Build Your MBA Profile Like Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie is known worldwide as both a  glamorous movie star and an advocate of several worthwhile humanitarian causes. Even more impressive than this amazing image is how she has managed to accomplish so much while simultaneously  battling with  substance addictions, social controversies, and failed relationships. By building your MBA profile like Angelina has built her career, you can also overcome any potentially negative components of your application. From â€Å"Wild Child† to â€Å"World’s Most Admired Woman† Growing up an unpopular schoolgirl and then becoming an unsuccessful model struggling with an eating disorder, drug addiction, depression, and flops after flops, Angelina’s rise to success was not as easy as one might assume. Early in life, she made the news more often for the wrong reasons than she did for any positive accomplishments. The turning point, she says, was adopting her son, Maddox   his entry into her life  made her commit to  ending  her self-destructive ways. Around this same time, the filming of her blockbuster hit â€Å"Lara Croft: Tomb Raider† in Cambodia opened her eyes to the worldwide humanitarian crisis, leading to her involvement as a United Nations ambassador. From her image as a wild child, to being named the  World’s Most Admired Woman in 2015  by YouGov, Angelina Jolie has ably managed her public image to benefit her career and make an impact on worthwhile causes. Lesson for MBA applicants: Just as early missteps did not define Angelina  Ã‚  and have even proved to make  her story interesting MBA applicants can build their profiles even with previous failures or mistakes. Identifying turning points and key events that allowed you  to mature and  fulfill your   potential will allow  the  Admissions Committee  to better understand and relate to your early vulnerability, redemption, and success. Images of Refugee Camp Visits Striking images of Angelina’s well-documented visits to refugee camps in Kenya, Lebanon, and all over the world, are also helpful in presenting her awareness of, and commitment to, her cause in a way that is both credible and powerful, such that her reputation as a humanitarian is able to drown  out accusations that she is may be a home-wrecker. (Apologies to Jennifer Aniston’s fans, if any are still reading up to this point!) Lesson for MBA applicants: Sharing stories complete with vivid images that will favorably surprise the Admissions Committee  or counteract negative perceptions or  stereotypes about your background will be  very useful for your MBA essays and your overall profile. For instance, private equity analysts could be seen as mainly doing desktop research and not getting exposed to the outside world. Thus, an applicant of this background would do well to richly relate the experience of inspecting the mines or interacting with people in the factories.  In contrast, an applicant from a very poor country would do well to highlight global leadership experiences and personal exposure across different nations  to  help assure the Admissions Committee that he or she will do well in a diverse top-tier  MBA program. Building a well-rounded profile like Angelina Jolie will be essential  to gaining admission to a top-tier business school;  showing that you are someone who can â€Å"hit the ground running† wherever you go is the type of candidate  MBA programs are truly looking for. Applying to business school? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or take our free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation  for personalized advice for your unique application situation! As always, be sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+  and Twitter. Written by Edison Cu, a Veritas Prep Head Consultant for  INSEAD.