Mr. Scottish Veteran

Hi Mr. Scottish Veteran: Emily here, Master Consultant at The MBA Exchange. In my experience as a consultant and former admissions officer, top MBA programs are quite deferential to veterans and you’ve got an interesting back story that will help you stand out. However, the 720 is below average for a school like HBS. McCombs could be a great option and possibly a place like Haas or Anderson. I recommend making sure your story about why you need an MBA is airtight. In other words, how will you make this transition from the construction management field into a tech firm? Yes, it will be a tech firm for the construction field but that’s still a sizable leap. Show them you’ve done your research and know this is realistic and discuss the specific skills an MBA will give you that you will need for this future job. I do believe you could add a lot to the perspectives of your future MBA classmates. Good luck!

Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission! You have an intriguing path – moving from Scotland, joining the Air Force, and then entering construction management. Schools very much value veterans – the most important thing you can do is to show on your resume and application the impact you made both while in the military and at your current company (and additionally, in your community based on your volunteerism and ambassadorship) and have your recommenders attest to your strong performance and potential, especially vs. your peers. By the way, I’m impressed that you landed such a solid GPA while working on a major project and ensuring its profitability – be sure to highlight that in the programs’ optional essays.

I do want to understand your career goals a bit more – why do you want to transition to technology? It’s a pretty big transition from more traditional construction management, so make sure to communicate in your application your motivations, including any insights and experiences you’ve gained in your path so far that have drawn you towards the technology industry.

HBS is a reach for nearly everyone given how insanely competitive it is – I think that your GMAT score (slightly below the program’s average) will make it challenging. McCombs and Haas make a lot of sense, and here are some other programs that are known to be very military-friendly: Darden, Fuqua, Ross, Tuck, and Johnson. Hope that helps a bit – best of luck!

Mr. Scottish Veteran: Thanks for posting your profile. Susan Cera from Stratus Admissions here. I’m very impressed at how well you performed in undergrad while successfully serving as a project manager. There is a lot to like about your background and it seems that you have a story that nobody else will be able to tell.

The challenge for you will be to clearly articulate your post-MBA goal. Why product management in a tech firm? Is there a particular problem that you have observed during your time in the construction industry that you hope to address? Alternatively, is there a tech firm that is trying to address this problem but seems to lack the industry and business knowledge to do it effectively and you feel you could make an impact?

HBS is a tough nut to crack so I’m putting your odds around the average admit rate. Given your interest in construction (which ties closely to real estate) I would encourage you to look at CBS and Wharton. Both will programs also have solid resources in and ties to tech (in NYC or through Wharton in SF) and entrepreneurship.

All the best!