Meet Boston College’s MBA Class of 2017

Eric Maskwa 

Boston College, Carroll Graduate School of Management

Hometown: Stratham, NH

Undergraduate School and Major: Columbia University, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science Chemical Engineering

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

MillerCoors, LLC – Packaging Development Engineer

MillerCoors, LLC – Sr. Quality Assurance Engineer – Packaging

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? I actually took the GMAT and GRE the fall after I graduated from undergrad.  I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, so I decided to take them while information was at least kind of fresh in my head.  It worked out since the scores are good for five years.

For anyone who has been out of school for a little while, I would recommend putting some time into preparing for them. It is only one piece of the application, but a little bit of time and effort can go a long way to improving your 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 recommend thinking through where you hope to be after school, both in terms of location and type of work. When looking at type of work, I would think about who recruits at certain schools and where recent graduates have ended up working. As far as location, a lot of schools will carry a lot more weight closer to where they are located, so going to school where you plan or hope to end up can make a difference.

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? I actually thought getting recommenders was the hardest partfor me.  I was initially on the fence about what I was going to do, so I was worried I would burn a bridge by asking my boss to write a recommendation. As it turned out, he was very supportive, so I wouldn’t be nervous about asking people you currently work with. I also would think about who will write the best recommendation – and this may not be the person highest up at a company. Make sure it is someone who knows you well and can give examples of your work.

For the essays and interviews, I would just make sure you set aside time. For me, most of my interviews required some kind of travel, so I had to plan time away from work.  The essay also is a great way to differentiate you from other applicants. It can be hard, especially while working full-time, but making it a priority is important.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I ended up choosing Boston College for two major reasons.  First, I spent the last six years before school living all over the country. It was great, but I was looking to get back closer to the Northeast, especially Boston, so the location was a big driver. The second reason was the alumni network. I have had a lot of friends who went here for both undergraduate and graduate school and all of them have talked about the strength of the alumni network.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I’m not really sure if I fully know the answer to this question yet. Obviously, I want to get a good internship and full-time job lined up, but I also want to make sure I take advantage of everything the program has to offer. I want to get to know people in the program as best I can. This was one of the biggest reasons I chose to come back full-time versus part-time. So, I hope at the end of two years I can look back and know I made the right choice.