Free USC MBA Essay Samples
Upon completion of my MBA, my goal is to continue growing in the entertainment industry as a corporate strategy manager for a leading studio, such as Lionsgate, Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox, or Sony Pictures. In this position, I will gain a deep understanding of the ins and outs of decision-making, goal attainment, and growth enhancement at a media company. Intertwined with my undergraduate knowledge, professional experience, and MBA degree, working in strategy will allow me to hone the skills needed to become an influencer in the field.
My experience with the community has underlined the importance of teamwork, passion, and community to success, values I plan to incorporate during my time at USC Marshall. My main goal at Marshall is professional growth and opportunity, however, I believe the best way to achieve it is by fostering a united community that supports one another in his or her success.
Aside from academics and recruitment support, I plan to engage with the Business of Entertainment Association, which will offer opportunities such as networking and company treks that are relevant to my field. Additionally, the Graduate Women in Business will contribute to my development as a female leader and promote a supportive female community. Moreover, I intend to become a leader in clubs, a member of the Marshall Graduate Student Association, and a participator in the Challenge for Charity competition. Through these activities, I will become an involved member and a leader in the community.
Having talked to Danielle Dollinsky, a current student, I see USC Marshall and USC in general as a school that encourages its students to collaborate, empower, support, and learn from one another. Per my experiences and values, I will be thrilled to become a member of such a community, create meaningful friendships with my fellow students as we take steps to further our careers, and make Marshall a supportive and inclusive home to all.
I believe that my unique combination of leadership and analytical skills, acquired throughout my professional career and military service, combined with the understanding of human behavior that I developed while studying psychology, will enable me to be a strong contributor to the USC community.
Throughout my life, I have been involved within the community. While I was earning my bachelor’s degree, war broke out in my country. Many civilians found themselves under fire and without adequate protection, some with special needs and others desperate for emotional and mental support. As a psychology student learning about trauma, mental illness, and PTSD, I didn’t hesitate when the Students Union asked for volunteers from the psychology department to initiate various projects. Our mission was to help civilians in the country’s most dangerous areas, where our help was needed most. We were 20 volunteers visiting more than 800 bomb shelters, delivering food and necessities to a total of 3,000 families. The situation calmed down, however not long after, war broke out again – more intensively and for a longer duration. I approached the Student Union and initiated a second project. This time I recruited and led 60 student volunteers, some from other school departments. This time our responsibilities included not only providing psychological support but also acting as substitute teachers in over 20 kindergartens.
Speaking with ______ (MBA 2019), I heard about the strong sense of community on USC’s campus, and the wide variety of extracurricular activities headed by students. I am especially excited about the Graduate Marketing Association (GMA), where I will be able to gain experience and knowledge, as well as contribute from my past experiences to other association members. I also intend to bring my previous experience in initiating volunteer projects and fundraising events to the USC community by joining the Volunteer Center and by becoming an Alternative Break Trip Coordinator in the Alternative Break (AB) program. As such, I will be able to enhance students’ volunteering experience by planning and executing pre-trip marketing, recruitment, and informational meetings. I am also delighted that my love of helping others and volunteering for a good cause will have an outlet in the Challenge 4 Charity weekend. I plan to organize a stellar team and together win the Golden Briefcase, by making a year-round impact through our activities in the AB program, as well as personal volunteering.
Finally, while I was working at ______, as we had no HR department, I took upon myself the aspect of fostering a true team feeling in the office. This included initiating bowling nights, weekly happy hours, and company outings – all to keep the team spirit up, which I felt had a direct impact on the work everyone did and on general employee satisfaction. I plan to bring to Marshall my people skills and my high energy to initiate extracurricular events, meetups, and study groups, which I believe can help unite our class and bring great satisfaction and pride in being a part of the Trojan Family.
Following my MBA, I plan to become a Marketing Manager at a global multi-billion-dollar fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company, such as Johnson & Johnson, Nestle, or Procter & Gamble. Having worked in hi-tech marketing, and now as a consultant for FMCG clients, a Marshall MBA will help me fill in the gaps, by teaching me the theories, models, and other analytical tools needed to become a successful Marketing Manager at an FMCG company. There I will need to analyze market trends to position products, develop product marketing strategies and work with various teams to implement those strategies.
As a Product Manager at an innovative, feeless mobile bank, I’ve understood FinTech’s limitless potential for providing value and efficiency to consumers far beyond what traditional finance systems offer.
In the short term, I plan to expand my impact and expertise in FinTech by working as a Product Manager in an Innovation Lab at an international finance group such as Citi. There, I’ll learn more about FinTech’s interface with other financial institutions, banks, creditors, investors, and key regulatory bodies in several markets, and have access to an international customer base, enabling me to develop a nuanced understanding of universal banking needs worldwide.
My short-term post-MBA goal is to work with an international retail company such as Amazon or Nike Inc in a senior management position to learn new retail business models and practices.
To achieve my goals, I need USC Marshall´s MBA program, which will strengthen my business and leadership skills. Specifically, courses like “Management in Organizations” and “Problem Solving and Decision Making” will aid me in having a disruptive profile highly sought in such positions. Also, the “Marshalls Ecommerce and Retail Association” will provide me with insight about changing trends in the sector to successfully implement in my future job.
Dear Admissions Committee,
I am a product of the experiences I have had, people I have met, and adventures I have embarked on. All of these factors combined have been the driving force behind me pursuing my dream.
Growing up I was surrounded by sexism and discrimination as part of my daily life, as they are ingrained in society there. Surrounded by such an environment has always affected me, especially being exposed to stories of sexual violence and femicides. To contextualize the seriousness of the situation, eleven women are killed daily because of their gender; every 2.3 minutes, a woman or girl is raped, and 59.4% of women have suffered violence within their last relationship. I was 20 years old when I came across these statistics and promised myself that I would dedicate my life to helping reduce gender violence within my own country.
Due to my capacities and context, I felt passionate about promoting gender equality in places within my reach, and therefore started volunteering in schools that provided education to girls in marginalized communities. Within this framework, I met a ten-year-old girl who had witnessed gender violence within her home during childhood. She shared with me her desire to escape the cycle of domestic violence and her hopes to have a better education and more opportunities than her mother had.
As soon as I started working, I used my monthly salary to support her studies and help provide a more secure environment for her and her mother. It brings me enormous joy and fulfillment to say that today she is studying at one of the top universities with a 100% scholarship, and her mom has become financially independent to leave behind an abusive husband. To me, she represents only the beginning.
After joining my family business, I knew I could go a step further; I made it my mission for the company to take a stand against gender violence and provide the necessary support to victims.
Eager to ensure a significant long-lasting impact, I look forward to when I will take over as company CEO and further my social footprint by empowering female employees and providing them with the necessary tools to be financially independent so they can escape gender violence within their homes. Ultimately, I hope that my family company will be the blueprint for other companies to follow by granting equal employment opportunity to millions of women so they can live free of gender injustice.
USC Marshall’s program can help me achieve my life and career goal. Through the “Graduate Women in Business,” I can collaborate with my peers to develop my path of furthering my career within the family business. I aspire to set the example of how empowering women can cause a positive ripple effect within the company and the different communities in which we operate. I’m excited to share my story with Marshall’s community and see how being part of a community based on collaboration can help me reduce gender violence within my country.
Post- MBA, my short-term goal is to become an Associate at a leading management consulting firm such as McKinsey, BCG, or Bain. I believe that the skills I have acquired over five years of work experience in Corporate Strategy, Retail Operations Strategy, and Program Management roles make me a desirable candidate. A career in consulting would sharpen my problem-solving and decision-making skills through real-world cases and innovative ways to solve unique business problems. This experience would also set me on a course toward my long-term goal of leading the strategy vertical for an international retail company like Amazon or Walmart.
Dear Admissions Committee,
I believe that my unique combination of analytical and management skills combined with the values of collaborative and inclusive leadership that I have acquired through my life experiences will enable me to contribute immensely to the USC Marshall community.
Through my professional experience, in retail strategy and operations and program management, I have developed an understanding of the retail industry, execution of strategic projects, analytical thinking, and a managerial mindset.
Now, I want to leverage these skills and deepen my understanding of strategy and develop skills to solve large-scale business problems by making a career transition to management consulting. In the roles that I have assumed so far, I have primarily dealt with project execution and management. In future roles, I hope to engage more with the essence of problem-solving – diagnosis, solution, and implementation- and I believe that an MBA now, will help me make this transition in more than one way. A Marshall MBA will provide me with the right exposure through its unique offerings such as experiential learning through the PRIME and ABAC programs that provide the opportunity to work on real-world consulting projects. Also, to be a part of a very strong alumni network, the ‘Trojan Family’ would mean being a part of an international network of current and future business leaders, opening doors for a multitude of opportunities that align with my career goals.
Another aspect of the program that I am really excited about is the concept of Independent Projects for second-year students and the Marshall Leadership Fellows Program (MFLP), which I came to know about during an admissions session conducted by Elaine Padilla, Associate Director of MBA Admissions at USC Marshall. An independent project under the guidance of a supervising faculty would allow me to deep dive into my interest area and MFLP will hone my leadership skills through practical learning.
I have always believed that working together with people representing different backgrounds and communities strengthens the overall process of discovery and helps accomplish each other’s goals. While I was leading the pan-India program management for the roll-out of delivery kitchens in November 2019, I worked with teams comprising individuals that represented different communities and also communicated in different languages and dialects. We were hence struggling to craft a playbook that would help us speed up our expansion activities across all the target cities. Different cities have different rules and regulations about lease agreements, license applications, etc. We needed ground-level inputs to craft city-specific templates and checklists to speed up our efforts and improve the shortlist ratio. The barrier to it was that the on-ground executives who largely speak the local language were hesitant to speak and provide their input in a corporate setup because they are embarrassed about their poor command of English and that they may not be able to communicate their ideas properly. To tackle this issue and put in place a more collaborative and inclusive working environment, I introduced a setup where 2-3 field executives were tagged to a member from the central team who spoke their language. This provided the executives with a familiar environment to work in and also boosted their confidence. As a result, we got a lot of valuable input and with assistance from our legal team and curated city-specific requirements. Through these experiences, I realized the importance of adapting to different cultures and finding solutions that are inclusive of every stakeholder.
Finally, at USC Marshall I intend to bring the learnings from all of my life experiences to further develop a culture that is supportive and inclusive to all.
My decision to pursue an MBA stems from a desire to broaden my knowledge in the field of marketing to accelerate my career while shifting roles and location within the industry. I aim to transition from my external programmatic role at a NYC-based digital media agency to pursue an in-house, Chicago-based Brand Management career within the consumer packaged goods industry. I plan to build upon my specialized digital foundation and learn a more holistic marketing approach required for this new occupation. My short-term goal post-MBA is to secure a Brand Management role with brands such as Procter & Gamble or Lego, which would be ideal places to begin this career given their emphasis on consistent innovation and expertise in meeting evolving consumer needs. My long-term goal is to progress to become the company’s CMO. I aim to utilize my digital media acumen and data-driven consumer understanding, gained from both industry experience and MBA at USC, to create innovative and impactful campaigns that appeal to consumers with an ethical, value-based, and sustainable approach.
An MBA from USC is pivotal to achieving these goals. The program at Marshall would equip me with essential leadership development, generalist skills, macro-level marketing knowledge, and a strong local network that will catapult my growth towards a Brand Management career in Chicago. I aim to enhance my leadership skills through the Marshall Leadership Fellows Program, which distinguishes itself with a holistic approach in emphasizing long-term solutions integrating ethics, inclusion, social responsibility, and integrity. Experiential learning opportunities, including coaching first-year students, will be instrumental in my progression towards a management-level position. Additionally, I am eager to take advantage of Marshall’s unique opportunities such as the Global Immersion module and short-term study abroad programs, to deepen my understanding of global business. These cross-cultural experiences will provide invaluable insights into diverse business practices and enhance my ability to lead effectively in a multicultural environment—an essential skill for success in marketing leadership roles at top companies. Moreover, I plan to join the Marketing Leadership Association to expand industry knowledge and develop personal relationships with local leading brands and alumni. Through my potential enrollment at Marshall, I am confident that the education and experiences gained will propel me toward achieving both my short-term and long-term career objectives within the marketing field.
In Fall 2021, a major retail client, our agency’s newest and largest client, expressed interest in testing campaigns with media companies owned by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) or women, to support these businesses. My team, the client's retail division's programmatic channel, was selected for the first test iteration. Our success soon led to a significant new opportunity: the client wanted to allocate 10% of their total retail division digital media budget exclusively to BIPOC-Women-Owned partners. While performance was improving, this represented a 700% increase in seasonal budgets, which our campaigns had not yet proven capable of handling. With 2022 marking our first chance to overhaul the client's media strategy, I took the lead in guiding my team through this effort, driven by both ethical considerations and belief in its media potential.
My approach was to foster a collaborative environment where open communication and collective problem-solving were central. We needed to address internal and external concerns, align on goals, and manage expectations effectively. To gain the trust of internal client leads and the client's brand team, I facilitated open discussion of past challenges and potential roadblocks. I addressed concerns about higher costs associated with our campaigns, explaining that the nature of these buys involved elevated cost-per-impressions due to limited inventory and noted we may see lower store visit lift with larger audience sizes due to increased budgets. I proposed to narrow our partner list to only top performers, balancing support for these partners with performance goals. I also set up a weekly reporting cadence to keep all teams aligned on scalability and performance, ensuring transparency and fostering a sense of collective responsibility. By engaging with each stakeholder and actively listening to their feedback, I created a collaborative atmosphere where everyone felt invested in the project's success.
Our collective efforts paid off: we utilized the full $380,000 budget in Spring 2023 and achieved the strongest cost efficiencies to date. This success built significant trust in our company and demonstrated our ability to support meaningful initiatives while achieving effective media outcomes. Through this experience, I honed my collaborative leadership skills, learning the importance of empathy, clear communication, and active listening across all levels when driving multiple parties to reach an agreement. Furthermore, I discovered that honest feedback and managing expectations are crucial for achieving project goals. This experience expanded my problem-solving approach to embrace flexibility, innovative thinking, and resilience, ultimately enhancing my ability to drive impactful change collaboratively.
I was born and raised in a vibrant Southern California city, where the diverse culture of Los Angeles shaped my upbringing. Amidst this dynamic backdrop, I discovered my passion and personal strength through cheerleading, a pursuit that became deeply meaningful to me from an early age. Despite initial skepticism from others, I was determined to excel in this sport. I committed myself wholeheartedly, consistently outworking my peers throughout my youth while gaining invaluable lessons in perseverance, dedication, and self-assurance. This journey was to initially culminate at the end of high school after three times competing at national cheerleading championships.
Despite cherishing my upbringing in California, I felt compelled to explore college opportunities in a different state to advance my competitive cheerleading career and immerse myself in a different cultural landscape. The move presented unforeseen challenges as I navigated life independently in an unfamiliar environment where fitting in was a challenge. Despite this, I embraced the opportunity for personal growth, developing resilience, and resourcefulness. This experience also deepened my appreciation for the values instilled in me by my Asian-American heritage and the diversity I had known growing up. During my time in the South, I forged lifelong friendships, an appreciation for the surrounding community, and won two major cheerleading titles. Following graduation, I decided to remain in Dallas, and kickstart my career in digital marketing through an excellent opportunity at a leading digital agency.
As I return to California after eight years in Texas, I eagerly anticipate the opportunities Marshall offers to help me establish a meaningful network in my hometown and find the ideal fit for my career. Marshall appeals to me with its strong commitment to community, demonstrated through its highly engaged alumni, small class sizes, and focus on finding individuals' personal interests and value in the marketplace. During my time at Marshall, I am eager to bring my positive spirit and full commitment to the community. Within the Marketing & Brand Club, I plan to build on my current experience in vendor event planning through working closely with partners and alumni to organize enriching events such as lunch and learns, industry treks, and alumni socials. By actively participating in the Wellness@Marshall club, I aim to take a leading role in organizing semi-annual retreats and Wellness Weeks, with the goal of promoting wellness as a priority and ensuring these practices are accessible to everyone. I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to and grow within the Marshall community, confident that it will provide an ideal environment to find the ideal career fit while forging meaningful relationships in the broader Los Angeles area.
My goal is to pivot from real estate to the corporate side of the entertainment industry. Post-Marshall MBA, I aim to join a leading media firm like Global Media Group or Starline Entertainment in Business Development and Strategy.
In this role, I will evaluate mergers and acquisitions, oversee content planning, and disseminate direct-to-consumer content. Over the last five years, I have excelled in commercial property investment at top national firms. I’ve become an expert in researching and uncovering new market opportunities, underwriting acquisitions, and analyzing project deal financials. I believe this grounding in data analysis will help me in my MBA coursework and ease my career pivot.
Long-term, I plan to gain more experience overseeing larger projects, applying financial modeling, and building strong relationships on the executive and creative sides to become a senior executive of a cutting-edge boutique media company like IndieFilm Studio or Arthouse Pictures. In this role, I will navigate the company through the industry's complex challenges through data-driven insights and long-term strategy.
Marshall will support my goals in several ways. Alex (Marshall 'XX) shared with me how the program combines foundational business skills—such as data science and corporate finance—with specialized industry knowledge. Marshall is my #1 choice for earning my MBA because the program offers a Graduate Certificate in the Business of Entertainment. Courses like The Television Industry: Networks, Cable and the Internet and Feature Film Financing and the Studio System will deepen my understanding of the entertainment industry and provide me with the practical knowledge I need to meet the industry's exciting and disruptive challenges, including the legal and ethical ramifications of Generative AI and increased competition among revenue streams.
Marshall’s Hollywood proximity provides the unique opportunity to learn from entertainment professionals like Marketing Manager at Netflix Chris, whose teaching in Entertainment Marketing will be invaluable for learning how movies and shows are marketed both for theatrical and streaming releases.
Outside of the classroom, I will become heavily involved with the Business of Entertainment Association (BEA). Through its educational events, I’ll gain valuable insights from Marshall’s influential entertainment industry alumni. Meeting seasoned professionals will help me better understand the industry's challenges. My ambition is to be aligned with prominent USC alumni like Kevin Feige and Shonda Rhimes, who epitomize the fusion of creativity and business acumen.
During my tenure at National Properties Inc., I managed a small team of analysts in the Southwest region market and played a crucial role in the Acquisitions team. A significant challenge emerged when a conflict between our Acquisitions and Asset Management Teams hindered our performance. The departments had divergent goals: Acquisitions focused on the volume of properties purchased, while Asset Management prioritized yield returns on the purchased investments. This misalignment created friction, as Asset Management frequently renegotiated deals without consulting Acquisitions, leading to lost opportunities.
I first noticed the problem when several of my team’s deals fell through. Upon investigating which analysts’ deals were not going through and the reasons for each deal being rejected, I discovered that this friction was widespread and damaging to our company's markets across the country. Recognizing the urgency, I took the initiative to address the issue. I conducted separate discussions with both asset managers and acquisitions directors to understand their perspectives. It became clear that the root cause was the misalignment of the bonus structure, which incentivized conflicting goals.
Through a series of meetings emphasizing open communication and collaboration. I brought the directors of both teams up to speed on the underlying issue and represented the rest of the acquisition analysts goals in the meetings. In the end we restructured the bonus structures for both departments to align their goals. The new structure considered both the number of properties acquired and the yield returns on investments, promoting a more integrated approach. This resolution not only averted significant financial losses but also improved interdepartmental cooperation, highlighting my ability to navigate and resolve complex conflicts effectively.
