Diversity and your B-School Application
It was another 10 A.M. Tuesday morning class at the famed Vidya Hora
Lecture theatre at the ISB, Hyderabad Campus. We were halfway into the “Responsible
Leadership” lecture delivered by professor Harris Sondak with stellar credentials
from University of Utah. The topic of study was “Ethical Dilemma at Work”. Well
I am more of strategy and technology person and had very little clue what was going
around me, especially given that I slept around 5 A.M. in the morning burdened
by the deluge of cases, assignments, and resume pressure. Typical day at ISB! Prof
Harris had asked us to write about a time when we had to face the problem of
ethical dilemma at work. Just then Anurag had something to say about it. Anurag
has worked as the captain of the ship for 17 years and a very interesting story
to share. As the captain of the ship once he had to take the hard decision of
whether to let his chief sailor go so that he attend his dying mother and
cancel a voyage. Cancelling the voyage was going to be detrimental to the
company’s fortune. Anurag might have ended with disciplinary action or worse. The
sailor in question was a critical asset and the only specialist who could
handle the ship. It was poignant story and as he narrated his state of mind in
words, tears ran down his cheeks. How could he possibly deprive a son the
chance to attend his mother in her last moments? If captain let him go, the
entire journey would have been at risk. He took one of the most difficult
decisions in his life. He let him go and with the help of a junior person took
charge of the ship. One wrong decision and the lives and the fortunes of the
company was gone. But he trusted himself and above everything else he knew what
a mother means to someone. The class listened to him in pin drop silence. In
the end there was a resounding applause for his brave decision and standing
ovation.
As I look back to this class, I remember nothing from what the
professor taught us. I asked few of my class mates and they too didn’t remember
what exactly was shared in class without looking at the notes. I am sure 10
years down the line none of the class notes will mater anyway. But I bet you,
none of us will ever forget the look on the face of captain as tears escaped
his eyes despite all his valiant efforts. None of us will forget the lesson
that professor was trying to teach us – what it means to take decisions under
pressure. I can’t think of a better way we could have learnt this and perhaps
this is the reason why ISB and for that matter all top B-Schools around the
world value such experiences.
I am equally certain all of
us on either side of the B-School admission process have had some experiences
that have come to define who you really are. As B-School aspirants you must
demonstrate these experiences. Come to think of it. What was more important?
Captain’s story or the lesson that we all learnt. I say each of the element is
equally important. A good story hooks the reader in and the lessons learnt
define the things you value most in life. If you ask me, that’s what am
admission committee member tries to see. Can you enrich the class not just by
your expertise but also by your experiences in life? What values do you hold
closest to your heart? Who or what are the things that have inspired you to achieve
frontiers that make you different? Each one of us is different in some ways or
another. It is exactly this difference that contributes to diversity in a B-School.
Don’t think that just because you don’t belong to an exclusive group of people
you offer no diversity. Your experiences make you diverse. And you must be a
good story teller to bring out those experiences.
What are these experiences? Does
it need to be a big bang process that you initiated. Not necessarily. It can be
anything - A speech delivered at a regular toastmaster event that helped you
overcome stage fear, a brave decision that you took at work that helped you
gain the trust of your colleagues, how you organized your soccer team to face a
daunting opposition – anything! Write it like you mean it. Any good essay is
first written from heart and then cross checked for grammar. If it is botched
up, trust me admission committee members can see through it. Write your own
story.
There are three elements of a good
essay.
1.
It is your story –
I know what Lincoln did. I want to know what you did.
2.
It is easy to
follow – remember each experience is unique. Use the words that display true
emotions. Don’t be bombastic. Use the words that correctly display your
emotions. I don’t want to look up a dictionary to understand what you want to
say.
3.
It has lessons
that you truly value - What values do you bring to the class?
Follow the STAR framework: Situation – Task – Action –
Results. It is easier to follow and makes an impression. Above all don’t forget
to tie the lesson learnt to the question that the topic of the essay is trying
to ask. Never answer the wrong question. Best of luck!
