IE Business School Fall 2014 International MBA Application Question I Michael Greenstein

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TRAVELING: THE PLACES I’VE BEEN
IE BUSINESS SCHOOL
FALL 2014 MBA APPLICATION
Michael Evan Greenstein

2. AGENDA
Why I chose to answer Question I
The Places I’ve Been
Selected Photography
Sierra Leone
Afghanistan
Miscellaneous Travel
Personal Development
Professional Growth
Conclusion
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3. WHY I CHOSE TO ANSWER QUESTION I
Question I appealed to me on several levels:
1. I relish the opportunity to share my experiences with others
2. Based on Section 2 of the Application, I gather that IE values extensive experience
interacting with foreign cultures
3. Given my proclivity to keep a camera on me when I travel, I knew I could truly
“show” IE this activity I enjoy doing so much. I could write ad nauseam about my
travels, but (cliché as it is) a picture is worth more than 400 – 600 words
4. Travelling has made an indelible mark on me, personally and professionally, and I
am confident that I can convey that impact
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4. OH, THE PLACES I’VE BEEN
“You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!”
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As a child, I read “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss, and
juvenile as it may seem, the book impacted my thirst for exploration
greatly.
At a prima facie glance to my six-year old self, it was a book about
seeing new places and discovering new sights. Years later upon
reflection, I gathered that it was about much more than that, but my
appetite for exploration remained.
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Thus, when I was old enough, I thought of the above quote and set off
to ‘get on [my] way.’ It is my pleasure to give you a preview of some
of the ‘Great Places’ I have been lucky enough to enjoy…
Europe
Asia
North America Africa
HTTP://UPLOAD.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/WIKIPEDIA/EN/0/07/OH,_THE_PLACES_YOU'LL_GO.JPG
South America
Oceania
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5. SELECTED PHOTOGRAPHY (SIERRA LEONE)
My time in Sierra Leone was one of the most
formative, interesting, and eye-opening times
of my life.
Left: Meeting with the US Ambassador to Sierra Leone
Right: Meeting with the Chief of the Sierra Leone Police
Learning valuable lessons about peacekeeping operations from
Mongolian UN Peacekeepers on their country’s first such
operation
Engaging the local populace en route to Liberia
Cross-training with foreign armies: the International Military
Assistance and Transition Team
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6. SELECTED PHOTOGRAPHY (AFGHANISTAN)
Though most would not consider a combat deployment to Afghanistan simply “travel,” I learned a great
deal about other cultures, and myself, there. To me, it was as valuable a travel experience as any other.
Left to right:
• Finishing a face-to-face interaction with locals in Mazar-i-Sharif
• Meeting new friends on Camp Deh Dadi II
• Informal meeting with colleagues’
• Mid-way through my first mission, February 2011
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7. SELECTED PHOTOGRAPHY (MISCELLANEOUS)
Left to right:
• Elation at escape from large bulls, Pamplona, 2010
• Enjoying the view of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, 2011
• Praying at the Western Wall, Jerusalem, 2009
• Skydiving over the Whitsunday Islands, 2011
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8. My travels have taken me all over the world. Some of my favorite
places, either for work or leisure are included herein.
Left to right:
• Enjoying a brief respite from work, the Dead Sea, 2012
• Blending two favorite pastimes: skiing and travel, Austria, 2013
• Spirited discussions with Iranian and Israeli law students in Evian-les-Bains, France, 2009
• Hangliding over Rio de Janeiro, 2009
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9. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
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Immersion into myriad new cultures cultivates an ever-expanding, globally
appreciative and tolerant worldview
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Regularly experiencing culture shock is, to me, a means of growing as a person.
By frequently operating outside of my national and ethnographic “comfort zones,”
I must continue to learn and grow
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My time spent abroad has not simply provided me with new information about
places, history, and culture. In fact, perhaps the most important benefit of travel
for me is the honing of interpersonal interaction skills
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Traveling does not slake my thirst for more travel; while I continue to explore new
areas of the world, doing so only encourages me to continue traveling, thus I do
not stagnate as a person
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10. PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
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Constantly experiencing new cultures, trying my hand at new languages, and
interacting with a slew of variegated people all yield benefits to me as a leader
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As I work outside of my home country, and interact with foreign regularly,
continuing to travel informs my ability to effectively engage people of different
backgrounds, in different places, on a professional level
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Continuous travel exposes me to an ever-changing landscape of ideas; this
prevents me from being myopic when making decisions in my professional life
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Further, seeing from the customer level how business operates in diverse parts of
the world affords me a good knowledge base for future endeavors
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11. CONCLUSION
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Travel has contributed greatly to my growth as a person as a whole
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The many destinations I visit are to me, constituents of the overall journey
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That is, travel, while composed of a series of finite, defined, terminuses is in a
macroscopic sense, a continuous, self-improving process that fundamentally betters
us as humans
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