Essay Number 1
So I'm gonna start writing drafts of my college applications essays. I have come to realize about myself that I will procrastinate my ass off if I give myself half a chance. I also know that if I just rush through something and get it all out of my brain and onto a page, it's much easier for me to edit it into something more palatable. So with that said, let's begin. I'm giving myself 1 hour for this draft.
Please describe your short- and long-term goals post-MBA. How has your professional experience shaped these goals and influenced your decision to pursue an MBA degree?
For 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, I stared at dirt. There was dirt with odd shaped rock formations (manmade? Random?), dirt with kids playing soccer, and my personal favorite, dirt covered by smoldering trash. My task was to lead a platoon of 25 men on route clearance patrols into northeast Baghdad, root around for the roadside bombs we called Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the toughest neighborhoods we could find, and then drive home. But that was not the real job. The real job was the axe sharpening that happened immediately following the previous patrol. The debriefing where anyone in the platoon who had seen a change could speak out, the accumulation of pictures and data, the equipment maintenence, the constant training and crosstraining so that we knew our jobs and our buddies inside out. I developed a tactics book for our newly equipped vehicles. We practiced battle drills before patrols. And when we found bombs - and when bombs found us - we executed those drills. I want to find that one shining example of leadership, that one moment that shows how bright my star could potentially shine. A project, a campaign, a vision, an idea. All I have is my Soldiers, with all limbs attached, and 12 years of studying leadership in one of the largest and most well regarded organizations in America: the US Army.
I am an Engineer Officer. While I do have some experience in design and logistics, most of my experience is in planning for or leadership of combat units. I have served in 9 countries including Iraq, Afghanistan and South Korea. My awards include the Bronze Star Medal and the Distinguished Meritorious Service Medal. In addition to my platoon in Baghdad, I commanded a company of 170 US and Korean Soldiers near the DMZ and led a prototyping and rapid equipping team in Afghanistan and Kuwait.
The place where leadership, organizations and culture collides is what I found most fascinating about my time in uniform. My interest in achieving an MBA is directly tied to being where they meet, so my long term goal is to leverage my MBA, leadership and international experience to manage operations for US corporations or government institutions abroad. I have a particular knowledge of East Asia, I lived there 4 years and have studied Chinese culture and language undergrad and later for a year and a half at the Defense Language Institute. There are as many opportunities for increased commercial and diplomatic interactions there as there are potential cultural pitfalls.
Similarly, I there can be many pitfalls in the transition from military to civilian life. I am incredibly curious about how people will view me when they know I was a Soldier, I am equally curious how I will carve out a new identity for myself and make myself a productive leader in an organization. I want to be in an environment that is considered a leadership laboratory of a different kind, I want to see the story from both sides. I have benefitted greatly from my exposure to people from all walks of life while a member of the military, and a graduate program will give me access to a similar diversity of opinions and views, but with a completely different perspective than what I saw in my Soldiers, peers and leaders. I also believe that an MBA credential would demonstrate that I have scholastic and business acumen to go with my leadership record.
My short term plan involves finding a home where I can transition and grow in the defense or logistics industries. I feel like I have the knowledge base to contribute more quickly and find my footing before I branch out to see what is available.
I have learned that I am comfortable overseas and have a history of dependable, dynamic leadership of organizations. If given the opportunity, I will bring these qualities to your school, share my experiences with my classmates and enjoy the intellectual exercise of seeing my experiences and former organization through a new lens. No one can look at dirt 12 hours a day forever. It's time to put my training to use on bigger and better things.
---------------------------------
End Draft 1.
Questions for myself:
1) Ok, what do you really want to do with that MBA, idiot?
2) Why are you getting out of the army if it was so rewarding?
3) What are some of your actual accomplishments?
4) What makes you a good leader?
5) Who are you and what makes you different?
I think when I do my next edit, if I get to at least some of that, we might have a real essay instead of this ball of fluff. Still, it was good for provoking thought. It was a better choice than watching TV (Hope Solo says crazy things about her Olympic opponent! Donald Trump...says crazy things about voting fraud that hasn't happened yet! Michael Phelps wins a silver medal, what a chump!)
Heading back to the other place tomorrow. C-17's are quickly becoming my least favorite form of transportation ever.
Please describe your short- and long-term goals post-MBA. How has your professional experience shaped these goals and influenced your decision to pursue an MBA degree?
For 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, I stared at dirt. There was dirt with odd shaped rock formations (manmade? Random?), dirt with kids playing soccer, and my personal favorite, dirt covered by smoldering trash. My task was to lead a platoon of 25 men on route clearance patrols into northeast Baghdad, root around for the roadside bombs we called Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the toughest neighborhoods we could find, and then drive home. But that was not the real job. The real job was the axe sharpening that happened immediately following the previous patrol. The debriefing where anyone in the platoon who had seen a change could speak out, the accumulation of pictures and data, the equipment maintenence, the constant training and crosstraining so that we knew our jobs and our buddies inside out. I developed a tactics book for our newly equipped vehicles. We practiced battle drills before patrols. And when we found bombs - and when bombs found us - we executed those drills. I want to find that one shining example of leadership, that one moment that shows how bright my star could potentially shine. A project, a campaign, a vision, an idea. All I have is my Soldiers, with all limbs attached, and 12 years of studying leadership in one of the largest and most well regarded organizations in America: the US Army.
I am an Engineer Officer. While I do have some experience in design and logistics, most of my experience is in planning for or leadership of combat units. I have served in 9 countries including Iraq, Afghanistan and South Korea. My awards include the Bronze Star Medal and the Distinguished Meritorious Service Medal. In addition to my platoon in Baghdad, I commanded a company of 170 US and Korean Soldiers near the DMZ and led a prototyping and rapid equipping team in Afghanistan and Kuwait.
The place where leadership, organizations and culture collides is what I found most fascinating about my time in uniform. My interest in achieving an MBA is directly tied to being where they meet, so my long term goal is to leverage my MBA, leadership and international experience to manage operations for US corporations or government institutions abroad. I have a particular knowledge of East Asia, I lived there 4 years and have studied Chinese culture and language undergrad and later for a year and a half at the Defense Language Institute. There are as many opportunities for increased commercial and diplomatic interactions there as there are potential cultural pitfalls.
Similarly, I there can be many pitfalls in the transition from military to civilian life. I am incredibly curious about how people will view me when they know I was a Soldier, I am equally curious how I will carve out a new identity for myself and make myself a productive leader in an organization. I want to be in an environment that is considered a leadership laboratory of a different kind, I want to see the story from both sides. I have benefitted greatly from my exposure to people from all walks of life while a member of the military, and a graduate program will give me access to a similar diversity of opinions and views, but with a completely different perspective than what I saw in my Soldiers, peers and leaders. I also believe that an MBA credential would demonstrate that I have scholastic and business acumen to go with my leadership record.
My short term plan involves finding a home where I can transition and grow in the defense or logistics industries. I feel like I have the knowledge base to contribute more quickly and find my footing before I branch out to see what is available.
I have learned that I am comfortable overseas and have a history of dependable, dynamic leadership of organizations. If given the opportunity, I will bring these qualities to your school, share my experiences with my classmates and enjoy the intellectual exercise of seeing my experiences and former organization through a new lens. No one can look at dirt 12 hours a day forever. It's time to put my training to use on bigger and better things.
---------------------------------
End Draft 1.
Questions for myself:
1) Ok, what do you really want to do with that MBA, idiot?
2) Why are you getting out of the army if it was so rewarding?
3) What are some of your actual accomplishments?
4) What makes you a good leader?
5) Who are you and what makes you different?
I think when I do my next edit, if I get to at least some of that, we might have a real essay instead of this ball of fluff. Still, it was good for provoking thought. It was a better choice than watching TV (Hope Solo says crazy things about her Olympic opponent! Donald Trump...says crazy things about voting fraud that hasn't happened yet! Michael Phelps wins a silver medal, what a chump!)
Heading back to the other place tomorrow. C-17's are quickly becoming my least favorite form of transportation ever.