Schulich MBA Sample Essays from Past Clients: 1
Rotman MBA Essay 1: What are your short-term and long-term career goals (e.g., roles, employers, industry) and how will your selected program of interest help you achieve these goals? No limit given
I have more than 5 years of experience with State Bank of India as a credit underwriter. Post-MBA, I would like to continue building my career within the finance domain but preferably shift from retail banking to a financial auditing or consulting jobs with the likes of Big 4 which can set me up towards a long term goal of being a CFO.
In these 5 years, I have successfully led a team that implemented the largest merger of retail segment loans of SBI with 5 of its associates. Apart from credit underwriting, I have hands-on experience in portfolio management; audit and resource pool development; and cross-border negotiations with international clients in the USA, Canada, Dubai and Sri Lanka. These projects have helped me understand fundamentals of credit and finance, build teams and lead them to deliver ground-breaking projects. My efforts have been recognized by the Deputy Managing director of SBI and I was designated as Youth Icon for my contribution.
However, after graduating as an engineer and working with SBI for 5 years at various leadership positions I have realized that there are critical knowledge gaps in my basic understanding of business and finance fundamentals. In order to grow my career in the finance domain, I think now would be the perfect time for me to pursue a business education which can equip me to bridge these gaps.
Schulich’s induction program would help in gaining perspective and developing an action plan. Its extensive core curriculum combined with learning programs like the capstone module called “Strategy field study”, faculty model that provides global perspective and practical knowledge, guest lectures by prominent figures and customizable electives in the field of my skill-gap areas coupled with CFA, would help me in building a strong foundation and further hone my skills.
Complementing rigorous coursework,York finance club, events such as undergraduate finance conference that includes stock pitch and case competitions, finance speaker series, behavioral and technical workshops would help in developing industry specific knowledge and would give me an opportunity to interact with finance leaders and provide a holistic experience in finance for which I am deeply passionate .
I would leverage schulich’s international exchange program to gain perspective of global economies and form new connections and would leverage Schulich’s tight-knit alumni network, Alpha mentorship program and Center for Career design to strengthen my candidature to make a shift from retail banking to a financial analysis role and work for big financial services firms and ultimately become chief financial officer at a financial services firm.
Therefore, I firmly believe that Schulich’s unique approach to leadership, diversity in class and focus on career transformation would be a perfect stepping stone towards my goal.
Schulich MBA Sample Essays from Past Clients - 2
Schulich MBA Essay 1: What are your short-term and long-term goals (eg, roles, employers, industry) and how will your selected program of interest help you achieve these goals? (350 words)
I have six years of experience as a Chartered Accountant, during which I spearheaded statutory audits, internal audits, forensic audits, and financial due diligence.
Shortly after my studies, I co-founded my own Audit and Tax consultancy firm with 2 other friends of mine. In 5 years, we grew to more than 80 employees, handling 300 clients and generating annual revenues of more than $2 million. As the senior partner, I usually led responsibilities to expand the firm and more recently, I successfully led a mergers and acquisitions transaction with a larger firm, which has given me a great exit opportunity from my firm.
Now, after successfully exiting my entrepreneurial venture, I want to transition into a corporate career preferably in a finance consulting role at one of the Big 4 firms (EY, PwC, etc.). In the long term, I aim to leverage this experience and grow into a partner position.
While my professional acumen, auditing skills, and client management have driven my success, I’ve identified areas for improvement. To transition effectively, I need to expand my academic horizons outside of finance and auditing, upskill my leadership abilities for a corporate environment, and enhance my expertise in negotiation, conflict resolution, and financial strategy.
Given my qualifications and experience, I believe a one-year MBA is the ideal choice to achieve my career goals. Schulich’s focus on Leadership Essentials will refine my leadership capabilities, while experiential learning and faculty guidance will help me tackle complex business challenges.
Electives like Financial Statement Analysis, Negotiations, and Global Strategy will give me the edge to complement my current knowledge. At the same time, Schulich’s strong emphasis on international business and its extensive global partnerships are particularly appealing to me, as I am eager to integrate a global perspective into my career.
The Program has also proven successful in terms of employment in the consulting and finance sector. Its robust network of alumni and industry connections, which will provide mentorship and career opportunities, will position me for success in my new role.
Schulich MBA Essay 2 : Optional: Is there any other information or area of concern in your academic or personal history that you believe would be helpful to the admissions committee when considering your application? (please limit your answer to 350 words)
I want to utilize this space to explain why I pursued a late graduation and why my CGPA is lower than expected.
After completing my 12th standard (high school) in India, I chose to pursue Chartered Accountancy (CA), which is equivalent to the CPA. The Indian Ministry of Education has recognized CA as a postgraduate qualification and doesn’t require qualified CAs to pursue a proper bachelor’s degree. Therefore, I focused 100% on becoming a Chartered Accountant(CA) and starting my business immediately afterward.
Back then, pursuing a graduation degree was not a requirement for CA. I was unaware of the negative impact this could have on my academic prospects if I chose to pursue education outside India, as most universities require a bachelor’s degree. Therefore, I enrolled and completed my graduation last year, to ensure I was eligible for further studies outside of India.
However, managing my own business and studies proved to be more difficult than I initially expected. Hence, my bachelor’s CGPA is lower than my academic potential. I achieved a 95% score in my 12th standard (High school) and have a GMAT score of 740, which I believe is a testament to my academic abilities and dedication.
Therefore, I would like to request that the admissions committee consider my GMAT score of 740 and the CA qualification obtained on my first attempt as a more accurate representation of my academic potential.
Schulich MBA Sample Essays from Past Clients: 3
Schulich Essay 1: How will the Schulich MBA degree help you achieve your short and long-term career goals? (please limit your answer to 350 words)
My long-run objective is to acquire a leadership/decision-making position at a technology strategy consulting major, such as Deloitte or Boston, driving IT Strategy and Transformations solutions across various technical capabilities such as digital, cloud and analytics for C-Suite Executives. I intend to achieve that position after acquiring the necessary experience and skill-set required to manage a global consulting firm by starting my career as Technology Strategy Consultant post MBA and working my way up.
At Deloitte, the experience that I have gained through multiple levels of involvement in interdisciplinary technological projects while serving clients encompassing diverse industries(Transportation, Health Insurance Providers and US Human Services) has offered me strong understanding of the challenges introduced by technology. This knowledge complemented with my strong analytical skills will contribute towards my long term career fulfillment.
However, to expedite my envisaged career-progression from implementation side to management side of technology, I need to acquire following capabilities that can be best provided by a full-time Schulich MBA:-
- to acquire the theoretical knowledge and practical exposure to general business management concepts so that I could effectively break down the complex business problem into manageable components and gave it a proper structure.
- to learn the “sell-side” on consulting so that I could effectively pitch the ideas with well supported facts to senior management at my firm and then to the client.
- to learn cost-risk assessment frameworks to effectively analyze the viable technical business solutions to make better informed decisions.
Numerous interactions with Schulich Alumni Sumit Kapila (MBA’ 16) and Samir Madhani (MAB’ 15), who are currently working in the Technology Strategy vertical at Deloitte, highlighted how the ‘Summer internship’ and ‘601 Strategy field Study’ will provide ample opportunity to implement class-room lessons into practice and will prepare me holistically for real world consulting engagements. I am also aspired to enhance my abilities to manage and integrate diverse cross-functional verticals by working on real-world consulting engagements through York Consulting Group (YCG).
Moreover, specific courses such as ‘Managing new technology’, ’Systems analysis & design’ and ’Innovation through Technology and Design’ will give me clearer vision of how to use technology constructively to provide pioneering solutions. Further, my wholesome immersion at the BTMA (Business technology Management Association) and CAC (Case Analysis Club) will facilitate interaction with industry-leaders, imbibing unparalleled perspectives and global outlook.
Conclusively, I am confident that with my collaborative ability, innovative spirit, and leadership skills, I will add significant value to Schulich community.
Schulich MBA Sample Essays from Past Clients: 4
Schulich Essay 1: How will the Schulich MBA degree help you achieve your short and long-term career goals? (please limit your answer to 350 words)
Post-MBA, I aspire to be a full-fledged strategy consultant in the technology sector.
For the past 3 years, I have been working at Deloitte as a technical analyst to implement technology solutions. Deloitte has given me opportunities to hone my analytical and problem-solving skills while working on challenging projects in Health Insurance and Pharmaceutical verticals.
I have worked with seasoned strategy consultants and international clients. Now, I would like to join the ranks of strategy consultants and be on the decision-making side of the consulting. In the long run, I intend to move up the consulting ladder to a partner/director role in the consulting domain.
But to achieve my envisaged career progression, I need to enhance my understanding of business/management fundamentals. Hence to fulfil the knowledge gap, I would like to pursue MBA and I think, Schulich MBA would be a perfect fit for me due to 3 prime reasons:
- York Consulting Group – York consulting group can provide me the opportunity and hands-on experience of working under the guidance of experienced consultant to help the local community along with my academics.
- Internationalize my degree – I want to have hands on experience of learning in a different cultural environment. That’s why I want to come across the world to Canada and on top of that Schulich MBA can provide further opportunities to internationalize my degree via its 84 partners through study tours to Chile, Peru and many other great opportunities.
- Flexibility – After discussion with Shreya Bhashyakarla ‘MBA 2016, I was amazed at the flexibility Schulich can provide me to tailor my MBA via 20 different specializations. I am really excited to attend courses such as Strategy Management of Technology which would help me towards my short-term goal. Further, I have heard great things about Negotiation course by Professor Kevin Tasa and I am sure the flexibility would allow me to have all these great learnings.
After thorough research and consultations with current students, I firmly believe an MBA degree from Schulich coupled with experiences I have gathered at Deloitte, can help me achieve my career goals
Quick Essay Review
Using Chat GPT to Write your Essay?
Worried if your Essay is Good enough or Not?
Need a last-minute review?
Submit your essays below & get in-depth feedback within 48 Hours.
Tired of Expensive Admission Consultants?
Try our AI-powered admissions toolkit
Admit Portal
DIY Self-service platform.
Free to try, easy to use.
