Meet Boston College’s MBA Class of 2017

Peter Harrington   

Boston College, Carroll Graduate School of Management

Hometown: Salem, MA

Undergraduate School and Major: United States Military Academy at West Point, Major Civil Engineering

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: US Army Field Artillery Officer, Platoon Leader, Battery Executive Officer, Battalion Fire Support Officer, Battery Commander.

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE?  As soon as you start considering going to graduate school, start studying for the GMAT or GRE immediately. Do not wait until the last minute. Even if you are taking the test in a few weeks or a few months, it takes time to understand the intricacies of each test. I recommend using the Kaplan study guides for each test as they are extremely comprehensive and enable you to focus on your weaknesses. Kaplan guides provide both written and online tests in addition to exercises for each of the types of questions you will face in each test, with comprehensive explanations of each right and wrong 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? When drawing up my target schools, I focused on location first and school second. I believe this is essential to building your network for internships and future employment. That’s because there are more recruiting opportunities to market yourself by locating yourself in the area you would like to work long term. Also, be realistic, have a reach school in addition to your sensible target schools because you never know what college admissions are looking for every year. Lastly, when finally choosing a school after you receive your acceptance letter, look for the best fit based on your values. I found that during one of my interviews from a university I was accepted to, the interviewer was generally not happy to be there, which immediately changed my perception of the school. 

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? Be creative and unique to set yourself apart. University admissions departments look at hundreds of applications every year. Reading the same things over-and-over again, no matter how disciplined an individual is, becomes mundane. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box for your essays. Universities ask for creativity and, if I had to guess, they don’t receive a lot in return due to an applicant’s fear of being too outside the norm. During the interview process, be honest, upfront, and engage with the interviewer.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I chose Boston College Carroll School of Management for my full time MBA because of the BC network. Although I will be returning to the US Army after graduation, I know that the Boston College alumni network will always help fellow alumni, undergraduate or graduate, and the network reaches across the globe. Boston College has extremely high quality professors and the courses available to enable students to focus on what they are passionate about for a future career.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I would like to gain a better understanding of the technical aspect of businesses because I have not been able to develop the hard business skills while serving in the military. I believe that learning technical business skills while at Boston College, partnered with the leadership experience I will gain as I continue in the military, will make me more marketable when I ultimately retire from the army. Additionally, I would like to strengthen my network in the New England area in order to maintain my contacts while I continue to serve and tap into the network for professional opportunities in the future.