When I was twelve, my older brother asked me what I thought he should write his college essay about. We reflected on important moments in his life and some of his favorite memories. We talked about why he idolized some tennis players and disliked others, and about how unique our culture was at home as immigrant kids (spoiler alert: it was weird). Before you knew it, I was helping his friends bounce around ideas and figure out what they wanted to write about, too.
Fast forward to my undergraduate at Georgetown, where I joined our Admissions Committee as an undergraduate application reader. Alongside adcom members and faculty, I saw firsthand the power of an application that was well put together and the difference that an essay made in framing the entire conversation about a candidate. My time as a student adcom member taught me that while there may not be a “right answer” to an essay prompt, there is certainly a “right way”: with heart, purpose, honesty, and eloquence, .
Several years later, I was admitted to the Stanford GSB for my MBA by following those same principles. I didn’t have an 800 GMAT, I hadn’t started a company, and I certainly wasn’t a Navy SEAL (like legitimately three of my classmates). However, I knew the importance of deep reflection, of speaking to both minds and hearts, and of having clarity of purpose for attending the GSB. Since 2015, I have helped dozens of candidates discover and articulate their “why” for business school and beyond, a manifestation of my own purpose: unlocking the potential of those who advance the world. That’s why I coach.
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