Kelley MBA 2017 (KELLEY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS- INDIANA UNIVERSITY)

What sets Kelley School of Business apart?

Kelley Admissions

ESSAY 2

1. Respond to one of the following short essay prompts. (300 words)
   a. My greatest memory is…
   b. I’m most afraid of…
   c. My greatest challenge has been…
   d. I’m most proud of…    

C. My greatest challenge has been…

My greatest challenge has been to deal with business uncertainties which have the power to make even the most thought after plan seem useless. Uncertainties not only highlight the hidden assumptions in the plan but they also highlight the importance of a time buffer while estimating how long say a project is going to take. The challenge however, has always been to calculate such buffers or at least to approach such a problem scientifically, that is why one of the knowledge gaps that I want to fill through the MBA is regarding managing uncertainties.
However, I believe managing uncertainties is an essential leadership exercise as it teaches how to stay calm and focused amidst commotion. Managing uncertainties has not only resulted in developing my intuition, but it has also made me not to seek perfection and to be prepared with contingencies.
As an example, I remember when during one drilling project we had missed a deadline because of a double whammy. On one hand two of our team members quit without notice and on the other the team which had to manufacture a rig as per our specifications simply could not understand English thereby drastically slowing down the manufacturing process. To manage the language problem and to compensate for the lost time, we decided to send a technical team to the rig manufacturer’s facility so that the technical modifications were made in real time during the manufacturing process. To manage the post attrition plan – my team had to put extra hours to achieve our goal.
Although, as a project manager for the entire project, I did manage to wrap up on time, the incident did highlight the need for better contingency planning and better scientific ways to predict the impacts of uncertainties.

Texas MBA 2017 (McCOMBS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS-UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, AUSTIN)

The McCombs Experience

McCombs Admissions

Essay-2

1. The University of Texas at Austin values unique perspectives and cultivates a collaborative environment of distinct individual contributions. It is the first day of orientation. You are meeting your study group, comprised of five of your classmates from various backgrounds. Please introduce yourself to your new team, highlighting what drives you in your personal and professional life.

Select only one communication method that you would like to use for your response:

• Write an essay (250 words).
• Share a video introduction (one minute). Please include a link in the text field below. If the video link is password protected, please also enter the login information in the essay text field below. Please do not upload a video file. The upload button is for PDF copies of written essays only.

 

Hi everyone. I am XYZ. I come from the interesting Drilling Industry. I am a graduate in Petroleum Engineering and was working as Deputy Manager for a major Indian private drilling contractor. Observing the cascading effects of the changes in international oil prices on my organization and on drilling industry at large has drawn me towards Energy Finance & led me to observe the past trends of volatile energy prices more closely. To further explore this burning interest in financial aspects of Oil and gas industry I want to transition within Energy Sector and pursue a career in Energy Finance. Although I can talk at length about the drilling industry, let me not bore you with details but in case you are interested in details, then we should catch up later over a cup of coffee.

Apart from work, I am an active sportsperson, so in case any of you like to play Basketball or Lawn Tennis feel free to give me a shout and we would catch up over a quick game. I also love to explore new places so if anyone is interested we can plan the next trip to the city together.

I’m very excited to be here with such incredible people like you all. I look forward for a fun and engaging experience. Feel free to let me know in case you need any help and I would do my best to help you out.

Kelley MBA 2017 (KELLEY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS- INDIANA UNIVERSITY)

The Kelley Experience

Kelley Admissions

ESSAY 1

1. Discuss your immediate post-MBA professional goals. How will your professional experience, when combined with a Kelley MBA degree, allow you to achieve these goals? Should the short-term goals you have identified not materialize what alternate career paths might you consider? (500 words)

( Here I have used one of my previous essays as response to the above question. You can use your previous essays but make sure to modify the essays according to the need and include the vital information regarding the school you’re applying to so that the admissions officer can get to know that you’ve done your research on the school and you’re confident about it.)
Observing the cascading effects of the changes in international oil prices on my organization and on the drilling industry at large has drawn me towards Energy Finance & led me to observe the past trends of volatile energy prices more closely. To further explore this burning interest in financial aspects of Oil and Gas Industry I want to transition within Energy Sector and pursue a career in Energy Finance. But such a transition requires me to first acquire knowledge on Finance and then start as an equity analyst in a leading energy investment firm to gain further exposure. Alternatively, in case my short term goals don’t materialize, I would like to leverage my Oil & gas domain knowledge to return to the drilling industry and work my way up to chief operating officer of a leading drilling division at one of the Oil Majors. I could also look at transitioning to non-drilling divisions of leading energy companies.
The Kelley MBA, with its strong finance focus, is an ideal program for me since it would not only equip me with the knowledge required for a career change but it would also provide me with the desired career opportunities in the field of Finance. Electives such as Equity Markets and Modelling for Finance would help me learn some of the many new concepts I need to develop a holistic understanding about the Finance Sector. Participating in the brainstorming sessions in the diverse class would help me getting a new perspective on business problems. The unique cohort system at Kelley MBA would lay the foundation of building a robust network and going forward I would also get to tap the strong alumni network in both the equities research and private equity industries for getting career guidance or crucial connects.
Since Kelley is a Chartered Financial Analyst Program Partner, I would also get a head start on becoming a CFA Charter holder. Through such learning, I would learn how to analytically appraise the financial information and how to then articulate it into useful insights.
I would also love to join the Kelley’s Finance Club and Energy club and network with like minded classmates interested in Finance & Energy industry. The numerous events that group offers would allow me to listen to industry stalwarts as they come for speaker sessions or to go on workshops and interact with industry professionals. The entire immersive approach of the group would not only give me a peep into the industry but would also help me take an informed career decision as I take my first plunge into the Finance.
My experiences from the drilling industry would be insightful, especially for students trying to understand the business impact of the volatile energy prices on certain organizations and projects. My learning from my job and my background in Petroleum Engineering could also come in handy during classroom discussions on business case studies regarding Energy Firms.