Meet Emory Goizueta’s MBA Class of 2017

Diana Koucheravy 

Emory University, Goizueta Business School 

Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA

Undergraduate School and Major: North Carolina State University – B.S. Animal Science, B.A. Multidisciplinary Studies (International Agriculture and Rural Development)

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:  Ethicon, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson) – Sales Representative/Territory Leader; United States Navy – Supply Corps Officer

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE?  Standardized test preparation requires a significant time commitment if you want to achieve the best results. Balancing my GMAT preparation with my work and personal commitments was perhaps the biggest challenge I faced in the application process, and it required me to come up with creative ways to build study time into my daily routine. While I typically studied in the evenings and on weekends, some days my schedule didn’t allow anything more than short, 10-15 minute mini-sessions between calls and meetings.  I made it a habit to carry notes and flashcards with me at all times, in case I had a few spare moments to run drills. There are some great test prep apps out there if you want to go paperless!

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?  To produce the highest-quality applications you are capable of submitting, you need to have intimate knowledge of each school on your target list. This means going beyond researching the factual information—rankings, employment reports, curriculum—and gaining an understanding of the culture of the school and what makes it unique. I made a point to visit every program I applied to in person, and it was only through meeting faculty, staff, and students on campus that I truly gained a sense of if it was a good fit for me. When you can truly envision yourself in that environment, learning from those faculty members and studying alongside students like the ones you met, it makes your application essays and interviews much more compelling and believable.

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?  Just as preparing for the GMAT or GRE, completing applications, essays, interviews, and letters of recommendation will require significant time and energy. The key to success is being well organized. There are a dizzying number of deadlines and requirements to keep in mind when applying to one program, much less multiple programs, so you need to have a system in place to keep important tasks on your radar and prevent details from falling through the cracks. My second piece of advice is start early. The more time you allow yourself to accomplish these tasks, the better your chances will be of a successful outcome.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA?  My decision to attend Goizueta Business School was influenced by three factors: The strength of the program, the alignment of the school’s values with my own, and the location.  The first factor, the strength and rigor of Goizueta’s MBA program, is well-known and is evidenced by the quality of the companies and firms who actively recruit its graduates. The second factor, alignment of values, was especially important to me from a fit standpoint. Goizueta prides itself on creating principled business leaders, and the school’s core values of courage, integrity, and team spoke to me as a veteran.  Finally, Goizueta’s location in Atlanta provides a multitude of advantages—proximity of multiple Fortune 500 headquarters for potential employment post-MBA, a vibrant and diverse community to live and work in, and easy access to the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson, to name a few.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate?  Beyond my goal to secure a full-time position before I graduate, I have two personal development goals I hope to achieve.  The first is to continue to build my business acumen and technical skills.  While I have only just begun the program, I can already see that Goizueta’s curriculum is carefully designed to challenge students with real-world business problems and force us to develop the analytical skills to uncover solutions. My second goal is to enhance my leadership abilities. While I have extensive experience in leading others through my time in the military, I believe good leadership requires constant learning and development of new skills and approaches.  Goizueta’s leadership development program is very robust, and I’m excited to see what the next two years hold in store.