Sample Essay

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My grandfather had an adage for every occasion, but one in particular left its mark on me: "You can impress anyone from a distance, but you can only impact them close up". As an investment banker, an entrepreneur, an innovator, and especially as a real estate developer, he always made a close-up impact on people's lives—a legacy that I hope to emulate in my own career.

Unlike most real estate developers, my grandfather's first priority was not profit. Having been raised in a low-income housing project, he understood the problems plaguing poor neighborhoods. He dedicated a part of his life to transforming the urban landscape of West Dallas, by restoring vacated buildings and developing a family recreation center. His work improved the lives of thousands of African-Americans, earning him recognition as one of West Dallas's greatest benefactors. Unfortunately, none of his successors has continued in the same vein of work that he pursued. I hope to change this pattern. My grandfather's example has influenced not only my career goal—real estate development—but also the direction I want to take my career: I want to enrich other people's lives just as my grandfather did.

Although my grandfather received only a limited education, I realize that equipping myself with a solid education is vital to achieving my goals in today's world. As an economics major at Washington and Lee University, I acquired not only business knowledge, but also a wide intellectual base of language, religion, literature, history and computer science. I supplemented my liberal arts education with a leadership position on the university's Honor Committee and as president of a fraternity.

After graduation, I accepted a position with Lincoln Property Company as an outsourced member of NationsBank's corporate real estate team. My role was to assist in the divestiture of NationsBank's commercial assets at a time when Nations bank was aggressively involved in the merger and acquisitions scene, trying to devour its competition. Although I did not immediately realize the uniqueness of my situation, I soon learned that I had entered an environment that few commercial real estate professionals experience.

My boss was George Lancaster, a Senior Vice President with over thirty-five years of transactional experience and an MBA—a rare degree in the real estate industry, and an influence on my own decision to pursue an MBA. In our interactions, George treated me as an equal, despite my comparative lack of experience. I found myself working harder because of George's respectfulness, and from this experience I discovered the value in treating everyone with equal respect, regardless of 'rank'.

Working with George, I developed my skills at an accelerated pace. Our responsibility was to dispose over $50 million of NationsBank's commercial assets in under six months. George taught me how to research and organize a database of potential buyers, a task that I made easier by using my computer skills to configure a database management application to meet our needs.

In addition to marketing skills, George also taught me how to apply valuation techniques to determine market values, a task that utilized my quantitative and qualitative reasoning skills. I needed to understand both the asset and the surrounding market conditions in order to approximate an asset's value. Extending this analysis, I created financial models that projected cash flows and profit and loss impacts. Seeking an even more advanced understanding of financial models, I pursued a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation, which required the completion of a 240-hour graduate level curriculum.

Earning CCIM designation was a rigorous process, especially because my schedule would not accommodate the weeklong absences from work that most CCIM candidates take to receive the certification. Through diligent home study, however, I managed to earn my CCIM designation, which has benefited me by giving me instant credibility in the eyes of other professional real estate developers. George also expanded my quantitative role and delegated more complex transactions to me.

A partner in the Fort Lauderdale office noticed my rapid progress and assigned me to lead one of the largest transactions in my company's history: marketing a portfolio of thirty-one NationsBank office buildings, totaling over 1.8 million square feet. With a short timeframe and limited resources, I began by recruiting the best team I could find, assigning each individual a role to suit his or her individual talents. By fostering an environment of open thought and expression and acknowledging each individual's contribution, I led the team to success.

My first taste of managerial responsibility has left me hungering for more. Business school is the vehicle that will take me past the current crossroads I have reached in my career. While an MBA cannot guarantee my success, it will open doors to opportunities that might otherwise be inaccessible.

Wharton's MBA curriculum matches my goals precisely. Because of its large student body, Wharton offers a wide variety of courses that competing business schools do not. Core courses like Real Estate Investment and Development will strengthen my understanding of the competitive markets that I may one day build in, while electives such as Urban Public Policy and Private Economic Development will teach me about the pervasive interactions between government and real estate developers—essential knowledge for urban development. At Wharton I will also take advantage of the prominent speakers and conferences offered at the Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center.

Beyond the academic diversity offered at Wharton, a key lure to me is its diverse student body and renowned faculty. Additionally, the "Learning Team" experience offers a network of support and valuable perspectives that other programs fail to deliver. From real estate finance classes taught by Peter Linneman to Business Plan Competitions sponsored by the Entrepreneurs Club, I would relish the opportunity to participate in all of the components of the Wharton MBA experience.

If I am given the opportunity to enter the Wharton MBA program, I plan on not only taking advantage of all its resources, but also giving back to the learning community. In the classroom, I can contribute what I have learned from my experiences on Bank of America's corporate real estate team. Outside of class, I will exchange ideas within the Entrepreneurs Club while establishing a network of future contacts. I will also continue my competitive running as a member of Wharton's Roadrunners' club. To give something back to the larger community, I will be involved in service programs such as the "Say Yes to Education" program, in which I will continue my interest in tutoring children that began in high school and continued throughout college. I will also work with "Christmas in April", a program that will afford me the opportunity to renovate low-income housing while leveraging my experiences in real estate. As my grandfather taught me, I need to work close-up with communities if I hope to have an impact on the world.

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