The Cornell Johnson admissions committee definitely wants to know why you are willing to shell out tons of money and a significant part of your life for their EMBA program. What are the specific components of their EMBA program that will help you to accomplish your career goals and what specifically are those goals? Talk in detail about your short term goal – the industry you are interested in, the position you wish to attain, and what you dream to do in that role. Why does this goal inspire you? How is this role going to sharpen your leadership competencies and assist you to achieve your long term goal?
Next, narrate your long term goal. Explain what you wish to achieve in that position. Most of the applicants say that they wish to become a CEO or launch their entrepreneurial venture. That’s good but not enough. In order to differentiate yourself from other applicants, please explain what benefits your organization will get when you will succeed in occupying such prestigious positions. How are you going to positively impact your industry? What transformation do you wish to bring in to your sector?
It is imperative that you describe how the Cornell EMBA will act as a bridge between your current career trajectory and your future professional aspirations. Touch upon all the crucial elements of their EMBA program and describe in detail how those courses, clubs or international consulting projects and so on will help you to paint your dreams on the canvas of reality. Please don’t just talk superficially about their “ranking” and “Ivy league status”. You need to know the Cornell EMBA curriculum inside out, and what the best takeaways are from it for you.
Before you write this essay, you need to contemplate on your leadership journey. Leaders learn so much from each and every experience of their life. They realize what they have done correct and such realization helps them to comprehend their core skills. They also realize their mistakes, think deeply on how to fix those errors and thereafter take corrective actions. All such experiences broaden their horizon and prepare them for higher leadership roles. No one is a born leader. They evolve with time and mature as an oak tree. Now, the question is what is your story? How you started your leadership journey? Narrate your maiden leadership story and key leanings from that episode.
Finally, you need to tell them how you react today under such circumstances. Narrate a recent story that has close resemblance to your maiden leadership experience and show them how you overcome obstacles with far higher maturity. That’s it. All the best!
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