Meet The London Business School MBA Class of 2017

Tara Park 

London Business School

Hometown: Calgary, Canada

Undergraduate School and Major:

MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History at Christie’s, London 2009

BASc in Biomedical Science and Art History at McGill University, Montreal 2007

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Christie’s 2010-2015

• Post-War & Contemporary Art Business Coordinator
• Post-War & Contemporary Art Senior and Evening Sale Administrator
• Post-War & Contemporary Art Day Sale Administrator
• Client Service Representative
• Bid’s Assistant

Peggy Guggenheim Museum 2009

• Intern

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? I bought the books, looked at what was required and decided to get it over with as quickly as possible. I booked the test to give myself a deadline (I work best when under pressure), and spent the next 4 weeks studying 2-3 hours per day after work. I was on deadline at work at the time, so this meant I had no social life to speak of, but it was definitely the way to go.

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? Talk to people who have gone to Business School, people who have just gotten into one and other people who are looking into it. A few conversations with people who know the system and have done the research can save you a lot of time.

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?  The whole process takes a lot longer than you’d expect, so make sure you are very focused. I knew I wanted to go to London Business School, so I did not apply anywhere else – and saved myself a lot of time and energy.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? Although I am leaving the art world for a bit to continue my education, I couldn’t give it up for the duration. So I really only looked into schools that were in major centers where I could get my art fix on the weekends.  The fact that London Business School is located in London, the city I currently live in and love, was so highly-ranked, and had such an interesting and diverse class of students and teachers made it the obvious choice for me.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? Historically speaking, the people who bought art were collectors who spent years developing an eye.  Recently, however, the people buying (contemporary) art are more likely to be financiers who analyse the trends, understand the market and know how to structure their purchases in the most advantageous way possible. My goal is to develop a deeper understanding of the financial context that informs these decisions so that I can anticipate how this new breed of art buyer will behave.