AAR: Start Early and Network – Veteran Spotlight with Michael Cho
Recently, Veteran Ambassador Mike Cho shared his thoughts on how to break into a top business school. Mike will graduate from The Johnson School of Business at Cornell this year and will be a pursuing a career in finance post-graduation. He highlights three things transitioning veterans should focus on: starting early, networking with veterans, and researching target schools.
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Tell us about your time in the Army
I was commissioned as an Engineer Officer in 2005. After the Officer Basic Course at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, I was posted to the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea for my first assignment. I was a platoon leader, an executive officer, and an aide-de-camp while serving in Korea. From there I deployed to Baghdad to serve on an elections assistance team in support of the 2009 Iraqi Provincial Elections and the 2009 Kurdish Parliamentary Elections. When I returned to the states, I went back to Fort Leonard Wood to work with the Engineer School Chief of Staff before transitioning to business school.
Why did you decide to leave the Army
There was no single reason for why I wanted to leave the Army. When I first started to research options, there was no one career that held my interest. Looking back, I think the reason I left the Army is for the same reason I joined the Army. I wanted to try something different and continue to go places I haven’t gone and try things that I haven’t tried. My Army experience was amazing, but I wanted to keep moving with my life and continue to do new things.
That’s how I began my research into new careers but somewhere in between, I stumbled onto an interest in finance. With that in mind, I started to look for other careers and how to get to optimize my opportunities when switching careers.
After some research I realized that going to business school is something that I would enjoy learning and have a variety of immediate, and clear-cut, options after graduating. I think the types of business school classes, curriculums, and future career opportunities are what attracted me the most.
What was your transition timeline like? How far before you left the service did you take the necessary tests and decide on schools
I began looking at business schools two years before actually separating (I wish I started in college). You might think I’m crazy but I think it’s never too early to start looking at graduate school. There are so many options that you really need to know the different offerings and requirements for each one.
Not only do you have to decide on what type of graduate school, you have to decide which one. Then you need to take an exam, write essays, speak with current students, speak with admissions people, find recommenders, apply, and finally interview. Multiply this by three or four schools and you’ve loaded quite a bit of work on top of your day job which might include going on a field exercise for weeks at a time or getting deployed for months at a time.
The sequence for me started with the career research. I then researched potential schools based on career objectives and location. At the same time, I began studying for the GMAT which took almost a year due to a deployment. I then allowed for 5 months to prepare my applications.
Rough Timeline
Jun 07: Career research (1 year)
Jun 08: School research (1 year)
Jun 08: GMAT preparation (10 months)
Apr 09: Application preparation (6-8 months)
Sep 09: Submit applications
Sep 09: Interview preparation (2 months)
Obviously this can be done on a much shorter timeline but most people transition only once and you only have one chance to do it right the first time.
What were the top criteria for deciding on a school?
Although there were many factors in my decision, I can narrow my top criteria four issues: career, educational experience, and veteran presence/support.
I had an interest in business and finance so that’s where I started to explore programs that had strong concentrations in finance. It shouldn’t be surprising that where you go to school will greatly impact what career or company you end up. (If you want to work in Moscow as a hat salesman, I wouldn’t study for an MA in English at the University of Melbourne.)
Starting from my high school class of 100 students, my whole education was always based on relatively small class sizes and that’s where I knew I could do well. Getting that one-on-one interaction with professors is important for me so the small class size was a key factor.
I also looked for schools with a solid veteran presence. Usually this isn’t hard to come by in most business schools in the U.S. However it’s something to keep in mind because it will play a factor at some point. This is important because the same employers come to school and they know the kind of students that attend. If there is a limited veteran presence at the school, then I figured employers wouldn’t acknowledge some of the unique traits that veterans bring. This in turn, makes it much more difficult for you to convince someone to give you a job. This is just my personal opinion and there are always caveats but this is one reason I looked for a veteran supportive school.
Is there one thing you would do differently if you transitioned again?
I would have taken more time. I know it seems like I took an incredible amount to time to go through the process starting almost 2 – 3 years out but it still feels like I could have used another year.
Towards the end, I felt like I was on a tight timeline and had to enter school in the fall of 2010. Truth is I probably didn’t have to do anything. Not that anything would have changed, but the point is to take your time and really understand what you’re getting into and why you’re doing it. Once you enter graduate school and enter the recruiting season, then an internship, then onto full-time employment, you really won’t have time to think much more because you’ll be in execution mode.
What advice do you have for transitioning veterans?
Start early. No matter what it is that you’re looking for, it’s never too early to start speaking with people to determine your future. The last thing you want is to finish your first year of graduate school and have no idea why you came to graduate school.
The more you talk to people, the more you will research, and the more you will learn about your potential new career. Knowledge is your only weapon and you usually won’t get a second chance to make this decision. Understanding what you’re getting into is the best thing you can do for yourself. You can always do the research and then decide to stay in the military but at least you would have been prepared in case you decide to transition.
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Mike has some great words of wisdom, but if you are a transitioning veteran and want more advice on how to get into the best school you can, sign up.
