Meet Harvard’s MBA Class of 2017

Samantha Yang

Harvard Business School 

Hometown (City and State): St. Louis, Missouri

Undergraduate School and Major (Include Graduate School if Relevant): Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Intrepid Pursuits, iOS Developer

Crazy Machine, Toy and Game Inventor (Crazy Machine Blog)

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? Understand what role your test scores play in your overall application and prioritize accordingly; it will differ for each person. I applied as an entrepreneurial engineer with long-term aspirations to develop innovative consumer products. I understood that a top test score would not play a significant role in my application or intended career path, so I aimed for a score that was high enough to not hurt my application. I took the GMAT in August, and moved on to my other priorities (Namely, my essays that showcased my technical experience and my interview). In contrast, you may find that top test scores do play a significant role in your application and intended career path and are worth prioritizing.

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? Start with your reach schools. Go straight to the top of the list, and narrow in on the factors that are most important to you. Get to the point where you can break down what you are looking for and why. What do you really want to get out of business school? What will make or break the experience for you, and why? Once you can articulate those answers, go through your list again. Which schools stay on your list? Don’t be afraid to repeat this process as you go.

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? Before you do anything, reflect to understand your story. Where have you been? Where do you want to go? And where does business school come in? At the end of the day, your application is the chance to tell your story. You want people to look up after having read your application and have a clear image of where you have been, where you want to go, and where business school comes in.

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

I chose Harvard Business School for the quality of the students and the hands-on learning environment. I pick up a lot from my peers, so I value surrounding myself with smart, passionate, and motivated individuals. I also value a hands-on learning environment: I love the idea of training my intuition through case studies; having access to the many resources provided to students who want to grow their own ventures;  and being required to travel and work on a project with an international organization.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I would like to get comfortable releasing new products at scale. I have built new products as an engineer, I have pitched new products as an inventor, and I am excited to build on those experiences.