Testimonials: The X Factor

You have most likely achieved a fantastic score on the GMAT, boast an impressive GPA from your college or university, and have your sights set on an acceptance to one of the top business schools in the country. I can tell you first hand that all your hard work in undergrad, the grueling hours of your first jobs and the secluded weekends of GMAT studying aren’t enough. Some of the smartest people you will never meet will be rejected from the schools to which you will apply. They will have better grades from a better school, higher GMAT scores, and will have held jobs that makes yours look pedestrian at best. The incredible, almost unbelievable news is that while these variables matter, they are not the only ones that matter and are often not the variables that determine acceptance or rejection at the top schools.

I was a product manager at a medical device company, but before that, I was a salesperson. I had a non-business undergrad major and never considered myself to be an “elite school” kind of guy. In speaking to one of my best friends about applying to business school, he urged me to apply to some of the top programs including Harvard Business School, where he was currently enrolled. I gave a nervous laugh and politely asked him to be serious. He replied “Bud, you have done some pretty incredible stuff so far in your career, even if you don’t think you have.” That’s when he introduced me to Angela.

The chemistry between Angela and I was immediate and while I still wasn’t convinced that I would have a chance at HBS, even with her help, she agreed to take me on as a Round 2 candidate. She was completely upfront about the process. She promised that the output of our time together would be as successful as I wanted it to be, given the amount of effort that I was willing commit. I took her at her word and after a 27 page (single spaced) brainstorming document, countless discussions about what the important themes were throughout my life, and an essay that was edited down from 4500 words after 10 rounds back and forth, I hit the submit button and waited with the hope that I would be awarded an interview and a chance to tell my story in person.

When I walked into the room with my interviewers, they had questions about items in my resume that were less than clear, but mainly, they brought me in to elaborate on the stories that were the fabric of my essay. I was more than happy to relate them in person, and so proud that the stories that Angela helped me to tell were worth 30 minutes of their time.

Angela was right there with me to the end, and she (not my wife nor my mother) was the first person I emailed to celebrate the good news that I had been accepted to Harvard. There is a reason for that. So now, a few words for my friend Angela.

Angela is the greatest gift that you can receive as you look to aim for the stars with this next stage in your pursuit to change the world. She will not do the work for you, but when the world seems as though it has abandoned you and it is you alone that can dictate your fate, you look to your right and there is Angela with you in the foxhole. Throughout the process she wore many hats. She was the cheerleader, the coach, the disciplinarian when I missed an agreed timeline, and the guide that lead me through a deep examination of myself. We are all at a stage in our lives where we believe that this one more thing, this degree or collection of knowledge is the thing that will complete us, transforming us into the people we always wanted to be. What Angela did through her coaching and help in crafting my personal statement was help me realize that the person who I always wanted to be was the person I was already. She showed me through the interpretation of all my answers in my brainstorming document and in her constant probing on the core themes of my essay that this application wasn’t about convincing the admissions committee that I was worthy of their acceptance, but rather about making them aware that I was out there in the world, and that through this introduction, they would have the chance to meet me.

After I was accepted and the whirlwind of transitioning out of work and into school began, I must admit that I had mixed emotions. I was overjoyed that all the hard work had paid off and that I was moving in a direction that I had only dreamed of months before, but I was also a bit sad that the fight was over, and that the transformation and discovery of personal value that Angela had led me through had drawn to a close. Angela did much more than coach me on my personal statement and help me re-format my resume, she objectively evaluated me as a stranger and showed me that who I was deserved the effort that I was about to put in, that the world would be better if I could play a more active role in charting its course, and that my actions and decisions over the past 10 years had made me the person that I hoped that I was. She will always be special to me, and her friendship to this day is a blessing.