Rotman MBA Essay Examples: Real Essays & Strategy Guide

The spikiest pictures exhibit my passion for cricket, my accomplishment in distance running, and my zeal for public speaking & improving the community.

I held a cricket bat even before I went to school. Growing up, I always watched cricket with my father – a sports enthusiast – and often emulated the techniques of my favorite cricketers when playing with my friends.  In Class XI, I was selected to play for my school team in Saudi Arabia (photograph 1). The team taught me the importance of teamwork, perseverance, and hard work. Though I started as the slowest among my teammates, I was diligent and never missed a single 2-hour practice. I fine-tuned my techniques by spending extra time with my coach and pursued speed and mobility drills to improve my reflex and agility. My hard work paid off.  My performance in the league tournaments earned me an opportunity to represent the city – XXX – in the intercity tournament. Unlike the school team, the city team included players from different nationalities – Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, and Afghanistan. Among the many challenges to play for a team with such diversity, the language barrier was the biggest. Nevertheless, I took lead and used an amalgamation of English with other regional languages to communicate with my teammates. This helped us break barriers and strengthened team trust. I learned to respect different cultures, their perspectives, and their modus of Operandi under demanding match situations. Interacting with team members with different styles – diplomatic, calm, and assertive – I also developed an openness to perspectives that have led me to always listen and understand before pushing my own ideas.  As for cricket, my passion for the sport has grown over the years, and I grab every opportunity that comes my way to play.

Five years after my cricket experience, a busy schedule and poor diet led me to gain 25 pounds. Weighing over 230 pounds and with a BMI of 32, I was crowned “OBESE”. The doctors warned me of a plethora of ailments to come. A physical transformation was needed, and after weeks of deliberation, I began my journey – strict diet, consistent sleep, and a rigorous hour-long workout daily despite working full-time. I lost 20 pounds in 5 months. Unfortunately, following the same routine, I no longer observed visible improvements and was tempted to fall back to my bad habits. To motivate muself, I read fitness blogs and realized that physical transformation required a committed mind. I took this challenge to learn to be more disciplined. Nine months later, I was overwhelmed with a transformed physique – losing over 50 pounds in the process. The joy, however, was short-lived as I encountered my second setback – a lumbar injury that deprived me of any physical activity for 1 year. A sudden lifestyle change without exercise was challenging to avoid any weight gain. But I was resolute and resorted to a balanced diet and relaxed walks to maintain my weight.  Post-recovery, I aimed to take fitness to the next level. My friend, a renowned nutritionist, and triathlete motivated me to join the city’s distance runners’ group. The weekly 3 days of group runs combined with 5 days of gym training helped me increase my endurance. The elite runners of the group taught me recovery and stretching techniques to avoid injuries.  In 2016, I completed my first 10Km hill run (photograph 2) and subsequently a half marathon. The journey instilled in me a stronger need to spread fitness in the community and to lead an active lifestyle. What brought more joy to me was when 3 of my colleagues took to fitness after my transformation. I helped them with their diet plan, encouraged them to join the gym, and suggested exercise regimes.

My desire to contribute to the community was further deepened when I joined Toastmasters, a nonprofit organization focused on public speaking and leadership. What began as an opportunity to network and improve my public speaking skills eventually turned into a passion. The chapter, which consisted of members of different ages and backgrounds, allowed me to learn in a forgiving environment. Over the next 2.5 years, I assumed leadership positions from Treasurer to President. I structured new member orientation programs through classroom and virtual modes, organized monthly education sessions based on members’ needs, and strengthened mentor-mentee interaction through formalizing coffee chats. Subsequently, our club doubled its membership base, increased member retention, and claimed the prestigious Diamond Club Award, awarded to the best clubs across 7 states. Simultaneously, I honed my public speaking skills and participated with zeal in my first Speech Contest, only to be eliminated at the club level. Discouraged, I questioned if I should participate in future contests. However, my mentor thought otherwise. Her feedback helped me realize that every contest is about improving ourselves and that we are our biggest competitors. Four months later, I entered the Evaluation Speech contest and progressed to become a District finalist – among 746 contestants across 7 states (photograph 3). Humbled by the learning process, I decided to coach young toastmasters, as my mentor has helped me.  Recently, I coached and motivated my mentee to work on a pitch to her CEO to change her role in the organization. Her pitch was successful, enabling her to change roles and improve her work satisfaction.

Recently, I met with Mr. Chris Jones (Assistant Director of Admission) at an MBA fair. Through him, I realized that Rotman values several traits that I have learned and demonstrated in my life, and I am eager and excited to continue my journey there.  The emphasis Rotman puts on self-development, combined with its strength in strategy and consulting, makes it my top choice to achieve my career goals and continue to make a difference for my community.