帮助希望计划出国留学者实现他们的出国深造梦想
有的人胸怀鸿鹄之志却又深藏不露。弓先生绝对可以算一个。因为你实在无法把这样一位普通话说得并不普通、谦虚得有点谦卑、胳臂下夹个牛皮包、看起来已磨去了棱角的“国营干部”,与电子邮件中声称非美国前十名MBA不读的张扬豪气对应起来。
2001年夏,在我刚刚简单布置后的工作室,我第一次见到弓先生。我们一下午火药味十足的对话彻底改写了他的人生。
“易位思考,美国第一流商学院为什么要录取你?”
“我在大学时代当过班长、在某大型国营企业也混到了科长、GMAT 690 ……”
“你认为的这些卖点,在所有美国前十名MBA的中国申请人中起码不占优势。1999级McGill中国MBA平均GMAT成绩已到700;不管是真是假,所有的申请人都声称自己学生阶段的“官衔”不是班长就是主席;至于在国营大企业混个一官半职,算是个成就。但是不要说出国,你连香港都没去过,没有在国际化的氛围下接受过培训,相比外企背景的申请人,你明显缺少国际视野。”
“那照你这么说,我申请前十名肯定没戏了?”
“MBA申请中具有趣味性和挑战性的一点就是弹性十足。你被Wharton录取不足为怪,被全美200名以后的MBA项目拒掉也天经地义。下一个问题也许对你的申请结果至关重要,你必须深刻挖掘。和同年龄的同学、同事相比,你有什么独特之处?我指的是特点,可以是优点,也可以是缺点。”
“我出身贫寒,相貌平平,智商大概也不会超过105。要说和别人不太一样的就是:我很固执。比如说读MBA,我一定要读最好的。”
“那好,我希望你现在很‘固执’地继续挖掘自己的特点。要知道,街上随便一个成年路人都有自己独特的优缺点。找到特点,就等于找到卖点。”
“嗯,我从小到现在一直保持着好奇心和进取心。”
“很好,举几个例子给我听。”
……
越明年,春暖花开之际,弓先生迎来了他人生的转折点——美国前十名商学院中的两所发来了录取通知书。曾面试过弓先生的
纽约大学Stern商学院招办主任,甚至在email中直言不讳地提到:“你的essays为你赢得了Stern的通行证。”
如果一切正常,弓先生想必已在美国完成学业。凭借他Top 10 MBA的身价,即使在经济萧条的今日美国,也定能在投资银行或管理咨询公司谋得一席之地,继续他的好奇和进取之旅。祝福他功成名就的同时,但愿他衣锦还乡之际,依然记得尚欠施老师一顿海鲜大餐。
下面这篇短短600字的Essay朴素自然地凸现出弓先生28岁的人生精华。开朗自信幽默风趣的个性和气若神定的大气跃然纸上。
Essay: Describe yourself to your MBA classmates.
I would describe myself as an explorer who is keen on exploring the unknown.
I was born to a fisherman's family on a small island in Southeastern China, a fishing village altogether 10 square kilometers large. When I was still a child, I kept wondering what a train should look like. I also wanted to know how the grains I ate grew, whether a bull was really huge and ferocious as it was said to be (I was born in the year of bull in Chinese calendar). I grew a thirst for knowledge of the outside world, all of which father assured me that I would know when I grew up, with the condition that I be admitted by a university somewhere, virtually anywhere beyond the island. Well, to me, it was not ″easy if you try″, for at that time, only 1 or 2 students from my village entered university every year. It was rather a tough mission that I never ceased inserting my effort to.
At the age of 18, my hard work eventually paid off and I was sent by all my folks on a train for Beijing, where I would study in ABC University. I was astonished at what a big a city actually appeared to be and even how big the university campus was. As a matter of fact, the total number of students there exceeds that of all inhabitants on the island. Driven by the urge for experience and communication, I took an active part in community life and excitedly I was elected president of my class and later VP culture in the department student association.
Based on the limited financial capacity of my family, I did not continue my study the way some other students did---attending classes, studying in the labs and libraries and taking tests --- Instead I took a job in a Beijing-based medical research institute. As you might expect, I would not rest with one steady position in the pharmaceutical industry. I would rather explore all the other fields related to it. And that's just what I was doing all those five years. This is about my exploration in education and career.
As for my family life I also have a spirit of exploration. I was born in the extreme south area and naturally I would like to know about the north. This partly explains my decision in selecting a northern girl as my wife. According to the genetic theory I take for granted, I believe our offspring should be smarter than both my wife and I.
When it comes to my scope of knowledge, I do wish that it would be limited within the pharmaceutical area, though it is of utmost importance of course. However, I have tried another field, the field of law and I am very proud of myself for passing the rigorous qualification test for Certified Lawyer in China through self-teaching, as quite a number of law majors have failed the test.
In my leisure time, I travel a lot around China. And perhaps differing myself from other tourists, I am not simply attracted by beautiful scenery or delicious local cuisines. I would rather spend several days there, dipping myself into the customs and cultural essence of a place.
At this stage of my life, I would seek the chance of studying abroad. Besides a systematic theory of management, I also wish to have a real taste of the international cultural diversity. I think this is another example for my spirit of exploration and I wish it would be realized in the near future.
施冬健点评:
美国大学招生文化所定义的申请竞争力是软件和硬件的统一,MBA申请尤为如此。置Essay和推荐信于核心地位的原因就是为了解一个活生生的申请人,而非数字化的硬件组合。顶级商学院不仅希望招进一台“中华学习机”,而且更希望由于你的到来,有助于触发同学间、师生间的思维火花,有助于促进文化多样性,有助于增强校友网络。
近年来由于名校MBA竞争日趋激烈,以及申请人的英文写作能力不断提高,MBA Essay的质量提高很快。但矫枉已然过正,重文字形式不重思想内容、抄袭所谓范文的现象十分普遍。殊不知,吸引招生委员会教授们眼球的永远是文风朴实、富于思想的申请材料,而非华而不实、缺乏个性的泛泛之谈。申请人在整体设计自己的申请材料时,切记挖掘个性化内容,并注意适当平衡“优秀”和“平实”。