MBA Essay-3:

What are your expectations of the MBA program? What do you hope to gain from your study at XXX Business School? What contributions do you think you will make? Space is limited to 4000 characters （700 words）.


As we plant the seed and patiently weed and nourish it, we begin to feel the excitement of real growth and eventually taste the incomparably delicious fruits of a congruent, effective life
.                                                                                                                                                                                                            --Stephen R. Covey

Being a person of well-preparedness, I take each step of personal and professional development cautiously, but each step I take must yield the expected result.

What I expect from the MBA program really hinges on my interpretation of my past, present, and future. I interpret my past career (20xx to 20xx) as Full Development, my present (career in 20xx and the proposed MBA program) as Free Development, and my future (post-MBA short- and long-term careers) as Complete Development. Therefore, my expectations from the MBA program are simple — to achieve Free Development and Complete Development.

By “Full Development”, I mean a conscious exposure to industrial experiences in which I allow myself to freely explore my professional interests and potentials, develop crucial professional qualities, and map out a future course of action. My two-year employment as an engineer (working both in and outside China) with Huawei Technologies Co., a Chinese company that has become a leading global networks and telecom vendor, allowed me to gain insights into the IT market at home and abroad. By sharing responsibilities in project management, I learned how to accomplish project objectives through productive teamwork and cross-cultural communication. To bring out my full management potential, I undertook a Master of Science program in telecommunications management at Stevens Institute of Technology in Beijing. With growing interest in technological and the managerial aspects of the next-generation wireless communications systems, I joined x x x and became a project manager at its Asia-Pacific Department based in Singapore. I quitted the job within a year because an insider’s knowledge of this largest listed telecom vendor in China convinces me that a technical giant of poor strategy is unlikely to be a true winner in the marketplace.

In joining SDR Consulting toward the end of 20xx, I shifted my professional focus to business strategy consultancy, motivated by the realization that, for an IT company, its core technology must be integrated with a core strategy in order to remain invincible in the highly competitive modern market. Having led teams that offered consultation to leading Chinese telecom operators on enterprise process reengineering, strategic development and legal risk management, I have achieved an impressive and exciting career growth. Through 7 years of career experiences of free exploration of diverse possibilities, I conclude that corporate strategy is the core of business administration and a challenging consultancy career is to be my lifelong commitment.

I see my SDR consulting profession as the beginning of my “Free Development” in that I have exercised my autonomy in identifying a lasting professional commitment which is meaningful because it is what I am truly interested in and passionate about. It is a commitment because henceforward I will avail myself of all the available resources to become a leading consultant in China on corporate strategy, a field where, as the summit of the consulting profession, only a very limited number of professional consultants are working in China due to its challenging nature.

What I expect from the top-tier MBA program at your business school is simply the knowledge support for my “Full Development”. A prestigious program enjoying a high accepting percentage of the graduates by the consulting industry, it offers Strategic Management Concentration which can teach me how to formulate strategic planning that help firms compete in the context of rapid technological changes, global competition, and new organizational forms. Knowledge from courses such as Venture Creation, Global Strategic Management, Corporate Entrepreneurship for Global Competitiveness, Strategic Marketing, and Strategic Issues in the Management of Technology will turn me into a valued leader in my chosen field. In addition, your Technology Leadership Program is also highly relevant. I have two more specific expectations—to acquire consulting knowledge and expertise across different technologies and industries, and to do consulting internships through your program’s connections with 100 firms so as to experience strategic management consulting as practiced in the American industries.

I further expect that what I gain from your program can boost my post-MBA short- and long-term objectives. My short-term goal is to assume a mid-level management position in a multi-national company. There, the newly acquired perspectives and skills will drive me to explore unlimited possibilities along the ladder. Ultimately I will launch my own consulting business and develop it into a major consulting brand in the industry. This is what I define as my “Complete Development”, the consummation and fruition of all my personal and professional endeavors.

My 7-year professional experience will be a major asset that I can contribute to your program. Through discussions and seminars, I will share with the class the current situation of the consulting and the high-tech industries in China, my first-hand experience of international project management, my real-life understanding of cross-cultural communication in Middle East, North Africa and Asian-Pacific regions, the strategic challenges that Chinese firms face in international competition, as well as the legal risks associated with running businesses in China, etc. My interaction with an outstanding cohort of students will further stimulate my brainstorming in your case studies. I believe I will bring forward a “China Case” which will spur great interest among my fellow students, many of whom will seriously consider operating business in China in the near future as a result of my contributions.