Columbia MBA Essay-3:

In discussing Columbia Business School, Dean R. Glenn Hubbard remarked, "We have established the mind-set that entrepreneurship is about everything you do." Please discuss a time in your own life when you have identified and captured an opportunity. (Recommended 500 word limit):

To identify and capture an opportunity means making the right decision at the right time. Being an immigrant to Hong Kong from the Mainland China, I arrived in this international financial metropolis in search for a first-rate education in finance that would result in a rewarding career. My Bachelor’s degree in business administration at The University of Hong Kong did land me in the business sector as an auditor. However, the business world, with its sheer drive toward profit seeking,did not agree with my people-oriented temperament. Therefore, I quitted.

A seemingly unnoticeable small job advertisement by the community center near my home for a voluntary teacher signaled a new beginning for me. In my quest for a meaningful life, I assumed the voluntary position, helping newly-immigrated children from mainland China improve their academic performance and adapt to the new environment. Assisting those with similar backgrounds to mine allowed me to derive tremendous professional and moral satisfaction, which my parents duly shared. This proved a turning point in my understanding of the meaning of my personal endeavors. From an egocentric financial professional to a sociocentric voluntary teacher, I have experienced a catharsis whereby I have charted out a new direction for my personal pursuits—to work in the educational sector where the knowledge I impart could create infinite possibilities of personal success for a multitude of my prospective students. This motivated me to a Postgraduate Certificate of Education Program (June 20xx), which has qualified me as a teacher on the cutting edge of education over the past three years.

I view my transition to the educational sector as a vital opportunity because it initiated me to what I believe is my true calling worthy of my lifelong commitment. It allowed me to understand what I can do for the educational system of Hong Kong. It pains me to observe two fatal weaknesses inherent in the existing system—that the exam-oriented system of Hong Kong makes schools focus on developing students’ exam skills, and that the insufficient government budget on education forces schools to devote the limited resources primarily to academic activities, depriving students of crucial extracurricular experiences to acquire varied important skills. Inspired by the international nonprofit organization “Junior Achievement” that delivers different kinds of activity-based education programs, I believe that launching a nonprofit organization to offer free activity-based programs with the help of business sector can play a role in changing some of the deep-entrenched inadequacies of the existing education system.

Indeed, entrepreneurship is about everything we do with love and commitment. My entrepreneurship is to launch and manage a local education-oriented nonprofit organization. As the organization develops, I expect to create a nonprofit network that benefits students and teachers in both public and private schools. Through my nonprofit endeavors, the government, the educational sector and the business sector will be brought into a benign and sustainable process that enhances Hong Kong’s overall educational quality, competitiveness as an international financial capital, and the career successes of the future generations. By that time, I will feel truly proud for having captured a crucial opportunity that can ultimately lead to an innovative and socially responsible entrepreneurship.