Meet Foster’s Class of 2017 MBAs

Tony Imperati

 

University of Washington, Michael G. Foster School of Business 

Hometown:  Portland, OR

Undergraduate School and Major (Include Graduate School if Relevant):  Colgate University (Magna Cum Laude), Double Major: Philosophy and Political Science

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

• Account Director, Waggener Edstrom Communications (Bellevue, WA) (January 2012 – August 2015)
• Associate, Sloane & Company (New York, NY) (December 2010 – January 2012)
• Legal Assistant, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP (New York, NY) (July 2007 – December 2010)

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE?  Plan ahead! The GMAT is demanding enough without the additional pressure of hitting application deadlines. Such distractions are likely to reduce your chances of achieving a score that best represents your capabilities. That’s why, in my opinion, it’s helpful to give yourself as much time as possible to concentrate solely on the GMAT ahead of the actual application stage. If possible, I would recommend giving yourself a full year for the GMAT before having to think about applications. The process will likely take you less time, but by doing this, you remove the pressure of necessarily having to achieve your desired score on the first or second try (which, in turn, increases the chance that you’ll actually achieve that score on that first or second try). I gave myself about six months for the GMAT, which ultimately proved sufficient, but I could have saved myself a lot of stress had I begun earlier.

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?  Reserve time to honestly reflect on your priorities and career goals. Rankings are certainly important, but I believe their utility is often overstated. Many become obsessed and risk losing the forest for the trees. Ultimately, this is the question I asked myself: What schools are going to position me to achieve my goals, accomplish my best work and become the best version of myself? The answer to that question will be unique to each person based on their desired industry, function, and geography. Don’t let your decision on where to apply be governed by just one factor. Think about what will truly be best for you over the long-term.

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?  There are a few factors that stand out to me as critical.

The first goes back to time. Respect the process and budget enough time to go through multiple iterations. A little each day goes a long way. Know that there will be highs and lows: Some days you might feel like nothing is clicking while other days you might catch fire.

I mentioned the importance of reflection earlier. Working through essays, soliciting recommenders, and preparing for interviews is an inherently reflective process (at least, when done right). If you’ve taken the time to crystallize your priorities and career goals, it will really show in your essays, interviews, and recommendations.

Finally, I believe that frequent engagement goes a long way towards demonstrating commitment and differentiating yourself. Show up to information sessions, schedule meetings with members of the admissions committee, and speak frequently to current students and alumni. These are things you hear others recommend, but they really do help you obtain an understanding of the different communities and the qualities that their respective admissions committees emphasize.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA?

For me, Foster represented the ideal combination of academic excellence, professional opportunity, strong alumni network, and location. In speaking with several students and alumni, it became clear to me that Foster takes great pride in producing talented, disciplined, and driven individuals who will be major contributors to whatever organization they join. Additionally, the opportunity to study and build my network in the community in which I want to work subsequent to graduation (Seattle) was too good to pass up.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? Generally speaking, I want to throw myself fully into a new direction, challenge myself, and take advantage of all the opportunities to grow. I’ve spent the last three and a half years of my career as one of the lead spokespeople for Microsoft, designing communications strategies and articulating the company’s value proposition to investors and media. I’d like to build on that foundation and acquire the skills, credibility, and network necessary to shift into a role that engages earlier in an organization’s value creation chain.