AAR: From Naval Destroyers to Harvard Business School
Congratulations! The fact that you’ve found this post indicates that you are on the right path towards gaining admission to the MBA program of your choice. In fact, I was navigating MBA blogs, websites, and consulting services just under a year ago myself when I learned about Service to School (S2S).
The good news for you is that you’ve stumbled upon a program that works. Period. In the fall of 2015, I will be attending Harvard Business School, and had it not been for S2S and the incredible service it provides transitioning veterans, I’m not sure I would be able to say that.
Each of us has unique goals and aspirations and is at varying degrees of readiness to start the MBA application process. The beauty of S2S is that your ambassador will help you navigate each and every step. Aside from reviewing my resume, suggesting different directions to take my essays, and helping me articulate my reason for pursuing an MBA – however nebulous that reason may have been in the first place – the most helpful thing my ambassador did for me was to connect me with a network of current veteran MBA students at the schools to which I planned to apply. I talked to at least three current students from each of these schools, and each told me all about their experiences with the application process, the culture at their schools, and what they wish they had known earlier in the game. Each email introduction that my ambassador made on my behalf was met with an almost instantaneous reply email from that particular veteran MBA student. The hardest part for me was keeping up with all of this correspondence, as I was shocked by how eager people were to talk and how selfless they were with their time. None of these phone calls would have happened without S2S.
One of my original concerns with using S2S was that each veteran would be trying to “sell” me on attending their particular MBA program. Looking back, nothing could have been further from reality. Each veteran wanted to help me achieve my personal goals and find the program that would be most compatible with my personal ambitions. The most important outcome – and S2S made this resoundingly clear – is that veterans find the path that is best for them. Not once did I ever feel as if I owed any allegiance to ambassadors at any particular school or to anyone who had served in a particular branch of the military. We are all truly one team, and I have never seen this ideal embraced to the degree that it is embraced across the board at S2S.
There is no doubt that the onus of MBA applications is on the applicant, and each veteran needs to do as much individual work and research as possible about MBA programs, GMAT study strategies, interview preparation, etc. However, S2S provides a rolodex of veteran MBA students who have successfully navigated the process themselves and have incredible insights and lessons to pass on. The ambassadors’ guidance and reassurance not only gave me invaluable knowledge but also provided me with the confidence to tackle the long and arduous journey of MBA applications from beginning to end. Whatever your misunderstandings, insecurities, or hesitations are, I can guarantee that someone (if not most) at S2S has felt the same thing and can ease your fears.
If I were to apply to MBA programs all over again, I wouldn’t waste any time before contacting S2S.
Charlie Hymen graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2009 with a B.S. in Economics. After earning his commission, he served on two destroyers and deployed to Southeast Asia and the Middle East before working at the Pentagon as a White House / Congressional Liaison Officer for the Secretary of the Navy. Charlie will pursue his MBA at Harvard Business School in the fall of 2015.
