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meanjonathan
- Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2011 6:57 pm
- Thanked: 6 times
I find myself at a crossroads. Here's my story (and questions) in a nutshell:
I remember when I graduated High School, my "life plan" consisted of kicking a** in college, getting into HBS, and becoming a Wall Street star. This was back in 2000 when the .coms were still hot. I had already done a research project on portfolio management and another on IPO selection, and I had just completed a yearlong internship at Morgan Stanley. I thought I had it all figured out.
Then college: Early on, a death in the family derailed my focus, which became much more about soul searching and much less about academic excellence. Prior to my mom's death, I had been accepted into two selective entrepreneurship programs at the University of Maryland's Smith School as well as the University's flagship acapella group. Ultimately, I dropped the extra-curricular stuff and opted for travel and exploration. I studied in Spain for a semester and spent three weeks backpacking across Europe, an eye opening experience.
Upon my return, I had a short-lived resurgence of scholastic zeal and I spent my toughest semester junior year earning straight As. I probably would have finished college with a strong and conspicuous upwards trajectory, but instead, I was dealt an opportunity. A twist of fate led me to conceive a business idea, which eventually snowballed into the undertaking of my young life. While still in school, and with the help of a major scientific research firm, I began the development of a world-class, cutting-edge sports beverage, the first of its kind. Using my own savings, and raising money from friends, family, and my former mentor, I produced my first batch of my "ready-to-drink" and began selling it to a niche market in 2005/6. For context, back then Vitaminwater was still a little-known specialty drink sold mostly in NYC and California, and in retrospect, my timing was (almost) impeccable. (I graduated college with multiple distractions and a GPA of only 3.43).
Fast forward a couple of years. I had successfully sold into a major NCAA sports program and was being looked at by several VCs and angel groups for a first round of financing. That was 2008. Then the credit bubble burst, the economy tanked, and my erstwhile investors stopped returning my calls. I depleted the last of my cash and, burnt out, sought employment.
At first I worked for a colleague's beverage distributorship, but even they closed their doors after a few months. Out of desperation, in a tough economic climate with very few prestigious employers ready to take a chance on an entrepreneur, I took a job at the federal government. (I happen to I live in the DC area and they were hiring.)
Now I've been at the government for 2 years and, reminded of my original vision, I took the GMAT last year and scored 700. I'm taking it again this June and plan on scoring at 750-760.
I admit I'm a tough case. My unique experiences make me a bit of a diamond in the rough. On one hand, I'm 999% positive that (in practice) I'd be a huge asset to any of the top five b-school programs. I'm totally driven, now more than ever-having tasted success only to wipe out in the end, there's no way I'm going to let a little setback stop me. I'm an idea machine, I read between the lines, and (so I've been told) my questions are astute and provocative. In the classroom, my real-world insights would lend discussions a healthy dose of perspective. To some extent, I'm my own case study.
On the other hand, government experience? A failed entrepreneurial experiment? I routinely regale and impress my Columbia MBA friends with my warstories, but on paper, I'm afraid, the Technicolor won't shine through. Plus, (I'm loathe to even pose this, but I need to hear different perspectives) at this point, is it possible I have too much real world experience? Am I too old? It's been 7 years since college and I've been working ever since.
In sum,
1) I have a lots of experience, lots of value, and lots of drive. How do I figure out which career path would be best for me (and in the eyes of admissions committees)?
2) How does one put it all together in a brilliantly attractive package, sell it to Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton, and make it all happen?
I remember when I graduated High School, my "life plan" consisted of kicking a** in college, getting into HBS, and becoming a Wall Street star. This was back in 2000 when the .coms were still hot. I had already done a research project on portfolio management and another on IPO selection, and I had just completed a yearlong internship at Morgan Stanley. I thought I had it all figured out.
Then college: Early on, a death in the family derailed my focus, which became much more about soul searching and much less about academic excellence. Prior to my mom's death, I had been accepted into two selective entrepreneurship programs at the University of Maryland's Smith School as well as the University's flagship acapella group. Ultimately, I dropped the extra-curricular stuff and opted for travel and exploration. I studied in Spain for a semester and spent three weeks backpacking across Europe, an eye opening experience.
Upon my return, I had a short-lived resurgence of scholastic zeal and I spent my toughest semester junior year earning straight As. I probably would have finished college with a strong and conspicuous upwards trajectory, but instead, I was dealt an opportunity. A twist of fate led me to conceive a business idea, which eventually snowballed into the undertaking of my young life. While still in school, and with the help of a major scientific research firm, I began the development of a world-class, cutting-edge sports beverage, the first of its kind. Using my own savings, and raising money from friends, family, and my former mentor, I produced my first batch of my "ready-to-drink" and began selling it to a niche market in 2005/6. For context, back then Vitaminwater was still a little-known specialty drink sold mostly in NYC and California, and in retrospect, my timing was (almost) impeccable. (I graduated college with multiple distractions and a GPA of only 3.43).
Fast forward a couple of years. I had successfully sold into a major NCAA sports program and was being looked at by several VCs and angel groups for a first round of financing. That was 2008. Then the credit bubble burst, the economy tanked, and my erstwhile investors stopped returning my calls. I depleted the last of my cash and, burnt out, sought employment.
At first I worked for a colleague's beverage distributorship, but even they closed their doors after a few months. Out of desperation, in a tough economic climate with very few prestigious employers ready to take a chance on an entrepreneur, I took a job at the federal government. (I happen to I live in the DC area and they were hiring.)
Now I've been at the government for 2 years and, reminded of my original vision, I took the GMAT last year and scored 700. I'm taking it again this June and plan on scoring at 750-760.
I admit I'm a tough case. My unique experiences make me a bit of a diamond in the rough. On one hand, I'm 999% positive that (in practice) I'd be a huge asset to any of the top five b-school programs. I'm totally driven, now more than ever-having tasted success only to wipe out in the end, there's no way I'm going to let a little setback stop me. I'm an idea machine, I read between the lines, and (so I've been told) my questions are astute and provocative. In the classroom, my real-world insights would lend discussions a healthy dose of perspective. To some extent, I'm my own case study.
On the other hand, government experience? A failed entrepreneurial experiment? I routinely regale and impress my Columbia MBA friends with my warstories, but on paper, I'm afraid, the Technicolor won't shine through. Plus, (I'm loathe to even pose this, but I need to hear different perspectives) at this point, is it possible I have too much real world experience? Am I too old? It's been 7 years since college and I've been working ever since.
In sum,
1) I have a lots of experience, lots of value, and lots of drive. How do I figure out which career path would be best for me (and in the eyes of admissions committees)?
2) How does one put it all together in a brilliantly attractive package, sell it to Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton, and make it all happen?
