Meet The London Business School MBA Class of 2017

Leisy Bartumeut 

London Business School 

Hometown: Santa Clara, Cuba

Undergraduate School and Major: The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania; Finance and Marketing

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:  Associate and Consultant at The Boston Consulting Group

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE?  Book a test date. The demands of work and outside commitments will seem overwhelming while preparing for the GMAT / GRE and you might find yourself pushing off the exam.  Book a date and announce it to your work, family, and friends.

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?  Think about what you’re looking to get out of your MBA experience and what you have to offer the class. Look at the stats for the school’s placements in the field you’re interested in. Decide if you are comfortable in a small or large class, suburb or big city, etc. MBA applications are more intensive than undergrad applications were, so I would advise to develop a list of 3-5 schools.

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 by brainstorming what your MBA story is before putting pen to paper for actual essays or recommendation requests. Now think of how every piece of the application can best help you portray this story.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? The diversity of the student body and thus diversity of perspectives was my biggest draw to London Business School.  Reflecting on my business undergraduate years and my 3+ years at BCG, I learned the most through interactions with my peers, particularly those that came from very different backgrounds.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I would like to have gained the experience, contacts, and gumption necessary to start my own company in the Edtech space. London Business School offers plenty of resources in the entrepreneurship realm for me to gain the necessary experience base.  London itself also offers a great environment for entrepreneurship activity. I also hope to have positively impacted the experience of my fellow London Business Schoolers by sharing the insights I’ve gained by working with corporations, governments and foundations in the U.S. and abroad.