Impact Essay:

At Cornell, our students and alumni share a desire to positively impact the organizations and communities they serve. How do you intend to make a meaningful impact on the Johnson community? (350 words maximum)

Johnson is looking to kick a little bit of ass. Maybe they’re niggled by being ranked lower than they believe they deserve. Maybe it’s simply a mission to RISE UP for its own sake. Regardless, it’s clear that the way they wanna do that is by screening for your SPIRIT DRAGON score with respect to Johnson specifically. The thinking being… the more you’re utterly DEVOTED to Johnson, and only Johnson, the more likely you’ll dig your heels in, and energize the guy next to you, and the gal across the way, and through cohort cohesion, and passion, the likelihood for future success, and stronger “word of mouth” for top talent to “also that for themselves” … goes up.

Your mission here, like it or not, is to demonstrate (not argue)… demonstrate that you’ve come to the conclusion that the best version of your future self passes through the Johnson MBA, and you’ve come to that conclusion over the course of some serious research which includes some level of contact with folks who are at Johnson presently, or alums in some capacity. We prove that conviction by showing that your values align with Cornell’s stated values—i.e., that you have a clear plan for how to make an impact at Cornell (and beyond, on the broader Johnson network beyond the halls of Cornell itself).

It’s an interesting question. It’s one thing to have a sense of how you’re going to approach your own career goals and the intended impact those goals might have on others. But are you the kind of person whose presence, style, ideas, thoughtfulness, modeled behavior, etc. uplifts those around you, such that you’re indirectly improving *their* game along the way? It’s tough to be conscious of the ways in which you’re affecting others, unless you’ve gotten feedback from them, or, you’re intentional about things you do, with respect to uplifting or creating impact.

Here’s a thought experiment. Imagine the next 2-year MBA cohort at Cornell Johnson. They go to classes together, they hang out with each other outside of class. Some folks have met future business partners, others have leveraged new relationships to tap into networks that jumpstart new and exciting pivots, others simply divine a new business idea based on a wild happy hour, and so on. Stuff happens. And two years later, the entire class has achieved something, and leave Johnson ready to brave the real world (again). Suppose, as a class, they earn a score of “92.” And that 92 represents some kind of quantified notion of ‘what they were able to achieve, how good/potent they were, etc.’

Okay now re-imagine this scenario, except, introduce yourself INTO that cohort. So it’s that original cohort + YOU. You join those happy hours, you find some new friends and hang out with them, you’re in some of those classes, raising your hand and absorbing ideas from others, you’re a part of this thing for these two years. But at the end of that version, the total score for the entire cohort is not 92, but 93. Or 94. It’s been bumped somehow. Can you try to imagine what it is about your inclusion to this mix that somehow had a ripple effect, or made some kind of lasting impact on the school itself? Even if it’s unknowable in some ways by definition, the intention to have impact based on how you approach situations generally is very knowable. Try to find an example or two that you think might have enabled that hypothetical bump from 92 to 93, based on some value YOU added.

1. First define impact. What’s an example of it that you have seen someone else deliver such that you’re acutely aware of what it is and can be? Or that you’ve been a part of yourself? (50-75 words)
2. Provide a rationale for why this is even important. ‘Meeting the brief’ is to fulfill some kind of obligation. But some go beyond, and deliver value back to the organization or community of which they’re a part, and this is either an extra, or to some, an automatic part of it. Grapple with this concept to show that you ‘get’ it, and can articulate the value authentically. (50-75 words)
3. [This may seem like a lot of setup, but we can reorganize as need be; this is a useful process to get a solid first draft.] Now start getting into your plans for translating this to Cornell Johnson. What is that organization and community, and what does it mean to you, and how, therefore - given your relationship with organizations you feel connected to - will you be committed to going above and beyond mere participation? (125-175 words)
4. You can get a little philosophical at the end and talk a little about how this should be a part of anyone’s formula for any engagement with any organization/community, making a case for why. Everyone’s case will be slightly different, and therein lies the opportunity to learn something about how you’re wired. (25-75 words) 

—Or—

The Unique Trait that Defines Me:

What is something unique about you that others will remember you by? (350 words maximum)

Hm. 350 words is a LOT for this prompt. The only credible way to fill this space is through stories and examples that illustrate any claim about what might make you unique. But ‘that’s the real trick isn’t it.’ What qualifies as unique? Well, Cornell makes it a little easier by adding the piece about ‘that others will remember you by.’ This makes your job harder in one sense because it raises the bar. But also easier because it narrows our options. Think about that for a second. What does it take to be memorable? There are ‘bad’ ways to qualify (ha! Let’s avoid those of course). But the good ways typically result from being ‘unboxable.’ Just made up that word, cuz it’s fun. What does that mean, unboxable?

We humans receive new inputs and immediately want to ‘sort’ and ‘categorize’ them in order to make sense of them. ‘I recognize this new input as being similar in kind to this other thing I already know and therefore I can now make some assumptions about it, recognize it, make predictions, etc.’ It’s basic, DNA, lizard brain stuff. But over time, these ‘boxes’ that we’ve put items into, become (by definition) filled with things that are all alike, and therefore not that distinct from one another, otherwise they’d have gotten their own box. 

When something comes along and doesn’t immediately fit into a box, it stirs our brains a bit. And forces us to find either a new box, or simply treat it as its own thing. This is one way of understanding why things are memorable. There’s some aspect of it that makes it … different from others in its class, ‘such that it can’t truly be placed in the same box.’ It’s not just a special feature, necessarily, but could be the combination of features that don’t typically go together that makes you unique. For example, a blue collar worker who loves Broadway musicals. Or a person who grew up in Laos, became an award-winning novelist (in English) and learned how to speak English by watching 80s Hollywood comedies as a kid. Or someone who ‘played sports in high school’ (so far, just like pretty much 70% of the population) but then decided to devote her entire self to becoming an Olympian athlete, and did, and took Gold (all of a sudden, this gal cannot be placed in the box with that other guy who ‘played on his Junior Varsity volleyball team’ for one year as a high school Junior). See how these exceptional traits or combinations/juxtapositions of traits can combine to warrant ‘a new box’? This is one way to begin ideating on what kinds of stuff might make you unique in a memorable way. Once you’ve got your topic, now let’s write it:

1.  Set us up for something ‘expected.’ Warm us up in a way where we’re pretty much good to go in terms of ‘what box to put you in’ until… you complicate and surprise us and make it so that we go ‘wait, didn’t see that coming’ or ‘whoa, I don’t know *what* to do with that!’ The key here is to not get ahead of yourself and to prepare your reader for something familiar, only to shake it up… and knock us off balance. (50-100 words)
2. Now introduce the complicating element(s), and tell the story finding opportunities to imagine what the reader’s expectations might be, and to use that to draw a contrast to what you bring to the table that’s different, whether a feature on its own, or a normal feature that - when combined with another ‘normal feature’ - combines to create a unique product! (125-175 words)
3. What was the origin story behind this/you? What were the shaping factors? How has this unique trait worked out for you? What are other examples of where this manifests whether in the workplace, or beyond? And what are the implications for how this thing that’s a part of you will play out in the future? Even if it’s a thing that’s ‘irrelevant’ or ‘frivolous’ … the way in which you ‘utilize’ or ‘own’ it can absolutely be a defining trait and tell us a lot about you, such that it’ll make you memorable. (50-100 words)

Optional Essay

You may use this essay to call attention to items needing clarification and to add additional details to any aspects of your application that do not accurately reflect your potential for success at Johnson. (350 words maximum)

Check out our analysis for the Optional Essay here.

Re-Applicant Essay

The Roy H. Park Leadership Fellows Program is a two-year, full-tuition fellowship award for domestic Two-Year MBA candidates who have demonstrated outstanding leadership potential and who are committed to making an impact within their communities. Each year, fellowships are awarded to up to 25 incoming students with the expectation that they will participate in additional leadership and personal development activities outside of our regular curriculum, serve in leadership roles within the school, and complete a public service project by the time they graduate. The Park Fellowship is only available to U.S. citizens applying for the Two-Year MBA program.

Candidates being considered for the Roy H. Park Leadership Fellowship will be notified after their admissions interview with an invitation to join us for one of our virtual Leadership Exploration and Assessment Day (L.E.A.D.) events. Candidates invited to attend a LEAD event will be required to submit a response to the Park Fellows Essay.

Park Leadership Fellows Program Essay Prompt (500 word limit):

Describe a past formal or informal leadership experience and how it informs your goals for growth as a leader. How would the Park Leadership Fellowship assist with these goals?

Most top business school MBA matriculants are expected to be current and future leaders. So what then is different about the 25 folks hack-picked to be a part of this unique fellowship? Think of the Park Leadership Fellowship as a kind of incubator, designed to cultivate the leadership skills and potential of 25 individuals with either unique goals and/or special leadership potential, or both. The goals you’re committed to may be so unique, and inspiring in their aims (usually more impact-oriented for this fellowship) that Cornell wants to throw some more resources your way to support. Or, your potential as someone with leadership potential itself is special enough that it’s the talent Cornell hopes to enhance. In your essay, you’ll want to be aware of both of these dimensions as they pertain to your chosen stories/situation before you begin.

1. Before diving into the past, start by painting a picture of where you’re headed, and what’s driving you. What impact are you hoping to achieve, and why is it meaningful? (75 words)
2. Take us back to a time when you had a meaningful leadership experience (just as the prompt says, whether formal or informal), and first tell us what happened. Set up the situation: what was the goal, what was at stake, what made it challenging simply to execute (notice how we haven’t talked about the leadership aspect yet… that’s coming up)? (75-100 words)
3. Now, talk about the experience as the leader, and specifically what made the leadership aspect interesting, difficult, inspiring, whatever pertains to your story. Take us through your thought process as you were going through it, what were you noticing, where were you struggling, or succeeding, how were you navigating curveballs, how were you understanding the potential of what it might be to lead more / different things like this, i.e., did this inspire you or propel you toward a new/different goal, or stretch your idea of what you might be able to achieve within this domain? Lots of possibilities here, but the key is, this was somehow fundamental or formative in igniting some aspect of ‘belief’ in you that you took with you, and is a part of your motivating force today. Take us through all that. (125-150 words)
4. Tell us about the type of leader you are today, and where you’re hoping to push things, and what’s required of the type of leader associated with the vision you laid out at the very beginning. There’s distance between your skill set and experience today and that future person you’re describing. Name it, be specific. (75 words)
5. Now, point by point, being as specific as possible, showing your research, show us how specific features and opportunities of the Park Leadership Fellows Program will sharpen your skills, plug gaps, expose you to crucial new things, experiences, people, etc. Be specific, show ‘your work’ (the research). (75-100 words)

That’ll get you a solid first draft that’ll have the key starting ingredients.