从08年启动申请，到09年拿到Duke offer，再到过去两年作为mentor帮助了几十位CD-er申请MBA：五年多了，于CD，我自己有着很多的感激和谢意，但觉得这无须挂在嘴边，更有意义的是用更实际的行动予以回报。
过去的两年，本着绝对负责的态度，我小心翼翼却非常严苛的总结着MBA的心得。这些心得的总结，不仅源于对自己申请MBA经历的回顾，还源于麦府极具挑战的工作带给我的思考，更源于我与许多不同学校MBA毕业生的畅谈体会。陆陆续续的，特别是去年，看到有很多XDJM不断肯定我的指导思路和建议，并且顺利拿到top school的offers，我才敢在今天斗胆发表一个小小的帖子，不断记录一些个人的理解和观点，以期在更大的范围内帮助到更多的同路人，去追逐并实现更高的理想。
所谓：偏居一隅，心怀天下。
是为记。
说说MBA申请的五个真相（承接仁兄bigjoe的帖子）
https://forum.chasedream.com/thread-736508-1-1.html
申请Duke的同学，新任院长Bill Boulding的文章是一定要读的。这里面阐释了他对Leader of Consequence的理解。
https://forum.chasedream.com/thread-868025-1-1.html
申请Duke的很多问题，都在总结帖子里面找到答案。个人建议：强烈推荐阅读这些帖子，然后再跟校友去聊天 —— be a prepared candidate; this is the way you show respect to admissions office and alumni, and in return, you get good impressions from school.
https://forum.chasedream.com/thread-724870-1-1.html
昨天晚上（2013年8月13日，中国传统的七夕节），Duke MBA 2014年的首场宣讲上，我谈到了对Team Fuqua的理解，简单的三个小故事而已。
The first story happened before I got into Fuqua. Thinking of a random shot, I clicked the "send" button to the President of xx Club at Fuqua. That xx Club sounded very interesting on its website, and I just wanted to have a real-feel by knowing more of what they do. Within 30 hours, I received an email of ~800 words, detailing a few typical projects they had led and the impact they had created. That was the first "wow". Later on, luckily, I got the interview invitation from Duke. With the mind of taking another shot, I wrote back to the same guy asking for interview tips. Again, an email of specific tips consisting of another 800 words just sparkled in my eyes. I never had the chance to meet that guy till now, as he graduated when I got into school. However, that is the start of my first true, personal experience of Team Fuqua.
The second story was well remembered because it happened during the craziest period of career search in our first year. When I got an email with the subject of “Free Editing” right after midnight, it was just like getting a God’s gift. Understanding the challenge of international students in English language communication, a U.S. classmate whose major was fine arts in college, together with a few other people who are good at English writing, voluntarily help polish resume, cover letters and even emails to recruiters. Today, that simple initiative back 3 years ago has turned into a real club. That would be no better examples of how we Fuquans leave a legacy in our community.
The third story was what I experienced after Fuqua. On a Sunday morning early this year, I surprisingly found out that my iPhone screen was full of WeChat message notices （微信新消息通知） - I was added into a group named the Fuquans in Greater China. The key was, within a month, this group reached 100 people, the largest size of group without paying a fee. Many current students and alumni are lining up to get in – ironically similar to 北京摇号, but in a totally different mood. I could not think of things that I could not talk over – jokes, perspectives on news and politics, networking, dinner or party appointment…pretty much an energizer after a day’s touch work.
As another alumnus put it, many schools talk about team work. The difference is down to how school and students/alumni collectively live up to it, in every single day. At Duke, this is what is happening. Receiving valuable support, and in return, making meaningful contributions, with a thankful heart - that’s my understanding of Team Fuqua.
什么是成就？对我们申请MBA的essay意味着什么？
申请过程中，有太多次深陷其中不能自拔的情形。比如achievement，achievement挂在嘴边，写在纸上，却忘记了何为achievement。
"An achievement is something that someone has succeeded in doing, especially after a lot of effort."
这个柯林斯英汉词典的解释，告诉我们，成就=历经艰辛而取得的成功。很多时候，我们只记得成功，却忽视了艰辛。
这个achievement的定义对我们写essay意味着什么呢？
第一，没有challenge，何谈achievement？任何就achievement谈achievement的段落，都是空洞无力的，听起来更像是一个claim，而不是一个story。好的essay，在写achievement的时候，一定是把challenge勾画清楚的——克服了种种困难，经历了无数挫折，这样的成就才能跃然纸上，令人信服且印象深刻。
第二，只停留在过去的光环中，而看不到未来的可能性，是令人惋惜的。任何一个成功，都不是偶然的。对于要寻找和培养未来商界领袖的商学院来说，一个只知道成功结果而不思考成功原因的申请人是不成熟的。只有对过去成功有着深刻理解，才能对未来更大成功的可能性有所受益。好的essay，一定会超越achievement本身，去谈深刻的、可复制的learning：过去成功固然可喜，未来成功才更可期。
第三，只关注achievement对自己的影响，而看不到其对社会和他人的影响，是视野狭隘的。诚如中学政治课所学，个人价值要与社会价值有机的统一，这一点在美国同样适用。对任何一个achievement的思考和总结，不仅要停留在自己成长的层面，更要关注到社会影响的层面。这样的achievement才能体现领袖的价值，也恰恰是商学院所关注和嘉赏的。
最近有些同学开始找我询问简历的事情，特别是简历在申请MBA中起到的作用。对于简历的写作，在之前与CD学员的沟通中，我也阐述了自己的观点，总结起来就是：坚持一个中心，贯彻两个基本点，避免八个误区。
坚持一个中心：简历的核心作用，就是stimulate the desire of getting you interviewed and admitted。简历的内容和布局，都要围绕这个中心来进行。
贯彻两个基本点：1）clear，经历清晰；2）characterful，形象鲜明。八个误区
- 平淡无奇 vs. 栩栩如生】经常出现的问题：闭上眼睛，无法留下深刻的印象，无法形成鲜明的形象
- 【求全责备 vs. 纲举目张】经常出现的问题：把简历当成职业回忆录，能写的都写上，生怕漏掉
- 【一马平川 vs. 八面玲珑】经常出现的问题：因为职业或者经历的单一性，在某一类型的经历上用了太多笔墨，导致简历相对单调
- 【恪尽职守 vs. 年少有为】经常出现的问题：简历写成了汇报，写成了工作总结，写成了职责说明，而不是achievement centered，至于什么是achievemnt，之前的帖子已经讲过
- 【自说自话vs. 感同身受】经常出现的问题：用了专有名称，或者是没有任何比较的数字，或者是没有任何context的行动与成就
- 【连篇累牍 vs. 言简意赅】经常出现的问题：简历超过一页，或者每个bullet point写超过四行，或者每个职位下面接近10个bullet point
- 【百密一疏 vs. 明察秋毫】经常出现的问题：格式不统一，总是出现各种小问题，例如并不是所有bullet point后面都有一个圆点；并不是所有的bullet point以动词开头；并不是所有的动词都用过去式等等
- 【一劳永逸 vs. 温故知新】经常出现的问题：简历写好，就不动了，就完美了，再也不做更新
有效避免这八大误区，才能更好的坚持一个中心，贯彻两个基本点，才能让简历起到至关重要的作用。
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原文引自：
https://forum.chasedream.com/thread-869921-1-1.html
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