Бизнес школам нужны яркие и интересные люди, лидеры, поэтому будьте готовы привести конкретный пример, демонстрирующий вашу инициативность.
QUESTION: Talk about a specific instance in which you demonstrated initiative.
The idea of writing a novel first occurred to me during my first White House internship in the summer of 1996. At the time, Presidential scandals seemed to dominate news headlines every day. I thought that the claims would subside after the election later that year, but they didn't. I decided to write a political satire that depicted the downfall of a popular president based on allegations that appear substantive until the very end – an illustration of how the media play an active role in affairs they're only supposed to cover and how people zealously buy into the game, although claim to be above it all. My novel was to be called: [deleted].
Throughout my third year in college, I feverishly filled up legal pads and notebooks whenever I had a moment to myself. At the same time, I pursued a full course load in Accounting at the University of [deleted]'s business school, led the membership process for a residential college known as [deleted] College, and joined a service-oriented Accounting society, and a debating society. My leisure time diminished, but the determination to be a successful novelist as well as college student fueled my resolve.
In the summer of 1998, I had completed the first draft of my novel and began mailing excerpts to literary agents listed in the back of a "How to" book for becoming published. Two months later, an agent agreed to represent me. She dispatched the novel to numerous publishers – all of whom rejected it. The novel apparently needed more suspense, less dialogue and less commentary. I found myself at a crossroads as my initiative to become published conflicted with my initiative to write an introspective, non-commercial piece.
Perhaps ambition got the better of me. I spent the next few months developing a murder mystery that had been tangential to the first draft. I considered the third version of my novel predictable and outlandish; by the fourth version, it was barely recognizable. I had become so reluctant to edit out the political commentary – the motivating factor for the novel's very inception – that my added plotlines only made the book entirely too long and drawn out. The more commercially viable the subplot became, the less the novel fit together as a whole. Not surprisingly, the rejection letters continued with each submitted draft. After three years, many pages of research, numerous hours soliciting the ideas of others, many rewrites and stacks of rejection letters, I finally accepted that my novel was not going to be published.
Although the result was not what I had hoped for, I nonetheless learned a great deal. This experience embodied my first brushes with rejection, and still I viewed each rejection as a continuous chance to improve rather than an irreversible defeat. I also learned the importance of not compromising fundamental ideals for blind ambition. Lastly, I learned a lot about my own sense of initiative. I work diligently to achieve my goals, regardless of whether the steps are neatly laid out before me. Although I haven't written any fiction since this experience, my initiative to succeed in whatever project I've undertaken has not changed. I am convinced this resolve will remain a part of me as I embark on my MBA education and beyond.
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