Meet Ohio State’s MBA Class Of 2019

Andrew Body 

Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University 

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: A juxtaposition of Appalachian humility and transcendent dreams.

Hometown: Zanesville, OH

Fun Fact About Yourself: I recently appeared on the FOX television show Superhuman as “The Human Calculator.” Mike Tyson was a panelist on the show, and we networked some on air, but our professional communication has since come to a standstill; alas, Mr. Tyson lacks a strong LinkedIn presence.

Undergraduate School and Major: Muskingum University, B.A. Spanish and Political Science

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: BWS Education Consulting: Vice President, Director of Marketing, Consultant

Epic Systems: Project Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: At BWS, I was the second full-time employee at a company that now employs 15, and I would like to believe that my marketing efforts to expand client base and my successful results with those clients were at least partly responsible for our growth. I also assumed responsibility for hiring when I became Vice President. With such a young company, word of mouth is paramount: a single poor Yelp review can be devastating, and a misjudged hiring of a mediocre consultant could cripple brand reputation irreparably. Through due diligence of applicant screening and extreme selectivity in hiring (and perhaps a little luck), I placed skilled people in situations where they would be successful. Clients responded in kind with favorable reviews, and we hit the tipping point.

During my tenure, our company contracted with Barron’s Educational Series to write eight standardized test preparation books that have sold well, and I wrote one of my own on the side. I am extraordinarily proud of not only our rapid expansion, but also of our already-sizable footprint on the industry.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? My niche is test prep, so I would be remiss if I did not touch on the GMAT. Standardized testing can intimidate, but the whole process is surprisingly formulaic. Thus, ultimately, a candidate can master the GMAT with proper preparation and mindset. Most likely, a prospective business school applicant will take a diagnostic practice test and receive a discouraging score. At that point, there is either the option to be disheartened and settle for minimal improvement or there is the option to find the best prep book available; devote ample time to the exam; and stamp the math formulas and grammar rules into the temporal lobes. A test-taker must not underestimate the importance of memorization of key concepts.

What was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? I like to think of myself as an early adopter, and I enjoy building things. There are only 91 of us in the class of 2019, and I absolutely love that we have such a small, intimate class. Fisher (while already an excellent program) is going nowhere but up, and so few of us are responsible for the future prestige of the program. I can honestly and confidently say that I would be thrilled to start a company with any of those other 90 (and just two weeks in, I already know all of them by name!).

The present is very bright, and the future is brilliant.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school?  Fisher is family. At the end of this year, if I and all 90 of my colleagues are halfway through a Fisher degree and have absorbed the insights of our professors and of one another, then we have succeeded.