Meet Emory Goizueta’s MBA Class of 2017

Dan Barnett 

Emory University, Goizueta Business School  

Hometown: Fort Worth, TX

Undergraduate School and Major: United States Military Academy; Political Science

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: United States Army: Infantry Officer and Intelligence Officer

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? The GMAT and GRE are as much about stamina as anything else. Because of this, I would recommend taking multiple practice tests to benchmark your progress instead of doing problem set after problem set while fresh. If you can capture the feeling of what it’s like to stare at a computer screen and have your brain firing on all cylinders for three-and-a-half hours, the actual test will feel much more ‘business as usual’, and much less stressful. I would also offer the standard advice to take the test as early as possible to leave time for a re-test if you are unhappy with your initial score.

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 to talk to as many current students and alumni as possible for all of the schools you are interested in—you cannot talk to enough people from your target schools during your research phase. Each person will have their own perspective and most, when asked, will readily talk about the things that they did not like about their programs the same way they will talk about their program’s strengths. Do not be afraid to ask candid questions to narrow down your choices. Luckily, Goizueta has an outstanding Veterans network, and I was able to touch base early on with multiple current student-veterans who were instrumental both in my decision to attend Goizueta and in my transition from active duty Army Officer to MBA student.

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? Authenticity. Time and time again, I have heard admissions committee members say they really want ‘to get to know you’ through your application, so oblige them!  During the first day of orientation for Goizueta’s MBA Class of 2017, Dean of MBA Admissions Julie Barefoot shared with us some of her favorite ‘fun facts’ from our class’s applications, so do not be afraid to be yourself in your application, your essays, and your interview.

For letters of recommendation, I would choose recommenders who will complement each other well and attest to different attributes that you will bring to the MBA program. I realize this may not be possible for everyone, but as a general rule, strive to achieve as much variety and authenticity in your recommendations as the rest of your application.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I really liked how tight-knit the Goizueta Community was on my visits to the campus.  The program is extremely small (167 students in the MBA Class of ’17), so you end up getting to know most of your classmates personally. In fact, when I visited Goizueta in January, the first year student giving us a tour was having to judiciously split her time between answering our questions and saying hi to all the students and professors we were crossing paths with—and I thought that was awesome. The access to faculty and the camaraderie amongst the students really made me feel like Goizueta was the right fit for me.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? Coming from a military background and a non-business undergrad, my only goal right now is to set myself up to hit the ground running and succeed in my job post-business school.