QS MBA Community Scholarship: 2020 Winner Noah Ross

I hope an MBA will make me a more well-balanced professional. I have experience working in the social and public sector and I am confident in my soft skills, but I wanted an opportunity to get exposure to the private sector and to improve my analytical skills. I genuinely believe that partnerships between the public, private, and social sector are invaluable to improving communities, and I hope the exposure an MBA provides to major companies will allow me to further understand the opportunities to use business and business-tools to better society. 

The scholarship application process was easy and straight-forward! The hardest part is writing the essay, as you only have several hundred words to show your commitment to community work and your experience as a socially responsible leader. It is a lot of information to condense, but it forces you to reflect and chose the key achievements in your personal and professional life.  

Business school is very, very expensive – so much so that the price is often a deterrent, especially for people coming from the social or public sector. Having worked in international development before business school, I never made a lot of money in my career and I understand first-hand how studying an MBA is a huge financial obligation. Thanks to the QS Community Scholarship, part of that financial obligation is covered, which makes it possible for 'non-traditional' candidates like me to learn and explore the world of business. 

“Show, don’t tell”. Saying you are passionate about social impact is not as powerful as showing how you have made a difference through your work, educational, or volunteer experience. Try to highlight moments in your life where you have taken concrete actions to positively impact a community, a group, or a person– this will better demonstrate your commitment to social responsibility.