| Jennifer |
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| Below is one of Jennifer's essays for her HEC Paris application. We present the essay in its original form, with just cosmetic changes made to protect the author's identity. We then provide comments and suggestions, based on the advice available in Your MBA Game Plan. |
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| The question that she answers in this essay is: |
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| If you please you could imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (15 lines) |
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| To be able to live the kind of life that is entirely different from the one that I live now means that it has to be analogous to a motion picture, in which years, or even centuries are compressed into seconds, and where the viewer lives each moment through the centuries in two hours. I want to live the life of a Gypsy (or more correctly, a Roma). I want to be there when the first great migration began, in the 11th century, from the Hindukush to Europe and be a part of the entire journey lasting over 5 centuries. I would never really belong anywhere but still have a little bit of everywhere. My land would have no borders, my God could be anyone’s God, and my music would be universal. However, all through this journey I would be persecuted, ostracized, oppressed and tortured for being me - a Roma. I not only want to experience cultural assimilation and be mesmerized by it but also want to understand why such unique peoples, who absorbed into themselves every culture that they interacted with, were endlessly misunderstood and their way of life misinterpreted. |
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| Comments |
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This is a personal philosophy type question, which makes it difficult to evaluate critically. Nevertheless, Jennifer does a good job of depicting her life as a Roma (which presumably is quite different as compared with her current lifestyle). |
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Jennifer also does a good job of going beyond describing her life as a Roma to explain why she would want to lead such a life. This is key because it allows Jennifer to express a dimension of her personality that fits within the context of her game plan. Jennifer shows herself to be culturally aware and sensitive, which characteristics that are important to the HEC Paris admissions committee. |
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Applicants should take advantage of personal philosophy questions by bringing out dimensions of their application positioning that otherwise might not come out. Not having read the rest of Jennifer's application, it appears that she has accomplished this. |
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