provided significant exposure to project delivery management, contract negotiations, and client interactions, and in the process deepened my overall interest in business operations. My increased client access also enabled me to initiate sustainability research proposals for them, an endeavor that resulted in landing new green design deals with retailers including Coffeetime, Clothesline, and Shoetown. However, in the process of analyzing the costs and environmental benefits for these green stores, I learned that this case by case approach offers rather limited effects on the environment, and the only way to maximize the benefits of sustainability is through implementation on a more massive scale. After working with the real estate groups of these major retailers and witnessing the impact of ROI analysis on the direction of corporate development, I discovered my true passion would be to work in a business capacity that had exposure to all sides of the real estate development business and could drive environmental impact through broad company initiatives.
I have now closely observed the intricacies of private real estate operations and believe there’s a considerable gap in how sustainable design is integrated with development/construction efforts. Consequently, I see significant promise in expanding green awareness to urban planning and wish to dedicate my career to support sustainable growth in the real estate industry. Therefore, in the short term after earning an MBA, I plan to take a position as a development manager for a national REIT and work to implement programs that derive economic gain from environmentally-conscious construction. In the long run, I will capitalize on these experiences by founding a consulting firm that will provide strategic expertise to support and improve private retail, real estate, and development firm’s sustainable initiatives.
Upon evaluating my objectives, I believe I have attained the core technical knowledge necessary to fulfill my future aspirations, but lack the business expertise to execute upon my abilities. I would like to enhance my knowledge of market analysis, financing options, economics, and the overall trends/cycles of the real estate industry, in order to propose effective, sustainable solutions. Additionally, as my current role is limited to serving only retailers, I would like to learn appropriate strategic frameworks for consulting other types of clients. I also hope to refine my managerial and communication skills, which will be essential for obtaining buy-in for alternative development proposals. Having identified my goals, I feel now is the right time to attain a business education that can complement my technical experience and facilitate a career transition into real estate development.
From my campus visit and interactions with recent alumni, I strongly believe that Wharton offers the best MBA program for me. First, the Zell/Lurie Center offers a wide array of real estate courses, such as Real Estate Development and Urban Real Estate Economics, that will provide a valuable foundation for understanding the market dynamics of the development industry. I have already studied Professor Linneman’s insightful research on the trend towards public policy in real estate development and discussed my interests at length with the Real Estate Club’s former President Thomas Wang. Therefore, I sincerely believe the Zell/Lurie Center will empower me with the necessary resources to identify high-potential sustainable opportunities and organizational skills to generate substantial returns. Outside of the classroom, I plan to take on leadership roles within the Real Estate Club and contribute through activities such as the ULI Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition and National Real Estate Challenge.
Wharton also stresses global entrepreneurship and innovation. As an innate entrepreneur who has implemented numerous personal and professional initiatives, I look forward to participating in a variety of activities that Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs has to offer. Through activities such as the Venture Initiation Program, I am prepared to propose a business idea for assisting private real estate companies to address public urban concerns while achieving financial returns. I spoke to Wharton ’06 grad and entrepreneur Howard Katzenberg in detail about his entrepreneurship experiences, and also look forward to taking an active role in the Wharton’s Entrepreneurship Club. In addition, I look forward to exploring different leadership styles and further expanding my international exposure by interacting with Wharton’s global student body and learning environment. To that end, I am interested in leveraging Wharton’s global entrepreneurship opportunities to assist underprivileged communities around the world through the International Volunteer Program. Through the sponsorship of WIVP, I can assist low-income neighborhoods similar to where I grew up through proposing effective green planning and environmental conscious construction. Socially as well, I am excited to explore my cross-functional skills alongside a diverse set of talented peers by practicing and performing in Wharton’s famed International Cultural Show. Lastly, I am impressed by Wharton’s commitment to social progress. My definitive goal is to implement innovative programs that positively advance our surroundings and Wharton’s socially active student body passionately shares such vision. To that end, I will take use of my non-profit experience and become involved with the Philadelphia community through the Wharton Community Consultants program. I am deeply impressed by Wharton’s strong support and tradition, and I sincerely believe Wharton’s close-knit student body will strengthen my capacity to lead the important changes that I could only imagine as a young painter twenty years ago.
Sample Three
Throughout my undergraduate college and career experiences, I have focused on acquiring the breadth of skills necessary to be an effective, dynamic and well-rounded business leader. I have learned a great deal in my work thus far, but I recognize that I need better management skills and a more sophisticated business sense to achieve my long-term career goals. My ultimate ambition is to build a nationwide, upscale “health food” restaurant group as its Chief Executive Officer. I believe my background coupled with an MBA from Wharton will prepare me to create a successful, high growth organization.
Born and raised in San Diego, I ventured to New York for New York University’s Stern Undergraduate Business School because the city represented a new and unfamiliar world filled with new challenges. NYU’s strong finance program and close proximity to Wall Street inspired me to set my sights on Wall Street. I saw investment banking as the fast track to senior management because of the high level of responsibility, steep learning curve, and rigorous analytical training. In my first job as a Financial Analyst for JP Morgan, my business-focused education proved to be advantageous and I applied financial statement, capital structure and valuation analyses to real world transactions. These foundational career experiences have proved invaluable to me, as I have used these tools extensively throughout my career. When my mother’s health began to deteriorate, I wanted to be close to home and left New York for California. I continued my career in investment banking as an Associate for a boutique investment bank, Cartwright Capital Corp. in San Diego, CA. In my new role, my responsibilities were greatly expanded; I learned to negotiate contracts and terms, design capital structures, and lead deal teams through due diligence. I believe these investment banking experiences will serve as cornerstones upon which I can further develop my business and leadership skills in the business world. I left investment banking for a Senior Business Analyst job at the Applebees, a nationwide operator of over 120 restaurants. While working in the restaurant industry, I learned that creating a consistent, high value experience for the customer is critical to the long-term sustainability of the enterprise. The goal of building and sustaining this reputation with the consumer is a challenge that captivates me. I want to establish a restaurant company that fulfills a social responsibility to its diners in terms of a healthy diet and lifestyle. I believe that this responsibility is not being fulfilled by other national chains and represents an untapped opportunity. My desire to lead a restaurant company also stems from my fascination with how a hospitality organization effectively orchestrates all of its moving parts—finance, operations, marketing, human resources, and investor relations—towards a common goal of delighting the customer every time. To succeed in this competitive field, a business leader needs to have a deep understanding of a wide range of disciplines. During my tenure at Applebees, I sought out projects that would expose me to a cross-section of departments including site selection, new restaurant development, commodity management, and corporate strategy.
I left Applebees when I was offered an opportunity to help launch a promising new restaurant entertainment concept. An old client from my banking days invited me to become the Chief Operating Officer of his company, Kids Street, a location based family entertainment center in Southern California. As COO, I learned what it takes to manage a service business day in and day out. Although my six years of investment banking experience and my finance degree from NYU have given me a strong foundation of quantitative and analytical tools, I still do not feel quite ready to build my own restaurant enterprise. I hope to use an MBA from Wharton as a springboard to a management level position in an aggressive, growth-oriented restaurant organization. There, I will draw on what I have learned to build on my managerial experience and collaborate with other seasoned operators. Currently, Kids Street is in the early stages of being sold to an investor making the timing to begin my MBA studies at Wharton in the fall of 2007 optimal. I believe that an MBA from Wharton will give me the foundation of leadership skills I need to integrate what I have learned thus far and to ensure that I am an effective decision maker and business leader. I am aware of the value of having a strong network of business leaders and a degree from a leading MBA program like Wharton to assemble my management team and establish credibility with investors and other stakeholders. The Wharton MBA program is a perfect fit for me because of its leadership focused curriculum, its large size and scope, and diverse community. I am especially excited by the opportunity to tailor my education to meet my needs. Among the 200 plus electives and 18 majors from which I can choose to focus my studies, I will find courses that fill in the gaps in my academic and on the job training. One elective particularly appealing to me given my career objectives is The Executive Leadership and Seminar in Leadership: Power, Influence, and Transformational Leadership. In addition, I hope to obtain a part-time position as Senior Consultant in the Small Business Development Center and apply lessons learned in my entrepreneurial coursework to assist the Center’s clients. I have truly enjoyed the insight from current students on Wharton’s Student-2-Student Discussion Boards and MBA Diaries. I am confident that the collaborative Wharton community is a natural fit for me personally. My unique experiences in teamwork and leadership will allow me to bring a fresh perspective to my Learning Team, cohort and the Wharton community. The wide range of backgrounds and interests of the student body is also very encouraging. As an avid surfer, I was surprised to discover that there is a Surf Club at Wharton. I hope they know of some great surf spots on the East Coast!
Sample Four
After graduating Berkeley with a Computer Science degree, I ventured overseas to Paris, France to gain international experience and build a complimentary, qualitative skill set. By day, I perfected my French, translated marketing materials, and analyzed foreign competitors at Technocom, an international IT consulting firm. By night, I lost myself within the immaculate aisles of Le Bon Marche luxury department store, impressed with their sparkling visual presentation and merchandising. This experience sparked my passion for marketing luxury goods and led me to my current position at Robert Smith Associates (RSA).
Upon returning to the US to be closer to my family, I chose a position as merchandising technology consultant at RSA because it would be an ideal way to leverage my technology background while positioning myself for a career in retail. The firm’s values aligned with my values, providing a team-oriented environment, collegial community, and a vehicle to drive positive change. By leading large-scale systems implementations, testing, and training efforts, I built expertise in retail systems, worked in dynamic cross-functional teams, and applied my problem-solving skills to challenging issues.
One of my early assignments was to implement a new warehouse management system at a large specialty retailer. I made special efforts to connect face-to-face with the associates at the immense distribution center, understanding firsthand their specific business needs. While providing support to the associates testing the new system my team implemented, I surfaced system issues quickly and relayed them to the remote IT and software team. My facilitation of open and timely communication amongst these diverse groups enabled a successful and smooth implementation. Due to my strengths of understanding each client’s pain points, facilitating collaboration and managing expectations, I was promoted to senior consultant in less than two years and earned roles within more strategic, high impact projects.
Recently, I led a three person team at a luxury department store with perpetually declining sales to evaluate the effectiveness of its buying, planning, and allocation techniques and tools. In preparing my recommendations, I considered all of the issues this company was facing. How will these strategic initiatives affect its target consumer? What financial analysis was needed to understand the costs and benefits of these initiatives? Would the management effectively execute our recommendations? I realized that my questions were beyond the scope of the mandated project. Yet these questions were critical in establishing the company’s long-term success.
At this juncture in my career, I have gained expertise in implementing systems and processes, but I fully understand my current limitations to make lasting positive change within an organization. I now have clarity around my career vision: I want to become a senior executive within the retail industry, leading teams to develop strategies from concept to execution. In order for me to attain my goal, I plan to pursue a post-MBA position within a strategic planning group at an international luxury goods retailer. The critical missing link is an MBA from Wharton which will provide me the framework to answer effectively the questions with which I currently struggle. While at Wharton, I want to gain an understanding of the principles of business, build my expertise in marketing and consumer behavior, fine-tune my effective teamwork and leadership style through activities, and cultivate my international perspective and language skills through the Lauder program.
Wharton is the natural choice. Beyond the top-notch academics and renowned professors, there are four key reasons why I am so passionate about Wharton: the breadth and depth of the marketing curriculum, Wharton’s Global Consulting Practicum (WGCP), the Lauder program and its emphasis on international business, and the emerging retail initiative.
The Wharton Marketing Department offers more electives than other programs, such as Retailing, Pricing Policy and Multi-national Marketing. These electives will fine-tune my marketing expertise and will best prepare me for an international marketing career within the retail industry. WGCP is an exciting opportunity which will allow me to apply theories from these courses in a real-world setting; and it will provide me the opportunity to work with multi-cultural cross-functional teams of students from international MBA programs to enhance my international, industry and team experiences. I am also eager to further develop my global business acumen within the Lauder program known for its diverse and international student body, and the extensive international exchange programs. The Lauder program will help me understand business in a global, political, and social context. I can improve my French skills and develop my multi-cultural leadership skills. I am particularly attracted to the summer program in conjunction with the Masters in Fashion Experience and Design Management program (MAFED) at the Boccini University in Milan. At Boccini, I will augment my Wharton education with classes focused on international retail and fashion, and establish international connections within the industry. Lastly, I am eager to share in, and hopefully advance Wharton’s interdisciplinary studies related to the retail industry. Specifically, the Jay H. Baker Retailing Initiative will provide me vital opportunities to launch my career in retail because of its unparalleled exposure to industry leaders, expanded recruiting activities, and a strong network of alumni industry leaders.
In exchange, I will bring my inquisitive nature, energy, and positive attitude to Wharton and I look forward to contributing as a leader inside and outside the classroom. My passion for learning will challenge my peers and me to keep exploring and innovating. Whether providing a fresh perspective on technology and operations for a retail business case, or organizing a leading retail executive to speak for Fashion and Luxury Industries club, I hope to open the eyes of my learning team and class mates to something new every day and to collectively strengthen the Wharton and Lauder communities. The well-rounded business acumen, marketing expertise, international experiences, and lifelong connections I will gain at Wharton will enable me to fulfill my dreams of becoming a successful leader within the retail industry.
Sample Five
My arrival in Paris at the age of 12 marked my first experience in a “developed” country. I was awe stricken by the dazzling skyline, the massive infrastructure, the flashing neon signs, and a world very much controlled by machines and gadgets. In contrast to daily struggles in Pakistan, life seemed too comfortable to be real. Towards the end of this trip, I kept asking myself “Would Pakistan ever be like this?” thinking of the economic prosperity and technological advances of France. It was when I started pursuing my degree in engineering that I realized the potential technology holds for any society.
At the age of 19, I decided to come to the United States to pursue my education. I stayed to obtain my Masters degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Upon graduation I received an attractive job offer from Votoca in the Chicago area, but in the end, I chose to follow my dream to experience the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley.
I chose to work for small to medium size startups because I saw the opportunity to be exposed to a “startup” mentality. I learned to take risks, be innovative, think big, and be adaptable to a dynamic workplace. I also saw working for a startup as a way to cultivate my management skills. My work in Silicon Valley has provided me the opportunity to not only lead design efforts for cutting-edge innovative wireless products but also to gain hands-on learning experience in various phases of the product development cycle.
After working for five startup companies and learning from the highly volatile technology industry, I have grown and matured. A typical day in my current job at DS Communications often starts with trying to put out several fires at a time. I may provide mentorship to staff members, oversee development of a product to be used by Lucent Technologies, or I may lead a team to implement improved testing procedures for a special shipment to Votoca. As a Senior Design Engineer, I encounter challenging leadership opportunities everyday and I make critical decisions and follow through on them. My education prepared me well to handle the technical problems, but it is the “startup” mentality that allows me to be innovative, resourceful and creative in such situations.
When I left Pakistan, it was a poor country facing numerous social and economic challenges. At one point, my father needed to choose whether to work in a foreign country to have a high paying job or to be close to his family without a job in his field. In the late 1980s, when he chose his family, we paid the price by losing the major source of family income. Financial hardships followed for our entire family for the next several years. It was not that Pakistan lacked the “human” resources. What it lacked was the “startup” mentality to create opportunities and be innovative. My long-term goal is to become a partner at a venture capital firm interested in incubating technology companies in Pakistan to give Pakistan a chance to develop the “startup” mentality.
My recent trip to Pakistan left me with an optimistic feeling about the country. Given the wealth of talent and desire for development in Pakistan today, there is enormous potential for international businesses and the Pakistani people. I anticipate that in the coming decades Pakistan will need business experts and incubators to capitalize on this talent and produce extensive economic growth, and I am determined to be part of this development.
An MBA from Wharton is the ideal bridge to connect my strong analytical skills with the business perspective I need to achieve my career aspirations. In order to succeed as a venture capitalist, in the short-term I plan to complete an MBA from Wharton and work as a management consultant for a strategy firm specializing in technology companies. This experience will broaden my exposure to multiple disciplines of growth strategy, business operations, finance and resource management. I believe that a successful technology company is born out of a complex interplay between a deep understanding of technical knowledge and creative insight of an entrepreneur. My in-depth technical knowledge will provide me with invaluable insight in understanding the market, while my training at Wharton and work experience at the strategy firm will give me the knowledge and experience to incubate competitive business ventures.
My heart has been set on Wharton ever since my visit to its beautiful historical campus. There was galvanic “energy” in Huntsman Hall, and I continued to find this stimulating dynamic in each of the classes I attended. During the MGMT701 Strategic Planning and Control class, I was enthralled to know so much about an American technology company, a South African brewing company, strategies implemented by Comcast to win cable shares, and an upcoming European fuel cell company – all in 90 minutes. In the FNCE 750 Venture Capital and Finance Innovation class taught by Prof. Metrick, I was in for another surprise, learning about innovative venture capital strategies using game theory. At Wharton, I will contribute to and learn from my fellow students. I intend to join the Out4biz club and run for office. I have particularly enjoyed my discussions with students and alumni from the Out4biz club, and Mark Tetto from the Finance club about the supportive and collaborative environment Wharton promotes. I plan to actively enhance my entrepreneurial skills through the Entrepreneurship club, host student cook-offs with the Culinary club, and mentor local kids about business through the Bizworld – Wharton. As well as training with my fellow students in the Wharton Roadrunners & Triathletes club. The time for my MBA from Wharton is now. I have enough practical experience to make the experiential aspects of the education effective and instantaneous. My background in Silicon Valley and product development will contribute to the learning of my fellow students. I have reached the turning point in my career at which I have achieved strong technical understanding. With seven years of work experience, I have reached the apex of my technical career, and now is the time to pursue my next goal. I am ready to embark on my journey to become a venture capitalist and help Pakistan become a developed nation. I am ready to contribute to that galvanic “energy” in the corridors and classrooms of Huntsman Hall.
Sample Six
Working in New York politics over the past four years has underscored for me the potential to truly improve lives. From casework in the Bronx to economic development in Buffalo, implementing the visions of politicians with moral clarity has been stimulating and rewarding. I take much pride in being a player in my home state of New York, where I can see our efforts having a direct effect. It is in this vein that I want to ultimately continue my service to New York as chief of staff to the Mayor of the City of New York, with an MBA from Wharton guiding me there.
As a graduate of Yeshiva University’s Orthodox Jewish Stern College for Women in New York City, I did what most Yeshiva graduates do not do and moved to Washington, DC in the summer of 2002 for a job as New York City Congressman Joseph Crowley’s executive assistant. I took the unfamiliar but exciting path, moving away from the uniformity of views that pervaded Yeshiva, separating myself from the parochial ways of my community. Craving greater intellectual openness and diversity, I relished my eye-opening first months on the Hill. Right away I had to recalibrate my thinking and orientation from that of a protected and insulated Orthodox Jew, told to wear only skirts for modesty reasons and eat strictly kosher as the torah dictates, to a Congressman’s right hand woman, exposed to thousands of young, boundless, overachieving Hill staffers. In my role I demonstrated confidence, staffing the Congressman at briefings and leadership meetings, keeping his schedule on track and maintaining order in the office. I learned quickly, and my admiration for Congressman Crowley and his steadfast leadership propelled me to my initial success. Upon the departure of our office’s press secretary and with the support of my chief of staff and legislative director, I started writing press releases, and proactively pitched reporters. Congressman Crowley’s diverse and engaging staff showed me how to handle high-pressure work with aplomb, and their instincts and guidance set a great path for me to follow. My small steps into the press world paid off—we were getting great coverage and I was challenged and stimulated by the exciting work.
By December 2002, four short months after I began my job, I was officially promoted to press secretary, one of the youngest on the Hill. Congressman Crowley received great coverage during that time, capped off by Newsday labeling him a “rising star” in Congress. I quickly became the manager of a three-person press operation, split between the Bronx and Washington, and I earned the respect of my peers—with them turning to me for guidance on decision-making and strategic advice, and me turning to them for district gossip and local political insight. The camaraderie and teamwork was unique and it gave me a worthy template for my future job running a congressional office.
During the summer of 2004, Congressman Crowley asked me to go to Buffalo, NY and head the communications operation for Brian Higgins for Congress, a hotly contested open-seat race in need of someone with solid leadership instincts and press skills. I went to Buffalo for four months, and as part of a major national campaign effort for this open seat, led the Higgins campaign to a narrow but decisive victory. When I arrived back in Washington, now-Congressman Higgins’ offered me a tremendous opportunity—running his Washington, DC office. I accepted, having had fallen for the City of Buffalo, with all its grit, exceptional people and real potential for major change.
As Deputy Chief of Staff and Communications Director for a freshman member of Congress, I had the chance to build Congressman Higgins’ operation from the ground up, hiring over twenty staff members and implementing a unique and effective office structure, using my experiences from Congressman Crowley’s office and the Higgins’ campaign as the backbone. In Congressman Higgins’s office, I have honed my leadership skills as part of a team that has taken charge in the on-the-brink city of Buffalo, working assiduously to actualize on vastly untapped urban potential. The successes we’ve achieved in twenty-one short months in office, following Congressman Higgins’ prescient vision of what Buffalo will someday soon be—no longer a dying industrial center but a vibrant metropolis awash with new opportunities—has been astounding. I am proud to be a part of leading this great Western New York revival, making an impact in the most economically depressed region of my state.
My hometown of New York City has been a meta-model for Buffalo. The City is light-years ahead of Buffalo in terms of development, but there are still unique strides to be made—from building Manhattan’s far West Side to making the Bronx a more competitive borough, utilizing its location and unique resources. The City’s post-9/11 rebirth, specifically the revitalization of downtown Manhattan, has been remarkable, and I want to help build on this great accomplishment and be a part of leading New York City into its own 21st century renaissance. I would jump at the chance to return to the city I have always loved, parlaying the development and leadership know-how I have gained from my time in Buffalo into new advancements and a new vision for the City.
I have seen Congressman Higgins to his upcoming second election, with poll numbers that exceed all expectations, and no materialization of a credible challenger. While my accomplishments on Capitol Hill and in New York State have been exciting, I believe that now is the time to apply my experiences to the formal study of leadership and management.
Wharton seems like the natural fit for my goals. Wharton will give me the tools to analyze problems through business models and case studies, and help me think about developing plans for efficient governance. The diverse array of students from unique backgrounds at Wharton is impressive and I think I would have a lot to contribute through my unconventional Orthodox Jewish background, which I have constantly evaluated and am always deeply proud of. Wharton’s collaborative and team-oriented methods will contribute to the strong foundation I have already laid while adding new dimensions using real-world models which are pertinent to the fast changing world my classmates and I are living in, allowing for dynamic discussions and debates regarding practical solutions. At Wharton, I will be particularly interested in the intersection of business and public policy, specifically classes such as the Political Economy of the Public Sector and Urban Fiscal Policy. I will also look to gain serious finance and quantitative skills, which will serve as a basis of approach for many future decisions I make. Wharton’s location also seems to be a perfect fit for what I am seeking. Its prestigious positioning in the Philadelphia community, a place that is currently experiencing its own exciting resurgence, will be an interesting and educational tool, serving as a bridge between my time working for the small big city of Buffalo to my future in the big City of New York. I would love to lead a club such as Into the Streets, getting involved in and giving back to the community and city surrounding me and burnishing my skills in a hands-on environment. Finally, Wharton’s proximity to New York City will allow for unadulterated access to the City just a train ride away, while also keeping a sane perspective from afar during the rigorous work of school.
After business school, but before I move back into the political arena, I will seek out work experience in the for-profit sector through strategy consulting. Such a trajectory will equip me to help the Mayor’s office and the City of New York improve performance, allow me to get hands-on training and develop my business acumen in a corporate environment, and it will undoubtedly be intellectually challenging. It will certainly be enticing to remain in the post-business school world of consulting. But I know that my ultimate calling is back in the public realm, in the Mayor’s office, where I can execute and guide the extraordinary New York City, serving as an agent of positive change by making a profound statement of service to others.
Sample Seven (Excerpt)
A venture capitalist in the health care arena requires not only business skills, but also an intense commitment to the goals that these startups represent. Growing up in Boston in a family of medical professionals, I developed a fascination with health care early in life. My father, a physician, discussed the medical environment with me every day, leading me to volunteer at local hospitals and attend a medical scholar’s program. My interest intensified when I developed Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2003. Surviving Hodgkin’s has given me a renewed determination to pursue my goals now. Advances in medicine saved my life, and I can think of no better way to repay this debt than to lead the development and distribution of future life-saving technologies.
While working in IBM’s VC group, I participated in a number of internal ventures to nurture startups to success. I learned the fundamentals of fund management and have seen the importance of financially supporting innovators who could develop life-changing technologies, such as the transdermal patch, which may soon allow cancer patients to painlessly receive chemotherapy.
With my family’s background in health care, my own ordeal as a patient, and my experience with startups at IBM, I have become committed to a life that makes the sum total of my experience available to others.
Sample Eight (Excerpt)
My arrival in Silicon Valley at the age of 19 marked my first experience with the mythical land where garage startups grew into multi-billion dollar technology juggernauts. I was awe stricken by the idea. I kept asking myself, “Could Poland ever be like this?”, thinking of the economic prosperity and technological advances that might be possible if so. It was when I started pursuing my degree in engineering that I truly realized the potential technology holds for any society.
After graduating with an electrical engineering degree, I chose to follow my dream to experience the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley. I worked for small-to-medium sized startups because I saw the opportunity to be exposed to the “startup” mentality. I learned to take risks, be innovative, think big, and be adaptable to a dynamic workplace. I also saw working for a startup as a way to cultivate my management skills. My work in Silicon Valley has provided me the opportunity to not only lead design efforts for cutting-edge innovative products but also to gain hands-on learning experience in various phases of the product development cycle.
When I left Poland, it was a country facing numerous social and economic challenges. At one point, my father needed to choose whether to work in more developed countries in Europe to have a high-paying job or to be close to his family without a job in his field. In the late 1980s, when he chose his family, we paid the price by losing the major source of family income. Financial hardships followed for our entire family for the next several years.
My recent trip to Poland left me with an optimistic feeling about the country. Given the wealth of talent and desire for development in Poland today, there is enormous potential for international businesses and the Polish people. I anticipate that in the coming decades Poland will need business experts and incubators to capitalize on this talent and produce extensive economic growth, and I am determined to be part of this development.
Sample Nine (Excerpt)
Working in Illinois politics over the past four years has underscored for me the potential for government to truly improve lives. From casework in Joliet to economic development in Central Illinois, implementing the visions of politicians with moral clarity has been stimulating and rewarding. I saw our efforts have a lasting effect.
After graduating from a small liberal arts college in Connecticut, I did what most graduates do not do and moved to Washington, D.C., in the summer of 2002 for a job as Chicago Congressman Mike Feighery’s executive assistant. I took the unfamiliar but exciting path, moving away from the existence of a sheltered liberal arts school, craving greater intellectual openness and diversity. I relished my eye-opening first months on the Hill. Right away I had to recalibrate my thinking and orientation.
By December 2002, four short months after I began my job, I was officially promoted to press secretary, one of the youngest on the Hill. Congressman Feighery received great coverage during that time, capped off by the Chicago Tribune labeling him a “rising star” in Congress.
I am excited by the possibilities for the city of Chicago. I’ve closely studied New York’s renaissance for lessons that can be applied in Chicago. Manhattan’s post-9/11 rebirth, specifically the revitalization of downtown Manhattan, has been remarkable, and I want to help Chicago achieve its own 21st century renaissance.