Meet Washington University’s Olin MBA Class of 2017

Heather Reinhardt 

Washington University, Olin Business School 

Hometown: Wilmington, Delaware

Undergraduate School and Major: Georgetown University, Majored in Marketing and International Business

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: Lilly Pulitzer, Wholesale Operations and Fulfillment Associate in the Retail and Business Development Division

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE?  Take as many practice tests as you can early on in the preparation process. The more comfortable you feel with time management, the more you can focus under pressure. If you find that your scores are imbalanced, focus your energies on the other section but do not lose your “edge” in your “easier” section. For instance, if I find Verbal to be much easier than Quantitative, then I should invest 2/3 of my time in Quant and 1/3 in Verbal. Even though you will want to advance your “weaker” section score, the way you will increase your overall score is to really excel in your “easier” section.

Additionally, invest in a little practice each day rather than spending large chunks of time less often. This test will be about familiarizing yourself with the types of problems so repetition is key.

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? Identify what it is that you want to get out of your experience. Do you want a small program under which you will be given more attention by professors and career services? Or, do you want access to a large alumni network in the Chicago area? Much of the choices you make will depend on several facets. They include: Size of school (both the graduate school and the school overall), geographic location, alumni network, recruitment opportunities, faculty, facilities, career service involvement, tuition, and rankings.

As you start to narrow your list, use your current network to learn more about those programs. Do you know anyone who went to the school? Use the website to become more knowledgeable about what the program will offer. Start to become a sponge and absorb as much information as possible so that you can feel like you made the best decision for you. Visit the schools if possible, email the school ambassadors, and reach out to local alumni. Most times, you will learn that they want to help and share their experience with interested prospective students. If you can answer the questions – Do I want to spend two years in this place, with these people, learning from these professors? – then you keep the school on the list. But once you determine your top choices, apply early. The longer you wait to apply, the harder it may become to gain admission as less and less spots are available.

What advice do you have for applicants actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? Tell your story and tell it well. Everyone who applies to a top program is smart. Everyone’s application will be reviewed. The differentiating factor between you and the next applicant will be how specific you are with what you hope to gain from the program. Does going back to school make sense to what you are trying to do? You must paint a picture of why it is important that you get an MBA, why you need it right now, and why you need an MBA from that school in particular.

In terms of interviews, you will want to stress fit. Yes, you may want to attend the school, but you need to convince them why they should want you. Show that you have done your homework. Reference professors and drop names of current students that you talked to before the interview. If you can prove that you have researched the program and, as a result, know that you want to attend the school, then you prove to them that you will fit in well with the culture. You can only get your MBA once, so make sure that is a worthwhile experience.

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

When I visited Olin for Admitted Students weekend, I could not believe how special the school made me feel. The administration, the professors and current students illustrated the point that I was a name and their attention proved they were willing to invest in making my experience as transformative as possible. I could not say the same about other top programs to which I applied. Many friends of mine have also gone to top-ranked schools in the country and they did not know all their classmates at the end of the two years. I value the familiarity factor. I know that once I graduate from Olin, I will know the name and face of each and every classmate. This is important in business as the strength of my network will rely on who I can call upon (and who those people know).

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? Within my first or second semester, I hope that one of my professors will become a close mentor. I recognize the importance of bouncing ideas off leaders in the field. Since Olin’s professors are among the most distinguished in their respective fields, I know they will be invaluable resources over the next two years and even beyond the walls of Olin. I have stayed in close contact with two Georgetown professors and I imagine that will be the same here.

I would love to lead a student group—either in the Olin Women in Business or in the Olin Marketing Association. Leadership is important in the business world and I would be honored to lead my peers in a group setting in which I am passionate about the subject.

Ideally, I will secure an internship in late fall/early winter. Although our core classes are intensive and mostly required in the fall semester, I recognize that it will be important to start applying to internships early. It will take the pressure off applying later on in the internship season when everyone is applying.

In the short term, I would also love to immerse myself in the local culture. I have lived my entire life within a 200 mile radius, so I think it is important to familiarize myself with the Midwest and specifically St. Louis. This will be a great opportunity for me to personally spread my wings and learn about myself on a new level. With new friends, a new environment and new opportunities, it feels as if the world is my playground. Olin’s culture is great because it’s a safe place for students to really take chances without the fear of failing. Olin wants its students to take risks and that was an incredibly attractive feature of the program for me.