AAR: Special Forces to Wharton
USMA ’04 grad and current Special Forces officer Adam Slepian sits down with us to talk about how he got into Wharton (among other b-schools). The main message: work hard and NETWORK.
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Tell me about your time in the Military
I started in 4th ID and, like a lot of Infantry guys, I wanted to be a platoon leader and then go to Ranger Regiment. Unfortunately the timing didn’t work out for me and I could not get released from my unit.
My next option was to go to Ft. Carson – but they were becoming a unit of action and I was worried I would get stuck in some heavy Army bureaucracy. So, I went to the 1LT special assignments desk at HRC to see what opportunities were out there.
My initial options were to become a Ranger Instructor at Dahlonega or go to the Old Guard. But there were no options for my wife in Dahlonega and once I explained I was 5’3 the Old Guard option became a non option.
I ended up going to Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. I worked for the 61st Ordnance BDE, running their pre ranger and the primary combat training (FTX lanes for the Army guys) for the ordnance training guys schoolhouse. I worked with a lot of incredible people and had a great experience.
After that I did the Special Forces (SF) selection, career course, and now I am an officer in the 3rd Special Forces Group.
I also used my time in the military to accumulate some rental properties in Ft Bragg and Philly – I’ve found that owning near military bases is a pretty good venture.
Why did you decide to leave the Military (feel free to be as candid as possible, but a typical “safe” answer is that you achieved all your goals)
I love SF, but I’d like to move on to new challenges. I also find the Army bureaucracy suffocating and I am looking for more opportunities for entrepreneurship. I see a lot of exciting opportunities to make a difference in business.
Last, it is difficult for my wife to have a career while I am in the Army, and I want to live somewhere that she also has opportunities.
I also considered finances and quality of life:
1) If you look at it from a financial perspective, you have to make the decision to forgo retirement or not. For me it is a yes – 10 yrs is a long time, especially compared to income you can receive after going to b school. Halfway point is difficult but when you do the analysis you are still better off in the private sector
2) Quality of life standpoint – job happiness is a huge thing. I loved SF, and loved the infantry but was ready for something new. I wanted more stability for my family.
What was your transition timeline like? How far before you left the service did you take the necessary tests and decide on schools
I’ve been in longer than most business school candidates. By the time I leave it will have been 9 years and 3 months – so far from the typical transitions. I started early enough to make sure I had time to study for the GMAT and plan for the financial impacts of leaving a steady paycheck and living in Philly
For the GMAT I took time to study and prepare, however, I only gave myself one shot at it. I took it three days before the deadline for my first choice of schools. If I didn’t get the score I was looking for on the first go I would have missed the round 1 application deadline and really hurt my chances for acceptance. I recommend giving yourself time to take the test at least twice if you need to.
What were the top 3 criteria for deciding on a school?
My top three were:
1) Caliber of education
2) Location
3) Access to opportunities
For me cost did not matter but fit was important – visited schools and found that people were or were not excited about their program. For example, one of my top choices was Duke –everyone at Duke seemed very excited about their program and I was so impressed with everyone there. Last, I talked to all the veteran clubs to see if I got along well with the vet community at the schools.
What resources did you use to make the transition easier?
I had a strong support network because many of my friends have already gone through business school. Groups like Service 2 School, and friends like Aaron Scheinberg, a Columbia / Harvard MBA and MPP who works for The Mission Continues. It is important to talk to the people at the schools, and talk to people in your network. Veterans are a powerful group with a lot of support. For me, this was probably the most important piece of the application and decision process.
Did you have a backup to school in case you were not able to win admission?
Absolutely. I applied to Penn, Columbia, Georgetown, UNC, Wash St Louis,Duke. I also applied everywhere I could round one and was planning to work at a government agency if school did not work out. However, because I had done my homework I was fairly confident that one of the schools would work out.
If you could have known one thing before the transition what would it be?
Networking is critical – I didn’t initially realize how important it was but quickly found out. Luckily, I knew a lot of people that had done the path before. IF you don’t know someone, cold call veteran club. And, of course, there are groups like Service 2 School that can help out.
The other critical component is the GMAT. A 700 is important to get – even for vets.
What advice do you have for transitioning veterans?
Make sure you know what you are getting into and you are willing to put effort into doing it. It takes a lot of effort to do it the right way. It is a full time side job – make sure you have a solid plan. Not just finances but how are you going to apply, who are you going to call, and how are you going to get the essays done. Plan the order of events and prioritize what you are good/bad at – for me it was the GMAT.
I would also strongly recommend applying round 1 if at all possible. A lot of schools say there is no substantial difference between rounds 1 and 2, but with the influx of veterans that I foresee applying in the next year or so there will be a lot of very qualified and motivated people lobbying for a limited amount of spaces. Every little bit helps!
Don’t think you can half-ass it and get into the place you want. If you are on the fence – just do it anyway and give it your full effort. Worse thing that can happen is you don’t get it, best thing is that you do get in and have some options.
