Members of the Class of 2017 at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business
Ask anyone. Business revolves around financial hubs like Wall Street or creative corridors like Silicon Valley. It’s the natural order, right?
Here’s an alternative view. If you’ve ever driven into the nation’s capital, you’ll notice how brand logos are slapped on nearly every high rise lining the interstates. And that’s not by accident. Business and government gravitate towards each other. The free market may be the hidden hand, but the public sector is the one that touches everything. For some, that hand can swipe away barriers or push reform and innovation. For others, it simply chooses winners and losers. A stable democracy and a vibrant economy requires striking a balance between the two.
This proximity to power may explain why Millennials, chomping at the bit to leave a mark, are so drawn to Washington. A transient town soaked in tradition, D.C. is the seat of decision-making, the place where rules are set and every faction wrestles for resources. Not surprisingly, businesses are among the biggest players on K Street. They understand that the crucial choices – the ones that reverberate across the globe – aren’t made in some mythic basement in Daly City. They are instead rendered in D.C. As a result, achieving the greatest good often requires leaders who can think long-term, build bridges and follow principle.
A BUSINESS EDUCATION WITH A HIGHER PURPOSE
If location, like character, is destiny, you won’t a better situation than earning an MBA at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Just three miles from the White House, McDonough offers a ringside seat to where the action is. But the school doesn’t rest on unparalleled internship opportunities and jaw-dropping speakers. Instead, it focuses on a higher purpose: Translating the university’s Jesuit mission to the rough-and-tumble world of business. Here, the vocation is fashioning students into “nimble innovative thinkers and principled leaders in service to both business and society.”
Prashant Malaviya
And the Class of 2017 epitomizes such seriousness of purpose, says Prashant Malaviya, senior associate dean for MBA programs at McDonough. “We have done something with our incoming class that we have always managed to do, which is to attract students who are here for a “Georgetown” education,” Malaviya shares with Poets&Quants. “They want to become principled leaders; have a global, inclusive mindset; and think about business and society rather than business or society. It is inspiring to see them seek out our brand of business education and come here to transform their lives.”
Hoya MBAs are serious no doubt. But they follow a “Work hard, play hard” ethos. On Thursdays, you’ll find their puckish spirits on full display during “Kegs in the Commons.” And this fun-loving community goes all in for soccer tournaments and grill offs too. Indeed, the 2017 Class comes from all walks of life, including a Fulbright Scholar, an Apache helicopter pilot, and a campaign manager for a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. They have worked for companies ranging from Ogilvy & Mather to Sesame Street to the Peace Corps. And they dream of everything from launching social impact ventures to snagging a seat at the next Presidential inauguration.
In fact, Malaviya looks at the incoming class with a mixture of fascination and admiration over their diverse backgrounds and inspiring narratives. “There are varying reasons why the students are special. Some stand out for their sheer perseverance. We have one student who recently lost his leg in an accident. Most students would have been devastated and completely changed their plans. We offered to defer his admission, but he wanted to continue with his plans and enroll now. I was blown away by that courage and determination….There is a student from China who has a simple objective for his MBA — to raise venture capital to create a startup. He wants to use that money to develop a hi-tech, app-based surgical mouth mask for helping people deal with the pollution in China. We have another student who successfully lobbied Arizona to pass a law to protect children from abuse — when he was 14. There’s another student who at a young age launched a startup, made it profitable, and sold it. He has come here to learn how to do it better. I am surprised by his humility — he has been successful and still wants to learn.”
APPLICATIONS JUMP BY 16%
The class is just as impressive by the numbers. From 2014-2015, McDonough received 2,034 applications – a 16% spike in applications over the previous year. In the end, the school enrolled a class of 270 full-time MBA students, good for an acceptance rate of 39.6%. Overall, students collectively averaged a 692 GMAT, up one point from the previous year, with a median GMAT of 700 (and a GMAT range of 640-740). The class’ undergraduate GPA also rose slightly to 3.36 average with a 3.33 median (with GPAs varying from 2.92-3.77).
In terms of class composition, women make up 31% of the 2017 Class. At the same time, the percentages of international and U.S. minority students both fell with the new class, going from 41% to 33% and 32% to 25% respectively. However, the school retained its distinctly global mindset. Overall, 40 countries are represented in the class, with Malaviya noting that 84 percent of the class had either studied or worked abroad before arriving at McDonough. And such credentials will come in handy during the school’s required Global Business Experience, which takes students to locales across the globe partner with firms like Citi or Samsung on consulting projects.
The class also arrives with 4.97 years of work experience, with a quarter of the students holding a financial services industry background. Beyond that, the class is remarkably diverse, with large swaths of the student population coming from consulting (9%), consumer goods and retail (8%), government (8%), new media and technology (8%), not-for-profit and social impact (7%), manufacturing and construction (5%), energy and cleantech (5%), and healthcare (4%). Another 2% of the class possesses entrepreneurial backgrounds.
Academically, the school leans on the poet side, though 22% of the 2017 Class earned undergraduate degrees in areas related to engineering, math and physical science, and computer science. At 29%, business-related majors account for the largest bloc of students, followed by economics (16%), humanities (12%), social science (10%), and government and international studies (6%).
Go to next page to access student profiles of this year’s incoming class.
Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business
STUDENTS DRAWN TO JESUIT VALUES AND GLOBAL NETWORK
The underlying principle of McDonough’s curriculum is relatively simple: ‘Doing good by doing right.’ In the aftermath of the financial collapse, it is a way of thinking that’s attractive to employers. And that’s born out by the experiences of the Class of 2015, who saw their average salaries rise 7% (to $108,789) and average signing bonuses jump by 15% (to $27,219). What’s more, job offers by graduation climbed 5% over the previous year.
However, such fortunes had little to do with why many members of the Class of 2017 enrolled at McDonough. Malaviya was struck – and inspired – by how these students came to campus “with dreams about how to make the world a better place.” In many ways, that reflects student buy-in with the McDonough philosophy. “The school’s Jesuit tradition and emphasis on cura personalis, the education of the whole person, was attractive to me,” explains Chris Cottrell, an aspiring entrepreneur who had already started a non-profit before joining Georgetown community. “A strong moral compass is equally important to a rigorous education and I have appreciated the school making this a point.”
And Aditya Ponnapalli, a native of India who has worked in software development and consulting, believes the school’s stress on character will prepare him to be leader. “The McDonough School of Business is dedicated to producing leaders who serve society and work for the greater good of society. These values are completely in sync with my goals and where I want to see myself as a leader. I would like not only to lead people, but also to contribute toward improving the lives of people while doing so.”
McDonough Interior
Although McDonough’s class size is smaller than east coast mainstays like Harvard and Wharton, its affiliation with the larger Georgetown community was another deciding factor for some 2017 class members. “I started my search by speaking to alumni of Georgetown, not only McDonough,” confesses Tahira Taylor, a Peace Corps volunteer and Michigan alum. “I got the sense that everyone from every school or program at Georgetown looked out for each other. So even if my network of fellow Georgetown MBAs would be relatively small, my network of fellow Hoyas would be massive. I hope to one day take my career overseas, and between the undergraduate program, the Law Center, the School of Foreign Service, and other programs offered at Georgetown, I can go pretty much anywhere and find another Hoya.”
McDonough’s emergence in entrepreneurship was also a “huge deal” for Cottrell, particularly the school’s StartUpHoyas program, which includes an incubator that connects students with mentors, office space, and resources. “I think this will be one of the most defining parts of my experience,” Cottrell predicts. “Washington, D.C., also is one of the best cities in the country for access to venture capital, which will be valuable after school.”
Christopher Gomez Blank, who worked in public service before moving into business development for Sesame Street, sums up McDonough’s value proposition this way: “I knew I wanted a global business career and Georgetown, being in D.C., offered that. I also wanted a school with a global brand, and Georgetown offered that as well. It also was important for me to have a student body that had integrity and a grounding in ethics regardless of their professional history and aspirations. Georgetown’s Jesuit tradition is central to everything at the university – including MBA admissions – so I knew that I would graduate with a network of thoughtful, principled global business leaders.”
McDonough students in class
CLASS LOOKING TO EMERGE AS LEADERS — WITH A BIG NETWORK
Growing up, most students learned the 3Rs. At McDonough, MBAs must master a new set of Rs to succeed: Resourcefulness, resilience, and resolve. And that’s particularly true for Lynn Lai Oo, a business development manager from Myanmar, who has already set a high bar for herself. “Before I graduate, I would ultimately like to develop quantitative and analytical skills and intangible qualities of successful global principled leaders such as the ability to manage, presence to inspire, charisma to lead, and fortitude to persist in the face of challenges.”
At the other end, Cottrell plans to get his feet wet in the startup space. “Before graduation I hope to have gone from idea to execution on a venture, whether it’s my own or supporting a classmate. It may not be a venture I pursue after graduation. But that experience will be invaluable.”
And Gomez Blank hopes to convert his classmates into his network. “I want to meet and have at least one meaningful conversation with every member of my graduating class. With 270 of us, I know it is possible. I do not need to be everyone’s best friend, but the network I graduate with is very important to me and I want to be able to pick up the phone 30 years from now to congratulate one of my classmates when their company goes public, makes it onto the Fortune 500, or they make it to the C-suite.”
To read profiles of incoming Georgetown McDonough students – along with their advice on tackling GMAT, applications, and interviews – click on the student links below.
Gerald Gangaram / New York City, NY<
Christopher Gomez Blank / Arlington, VA
Tamar Papava / Tbilisi, (Republic of) Georgia
Aditya Ponnapalli / Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Chris Cottrell
Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Undergraduate School and Major: Arizona State University, BS Political Science
Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: Before moving to Washington, I worked at Yodle, a marketing software company, initially as a consultant working with small businesses to use the platform. From there I moved into managing the teams who worked with clients under the brand of one of our international partners.
I also started a nonprofit called Daddy Read a Book that helps connect parents to their children through reading.
Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? A strong GRE score was key to my application, so my preparation process probably took longer than others will need. I studied for about a year and took the test more than once before it felt like my score accurately reflected my aptitude.
It takes a lot of willpower to keep up the sometimes Sisyphean task of studying for the GRE and GMAT. My biggest mistake was that, after a good but disappointing test score, I stopped studying for a few months, which really set me back. For me, a high score came down to having the speed and accuracy it takes to not make any small mistakes. That is lost very quickly, which made long breaks in studying particularly detrimental.
What did work for me was setting aside a regular time to study and to finding the hardest preparation materials available, not necessarily the ones with the best platform or marketing.
Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply? It depends on what an applicant is looking to achieve through an MBA. Having both grown up on the West Coast, my wife and I wanted to experience a few years on the East Coast, so I only looked at schools in that area. For applicants heading to finance or consulting, the overall university brand is probably less important since recruiters are well aware of the good programs. For me, brand was also a factor. From the remaining schools, I picked ones that had good entrepreneurial opportunities. Georgetown matched all of these categories perfectly.
What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? Not all applicants will have the same luxury, but because I decided to get my MBA about three years before I actually applied, I had time to build the strength of my application in significant ways that I never could have done in even 18 months. The first step was reading through a few books and dozens of articles (particularly from former admissions committee members) and outlining a long-term plan to be a successful applicant.
Answer the “why” question very, very early. Reflecting on my life and motivations and tying everything into an overarching narrative made the essays and interviews fairly straightforward. It also was motivating when I was deep in the valley of the shadow of standardized tests.
On Twitter, I sought out students at schools I was interested in and started following them. It was kind of a distant application of the “five friends” principle. It helped me understand how successful applicants thought and what they did that set themselves apart to the admissions committee. From there, I found ways to do the similar if not the same things. This can be done many ways, but Twitter worked especially well for me.
For my recommenders, I made a “Guide to Recommending Chris” document, which I’m embarrassed to say, came out to 15 pages. It outlined why I wanted an MBA; which schools I was applying to; what my strengths were (and examples they could use to display them); what my weaknesses were; and quotes from admissions committees about what made good recommendation letters. It even included examples of common recommendation questions and which examples would be best for each. Overkill? Probably…
What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? The entrepreneurial opportunities at Georgetown were a huge factor. McDonough has shown their commitment to this through the Entrepreneurship Initiative, known as StartupHoyas, which has an incredible set of resources and programming. Some examples include the Summer Launch Program, an incubator that takes the place of a summer internship and gives students space on campus and access to mentors while they bring to life an idea. I think this will be one of the most defining parts of my experience. Washington, D.C., also is one of the best cities in the country for access to venture capital, which will be valuable after school.
As a married student, it also was important that the school I chose had a lot of opportunities for my wife. DC is one of the best cities in the world for young professionals and that’s already proven true for her. Though I won’t be able to take advantage of that vibrancy very often during school, this will be a superb city where we can work and live after graduation. The location and prestige of the university brings incredible people to campus regularly.
Finally, the school’s Jesuit tradition and emphasis on cura personalis, the education of the whole person, was attractive to me. A strong moral compass is equally important to a rigorous education and I have appreciated the school making this a point.
What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? Before graduation I hope to have gone from idea to execution on a venture, whether it’s my own or supporting a classmate. It may not be a venture I pursue after graduation. But that experience will be invaluable.
This isn’t part of a typical MBA experience, but I hope to vastly improve my coding ability and CS knowledge. I think it’s a skill many of my classmates would also find valuable and I’d be proud to help in the creation of a coding class or intensive weekend for students in the business school.
Outside of school, attending the 2017 inauguration would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Lauren Doll
Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business
Hometown: Downingtown, PA
Undergraduate School and Major: College of William and Mary, BA in International Relations
Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:
- Volunteer Teacher Trainer, Fundacion Pies Descalzos (2010)
- Teacher & Community Development Coordinator, Centro Cultural Colombo Americano (2011)
- Assistant Country Director, WorldTeach Colombia (2011-2012)
- Knowledge Sharing Specialist/Associate, Training Resources Group, Inc. (2013-2015), Operations Manager (2015)
Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? I applied to dual degrees (MBA/MPH and MBA/MA) so I took the GRE to accommodate both types of programs. I also took the exam four years ago in the old format and opted not to re-take it so I could spend my time focused on essays and applications.
From my limited memory of when I took them before, I knew my strengths and weaknesses and focused my time on the areas where I needed the most work. I kept vocabulary flashcards with me on the bus and when waiting between meetings. I also made sure to go through all the math concepts so there were no surprises the day of the exam. Start early and practice often.
Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply? The most important factors will vary for each person, but make sure you consider location, school specialties, class size, and course selection. Know the course catalogue and the courses in your desired area of interest and make sure there are enough courses relevant to your area to give you the right background. Also, look at the list of companies that come to campus and the average starting salary to make sure you will get out of the program what you expect.
Also, Linkedin is your best friend. Look at where graduates are working from each school you are considering. Conversely, look at the people in jobs that you are interested in and where they went to school. Reach out to graduates from your desired business schools and get inside information about what they see as the program’s advantages and disadvantages.
What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? Start as early as you can and get as many people to read your essays as you can. Also, use your Linkedin network to reach out to past graduates and get as much insight into the programs as possible. You can use that information not only to narrow down your list of schools, but also to tailor your essays and incorporate into your interviews.
What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I knew that my industry (international development) was based in Washington, D.C. and Georgetown had the strongest program and the strongest network in the city and the field. While other programs had higher rankings, Linkedin showed me that the job placement in my field was best at Georgetown.
What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I have three years for my dual degree program and many goals for that time. I am excited to try out many different types of internships in my industry. One of the reasons I picked a school in DC was so I could also intern during the school year. I also look forward to getting involved in the Global Social Enterprise Initiative, which partners chosen fellows with partner organizations and projects that create economic and social impact, and the Net Impact and Emerging Markets clubs.
Gerald Gangaram
Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business
Hometown: New York City, NY
Undergraduate School and Major: United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, NY — Geospatial Information Sciences (GIS)
Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:
U.S. Army Aviation Officer: Company Commander, Executive Officer, Battalion Adjutant/Personnel Officer, Platoon Leader, and AH-64D Apache Helicopter Pilot
Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? Know what the deadlines are for the schools you are applying to and do some reverse planning to give yourself adequate time to study. Three months would be good enough in my opinion.
Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply? Remember to not only consider the school’s reputation, but also the location. This is particularly important for your networking, desired social activities, and living arrangements for any family members you may be bringing with you.
What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? Practice your interview with someone else. You can look up interview questions online, some even program-specific, and have someone ask you in a back-and-forth setting. Being comfortable selling yourself takes some quick practice.
Meet with your supervisors before having them write your letters of recommendation. Hopefully they have been able to witness your strengths first hand, but it always is better to quickly conduct a personal meeting to remind them of what you hope they will include. Finally, give them as much time as possible and be sure to gently follow-up as deadlines approach.
What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? Georgetown University has a great academic program, a reputable alumni network, and a strong location in Washington that provides a great opportunity for future career growth for me and my wife.
What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I intend to gain a formal, prestigious education while engaging in amazingly memorable experiences with my peers and alumni, ultimately expanding my network and professional horizons.
Christopher Gomez Blank
Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business
Hometown: Arlington, VA
Undergraduate School and Major: University of Virginia, Foreign Affairs and Spanish (double major)
Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:
New York Bar Association, Immigration Outreach Coordinator
Brooklyn Family Defense Project, Development Associate
Sesame Workshop, Coordinator, Strategic Partnerships
Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? I took both the GMAT and GRE. For both tests, make sure you give yourself ample time. If you know you are not the best test taker or you have not found the area of a cylinder since high school, then expect the process to take a few months minimum. Create a study schedule and stick to it – that one week you “take off” from studying will become a month before you know it. Expect to sacrifice time with friends and family during the process, so let them know that you will be going dead for a while. If you are coming from a non-quant undergraduate or professional background, I suggest taking the GMAT over the GRE. The admissions committees have reams of data on how people perform on the GMAT and their success in their MBA programs. In order to “prove” that you can do math, take the GMAT which has a more difficult quant section. Also, the main difference between the verbal sections on the test is vocabulary vs. grammar – the GRE is vocabulary heavy and the GMAT is grammar heavy. So, if you are good at memorizing words or Latin roots, I would suggest taking the GRE. If you are a good writer or editor, the GMAT Sentence Correction section will be a breeze.
Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply? Do not get hung up on rankings – get hung up on what the school can do for you and your post-MBA career goals. Do research within your network, figure out the perception of the school in the industry that you want to enter post-MBA, and let that guide your target school list. Consider the network you want to have post-MBA and look at the demographics of the past few classes and employment reports (U.S. vs. international students; percentage of graduates going into consulting vs. finance vs. social impact, etc). Consider geography and how it compares to the industry you are trying to get into. If you want to work on Wall Street, you will be in New York almost every weekend of your first semester recruiting, so if you are going to a school out West, those plane tickets are going to add up. Think of your undergraduate education and how you were successful. If you need space and silence to study, a school in a big city may not be the best fit. Consider your finances and loans. Schools in small towns have a much lower cost of living than schools in urban areas.
What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? Try to visit the schools to which you are applying. This will enrich your essays and help you get a feel for what the student body is like, which you can reflect in your essays. Your essays should prove that you would fit right into a particular MBA community. You should feel like you belong in that MBA community. And, be yourself in the essays! Do not force it – the admissions committees can tell if you are trying too hard. Prepare to write multiple drafts – do not wait until the last minute to write the essays. Through the process, I found outlining the essays first was a better strategy than just sitting down and writing them, but use the writing style that you think will produce the best essay. Finally, before you begin writing, have a clear vision for why you are getting an MBA. Be able to say “I am doing XYZ in my career right now and I want to get an MBA for XYZ reasons because it will allow me to do XYZ career after.” Even if you are not completely convinced that you want to go into consulting, if a consulting career links up with your current work experience, go with that story. Once you are into school, no one is going make sure you are pursuing consulting.
For the admissions interviews, they are not as intense as some people make them out to be. The interviewers are not looking to trick you, but you should know your story inside and out. You should be able to talk about everything that is on your resume without having to look at it. Also have some wild cards up your sleeve – meaning think of additional details, stories, or life experiences that are not on your resume and be able to relate them back to why you are getting an MBA. Finally, do not email your interviewer right after the interview. I made the mistake (with an interview for another school) of writing the interviewer within an hour after the interview when I was still decompressing and I was not really in the right frame of mind to write the thank you email. I looked back at the email a few days later and saw that it was awkwardly worded and made me seem a bit desperate. So, while you should write the thank you note within 24 hours after the interview, write it when you are a good frame of mind to represent your best self.
What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I knew I wanted a global business career, and Georgetown, being in D.C., offered that. I also wanted a school with a global brand, and Georgetown offered that as well. It also was important for me to have a student body that had integrity and a grounding in ethics regardless of their professional history and aspirations. Georgetown’s Jesuit tradition is central to everything at the university – including MBA admissions – so I knew that I would graduate with a network of thoughtful, principled global business leaders.
What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I want to meet and have at least one meaningful conversation with every member of my graduating class. With 270 of us, I know it is possible. I do not need to be everyone’s best friend, but the network I graduate with is very important to me and I want to be able to pick up the phone 30 years from now to congratulate one of my classmates when their company goes public, makes it onto the Fortune 500, or they make it to the C-suite.
The MBA class of 2017 is the most diverse ever at McDonough, but I want the next class to be even more diverse especially in terms of underrepresented minorities. Being both a Consortium and MLT Fellow, I know I have the networks to make that happen.
Lynn Lai Oo
Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business
Hometown: Yangon, Myanmar
Undergraduate School and Major: Shenandoah University, International Business
Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: I worked at Mekong Group, a Thai-Myanmar advertising and distribution company specializing in beverages based in Yangon, Myanmar as an Operations Analyst. I was then promoted to business development manager within 7 months of employment. I also worked as a part-time campaign manager for Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s campaign for the upcoming election in November.
Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? Based on my own experience, I would recommend applicants not to invest too much time in studying. Instead, invest time in taking practice tests on a realistic time every week if possible. That way, you can keep track of your performance and develop stamina for the actual exam.
Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply? I suggest applicants do extensive research on the MBA programs and, if possible, visit your target programs and observe a class at each. Doing so will help you decide whether a particular program is “fit” for you and your long-term career goal or not.
What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? I would advise applicants to develop an application timeline to brainstorm and write essays, meet and follow up with recommenders, and prepare for admission interviews.
What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I chose McDonough for its global outreach and technical rigor supported by a strong culture that encourages students to collaborate and learn beyond the classroom. McDonough is focused on building bonds among students through professional and social student clubs and cohorts focused on MBA curriculum.
What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? Before I graduate, I would ultimately like to develop quantitative and analytical skills and intangible qualities of successful global principled leaders such as the ability to manage, presence to inspire, charisma to lead, and fortitude to persist in the face of challenges.
Tamar Papava
Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business
Hometown: Tbilisi, (Republic of) Georgia
Undergraduate School and Major: Georgian American University, Business Administration
Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: TBSC Consulting, Analyst – Consultant – Senior Consultant
Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? Once you review the math that is tested on GMAT, it is really about getting used to the types of questions and practicing as much as possible. By practicing, I mean both the shorter tests or quizzes and (even more importantly) the full practice tests. Stamina is huge on GMAT. You think you know how to solve a particular type of problem, but after two hours of tension you do not function as you do after working on a particular problem type for half an hour. So build that stamina!
Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply? My selection process was somewhat different since I am here on a Fulbright Program. but I can still share what was the key point for me in arriving at the list of schools I was interested in. After you research the schools and know the key facts that matter to you, talking to alumni is the defining moment. They have been there and done it. Hearing from them and asking questions help the most.
What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? As you think you are finished with the essays, read again and think critically. Would you select that person? How is he or she different? A lot of times, we try to put as much information about us as possible and make sure we do not miss any key facts about our experience. What is really needed is to stress the differentiators. Make sure you convey why you are pointing out a particular fact. Also, keep in mind that evaluators are not mind readers as a friend of mine mentioned to me. Make your points very clearly. Do not allow the possibility of the evaluator having to guess what you meant. Needless to say, having competent people review the essays help a great deal.
During the interviews, remember that as objective as we all try to be, a big part of the result is ‘do I like this person?’ Try to be positive. Show that you are passionate about what you want to do. You got to the interview stage, which means you are no longer two-dimensional. So make sure to demonstrate your third dimension – your positive personality.
In regards to the recommendations: we all have different relationships with our supervisors. So there is no one way of approaching them. If you can, try to communicate to your recommender the things that you would want him or her to point out. You may want to remind them about those because it simply might not occur to your recommender.
What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? As I mentioned earlier, I am here on a Fulbright Program. Therefore, the final decision was up to the program. Yet, Georgetown was on my list of schools that I was interested in. As I noted earlier, speaking with the alumni was key for me. As I talked to the McDonough alumni, I felt that I wanted to go to the school that they were talking about. Also, the location was a big upside for me because of all the opportunities it would offer in terms of executive speakers visiting the school, internship opportunities, etc.
What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I would like to get to know as many of my amazing classmates as I can. As we all hear from different sources, acquiring the network is one of the most important benefits of an MBA. Yet often we are too busy or tired to put effort into meeting more people. I would like to overcome that and really get to know as many of them as possible.
Aditya Ponnapalli
Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business
Hometown: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Undergraduate School and Major: Pune University, Computer Science
Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: Wave Infotech Solutions – Software Developer, Strategy & Technical Consultant
Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? Planning is the most important part of cracking the GMAT or GRE. Do not underestimate how complex these exams can be. Learning the concepts is pretty simple and straightforward, but applying them to actual GMAT or GRE questions is not. It is important to practice and build a tempo as you move toward the actual exam. This process ensures that you don’t get shocks during the exam and helps ease the nerves. So, start early, create a detailed plan of action leading to the GMAT or GRE, and execute the plan diligently.
Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply? Before you start applying to various schools, analyze your own strengths and weaknesses, all the while keeping in mind your goals. Evaluate how much a particular school will help you improve in your weaknesses, build on your strengths, and move toward your goals. Speak to professionals, do sufficient research on the internet, and speak to friends or family who know about particular schools. Then, pick your schools based on all the available data.
The GMAT or GRE is critical since it narrows down the number of schools a regular candidate can apply to. Based on this, draw up a list of prospective schools under three categories – Stretches, Likelies, and Safe Bets.
What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? One needs to be always a step ahead of the game and prepare for each of these things in advance. Introspection is key. Each step in the application process involves a lot of thinking about your personality, achievements, and goals – especially in the essays and interviews.
It is important to reach out to the desired schools before you apply because this helps you understand whether or not you are a good fit for that particular program. As for recommendations, it is imperative that you communicate your goals to the recommenders clearly so that they can structure their responses accordingly. For example, if you are a career switcher going from consulting to finance, you don’t need the recommender to tell stories about how good a consultant you are. Instead, it would be relevant if the recommender were to narrate stories and point out your skills that are transferable to finance.
What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? Georgetown MBA is one of the most holistic and internationally-oriented MBA programs in the world, which also is the need of the hour in today’s global business scenario. The coursework, the student body, the alumni, and the business environment in Washington, D.C. contribute immensely toward this.
The McDonough School of Business is dedicated to producing leaders who serve society and work for the greater good of society. These values are completely in sync with my goals and where I want to see myself as a leader. I would like not only to lead people, but also to contribute toward improving the lives of people while doing so.
What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? At the McDonough School of Business, I would like to develop myself into a global manager who can deliver solutions in diverse settings. I also would like to develop teamwork and leadership skills that can help companies and teams attain high levels of sustainable productivity. In addition, I would like to gain exposure to various cultures and people and broaden my understanding of them.
Tahira Taylor
Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Undergraduate School & Major: University of Michigan, Behavioral Science
Employers and Titles: US Peace Corps (Volunteer), DDB New York (Assistant Account Executive), Ogilvy & Mather (Account Executive), Havas WW (Senior Account Executive)
Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? It’s hard not to sound like a broken record when offering someone advice on how to prepare for a test. While it may not be the popular opinion, I have this to say: If you’re overwhelmed by the GMAT or GRE, perhaps you should consider other options for your future. If you’re dead-set on going to business school, then study hard, know which of these two tests complements your strengths, and retake that one as often as you feel necessary. If you still feel like you are falling short, figure out how to highlight your other strengths in your application or exploit those strengths and consider doing something else altogether. Business school is just one option, failure is not.
Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply? Know what you want from the next one or two years (and for the rest of your life). Create a matrix with all of those elements and start to eliminate or add schools based on whether or not they meet that criteria. As you start to get more detailed or specific, schools will start to drop from your list like flies. With a shorter list, you can start to look up alumni on LinkedIn to see where they are now. Do any of them work for a company you want to work for? Or in the industry you want to switch into? Did any of them start in the industry you’re in now? The ultimate goal after earning your MBA is to have the job you want – and your alumni network can offer a glimpse into whether or not that’s possible. A tool like LinkedIn won’t be 100 percent accurate, but it will certainly be helpful if you want to work for a company, and one school has 100 alums there while another school on your list has 0. I also looked at alumni giving. Happy and/or successful alumni give back, which can be revealing as to how satisfied they were with their experience.
What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? For my recommendations, I approached my supervisor with a self-evaluation (that answered all the questions most recommendations ask) and asked him to do a formal review. The review went well, so I asked him to turn it into my recommendation. Because he had my self-evaluation and had conducted the formal review, most of his work was done already. My other recommender was a former supervisor. We met for coffee and then I had to chase her down for weeks. Just be persistent.
As for essays, be authentic, while still answering the question. Ask people to read them for you for clarity and errors too. Start early. Some copying and pasting will be inevitable (your short- and long-term goals probably won’t change by school). If you know enough about the school and why you want to go there, it will be easy to write. On the other hand, if you don’t really want to attend a school and are writing their essay, it will start to come through in what you write. Save yourself some time and money and stop once you figure out that your essay is terrible because you are not motivated.
As for the interview, if you have a job already, you probably interviewed for it. This is not so different. Dress nicely, answer honestly, and remember to breathe. The application process is not as stressful if you give yourself enough time with each application and prepare well for your interviews. The hard part is going to be the waiting.
What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I wanted to be in a relatively small MBA program that was part of a larger university. I started my search by speaking to alumni of Georgetown, not only McDonough. I got the sense that everyone from every school or program at Georgetown looked out for each other. So even if my network of fellow Georgetown MBAs would be relatively small, my network of fellow Hoyas would be massive. I hope to one day take my career overseas, and between the undergraduate program, the Law Center, the School of Foreign Service, and other programs offered at Georgetown, I can go pretty much anywhere and find another Hoya. I also wanted to get my MBA from a prestigious university in a major metropolis on the East Coast. Lastly, I am set on doing an exchange semester and working for a very specific company that does a lot of recruiting in DC. This made the choice easy.
What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I want all of my classmates to know who I am.
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