Mr. Musical To MBA

Hi Mr. Musical to MBA, this is Kristen from MBA Prep School. You are definitely the type of applicant who would have immediately caught my attention during my time as an MIT Sloan adcom! First, your industry alone makes you a non-traditional candidate and therefore very interesting. Layer on top of that your very rare and elite accomplishments in the music industry and you are sure to turn heads! A Grammy-winning performer, song-writer, and music producer as an alum would be a unique claim to fame for an MBA program. I also love that you are already on your way to making this transition from performer to record label management. You seem very self-aware of the challenges that lie ahead in that transition and can articulate why an MBA would help you. As unique as you are, I don’t think you want to put all your eggs into one basket with HBS. Your lower GMAT score and GPA in English are still going to play a significant role in the admissions committees decision about your candidacy. Their decision will really be a toss-up in terms of how well you tell your story and what the rest of their competitive pool looks like. I would look for schools that have concentrations in media management like NYU Stern, USC Marshall, and UCLA Anderson. If you can make a strong case for how your unique professional experience matches their unique media-related track, it’s more likely they will overlook your academics in favor of your fit. It would also help to seek out programs where your stats won’t stick out from the pool quite as much. I’d be happy to offer you a complimentary consultation to talk through how you might position your unique background in your application!

Well, as someone who truly believes that life would not be worth living without music, I am in awe of you. While not sure if your style is more like Keith Jarrett, Bill Charlap, Elton John or Leon Russell, I can tell you this: You will stand out in any MBA applicant pool. It’s not merely because you are a professional musician. It’s because you won a Grammy and have written so many songs that have become top 100 hits. That is a rare level of accomplishment in a highly competitive field requiring not merely talent but persistence, tenacity and intelligence. Sure, your raw stats are below the class averages at Harvard Business School. But your achievements in one of the most challenging industries in the world plus your goal to gain the business knowhow to effectively lead and manage your own label makes total sense. I think HBS will look you over but I also think you don’t have to go to HBS to gain the skills you desire. You do need to hedge your bets. Frankly, if I were you, my strategy would be to apply to HBS, sure, but also pick universities that have both great business schools and great music schools. On your list should be Northwestern’s Kellogg School, Indiana University’s Kelley School (my favorite trumpet player, Chris Botti, went to IU’s music school), USC Marshall, and Vanderbilt Owen. Good luck to you!