Meet Boston College’s MBA Class of 2017

Linh Pham   

Boston College, Carroll Graduate School of Management

 Hometown: Hanoi, Vietnam

Undergraduate School: Brigham Young University – Finance

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Deal specialist – PwC

Financial analyst – Credit Suisse

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? Studying for the GMAT or GRE is a serious commitment, so make sure you have a game plan and allow yourself sufficient study time. I would recommend spending at least the last two weeks to take a lot of practice tests and put yourself under time pressure as if you sit through the actual test day. Don’t get bogged down by the initial low score on the practice tests. It is a time for you to reassess your own strength and weakness and identify where you need to focus your study efforts.

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? Understand what attributes of a school are most important to you and develop your list of criteria by relative importance. Academic ranking might be important, but should not be the sole criteria for choosing an MBA program. I think it is even more important to evaluate whether the program fits your personal and professional goals. In my search, I learned about past students’ profiles, academic and extracurricular activities that the school offers, the professors, teaching styles, etc. It might also be helpful to visit the schools, and speak with some of the school’s alumni and current students to get a sense of the school community and whether it will be a right fit for you. You will have the best business school experience when the program matches well with your needs, goals, and personality.

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? Your personality and passion should show through the admission interviews as well as through your essay. Be natural and true to yourself when sharing with the admission committee what is important to you and what you would like to achieve. It is also critical to draw a connection between your personality and aspirations and the school’s values and mission. In asking for recommenders to write letters on your behalf, you want to ask a person who knows you well, so that he/she could share personal stories in your recommendation letter. A recommender who has seen you grow or knows you outside of work could add more colors to your application.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I got attracted to MBA program at Carroll primarily because of its small class size and its increasing focus on data analytics. Another academic factor that attracted me to Boston College is its TechTrek program, which is a week-long field study to Seattle and Silicon Valley. This class involves some 20 master-class sessions with senior executives, entrepreneurs, and venture partners. As someone who is interested in venture finance, I believe this will be a unique opportunity to meet and consult entrepreneurs and venture partners who have the direct experience in the areas that I will be working in the future.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I am excited to explore the entrepreneurship hub that is steadily growing and thriving at Boston College and in Greater Boston area. I would also like to expand my professional network especially in the venture finance and entrepreneur community. I hope to complete the MBA armed with knowledge about international entrepreneurship to spearhead my own venture capital fund in Asia in the future.