Meet Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper Class of 2017

Benjamin Nasseby 

Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business

Hometown: Delanson, New York

Undergraduate School and Major: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Electrical Engineering

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Manufacturing Engineer

GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Sr. Procurement Specialist

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? Start studying earlier rather than later. I ended up taking the GMAT twice before applying in the first round so I was happy to have extra time to study for the test again. Early on, it was beneficial to brush up on the essential quantitative and verbal skills. As the testing day approached, I switched gears and focused on getting my timing down. Knowing how much time to spend on each question is just as important as being able to get the correct answer.

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? As I am interested in operations management and supply chain management, I looked for schools that could provide the best education in those areas. The rankings that I found online helped at first, but I narrowed my list down further by reading more about the professors in the operations departments. If the books and research papers they were publishing were interesting, then I kept the school on my list.

I also looked at the schools affiliated with the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management and found that I was very interested in several of them. If you apply through an organization like the Consortium and are accepted as a fellow, you can count on exposure to great companies as well as networking opportunities with other students and alumni.

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? Before completing any essays or interviews, I would encourage everyone to talk with current students and alumni, as they can to find out what being a part of the MBA program is like. These perspectives will provide additional insight as to whether or not the school is the right “fit” for you and hopefully you’ll get a better sense of who your future classmates could be.

Additionally, I had a mentor who I could bounce ideas off of and who helped proof-read my essays.  Having someone experienced with the process that could provide guidance when I needed help was essential and my application was definitely stronger as a result. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your network for support while applying – there are many people who want to help you succeed.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? The Tepper School of Business offers an outstanding MBA program and I knew that I would get the education I wanted here: One that is deeply analytical and well rounded, but also well-respected in the specialties I’m interested in. Furthermore, the people that I interacted with at Tepper made such a great impression on me that I felt like I could really fit in here. Before my application was even submitted, I had been contacted by several alumni who were working in industries that I had expressed an interest in while speaking to admissions prior. All of the students I spoke with went above and beyond to ensure that all of my questions were answered and I got a sense of what life was like at Tepper. 

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I’m very excited to meet all of the other accomplished, intelligent, and eager students here at Tepper. While I know I’ll be formally educated in class, I look forward to exchanging ideas with my new classmates and learning from their experiences while I share mine. Ultimately, I know that after two years we will all be prepared for whatever positions we take immediately out of school, but I believe that building a strong network of friends and future business partners will be just as great of a reward!