UNC Kenan Flagler Application Essays 2019-20

Required Essay 1: Please respond to the questions below that will assist us in learning more about you (Required, 500 words):

Tell us what your immediate career goals are and how you will benefit personally and professionally from earning an MBA at Kenan-Flagler Business School.

As the business world continues to evolve, circumstances can change and guide you in a different direction. Should your goals that you provided above not transpire, what other opportunities would you explore?

Required Essay 2: Please select one topic below and respond to the prompt. (250 words)

Topic 1: What is one thing that we do not know about you that you want us to know?
Topic 2: Provide us an example of a time you were able to be creative with your work. What was exciting or difficult about it? Did you achieve the results you were looking for?
Topic 3: Tell us about a time when you felt or witnessed someone being marginalized. How did you feel? What did you take away from the experience and how has it encouraged you to be an inclusive leader?

Optional Essay: Is there any additional information not presented elsewhere in your application that you would like the admissions committee to consider? (Optional, 150 words) Optional areas to address include:
If you have not had coursework in the core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), how will you prepare yourself? Inconsistent academics, gaps in work, or low standardized test scores Choice of recommenders

Optional Re-Applicant Essay: We appreciate your continued interest in UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. The admissions committee requires a complete application in addition to a brief essay about how your application differentiates from when you applied last time. Please include new information pertaining to your application such as new test scores, recent promotion or other areas that demonstrate how you have strengthened your candidacy. (100 words)

UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA Winning Sample Essay – 1

What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants?  How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to Kenan-Flagler? (300 words maximum)

Painting landscapes is my favorite way to get close to a place. I like to incorporate into the painting my own understanding and imagination about the experiences of the people living there, as I see landscapes as a window into a country’s soul. Painting enables me to stay creative, which is what distinguishes me from other candidates.

Being creative is important in my professional life- it enables me to think outside the box to come up with innovative solutions to business problems. Moreover, painting also serves as a stress reliever and helps me find peace for self-reflection. While UNC has a solid reputation for sports games, I hope to add an artistic influence to Kenan-Flagler, such as an appreciation session on works of masters like Da Vinci and Manet to help students better cope with the intensity of b-school life.

My commitment to helping the less fortunate also makes me stand out. Last year, I co-founded a “livelihood-support charity program” to help victims of the 2013 Pakistani earthquake support themselves. Our first project was to help one of the victim groups who had the skills to make handbags design logos for the bag. I was able to utilize my resources at the India Artist Association to persuade one graphic designer and two illustrators to work with me on the logos. I then negotiated with a handbag wholesaler with whom my employer had done business to secure market channels for the bags, which helped double the group’s revenue. The joy I felt when I saw the group able to regain their livelihoods reinforced my determination to continue delivering more on social work. I aspire to bring this energy to Kenan-Flagler by taking a leading role in student community service club and helping students to better fit in the great Kenan-Flagler community.

UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA Winning Sample Essay – 2

What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to Kenan-Flagler? (300 words maximum)

Working in Barclays Securities, the largest investment bank in India enabled me to develop a deep understanding of various financial services, such as fixed-income, asset management, and brokerage, through initiating cooperation among different departments in designing innovative financial products. I have taken a leading role in designing the first “equity swap” of our company and negotiated with both hedge fund clients and our R&D Department to design a unique strategy in which our company paid return of a strategic index developed by the R&D Department and the client paid a fixed interest rate plus a strategy consulting fee. I also combined the “equity swap” with our margin trading business of brokerage department so that our clients were able to lever up returns. I have also built a close relationship with other major financial institutions like Bank of America and BNP Paribas through conferences and business interactions. I want to share my well-rounded knowledge of finance with students who plan to switch to finance industry and help them choose courses and navigate their career paths. I also aspire to utilize my domestic network to help organize business trips to India for the Global Immersion Electives Program.

Personally, I am a painter and I like painting landscapes. It is my favorite way to get close to a country. When I paint, I like to incorporate into the portrait my own understanding and imagination about the past and future of the place I’m painting, as I see the painting as a window into the world. Such painting habit has equipped me with an inquiry mind and the ability to uncover the good side of everyday life. While UNC has a solid reputation for sports games, I hope to add some artistic moments to Kenan-Flagler such as an appreciation session to discuss the self-portraits of several painting masters such as Manet and Kadinsky.

I am also an amateur actor and filmmaker. My love of drama and acting was solidified in college when I helped my best friend Amy overcome a difficult time in her life by writing a short film for her to star in. Since then, I have appreciated the healing power of film and I hope to bring it to Kenan-Flagler. I plan to establish a cinema club at Kenan-Flagler and write scripts based on real life experiences shared by future classmates. I hope the club will help us better cope with the intensity of b-school life and enhance our relationship as a family.