Prompt: Cornell Business Supplement
What kind of a business student are you? Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should convey how your interests align with the school to which you are applying within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management or the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration). (650 word limit)
Essay
Reflecting on my experiences working in hospitals, assisted living facilities, and at a Marriott, I realized something key: hospitality is missing from healthcare. At first glance, the industries might appear totally disparate with completely different goals, but the more I thought about it the more I found that both industries share the central goal of patient or customer wellbeing, comfort, and satisfaction. I’d always wondered if there was a program that combined these fields, until I discovered Cornell’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration and the Institute of Healthy Futures (CIHF), which offers a unique program that bridges hospitality, healthcare, and senior living.
My vision is to develop senior living and healthcare enterprises of the future: systems that center compassionate and hospitable environments as well as excellent holistic care, where mental health is viewed with the same weight as physical.
Cornell’s curricular flexibility paired with the breadth of courses offered and the depth of access to research is truly unmatched. I can’t wait to participate in CIHF’s “Hospitality, Health, and Design Industry Immersion Seminar,” where I’ll gain insights from industry experts on the intersection of health, wellness, and hospitality design. Studying “Fundamentals of Hospitality Development and Management,” will provide essential skills necessary to develop and operate hospitality facilities while controlling operational costs. Deep understanding of Real Estate is paramount to the success of any hospitality venture; Enrolling in ” Real Estate Development” and “Hospitality Real Estate Financing” will build a foundation in debt/equity financing and valuation models, so my future endeavors are financially sound.
I’m inspired to work with Professor Vincent Slaugh and learn from his research on “Consistent Staffing for Long Term Care through On-Call Pools.” Workforce management is a crucial skill to running labor-intensive healthcare businesses. At Forest View Assisted Living I learnt, 60% revenue was allocated to the payroll, piquing my curiosity about the efficiency of resource allocation. Under Professor Slaugh’s mentorship I’ll make great strides in learning effective workforce management.
At Marriott, I conducted a SWOT analysis by studying the competition to help management identify strategies to maintain competitive advantage. Course in “Strategic Management” with Professor Tarallo will help further develop analytical skills and critical thinking to compete with other residential care facilities. Additionally, “Marketing Management for Services” and “Brand Management” courses will empower me to effectively communicate the value proposition of the facilities I aspire to launch.
Courses under “Food and Beverage Management” specialization will equip me to provide senior living residents with nutritious and satisfying meals, unlike the canned food I often saw leaving them disappointed. The course “Nonprofit Social Enterprise and Food Justice” will help me expand my nonprofit Serve Humanity Foundation, which provides healthcare to underserved communities. I now recognize the need to address food justice in these communities too.
I’m excited about Pillsbury internship program and the possibility of working with partners like Distinctive Living and Cayuga Medical Center. I look forward to applying the principles from my coursework and past experiences while gaining hands-on industry exposure.
Back on campus, I’ll join Cornell’s renowned student accelerator, eLab to integrate my knowledge and insight from internships to develop an AI-backed platform for mental health screening, detection, and intervention for seniors. At Forest View, we implemented a similar application, but it requires customization for residential care facilities. With no existing solution in this space, I intend to fill that gap.
Cornell’s study abroad program presents an opportunity to spend a semester at Ashoka University, India. As the world’s largest democracy and the fastest growing economy, India offers a unique avenue to explore hospitality in a new cultural context. Upon returning, I’ll work at Statler to compare and share my hospitality experiences between East and West.
I look toward the future with a determined spirit and boundless enthusiasm. I’ll leverage my passion and the unique collection of skills I can only gain at the Nolan School to bring hospitality into hospitals and senior living facilities.
Tips for Writing
Especially for prompts such as this one, that ask how your interests align with the school (basically a why us essay), it is first important to do quality research. The school wants to see that you actually showed interest in them and that you took the time, at least a few hours, to scour their websites and the internet to find courses, clubs, programs, or even aspects of students’ daily lives. However, just as important, is to connect these aspects of the school back to oneself, that way you dont just brag about the school, but you show why you are a good fit for it.
Also, these types of essays get easier as you write them so I recommend writing some “why us” essays for your safety and target schools before working on your reach schools. To add onto that, make sure you have the time to do all this by starting on time. I started writing my essays in September, but I recommend starting in the summer before senior year, while you are finishing up your final research and summer projects that way you have more time when school starts to edit essays and focus on schoolwork.