Meet Ohio State’s MBA Class of 2017

Michelle Corrado

Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business

Hometown: Coral Springs, Florida

Education: University of Florida

Employment:

The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Medical Student

Camp Hamwi, Camp Counselor for children with diabetes

University of Florida, Post-Baccalaureate Researcher

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? The GMAT provides you with sufficient study material once you register for the exam, so I don’t recommend spending extra money on outside study resources. Make sure you are familiar with the format of the exam. It took me about a week of dedicated time to review the study material from GMAT. If you are the type of person who gets really nervous on exam day, schedule an appointment with Prometric Testing Center for a mock exam day. It’s typically a free service provided by the testing center.

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 only applied to one school, which I would not recommend to others. I genuinely fell in love with everything about the MBA program at the Fisher College of Business. The program at Fisher values the same qualities that are important to me: Collegiality, mentorship, small teams, large university (good for funding), and opportunities to collaborate abroad. In addition, the program is on the same campus as my medical school, so I will also continue fostering the networking relationships that I’ve cultivated.

At the end of the day, remember that you are an amazing candidate and that you are going to make a positive impact in your community. Choose the program with qualities that resonate the most with yours, and the program that is going to give you the best education and preparation to achieve your goals. There is not a “one size fits all,” and that’s a good thing. The application process is a time to reflect on the qualities you value the most in life, where you’ve been, and where you see yourself going. It’s a long process, but in the end, you will appreciate every moment of it.

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?

Applying to school: Don’t procrastinate at any stage of the application process. Look into programs early, start essays early, ask for letters early, and apply early. This is an important process, so put in the extra time early. Stay organized. Keep a folder on your computer specific to your application. Include a subfolder for essays, one for transcripts and another for CV revisions. If you’re applying to multiple schools, you may find it helpful to keep a spreadsheet that lists all of your schools. Add a column for submitting the application, interview status, and acceptance status, and fill in each of these columns with dates or important notes.

Writing essays: Start early so you have time to make revisions, and ask your friends and family to help revise. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help with revisions. My friends and family know me so well that they were able to help me fill in my essays with specific anecdotes to illustrate ideas. It really took my essays to the next level. I probably made 20 revisions for each of my essays.

Admission interviews: Be yourself! It’s OK to have a little bit of nerves on the big day; it means you understand the significance of the interview process. Before interviewing, try to calm your nerves by reminding yourself that the program invited YOU to try to sell their program to YOU and recruit YOU. Interview day is as much of schools getting to know you as it is about you getting to know the faculty, students, and curriculum. Talk to the students. Try to have lunch or sit in on a class with them to get a genuine feel of the everyday life at the college. You really want to make sure you leave campus knowing whether or not you felt a connection with the program and the people.

Make sure you know every detail of your résumé and your essays, and be prepared to speak professionally about each of your experiences. Also, never put something on your résumé that isn’t true. You will get caught! For example, being a salsa dance instructor is on my resume. In one of my interviews, as the person shook my hand to introduce himself, he said, “You’re a salsa dancer! We are going to dance!” Then, we spent the first minute dancing salsa. If I had lied about dancing, the rest of my interview would have been awful.

Prepare a list of questions to ask on interview day—some for faculty and some for students. Remember that every single person you speak with on your interview day is part of the admissions process, so be very professional!

Letters of recommendation: Choose people who know you on a personal level and can speak to your inherent qualities. The school is trying to get to know you and see if you fit, so choose mentors who know you on a personal level and can advocate for you. Provide ample time when you ask your mentors if they can write you a positive letter of recommendation. If they agree, give them a packet that includes your personal statement, essays, CV/ résumé, due date, and instructions to submit their letter. After they submit the letter, send them a personal thank you note. Keep them posted on your journey through the application process. Never write your own letter of recommendation, even if they insist. Instead, offer them a “10 things about me” to help them write the letter.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA?  The student body at Fisher was an attractive aspect to me. I thrive in environments where I can collaborate with peers from diverse backgrounds, and Fisher’s student body is very diverse. In addition to diversity, mentorship has always been important in my life. Fisher offers numerous opportunities to obtain a mentor and also to mentor others. Being part of a large university offers a lot of support, but Fisher has a small feel. And those close relationships where everyone knows each other in class is important to me—it’s the best of both worlds. It’s important for me to be in an academic environment that encourages compassionate collegiality and a nurturing support system, and I definitely sensed this on my interview day, during my second look, and in doing research prior to applying

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I chose to complete the combined MD-MBA program specifically between my 2nd and 3rd year of medical school. This way, I can use the knowledge I gain from my business degree and apply it to my dedicated clinical time in Med3 and Med4 years. The business knowledge will supplement my clinical knowledge on the wards, and my more devoted clinical years will add to what I’ve learned from the MBA. Prior to my MBA year, Ohio State arranged for me to work on an eight-week rotation with Dr. Jim Allen, vice chairman for the Department of Internal Medicine and chief of Internal Medicine at The Ohio State University Hospital East. This experience helped set the foundation for why I chose to get a dual degree.

I’m excited to learn everything from business school, but I am realistic in acknowledging that I will need to be more proficient in some areas than others for my future career goals. Before I graduate with both my MD and MBA, my goal is to have a firm understanding of which aspects of business are going to be most applicable to my career as a physician. I am going to be a life-long learner, but having a solid foundation and understanding will help guide my path as a physician.