From Naval Academy To War To Elite MBA Programs

Harvard Business School senior lecturer and decorated Army veteran Scott Snook

A good number of veterans come into HBS without a clear career goal, and the program becomes “kind of a place to figure out what’s next,” Snook says, adding that he could say the same of non-veteran students who come to the school looking for a new direction, for example if they left the financial services industry telling themselves, “I don’t know where I’m going to be in my life, but it’s not this.”

Snook, in his many years as the informal faculty liaison with veteran students, has noted skill-set differences among the branches of the U.S. military. Veterans of the Army and Marine Corps come to HBS with “basically general management and leadership skills,” he says, while many Navy and U.S. Air Force veterans come from technical jobs like flying jets or working in an engineering room, and have developed skills related to work as an individual.

Former Army special operations officer Vince Kuchar

For veteran MBA candidates at Wharton, the diversity that the school has created within the pool of former military people adds value, says Vince Kuchar, 32, a former Army special operations officer who entered Wharton this year with Navy vet Allen. “They don’t just go after Navy SEALs or Army special forces guys,” says Kuchar, a former Ranger company commander who fought in countless battles in eastern and central Afghanistan. “They really mix it up. All the veterans here have been deployed to combat, and that’s a unique thing that veterans bring to the classroom.”

SELLING LEADERSHIP HISTORY

Kuchar says that in applying to Wharton, he emphasized the impact his background would have not only on his development, but on that of others.

“I sold my leadership experience and my life experience as a way not only to enhance and grow in the MBA program but also as a way to benefit my classmates and whatever industry I chose to go into,” Kuchar says.

For Allen, Smith, and Beaudette, attending two different elite schools will provide a potentially rewarding opportunity to forge connections between the two schools, Allen says. “I’m excited to go up to Boston and bring some Wharton classmates. I know Matt and Brian are looking forward to coming down to Philly, hopefully with HBS people,” Allen says. “You never know with these meetings and friendships what the outcome could be. We’re all really excited about that.”

DON’T MISS: VETERANS POUR INTO MBA PROGRAMS AS MILITARY DOWNSIZES; FROM COMBAT IN IRAQ TO INVESTMENT BANKING

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