by Sandy Kreisberg

Founder of the Cambridge Essay Service

每个申请MBA的人都要吞一块“硬骨头”——写论文（Essay），论文要求你：

（一）评价你的事业；

（二）表述的目标；

（三）说明你为什么申请这个商学院。

-Why are you seeking an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business? What do you hope to experience and contribute? What are your plans and goals after you receive your degree (750 words maximum). 这是今年芝加哥商学院的典型问题。

-Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree from Kellogg (One to two double spaced pages).这是凯洛克商学院的另一版本。

-Please discuss the factors influencing the career decisions you have made that, in turn, have led you to your current position. Why is now an appropriate time to pursue an MBA, and what will you contribute to the class entering in the fall of 2000? What are your career goals for the future, and how will you avail yourself of the resources at the Wharton School to achieve these goals? 沃顿商学院的类似问题似乎问得更为具体。

实际上，最难的问题是关于你的目标。申请者很容易阐述自己的事业，因为它们实际存在，但当被问到未来的目标，许多人都沉默了。目标并非没有，而是难以阐述，因为大多数人的目标是不具体的，只想追求一种更好或更有成就感的生活。而这，很难打动人心。

无论如何，要写好你的目标，仍有很多你应该熟记于心的要点和绝对应该避免的问题。

1. 在你过去经历的基础上构筑你的目标。

最好在你过去经验的基础上对未来的目标加以人格化和多方面的陈述，而不是单纯说你的“希望”。这样，你的目标是从过去发掘并积累而成的，它们有“现实”作为生长土壤，不空洞，也不生硬。

所以不要说“My goal is to become a consultant to high-tech firms starting business in Asia”，最好的说法是“Based on my experiences working in India and Hong Kong as a programmer and business analyst, and on my project leader work at Cenco Corporation in Singapore, my long term goal is to return to this area and start a consultancy advising large technology companies how to 'do business' as an employer in these countries.”。

而且你的目标最好是人格化的，有特色的，感人的。许多申请者要成为咨询顾问、投资银行家、股票投资商或是高科技公司的总裁。而你能够从过去的经历建立一个的目标，它们就变得既有趣又富有人情味。

2. 把你的目标分成阶段性。

想使你看起来很有理性，对人生深思熟虑，最好把你的目标分成阶段性：长期目标、中期目标和MBA毕业后的短期目标。分段构思使你能够真正达到长期目标，而且读来也十分可信，同样为你攻读MBA提供了合理的解释。学校能在成千上万的人中发现你就是因为它们确信你知道毕业后什么工作最适合你（他们同样想知道这种工作是否可能实现，是否其他毕业生已拥有同样的工作，你也应该在写之前看一看）。应该与学校的Career Office联系，了解最近的毕业生从业情况，你对自己未来事业的描述必须有同样的起点。

3. 使用“Interests”和“Could Take The Form”的句型来写长期目标。

不要在撰写长期目标时将工作写的过于具体明确，只需指出工作技能和你所感兴趣的领域，比如领导、创立公司、战略、营销、管理等。想使它具体化，你可以把这些兴趣和技能写到工作上的具体应用。例如：

Based on my leadership and cross-functional team experiences as the SDK Laser X-Ray project leader at Medco in California , and as a marketing specialist at Jetco in Shanghai, my long-term career objective is to use my technical and marketing know-how and leadership skills to help China obtain high-tech medical equipment. This goal could take the form of my starting a company in China to import or distribute such equipment, or my heading the division of a large American high-tech medical device firm such as X-med, Y-med, or Z-med with production for the Asian market as its goal.

My short-term goal after my MBA is to move from R&D to general management in a health care technology company such as X or Y. My five-year plan is to gain experience in various aspects of the health care technology business including business development, marketing, operations and strategy and also to establish my credibility in running a medium-sized organization.

4. 谈论你的长期目标时，列出你心中一两位英雄，或者你心中最欣赏的公司。

如果能够列举出你钦佩的商业人物，一定能为论文增强说服力。也可以列出公司名称，根据上面的举例，应该写成：

Based on my experiences as the SDK Laser Widget team leader at Medco in California , and as a marketing specialist at Jetco in Shanghai, my long term career objective is to use my technical and marketing know-how and leadership skills to help China obtain high-tech medical equipment.

I am greatly impressed by such companies as IndusMed and BengalRx which have specialized in bringing hi-tech medical devices to the Indian marketplace and I hope to replicate some of their success on the Chinese Mainland. Also, Sammy Lee, the Chinese Minister of Hi-Tech, is a personal hero of mine for his efforts to make technology bridges with Western suppliers. Mr. Lee\'s own company, Go-Go East, which is the leader in supplying Chinese and Hong Kong casinos with the latest in Western hi-tech gambling technology, is a good sign that China may soon be open to medical devices as well.

有一点不要忘记，提到这些公司和人名的时候，只须有限地提及一两句，举出实际的名称当然证明你知道你在谈论的重点，但文章的重点是你自己。

5. 不要写行业或工作报告，只要写你的目标。

文章要求的是你和你的目标，录取委员会想了解你的经历和你的思想，所以千万不要走题。常见的错误是申请者把一段关于他们未来从事行业的报告插进来，迟迟不能进入正题。如果你的目标是进军电子商务业，你不用写200字介绍什么是电子商务，为什么它会持续发展。很简单，如果你的目标是在亚洲工作，录取委员会不需要了解为何亚洲经济在90年代衰败以及它为何会再度兴起。 　　

6. 把资料集中在一起。

对许多学校而言，你的目标应该是大约200字的东西。就想下面所列出的模式一样：

BASED ON MY EXPERIENCS AS A _________, _________, AND A _________, MY LONG TERM GOAL IS _________. THIS COULD TAKE SEVERAL FORMS.

1. _________

2. _________

3. _________

TWO COMPANIES WHICH I GREATLY ADMIRE ARE _________ WHICH IS THE LEADING SUPPLIER OF _________ TO _________ AND _________ WHICH IS A BREAK AWAY FROM A BIG COMPANY.

I ALSO GREATLY ADMIRE JOHN DOE WHO FOUNDED _________ IN HIS _________ WITH ONLY $ _________ AND MARY SMITH WHO STARTED _________ AFTER HAVING NINE CHILDREN AND DEVELOPED IT INTO THE LEADING SUPPLIER OF FERTILIZERS AND PETROCHEMICAL-BASED CLOTHING IN EUROPE.

ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO CLEAR WAY TO THIS GOAL, AFTER B-SCHOOL I WOULD WANT TO DO _________ WHERE I WILL LEARN:

1. _________

2. _________

3. _________