Team – say hello to Aditya!
Aditya had an excellent GMAT score and was considering applying to several top 20 MBA programs. But, like August Academy’s poster child – Bharath Swaminathan, Aditya belonged to that most competitive pool of MBA aspirants – Indian Male (IT) Engineers.
And to top it off, Aditya had little to speak about in terms of extracurricular activity.
So when he was asked what extracurricular activities he engaged in and how these activities enriched his views on life, Aditya felt he had nothing worth writing about.
That was simply until we started digging deeper into his life.
Netflix and Chill Maybe?
Let me tell you – we left no stops unturned. We started with something basic. “Aditya, do you Netflix and chill?” I asked, almost to his embarrassment. It turned out that he did. And yes, he felt the right amount of guilty for engaging in Netflix. And no – he did want to talk about it in his essays.
We went further – does Aditya read? Play on a team? Volunteer for social causes? Travel? Take pictures on a digital SLR? Maybe on an iPhone?
The answer, every time, was a frustrating “No.”
Does playing Pokemon count, Karthik?
Just as we were about to quit, Aditya asked, in his uncertain voice, “Does playing Pokemon count, Karthik?”
I was intrigued.
I’d considered playing Pokemon before. But I never gave it much thought as a fulltime extracurricular activity till I talked to Aditya.
Aditya’s reflections on how Pokemon helped him
Aditya was new in Bangalore at the time. He didn’t know anyone in the city. He didn’t know the city.
Pokemon was how he explored his new home. His clansmen and women became his support system. Some of them were international. Through them, Aditya got to learn of stories from faraway places. He became worldly-wise – and this was for the better.
Pokemon raids also helped him build his leadership skills – when he was the clan leader, he had to set strategy for his entire team or face massive disappointment.
Why did this essay work?
Thus, something as seemingly trivial as playing Pokemon turned out to be a valuable extracurricular activity, the way Aditya wrote it because the essay was not just about the activity, but also about his reflection on how it helped him become a better person.
And this was how we were able to help Aditya!
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