Meet the Vanderbilt Owen MBA Class of 2018

James Northcutt

Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management 

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: A cultural explorer genuinely interested in learning about the world’s communities, at home and abroad.

Hometown: Home of the best BBQ around – Memphis, TN

Fun Fact About Yourself: I come from a long line of transplants. I spent much of my childhood in Germany before moving back to the United States. My mom shared her childhood between Germany and South Africa, and my grandmother shared hers between South Africa and Norway.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Memphis – International Business

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

International Paper:

Supply Planner

Replenishment Planner

Export Customer Account Specialist

Honorary “Walking Yelp” of Memphis

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I’ve worked with people across the world – from Brazil to South Africa to Belgium to Poland. I’m most proud of my ability to connect with all of these people and overcome cultural and language barriers in order to achieve and exceed goals. I believe I left a good impression on all of those I worked with and managed to build strong, lifelong relationships with them. I hope to do the very same in my time at Vanderbilt. Because at the end of the day, life is about the people you meet and the lives you impact.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? Give yourself plenty of time to study for the GMAT and prepare your application for admissions.  I focused on perfecting my essays. The admissions staff can tell the difference between a hastily assembled story and a carefully composed personal statement.

In regards to recommendations, make sure that you ask your chosen recommenders far in advance. The recommendations can be quite lengthy, and given busy schedules, you want to allow them ample time to say all the best things about you.

Finally, as cliché as it sounds, be yourself. Try to incorporate a piece of yourself in all of your writing and in the interview process.  For one, you want to be a part of a program that values the true you. Also, the more genuine you are, the more likely you are to display the best version of yourself. And, of course, you are interviewing the prospective program at the same time, so take some of the pressure off of yourself, and you’ll do all the better.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I wanted to be a part of a program in which I felt like I was more than a number. From my first communication with my admissions counselor to the personal phone call letting me know that I was accepted, I could not have asked for a better experience. I felt like I fit in at Vanderbilt, and I didn’t see any other program that could challenge me and help me grow, while still providing me with this unparalleled level of support.

Vanderbilt Business is a rising star MBA program, and I am excited to join the eclectic student body as we evolve into strong business leaders. The people of Vanderbilt, including students, faculty, and staff, are some of the kindest and most authentic people I have met in my life, and I look forward to getting to know them more over these two years.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? I want to work for a collaborative, team-oriented company that places as much importance on its employees’ quality of life as it does on the bottom line. My ideal company will challenge me while valuing my creativity. 

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? I hope that they think of me as a team player who doesn’t let his ambitions get in the way of the greater good of the group. More than anything, though, I want to be remembered as someone they could get along with and feel a strong connection.