Top Tips For Military Veterans Applying To B-School

In the US, as in many other countries, we honor our veterans for the sacrifices they make to protect our country and defend freedom – especially on Veteran’s Day.

Business schools respect and value veterans and active-duty military MBA applicants too— especially for the strengths they bring. Veterans emerge from their service with leadership, strategy, planning, and management skills that companies want and need, and that can make them very attractive candidates.

However, those in the military may not be familiar with the benefits and opportunities of an MBA. They may have limited exposure to industries and business functions and may be unsure about how their experiences transfer to the business world. And when it comes to the rigorous and competitive MBA application process, they may find themselves a bit at sea.

With some guidance on positioning themselves, veterans and active-duty military personnel can be strong candidates for top MBA programs. My Fortuna colleagues and I have coached countless veterans through the process, and we’ve assembled some of our top tips and strategies. If you would like to discuss how this advice applies to your specific circumstances, we’d be thrilled to chat with you.

Plan a Generous Timeline

One thing military MBA applicants might not expect when beginning the application process is the timeline of the application cycle and the time it will take to complete applications.

“I cannot possibly emphasize this enough. In a best-case scenario, active-duty military members should start preparing at least a year and a half before they plan to get to campus,” says Mark O’Connell, a former Marine and Fortuna client. That can include three months to study and take the GMAT or GRE, three months to assemble all the application elements, and potentially as much as a year after acceptance before the MBA program begins.

The obligations of active service might extend this even longer, O’Connell notes. “If you add in a three- to six-month workup and a six- to nine-month high-intensity deployment, active-duty members may need as much as two and a half years of preparation time before they get to campus.”

“My preparation stretched over the course of three and a half years, which made the entire process much less stressful and helped my applications be the best they could be,” O’Connell says. He was admitted to three schools applied to four schools and enrolled at Michigan Ross in August 2023.

Translating Transferable Skills

In your resume and essays, emphasize the leadership, teamwork, discipline, and problem-solving skills gained during military service. Be sure to translate those skills and experiences into business contexts and terminology to show how they apply to the corporate world.

“Make sure that the terms you use are universally understood,” O’Connell advises. “Many titles, roles, and functions like ‘signals intelligence’ are generally meaningless anywhere besides the military.” Veterans’ groups at your target school will likely be willing to review your material and help translate it into business terms, and this is of course something we keep a careful eye on with our clients’ applications at Fortuna.

Understand Your Opportunities

For some veterans, defining a viable career goal may require gaining a deeper understanding of the business world. For example, I have had several Fortuna clients with military backgrounds ask, “What is consulting, really?” Take time to do the research and networking necessary to understand the possibilities. An MBA admissions coach can help you understand the MBA environment and opportunities; talking to veterans who earned their MBA is also invaluable. The VA also offers education and career counseling services.

Clarify Your Career Goals

Our advice for a military MBA applicant is the same thing we stress to civilian applicants: Make sure you have a clear career vision with achievable short- and long-term goals. Why do you want an MBA? Where will you put it to use? How will it help you succeed in your chosen field?

Business schools want students who will contribute to the MBA class and community — and impact the business world with their MBA. Be prepared to explain concisely and persuasively how you will do both. Your career goal provides the thread running through and tying together every element of your MBA application: your resume, essays, recommendations, interview, and other requirements.

Highlight Your Achievements

With its hierarchical culture, the military offers more awards, commendations, and opportunities for promotion than may be available in the corporate world. Be sure to showcase any that you earned along the way. This will set you apart from other applicants and demonstrate your commitment and excellence.

Be Honest and Authentic

Don’t try to be something that you aren’t, cautions O’Connell. “Many of us in the military have never had to manage a budget or do statistical analysis of a business problem. The acrobatics required to make your experience sound like that will probably make your accomplishments sound made up.”

Do think about what makes your role, function, and experience in the service unique and speak to that. “You’ll have to create resume bullets that communicate tangible impact while simultaneously showcasing your character as a person, but I guarantee they will be incredibly powerful.”

Pick and Prep Your Recommenders Well

For many current and former military candidates, recommenders will likely be their current commanding officer (CO), previous CO, or an independent mentor from inside the service.

“These are all phenomenal recommendation writers because they know you far better than any typical boss in the corporate world,” O’Connell says. “Not many corporate bosses have had to sleep in the mud or walk into the line of fire next to you. A great recommendation leverages that deeply personal connection to showcase your entire personality and your character, not just what you’ve been able to accomplish from a work perspective.

However, there are also some pitfalls to watch out for. One of the biggest is that most superiors in the service have not attended an MBA program and have had little interaction with anyone who earned an MBA. They may be skilled at writing precise, succinct military-style reports but have little sense of what an MBA admissions committee is trying to learn from a recommendation.

This makes “managing up” vital to securing a great recommendation. It’s crucial that the recommendation sounds organic, not coached. However, more coaching than might be normal is needed to make sure the recommendation comes off in a way that is appealing to MBA adcoms.

“Fortuna’s resources were critical in helping me strike that balance,” O’Connell says. “The framework provided was immensely helpful in terms of reminding my bosses of what I had accomplished while I had worked for them. They helped me explain how to effectively communicate their thoughts on my performance and keep them on track and on time for submitting the recommendation.”

See Fortuna’s blog on this topic for a deeper dive into the benefits of getting your MBA after military service, how to spot b-schools that welcome vets, and tips on how to finance your post-military MBA.

Let’s Get You In

At Fortuna, we regularly conduct free consultations with military vets. We can provide personalized feedback on your career plans, the opportunities an MBA offers and the process of putting together a winning application. To learn more about how Fortuna can support you on your MBA admissions journey, sign up for a free consultation today.

Bill Kooser is a Director at Fortuna Admissions and a former Chicago Booth Associate Dean and alumnus. For more free advice from Fortuna Admissions in partnership with Poets&Quants, check out these videos and articles. For a candid assessment of your chances of admission success at a top MBA program, book your free consultation now.