Essays about Work Experiences (back to contents)
Business schools prefer students with some work experience. Nothing speaks louder in business than past business success. A few good years on Wall Street or in a factory can sometimes supplant a lifetime of mediocre grades.

How quickly did you learn on the job? How did you develop your skills? Did you take initiative or did you watch the clock from nine to five? Did you gain insights into the big picture of your industry, or did you simply become a master of your little routine?

Work experience can mean a lot of things besides pushing paper at the office, and we found admissions officers yearning for a wider range of topics and perspectives. A question about your past jobs is more likely to be on the application than any other, and this section includes a variety of experiences. Reporters, politicians, retail consultants, college admissions officers, and PTA presidents can display skills that are vital to other professions. And unconventional jobs and experiences are often more vivid and interesting to read about than the standard two-year stint at a bank.

Don’t believe the common myth that the Ivy Leaguers who get into the plum training courses on Wall Street have an edge. You don’t have to toil for Morgan Stanley to know about serious work. Harvard Business School even stated once that investment banking was at the bottom of their “desired experience” list.

All of the essays in this group tell a good story. Each has an introduction, conflict, and a resolution, and each reveals something about the writer’s personality and attitude. Business schools don’t want your resume or “A Day in the Life of a 25-Year-Old Consultant.” They already know that stuff. Instead, they want to know what you brought to a job that made you different, interesting, and more effective. Yes, you may have had the endurance to make all A’s at Prestigious U., but are you creative and open-minded, too?

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