Mba Admissions Essay

Question: What makes you stand out from other applicants in regard to your leadership ability, ethical framework, and passion for higher learning?

My demonstrated leadership skills, hardened ethical core, and persistent pursuit of knowledge set me apart from other MBA applicants. My undergraduate and professional backgrounds have afforded me experiences in many different team dynamics functioning in various team roles. As a member of a 12-person product design group at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), I was elected project manager after it was determined the group leader was not capable of this task. Despite my teammates' extensive technical knowledge, many lacked familiarity with team situations where communication and coordination amongst distinct sub-groups are necessary to ensure efficiency. Ultimately the project was unsuccessful, however, the unforgettable challenges I encountered as project manager greatly improved my team management techniques. Professionally, I was appointed to spearhead a 4-person team and oversee the logistics surrounding the opening of Kaplan Test Preparation and Admissions' newest office. Most notably, this undertaking involved the appropriate utilization of human capital as my direct reports, spanning various departments throughout the company, each have specialized skill sets. Tasks had to be delegated carefully with regard to an individual's strengths and weaknesses. My success in these various leadership positions can be attributed to my versatile and resourceful nature and my unwavering focus on the overall goal of the team.

Despite being very goal-oriented, my ethical principles have never been shaken by morally questionable actions. My family was the first to impart upon me a strong sense of ethics, but this was further refined during my studies as a mechanical engineer at RPI through the analysis and continual reference to the engineering code of ethics. But, yet a different code of ethics accompanied my training as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). In the past, I have adhered to each of these with strict compliance, as it was clear that the consequences of doing otherwise