I’ve been going through a lot of the college Stats Video and Essays but I can never find what would be considered a good or even great work experience when it comes to applying for Cornell’s SHA. Is entrepreneurship something you can show in your application? What kind of work experience would set you apart from the other candidates?
There is no single answer to your question. SHA has a very clear focus, and work experience in and around hotels / hospitality is part of demonstrating that you have some understanding of the particular demands of hospitality.
Having the “best” work experience doesn’t make/break your application, not least because opportunities are so unevenly distributed. What experience do you have that makes you confident that you want to go to SHA?
And, because you mention entrepreneurship, I am just going to note that if you are hoping to use the higher admit rate for SHA to slide sideways into Dyson, know that SHA AOs have amazing radar for that. Apologies if that is not what you are thinking!
Ah, Dyson is not my choice at all. I am very keen on applying to SHA mainly because I absolutely would love to have my own restaurant or maybe work in an environment like that, not necessarily a “chef”. I did have the opportunity of providing catering services to political figures in my country, one of them being the Prime Minister and I’m really proud about that. I did try gaining experience in hospitals and their management as well mainly because I wanted to see how hard it is in the real world. I was wondering whether that is something I can mention or not, considering most of my friends have told me SHA is only looking for hotel-based experience.
I also have to point out that none of my friends have actually ever applied to SHA so I don’t want to take their word about everything they say.
SHA really is about hospitality management, not just hotels. If you wanted cheffy training I would point you to CIA (Culinary Institute of America). You can- and should- mention any / all hospitality experience, how it shaped your interests, and what you are doing to further your interests.
Also keep reading into what SHA does, and what kind of careers they are preparing their students for. Be sure that it is genuinely a good match for what you want. SHA’s acceptance rate is (relatively) high b/c the students self-select.
Good luck!
ps, if you are not accepted (and your academics are in range) remember that SHA is almost more like a grad school: they know what they do, and who it suits and they won’t take you if they don’t see that what they do is a good fit for what you are looking for.
1 Like
Thank you so much~ You’ve been really helpful. 