Grad's guide to graduate admissions essays - Colleen Reding 2015
Stanford graduate school of business
Business
What do you want to do—REALLY—and why Stanford?
I have been very lucky to learn a tremendous amount and develop a strong set of skills while working within investment banking and investing roles over the past few years. However, the experience that I have gained has lacked one significant component: doing work that has a positive impact on people outside of my organization. I do not mean to imply that I feel like the career path I pursued negatively impacts society or that the investment bank and private equity firm I worked for do not do good things for their communities—I have been lucky to be part of several community service initiatives at both firms that have been extraordinarily successful.
Rather, I mean that the day-to-day work I am doing only has a tangential impact on a broader scale. The limited partners that have selected my fund as steward for their capital include pension funds, universities, and philanthropic organizations and individuals. If we are successful investors, these organizations benefit as we increase the funds they have available to make a positive impact. While this is very important, it is difficult to feel a personal connection and achieve fulfillment from these tangential rewards.
One day, I hope to find myself in an opportunity where I am not only challenged personally and intellectually (as I am in my current role), but also find a sense of fulfillment through making a tangible impact. Having moved to San Francisco over a year ago, I have gained great appreciation for the amazing things some of my peers have been able to do in technology and other industries. The products and ideas they work with have the ability to impact thousands (and sometimes millions) of people. I want to be part of a similar environment—one that is built on creativity and idea generation to power an organization and its products. Based on what I have read and learned, Stanford provides a fantastic platform for launching a career in such an environment.
Stanford’s Graduate School of Business is the only graduate program that I am applying to. I am not foolish enough to think that gaining admittance to such a prestigious institution is a high-probability event, but I consider GSB to be the only program for which the rewards of attending clearly outweigh the opportunity costs. Beyond its incredible academic reputation, I find Stanford’s great location and beautiful campus very appealing. I recently attended the Stanford vs. Arizona State football game and had an awesome experience cheering Stanford to victory. Although it was difficult leaving my friends on the east coast, I now love living in Northern California and I am in no rush to move back east!
GSB’s location, world-class academic reputation, and the faculty’s wealth of experience make selecting a top choice surprisingly simple. Stanford’s programs in management and entrepreneurship will help me gain the skills I need to help grow an organization, and hopefully one day build one from scratch. Most importantly, it will allow me to enter a fulfilling career where I am making an impact.
