Essay Test, Ethics Test: Transfer Student and Georgetown

A student applying to transfer submitted the following essays to Georgetown University.

Please provide a statement that addresses your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve. You can type directly into the box, or you can paste text from another source. (250-650 words)

       As I finished my shift at a wholesale business in Manhattan, a familiar topic threaded into my stream of consciousness: my major. An ongoing debate, I considered how liberal arts satisfies a wide array of interests such as philosophy, sociology and economics. But then again, business is a major with pragmatic career pathways, which is critically important in today’s job market. Finding well-compensated work to support the family is a priority, as it was in China. With this dilemma of determining a major, I boarded the train to my evening class. 

     The class was Ethics and Moral Issues, and the topic that evening involved the rich and poor. As usual, the class discussion was enthusiastic. I consistently contributed my perspectives, until one student stunned me with her point of view. “We should pay attention to our consumption habits, such as buying smartphones,” she said with purpose. “The way that Apple exploits Chinese laborers is immoral.”  This statement startled me. It stopped me in my tracks, and it stopped me from raising my hand.

     That night, I could not fall asleep. The student’s comments reminded me of my former job as a foreign trade representative in, what she would consider, an exploitative sweatshop. While I worked in an office with a decent salary, my colleagues manually assembled accessories twelve hours daily for a wage equivalent to ten dollars. My colleague’s thought-provoking voice was still vivid: "We must work hard to pay for our kids' education, so they shall not be forced to settle for this job. I hope they will graduate from high school, like you." Until then, I did not know graduating from high school was a privilege, and ever since, I have been confounded with a series of questions. Why would people work so long and seemingly gain so little?  Why would they believe education is worth their investment?  And most importantly, what can I learn to help them attain a higher quality of life?  These questions became deeply rooted in my heart, and I believe they prompted a conclusion that sleepless night: education is the key to unlocking the potential in oneself. Without it, people are vulnerable to exploitation. Unfortunately, it is still costly and inaccessible to many. My co-workers were resolved to change such conditions for the generation that followed them, of which I am one. And in pursuit of my future education, I will not disappoint them.

       In the next semester, I consciously chose to enroll in Macroeconomics. As another subject I was eager to learn, economics might help me seek out the answers to inequity in education. Clearly, what we were discussing in class was not an isolated issue solely to be addressed philosophically. I became grateful for the breadth of understanding and experience that had evolved through interdisciplinary interests. Therefore, I should not seek to be restrained by majors which have boundaries, whether real or artificial. I should seek to integrate my diverse range of interests and knowledge to form a unique self.  My path was clear: maintain my business major, and then, broaden it to include economics, while enriching my knowledge with a minor of education. I could feel the tides of doubt and uncertainty that had surrounded this “major” question for months fade away; I found my purpose.

     After transferring to a four-year college, I intend to integrate my interests, my experience, and passions to pave a path forward that is purposeful. I intend to utilize my education to unlock the potential in others, by founding an educational consulting firm that makes education more accessible. With this purpose, I have faith that the next time I am surprised and stopped in my tracks, I will have the impetus to raise my hand and to respond with courage and confidence; to respond with an answer that encompasses not only common sense, but one that encompasses uncommon sense with respect to commerce and morality.

APPLICANTS TO THE MCDONOUGH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS: The McDonough School of Business is a national and global leader in providing graduates with essential ethical, analytical, financial and global perspectives. Please discuss your motivations for studying business at Georgetown.

“Learn business with the humanities.” This is a motto that I put forward after my enlightenment obtained from my Ethics & Moral Issues course. As I have found a liberal arts education a crucial component that enriches my business major, the McDonough School of Business’s strong liberal arts core will undoubtedly further my academic pursuit with the ability of critical thinking, logical reasoning, and ethical decision-making.

My motivation for studying business at Georgetown first has to do with my belief that one’s moral compass should guide one’s actions in life and professionally—in my case, the business world. Business does not have to be mercenary— the character of a business is subject to one’s ethical principle. While I have seen and been disappointed by countless businesses in my country that pursue profit at the cost of their customers’ money, time, and even health, I aspire to start my own social enterprise. As our ancient philosopher Lao Tzu said, “The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own. ” This axiom rings true that I can do business for the greater good. For this purpose, I applied to an on-campus entrepreneurship program last semester and was chosen to blueprint my educational consulting firm, which aims to help underprivileged students in China gain access to high school and college education. These academic and professional goals formed under my moral compass, jointly lead me to apply to the McDonough School of Business and major in Management, Leadership, and Innovation; indeed, Dean David Thomas’s statement that “we deeply believe that business can and should be a force for good” resonates with me.

My motivation for studying business at Georgetown also has to do with the academic and professional match. Taking courses at my current school from a number of different disciplines, particularly the humanities, has inspired my interests to re-examine business issues from different lenses. These interdisciplinary interactions repeatedly thrill me with the wonder of knowledge and the innovative application of knowledge, which has enabled me to think of business philosophically and economically. At Georgetown, I will maintain my interdisciplinary interests with its rich liberal arts electives, with courses range from history or government to philosophy to theology. In addition, McDonough School of Business provides countless co-curricular opportunities that bridge a professional springboard. I aim to participate in The Global Social Enterprise Initiative (GSEI) with its economic growth focus to build a feasible revenue model that better serves my community. At the same time, both the Entrepreneurship Initiative and Entrepreneurship Fellows Program, provide opportunities for me to discover my entrepreneurial aptitude and to maximize my potential of founding a successful new business venture. The Ethics of Entrepreneurship, one of the nine freshman seminars McDonough offers, will impart another opportunity for me to merge my experiences in business, my passions in community impacts and my knowledge in entrepreneurship.

Additionally, my motivation for studying business at Georgetown has to do with the academic outreach, where I can empower myself with a perfect complement—a minor in Education, Inquiry, and Justice. I want to start my business to seek for justice with my faith that educational inequality is substantially connected to economics, in which philosophy can play a theoretical role. By taking courses such as Schools, Poverty, and Policy (PSYC-347) and Philosophy of Education (EDIJ-156), perhaps I can address the uncertainty about widening gaps in income and educational opportunity that consistently haunts my heart. Practically, by taking those required education-related courses, I will likely gain an invaluable advantage as I set out to inspire others on their journey, when I utilize my breadth of knowledge and understanding to work with students as an educational entrepreneur. Clearly, Georgetown is an unparalleled institute where I can contemplate how to realize egalitarianism by eliminating educational inequality.

In the final analysis, McDonough is a business school that provides students a fertile environment that challenges us to mull over issues, to learn, and to convert what we have learned into innovative applications. Therefore, I cannot think of a more joyous journey than to be a member of the Hoya community where we maximize our potential, share our knowledge, and work together to make a difference in the world through business solutions.

If you have attended more than one college prior to applying to Georgetown, please explain.

I attended ASA College prior to LaGuardia Community College. Since I was working full time for my relative's family business at that time, I was not sure if I could maintain my school workload. I quickly realized it was achievable since I had 4.0 GPA for two consistent semesters, and I could actually challenge myself to pursue a more rigorous education. Therefore, I transferred to LaGuardia Community College and started to take honors classes, which became an eye-opener that showed me the path to Georgetown. I was invited to join the Honors Student Advisory Committee (HSAC), and one HSAC alumnus who had transferred to Georgetown encouraged me to apply to Georgetown.

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Rate these essays from 1-5 with 5 being the highest. What ratings did you give and why?

What three words would you use to describe this student?

Should it matter to the admission committee if the first language of an applicant is not English?

Should content be more important than form in evaluating admission essays? Defend your answer

Do you think this student is smart? Defend your answer?

Should the admission committee take financial hardship into consideration?

Is this essay inspirational and if so in what way?

Would you like this student to be your roommate?

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I would like to thank Wenhui for giving me permission to post his essays here. To me, Wenhui is an example of how students can, even if they have significant obstacles, still find a way to succeed. Professor Angela Lee Duckworth describes students like Wenhui as having grit.  Grit is the character trait which predicts success in academics and life too.

Wenhui began his college career by going to school at night. He had a full time job in order to support his parents. He started at a for profit college and had perfect grades. For profit colleges are known for having low success rates so Wenhui overcame much. He then went on to community college where he entered the honors program. Once again he did quite well, In fact he was nominated for   he Georgetown Preferred Consideration Program which significantly increases students' chance to be accepted from community college. Not only was Wenhui accepted to Georgetown he was offered over $60,000 in financial aid so that he can afford to enroll.

My guess is that Wenhui has a very bright future ahead of him. I do hope his story will inspire others to think big and try to find great opportunities.