Meet Washington University’s Olin MBA Class of 2017

Alan Croitoru

Alan Croitoru 

Washington University, Olin Business School

Hometown: Bogota, Colombia

Undergraduate School and Major: Columbia University- Double major in Financial Economics and Psychology

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: HSBC-Financial Analyst in the Finance Graduate Development Program.

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? The best preparation advice would be to practice every day. Getting used to the GMAT questions by preparing every day definitely helped me during test day. In addition, buy yourself a small white board and do all your scratch work on it as you won’t have paper to do it on test day.

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? I would say that they should look for schools that match up with their current interests and where they see their careers progressing. Ranking is important, but it isn’t everything. For example, if you are sure you want to work on the east coast, you should apply to some schools in that area. If you already know what company you want to work for, pick a school that has a great relationship with the company and a lot of alumni working in the company.

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? When you request recommendations, do it with ample time prior to the application deadline. People are more likely to give a better recommendation when they are not rushed. In terms of the interview, I would say that applicants should know the program they are interviewing for inside-and-out. They should be able to explain to the admissions officer how the program fits with their goals and their personality. For the essay, I would say that they should be clear and concise when answering the essay question.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I wanted an MBA program that had an excellent reputation and was located in a top U.S. university. I also wanted a small MBA program where I would be able to receive better attention from the professors and the career center. The Olin Business School at WashU excels in giving their MBA students individualized attention and guidance. In addition, I wanted a program that would allow me to try out what I learn prior to graduation. The CEL (Center for Experiential Learning) at Olin allows students to help real companies solve business issues they are currently dealing with.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? Before I graduate, my goals are to:

  • Participate in a consulting project with a team
  • Write a business plan for the fitness company I hope to create
  • Go abroad to learn first-hand about business being conducted outside the U.S.