What choices have you made that led you to your current position? Why pursue an MBA at this point in your life? What is your career goal upon graduation from NYU Stern? What is your long-term career goal?

Sample One


When thinking about the choices that I have made in my life, there are several in particular that led me to my current position as an advertising executive, working in the pharmaceutical healthcare sector. I decided early on in my career that I wanted to follow my passions, and I had always been intrigued by the pharmaceutical field. As a young girl, I accompanied my uncle to his medical practice at Lawrenceville Medical Center and saw firsthand the respect and tremendous gratitude he received from his patients after treatment. Although becoming a doctor did not interest me, working in the medical field and drawing on my strengths as a businessperson did.

While working in Business Development at Myer Fromms, I became the self-appointed Account Executive for all pharmaceutical pitches in order to gain additional exposure to the business side of the industry. I worked on two pitches for Boter products and captained our team to win one of the accounts. This experience led me to my current position as an Account Manager on the Clippex account at Terrence Todd. In this role, I function as both a consultant and a creative agency resource. It has been a terrific stepping stone to my ultimate career goal of working in brand management at a pharmaceutical company. I took this position knowing that it would provide me with hard-to-come-by industry experience as I am involved with a broad range of marketing components such as setting international marketing and brand strategy, understanding how consumers view the products in an over-the-counter setting, and developing pricing and packaging. I hope to build upon the role as I continue down the pharmaceutical marketing path and move to the client-side.

At this time, I have a solid understanding of advertising fundamentals, but I am looking to complement that knowledge with the overall business fundamentals that I will gain from a top MBA program. An MBA will provide me with a focused, industry-specific education along with the career building experiences I need to make the move to the client-side, working at a top pharmaceutical company. An MBA will give me the opportunity to hone my leadership skills through projects and clubs which I will need to become a leader in the healthcare industry. Furthermore, the practical knowledge and skills gained from a top MBA program will aid me in many aspects of my life, not just my career. I am at a point in my life where I can afford to take two years to focus on improving and preparing myself for the future.

My career goal upon graduation from Stern is to obtain a role in Brand Management with a company like Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson, both known for their world-renowned brands and numerous marketing success stories. There I will learn both the marketing and business fundamentals through classic Brand Management training programs on category-leading global brands. This kind of training will be the perfect complement to my advertising background. Additionally, I am eager to gain further exposure to all elements of the marketing mix, market research, the P&L, brand positioning, and brand strategy. Working at one of these companies will enable me to work abroad as well helping me gain global business experience and, most importantly, enhance my global business perspective.

My long-term career goal is to become the Chief Marketing Officer at a mid to top-tier pharmaceutical company where I will work to address issues of accessibility to and affordability of medicine. Through my leadership I will work with Research & Development teams to maintain a comprehensive pipeline, Manufacturing teams to cut costs, Marketing teams to promote accessibility to consumers, and Business Development to identify strategic partnerships. The experience and knowledge that I will gain during my time at Stern will provide the base for me to start on the path toward this leadership position at a global pharmaceutical company.

Sample Two

For my fourth grade classmates, Pizza Day was a chance to fill up on their favorite food. I, however, had plans for the uneaten slices. I sold the leftovers at 50 cents a slice to the less fortunate children of room 203, netting a healthy $6 dollar a week profit. Ever since, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in business.

While at Dedham University, I was interested in fixed income. My favorite classes were Portfolio Management and Investment Analysis. We spent most of our class time learning about the fixed income world. I was hooked, and decided to start my career at USB supporting the fixed income client service representatives, to learn the basics of the business. Management took notice of my interest in the field, product knowledge, and ability to grasp procedures quickly. Within eight months, I had the opportunity to move into a representative role. My supervisors continually increased my account base with larger and more sensitive clients as a result of positive feedback from my clients. A year ago, a decision was made to deploy client services to our Chicago office. While my co-workers searched for new jobs, I saw an opportunity to practice leadership and gain valuable experience. I took the responsibility of training new employees, teaching them job functions and the culture of the firm. About a month ago, I was asked to take these skills and apply them to a transition on the equity side. I currently work with the equity team while liaising with management to formulate strategies for equity and fixed income client services integration.

Upon graduation, I plan to enter the fixed income arena as a trader. My knowledge of fixed income securities can be effectively leveraged as a trader. At USB, I worked on the fixed income trading floor and felt the energy on a daily basis. The energy of trading suits my upbeat personality and I am excited to see my results every day when the market closes.

My long-term vision is to create a private equity firm. Private equity will allow provide me with the freedom to take advantage of profit opportunities wherever they occur. A $100 million profit from a leveraged buy-out deal is obviously a bigger score than bringing home $6 a week from selling pizza to classmates, but both provide a feeling of accomplishment.

At this point in my career, I am ready to take the next step. I understand the corporate world and the operational side of trading fixed income securities. The MBA program at Stern will provide me with the specific academic knowledge I need to be a successful trader. Stern’s Quantitative Finance specialization and courses such as Debt Instruments & Markets will challenge me intellectually, provide me with a broader understanding of the global economy, and sharpen my analytical skills. Trading is a quantitative profession demanding a thorough understanding of global markets. An MBA is critical in my career advancement. Stern is the necessary next step to my future.

Sample Three

Upon entering college I made the commitment to myself that I would emerge, four years later, with a well-rounded, classical education. I focused my early studies on philosophy, history and theology. While I found these classes interesting, I soon realized that I was no theologian. I discovered my true calling under the tutelage of my corporate finance professor, Dr.Michael Stowe, who exposed me to modern financial applications in the ideas of philosophers such as Adam Smith, whose works I had read within my “great texts” curriculum.

In the early portion of my career, I have furthered my knowledge of finance while gaining invaluable experience in team building, effective communications and real estate investing. As an investment banking analyst at JPMorgan, I gained an in-depth understanding of financial modeling and analysis that catapulted me to the top of my analyst class. I had the opportunity to participate in the origination, structuring, underwriting and execution of transactions. I actively sought out every chance I could to hone my skills, such as receiving personal instruction on the intricacies of revenue forecasting from the CFO of a large check-printing business. Later, through a series of informal training sessions, I was able to educate a group of summer interns on these same principles.

At JPMorgan and Blackstone, I have cultivated strong interpersonal and public speaking abilities. At JPMorgan, I served as the firm’s sole representative on a nationwide roadshow, speaking with potential investors about a high yield bond and leveraged loan transaction. My current role at Blackstone has further refined my interpersonal skills through opportunities to negotiate deal terms, present investment recommendations and manage relationships with other Wall Street firms. In the workplace I refined the communications skills I began to develop at Notre Dame as a tour guide and member of Student Foundation. These organizations provided me opportunities to recruit students, solicit alumni for scholarship funds statewide and to nurture my interpersonal and public speaking abilities.

As a founding member of Blackstone’s real estate team, I have been exposed to numerous aspects of real estate finance, from underwriting and market research to transaction structuring and negotiating terms. For example, I recently underwrote, structured and negotiated a term sheet for a joint-venture investment in two Miami office towers. From this experience, I learned a great deal about how to analyze and negotiate complex deals between large, well-financed firms with dissimilar investment rationales. Additionally, at Blackstone I have been exposed to the intricacies of structured investment vehicles through my role as the lead analyst on Blackstone’s first commercial real estate collateralized debt obligation. Through these experiences, I have built the solid foundation essential for the fulfillment of my long-term goals.

My long-term goal is to help redevelop American cities into more socially and economically integrated communities that are safe, neighborly and livable. Studying in London, backpacking around Europe, visiting exotic locales such as Istanbul, Egypt and Peru, and living and working in Chicago have all taught me that great cities have a few common characteristics: density, walkability and, above all else, cultural and economic diversity.

While built with the best of intentions, America’s 20th century cities are failures. Modern American cities are plagued by chronic suburban sprawl and segregation of income classes. Jane Jacobs wrote at length about the social and economic value of mixing retail and office space with mixed-income housing, as witnessed in Chicago, Toronto and San Francisco. In these communities inhabitants experience the pleasure of daily interaction with others and develop a sense of community.

My desire is to invigorate America’s blighted inner cities and build sustainable communities. Eventually, I hope to build a real estate development company that will help alleviate the isolation and alienation of income classes by creating economically diverse, high density mixed-use developments. Immediately after business school, I hope to work for a real estate private equity firm or developer where I will learn the intricacies of real estate development and gain the knowledge necessary to set out on my own.

While I have begun to develop the strong fundamental real estate and finance background necessary to analyze potential investments, I realize I also need to refine my strategic thinking and project management skills, much-needed tools in my future role at the helm of a real estate development firm. Now is the perfect time, personally and professionally, for me to pursue my MBA since I am approaching the end of a two-year pre-MBA program at Blackstone. Additionally, my girlfriend is finishing her graduate studies in May of 2008 and intends to seek employment in the city where I enroll in an MBA program.

As a member of the class of the Stern community, I will enrich my fellow students with my strong background in real estate finance. The leadership skills, financial expertise and invaluable network of global peers I will gain at Stern will undoubtedly place me on the path to achieve my goals.