Download From the Military to an MBA Podcast 12.20 MB 36:00 Min

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Diana Jordan: Welcome to MBA Podcaster, the only source for cutting-edge information and advice on the MBA application process.

Strong young military leaders often make the successful leap to Corporate America, with the MBA providing the tools. In this show, Military MBA: From the Military to Corporate America: Getting In, you will hear from more than a dozen deans, soldiers, students and experts about the military-friendly schools, how to find available benefits. You’ll learn about the resources and the challenges. In our companion show, Military MBA: From the Military to Corporate America: Fitting In, also available at MBA Podcaster.com, you will hear how to make the adjustment from the battlefield to the campus to the boardroom.

Among our experts, Barry Reckley, Assistant Director of Admissions at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Barry Reckley, Assistant Director of Admissions, MIT Sloan School of Management: With the qualifications and in the inbred basic leadership capabilities that folks have when they’re coming out the military is almost a natural fit.

Diana Jordan: Adam Kurland was a captain in the Army. Now he’s in his second year at Columbia Business School.

Adam Kurland, Captain in the Army, Columbia Business School: The first thing that they should keep in mind is that it’s a new world and that they don’t know anything about the application process or about business schools.

Diana Jordan: Getting an MBA will help anyone develop technical, business and managerial skills. Add the MBA to the skills that military experience provides – leadership, responsibility, and strategic thinking – and the combination opens up a world of career opportunities. An MBA can advance military career options while building a network of colleagues and opening the door to civilian management.

First, we’ll examine the benefits that military can derive from going through MBA programs.At GMAC, the Graduate Management Admission Council, Melissa Knueven is the Associate Director at the Global Citizen Initiatives. GMAC owns the GMAT and runs the Association of Graduate Schools of Business. Melissa, how do military personnel benefit from an MBA?

Melissa Knueven, Associate Director at the Global Citizen Initiatives: Military personnel obviously bring a unique set of skills to an MBA program themselves. You know they’re strong leaders with you know extensive experience and dealing with others, managing teams, and often under stress that most of us couldn’t even fathom. They’re disciplined, they’re able to make decisions, and solve problems really with imperfect information. So what the MBA does for them is it really compliments those skills by developing the analytical ability, adding knowledge and areas like operations, accounting, finance – really providing a more holistic view of business.

Diana Jordan: Ethan Hanabury is Senior Associate Dean for Degree Programs at Columbia Business School. Dean, how do Military Personnel benefit from an MBA?

Ethan Hanabury, Senior Associate Dean for Degree Programs, Columbia Business School: Military Personnel tend to have the leadership, the ethics of the drive, and the decision-making skills that corporations want but what they need is the theoretical business know-how and that’s where Columbia Business School comes in, and we really serve as a bridge to the private-public work place. The MBA also provides an opportunity for the student to do an internship, which is particularly important often with somebody from the military because they likely won’t have direct experience in the area that they’re going into.

Diana Jordan: Captain Adam Kurland is in his second year of business school at Columbia. Adam, how did you benefit from an MBA?

Adam Kurland, Captain in the Army, Columbia Business School: An MBA teaches us those, you know, so called hard skills that we don’t have coming out of the military. We have training in leadership and in management. We know how to prioritize. We know how to work hard and we know how to work in teams, but we don’t know how to, for instance, how to build a discounted cash flow model. Now we don’t understand the intricacies of operations, marketing or strategy. So really the biggest thing that it does is it brings us up to speed and puts us on not quite but close to a level of playing field with the guys and girls that had a more traditional background.

Diana Jordan: Reggie Webb is Director of Signature Projects at Darden Business School. Reggie, why is an MBA a good idea for military personnel?

Reggie Webb, Director of Signature Projects, Darden Business School: An MBA will, number one, it will broaden their opportunities; number two, it will assist in defining what areas they may want to go into and their areas of strength; lastly, it gives them confidence that they do have a transferable skill set because I have seen at times, a tinge of self-doubt about going into the business world, and an MBA helps erase that.

Diana Jordan: Lt. Col. Mike Moose is Public Affairs Officer for the US Army Human Resources Command. How does the military lay the groundwork for being an MBA student?

Lt. Col. Mike Moose, Public Affairs Officer, US Army Human Resources Command: The military experiences for individuals really offer a wide range of benefits to prepare one even for an MBA and that is in decision-making that helps in, let’s say, the engrained learning in the military so that as you’re studying for your MBA, it even helped me with better study habits.

Diana Jordan: If you’re trying to decide what kind of program to enter, you might want to follow in the steps of those before you. Military personnel are often drawn to particular programs – those in which they can use their talents related to their security clearance, or their activity level, or thinking like a leader. Let’s see what students and experts have to say. Reggie, what is popular with the military crowd at Darden?

Reggie Webb, Director of Signature Projects, Darden Business School: It seems to be a specific area of interest on it because of the security clearance to a lot of these people have and of course the role of government in business is growing and they’re well positioned for that. So I’d say consulting seems to be one area right now that’s pretty popular.

Diana Jordan: John McNamara is an analyst at 3-M after serving in the Marine Corps and graduating from Darden. John, what kinds of programs are best suited for those with a military background?

John McNamara, Analyst, 3-M: In the military, like you don’t necessarily learn from classes. you learn from going out and working with your hands and figuring how to process, and so I feel like it was the same going to a case study school where you’re working on actual cases from the real world, getting your hands dirty, and understanding at that way.

Host, Diana Jordan: Trey Wheatley, you’re Air Force and a second year student at Darden. What kind of MBA programs and schools are best for those with a military background?

Trey Wheatley, Air Force-Darden: What really appealed to me about Darden specifically was it has a general management focus and it’s a case method. And essentially that reflects a philosophy of training everybody even those who are interested in finance or marketing to think like a general manager; to think like the CEO and understand really how the functional focus that they have is going to affect really the overall company. That’s something that I think is well suited to military members. Some other thinks that there are important considerations. Several schools actually will waive the application fee if you happen to be a veteran. So I think there are some schools that definitely pitch to the military crowd and the fit in terms of their philosophy and focus is very compatible with the military.

Diana Jordan: Mike Nemeth is second year MBA at Ohio State and he’s the military MBA Student of Master. Mike, what would you say is popular with the military crowd?

Mike Nemeth, Military MBA Student of Master: Anecdotally just talking with my other friends who were also veterans, we do prefer to be in a program where there are other veterans. That’s really just sort of helpful part in selecting a program is that, you know, you can talk to other guys and girls who are in the program and they can give you their perspectives so that you can sort of know that you’re making the right decision.

Diana Jordan: Lee Forsythe, Navy, a Katz graduate, and analyst at Yum Brands. Where do you see military MBA students gravitating toward?

Lee Forsythe, Navy, Analyst, Yum Brands: A lot of them go back into a logistics role. I tend to see that a little bit more than anything else. But I went into technology. I have friends that went in the finance and working on Wall Street and that type of thing, so it’s just kind of – it’s all over the map.

Diana Jordan: Let’s get more specific. You’ve decided to go for the MBA. Now you’re evaluating which school is right for you. You’ll hear the phrase “military-friendly” – what that means to you – the school not only offers financial benefits, you get help with the red tape. The school comprehends what kind of man or woman the military has made you and certain qualifications just aren’t necessary.

Barry, at MIT Sloan, what if an applicant doesn’t have a financial or business background?

Barry Reckley, Assistant Director of Admissions at the MIT Sloan School of Management: That’s not an issue. In fact in many ways it’s more beneficial because they bring a different tool set into the mix. That applicant may have to go back and maybe take a course in accounting or microeconomics or something to that effect. But just because your background is not business – it was engineering or maybe something within the humanities, that’s not an issue.

Diana Jordan: Speaking practically, Melissa, with GMAC, what should military look for?

Melissa Knueven, Associate Director at the Global Citizen Initiatives: Like proximity to military installations maybe better suited for those who are still on active duty while people who have separated from the military maybe more flexible for their location. Schools that offer options and program delivery like part-time or flexed, also maybe well suited for people that are still on active duty. A lot of schools offer support services once a student has enrolled. This can really help military personnel transition from daily military life into campus life. And certainly schools that have strong military networks, Armed Forces, clubs, strong alumni networks are very popular with military.

Diana Jordan: Mike, at Ohio State, what schools are best suited for those with a military background?

Lt. Col. Mike Moose, Public Affairs Officer, US Army Human Resources Command: Any school that encourages them to contribute their experiences even though they aren’t business related can really make the experience best for them. As far as schools that get a lot of military people there are some great schools and at the top of the rankings from US News and World Report and others that actively recruit military students. MIT and Harvard come to mind. I know I have a lot of friends from certain academies who attend there, and there are certain schools that also have underground awareness of the military-friendly nature of it. Here at Ohio State we have a smaller class about 140, but there 12 veterans in the first year class so coming close to 10% is quite a few.”

Diana Jordan: Terry Howell is managing editor for Military.com. He’s also retired coast guard. Terry you say military should look for flexible programs, distance-learning, and night courses because they have to do this off the side of their desks. What other qualities should MBA candidates look for in a school, Terry?

Terry Howell, Managing editor, Military.com: The schools that tend to allow students the most flexibility such as – I’ve been through different programs myself and the current program I’m in does not require you to go to through the with cadre, so you can stop and start as you need to around your work schedule and that offers the added flexibility that a lot of military members would obviously need.”

Diana Jordan: Trey, Air Force-Darden, along with visiting your schools of interests, and talking to veterans of those schools, what else should military personnel keep in mind when applying?

Trey Wheatley, Air Force-Darden: Darden had a Darden Military Association and anytime that a military applicant applies, they get paired up with the students who will actually reach out to them totry to make that connection because you know there’s a lot of uniqueness to the military background. And so, even understanding how you would want to craft your essays, how you would want your resume to reflect your experience - having somebody who has spoken the language and has kind of gone through that experience, I think is invaluable. I did that and I actually reached out to two air force that who are at Darden before I applied and they were absolutely invaluable in helping me to understand how to best position myself and really what the school is looking for in a military applicant and how to really best make sure that that was reflected in my application materials.”

Diana Jordan: Reggie, at Darden, what schools are military friendly?

Reggie Webb, Director of Signature Projects, Darden Business School: I’m a little biased but I believe Darden is considered military-friendly. Harvard and Wharton have a relatively high percentage of military veterans. Washington University in St. Louis has a strong track record as well. A good indicator might be those schools who are participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program which is an additive to the Post 9/11 GI Bill. And I believe at last look, at least 18 of the top 20 schools are involved, and so I would think that indicates an across the board support for the improvement of military applicants.”

Diana Jordan: Trey, how can you find military-friendly schools?

Trey Wheatley, Air Force-Darden: A lot of it comes down to simple things like if there’s an association of veterans like the Darden Military Association, if the school waives application fees because those can get pretty substantial when you start to apply to several schools. There are certain schools out there that really target military members and that recognize the value of having military experience. There are quite a few websites that you can reach out. Really, again, current students are really the best resource for really understanding that.”

Diana Jordan: John is former Marines, a graduate of Darden and currently an analyst at 3M. What schools draw military people, John?

John McNamara, Analyst, 3-M: My friends have generally, those that won to run their own businesses, are looking for more of a general management background or look for a Harvard or Darden-type thing and those looking for finance or a quantitative background have generally attended to go to like a UPenn or an MIT.

Diana Jordan: What perks do you like to see, Mike?

Lt. Col. Mike Moose, Public Affairs Officer, US Army Human Resources Command: An applicant will be in Iraq or Afghanistan and trying to start an MBA program. When he comes back, well that means that he’s applying while he is fighting. And so having a more lenient approach to get in the GMAT scores and on time and other deadlines can make a big difference, and I’m sure the veteran that they really do care or want them to attend their program.

Diana Jordan: Terry, there’s no checklist, but how do you distinguish military friendly schools?

Terry Howell, Managing editor, Military.com: It starts with the schools willing to give discounts and cut their rates to fit under certain guidelines to, again, tuition assistance has a cap of $250 per credit hour and more schools that they’re able to discount to that level would make them military-friendly. Schools that have flexible programs for if the military student has to be deployed or get transferred that they’re allowed to start and stop, those kinds of things definitely would separate them as a military-friendly school. And again having a staff that understands all the nuances and the complexity of the military benefits programs, how to best help a student get through those, that would also you know be a military-friendly school.”

Diana Jordan: Pulling it all together, Melissa, what makes a school military friendly?

Melissa Knueven, Associate Director at the Global Citizen Initiatives: From our perspective it’s understanding the unique circumstances of military personnel and showing that in a way that’s meaningful to the applicant, so waiving the application fee, making financial aid available and then they provide a one-year deferment policy. So if somebody applies to the program, they’re admitted and then suddenly they get deployed, their spot is not taken. They can come back within a year and their place is still there for them.”

Diana Jordan: You’ve chosen your top schools. Now, give it your best shot. Let’s check in with various students, deans and staff of schools. Some advice we’ll hear – don’t be humble, and if you’re not sure you’re smart or skilled enough – apply anyway. Let’s hear more tips and ideas.

As Assistant Director of Admissions at MIT Sloan, tell us, Barry Reckley, what should military applicants keep in mind when applying?

Barry Reckley, Assistant Director of Admissions, MIT Sloan School of Management: They probably need to remember that they’re not talking to a military operation so a lot of times we will get applicants who are still using the alphabet soup, I call it from the stand point of different terminologies, and we are not familiar with that so they probably need to keep it as basic as they possibly can. On the other side of coin is that they really need to highlight something that they did or doing. As far as the military is concerned as far as leadership or advancement or what have you, don’t downplay it. They really need to toot your horn, shall we say, and get a good solid understanding of the institution they got in there and how well they can fit into that institution.”

Diana Jordan: Melissa, what should military personnel keep in mind when applying for MBA schools?

Melissa Knueven, Associate Director at the Global Citizen Initiatives: Don’t sell yourself short. These folks often downplay their leadership and decision-making skills because it’s just sort of inherent in what they do on a daily basis and the reality is they really need to talk that up on their applications and their interviews. Another tip that we get from admissions professionals is apply anyway. And what that means is that, you know, if you’re a military applicant and you deal that maybe you have an area on your application that maybe lacking, your military experience may really be weighted in such a way that it makes up for what you’re lacking in another area. So the bottom line is apply anyway, and definitely on the application emphasize the leadership experience, the fit between your needs and goals with the programs and services at the school; and finally utilize the military club by asking someone there to review your essays and your resume to make sure that you’re hitting all those key points and also that you’re not using military jargons, that your military experience really translates appropriately into mainstream language.

Diana Jordan: Dean Ethan Hanabury with Columbia, what should military MBA applicants consider when applying?

Ethan Hanabury, Senior Associate Dean for Degree Programs, Columbia Business School: Some of the things they should keep in mind is to highlight their leadership skills. This is something that military applicants tend to have a lot of and it’s something that’s very valued by business schools. I also would counsel them to do their best to prepare for the GMAT. Oftentimes when they’re thinking about taking the GMAT they are overseas and had troubles studying prior for it and also we advise them to reach out to one of our students in the military and business association before they apply. That gives them a sense of the school and what we have to offer. It allows them to write a stronger application when it’s more specific to Columbia. They can do this contact online. They can do it through the Hermes Society which is the student arm of the admissions office. They can do it through attending events that we hold.

Diana Jordan: What should applicants to Darden and other schools keep in mind, Reggie?

Reggie Webb, Director of Signature Projects, Darden Business School: Be confident in your skill set and what you bring, and that should be revealed in your resume. Emphasize the leadership roles and be sure to do this that in the resume, you write it so it’s understandable for what I will consider a non-military audience because those are the people who will be reading it in the admissions office. In other words, watch the acronyms that try to translate it out of military, speak into defining your skills. Don’t hesitate to note achievements or your commendations. Military veterans are traditionally a humble group and the MBA application process is not a time for breaking military, to be quite honest. I would think you need to prepare for the GMAT, no doubt about that. That can be difficult especially if you’re deployed, so take it more than once so you can be familiar with the test. I would say you should obtain recommendations from both the military and a civilian sector if possible. Obviously you’re going to get something from the military sector but if you have someone possibly an undergraduate professor or if you did have some business experience at some point that would be helpful as well. A lot of schools are requiring interview, contact the military club at the school and speak with the current students. There are wealth of information and help about that things like that and please visit and speak with the students and the staff there. Gain a sense of the place and if it is they fit for you.

Diana Jordan: We’ve heard that military applicants often tend to “alphabet soup” in their applications. Mike, you’re second year at Ohio State, how can they avoid that?

Lt. Col. Mike Moose, Public Affairs Officer, US Army Human Resources Command: I’d encourage them to talk with current students at the program if they do have any veterans and see if they can get any extra assistance in making sure that their resume is understandable by anybody in the application committee.

Diana Jordan: Lee, you’re a former Navy pilot. You went to Katz Graduate School of Business and are now at Yum Brands. What should military MBA students keep in mind when applying to schools?

Lee Forsythe, Navy, Analyst, Yum Brands: With the schools, they were extremely receptive to having me come in and talk to them. I didn’t expect that upfront and it was just a matter of making a phone call and it just happens so I was grateful.

Host, Diana Jordan: Beyond looking for military-friendly schools, and putting yourself in your best light, there are more subtleties to investigate. There are perks and pitfalls involved. We will look into that aspect of Getting In, now. Overall, these experts advise you to seek a school that emphasizes teamwork and ethics, and also presents a challenge. Visit the school to get a sense for the fit.

Dean Ethan Hanabury at Columbia, what pitfalls should military personnel avoid?

Ethan Hanabury, Senior Associate Dean for Degree Programs, Columbia Business School: One thing to watch out for if you’re a military person is in your essays in describing your work experience to keep in mind that the admissions officers who’s reading the application may not have military knowledge or a military background. So I think it’s important to translate the experience to some of the most transferable skills like leadership, like decision making that somebody who’s reading the application could relate to.

Host, Diana Jordan: And the perks?

Ethan Hanabury, Senior Associate Dean for Degree Programs, Columbia Business School: Columbia participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program and obviously there are number of other opportunities for them, the GI Bill, Post 9/11, GI Bill. I think one of the perks is that often times the network for militaries are very strong and they’re able to get good recommendations from the veteran network of alumni and current military business association students.

Diana Jordan: Reggie, what kind of perks will students encounter at Darden and other schools?

Reggie Webb, Director of Signature Projects, Darden Business School: A lot of schools will probably weigh the application fee (I know we do) contact the students at the school and to stay up there. We have an admissions person that’s dedicated to the military population so their contact will be listed on the website. So obviously that’s the thing to do – go to the website, find the contact person at that school that will be specifically devoted to you. Our website has details about news and opportunities so those are some of the perks that these schools will have, and of course we do have some scholarship funding opportunities as well.

Diana Jordan: Terry with Military.com, there’s a relatively new program for veterans?

Terry Howell, Managing editor, Military.com: The VA recently started a new program called the Post 9/11 GI bill which opens huge doors to those military members who before now either had very limited benefits or no benefits at all for education. Essentially if anybody who served an active duty for more than 90 days since September 11th, and that includes guard and reserve, it greatly enhances their benefits because it gives them tuition assistance, fee assistance, and also pays the housing allowance and the books stipend. So it’s a really generous program and I would hate to see veterans not be aware of it and miss out on that opportunity.

Diana Jordan: Mike, you’re second year at Ohio State’s business school and former Army, what do you recommend for military personnel who are considering that new ten-month plan to an MBA?

Lt. Col. Mike Moose, Public Affairs Officer, US Army Human Resources Command: If you’re planning on using the new GI Bill, make sure you give yourself a little extra time to make sure that the school is aware of the new GI Bill, and again that goes back to awareness. A school that isn’t familiar with the GI Bill might a little bit more challenging to have a quality experience but that 10-month plan really just sets some pretty broad guidelines as far as visiting some schools that you’re interested in if possible, but otherwise make sure you’re making the right decision to go pursue an MBA not just because you feel like it’s what you have to do once you’re done with the military.

Diana Jordan: Melissa, with GMAC, what are some of the perks military personnel should know about?

Melissa Knueven, Associate Director at the Global Citizen Initiatives: The government’s Post 9/11 GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program offer significant financial assistance to military personnel. The potential actually exists for eligible veterans applying to schools that are participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program to have their MBA education 100% paid for, and the government also reimburses active duty personnel for the GMAT, and then of course we have our military-friendly schools listing. There are 94 schools on this listing so far and they make certain provisions for military applicants such as waiving the application fee, they make financial aid available, and they provide a deferment policy for one year should an admitted student’s plans be delayed if they’re deployed prior to matriculation.

Diana Jordan: There are dozens of specialized opportunities for military students who are bent on getting their MBA, but they have to know where to go.

Barry, at MIT Sloan, what types of networks exist for military MBAs to network and recruit?

Barry Reckley, Assistant Director of Admissions, MIT Sloan School of Management: From the financial aid aspect we’re tied into the VA so we have an individual over in a financial aid office who is dedicated specifically for helping vets and then there’s the normal general loan process that the applicants would pick up on, which is not a major problems as far as Sloan is concerned. And then there are some fellowships available as far as external in certain areas. Goldman Sachs and McKinsey are two that come to mind that students could tap into as far as financial resources are concerned. There are other external organizations that may not have the financial resources but they have the network capabilities that students from the military tap into. One that comes to mind is like the Toigo Foundation. It’s not so much from the financial perspective but they basically deal with the networking and those things. So there are number of different things that the person could tap into while they’re going through the process.

Diana Jordan: Program Manager Geraldine Hicks is Education Service Specialist at Army Continuing Education System. Geraldine, what education benefits are available for the military as they further their education?

Geraldine Hicks, Education Service Specialist, Army Continuing Education System: The benefits that’s available for the active military starting with high school completion if they don’t have a high school diploma; they have opportunity to receive 100% tuition assistance for that and they have associates to bachelors in the masters program that’s available to them also.

Diana Jordan: Deputy Director for Army Education in the Adjutant General’s office Joe Cothron, are there any exceptions to beware of?

Joe Cothron, Deputy Director for Army Education, Adjutant General’s Office: We will not pay for a lateral degree. If he already holds a baccalaureate, we won’t pay for a second baccalaureate. And we won’t pay for a lower degree if he has masters and wanted to get a baccalaureate, we won’t pay for that. Those are some of the restrictions. But other than that just about every soldier who qualifies and decides what college or university, we do not gear individuals toward any particular college or university. We will help them or we have counsels who will work with them and tell them what they need to satisfy once they’ve chosen their particular degree or their course or study that they want and we’ll basically tell them here are several schools that offer this degree and we’ll assist them with other information and so forth., But the policies rest with the individual as to which school and what degree program they wish to pursue, and then we basically provide the financial assistance to that.

Diana Jordan: Terry with Military.com, what should military MBA applicants keep in mind when applying to schools?

Terry Howell, Managing editor, Military.com: Flexibility is one of the biggest issues. Secondly would be the cost. Military members on active duty have a certain amount of money that is set aside for them, so to speak, each year for them to take college courses. For most that has cap to about $4,500 per year so they would have to actually come up with some of the difference themselves. Those who are eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill can use it while they’re on active duty or when they get out. They need to find the school that understands how these benefits work and can help them best use those benefits and apply them to get the most bank for the buck. I think it for most military students, the thing to really look for though, is how flexible the program is going be and what the requirements are through the week depending on how many papers they have to write the level of rigor.

Diana Jordan: Joe, how does it break down?

Joe Cothron, Deputy Director for Army Education, Adjutant General’s Office: There are basically two programs. You’ve got the volunteering exchange program which is what I held where soldiers comes in and said ‘I’d like to do this’, and we pretty much leave up to him of what he want to do and we give him assistance, you know this called assistance, like we don’t pay for the books and we don’t pay for the other stuff. However, if the military has a mission requirement that’s the other side of the house, then it’s fully funded.

Diana Jordan: Now, to get all that is coming to you you’ll have to ask the right questions, go to the right military offices, and go on-line. Let’s get the specifics.

Barry, does MIT Sloan waive application fees for the military, and what about other schools?

Barry Reckley, Assistant Director of Admissions, MIT Sloan School of Management: Sloan will waive the application fee but they would probably need to make contact directly with the institution to find out if the application fee is waived.

Diana Jordan: Terry, how does military dot com work to allow members to access the benefits they’ve earned?

Terry Howell, Managing editor, Military.com: We have everything from current news content to information about using benefits and opportunities for networking and social networking, information on careers where we actually have a job finder process that’s actually powered through Monster Worldwide or Monster.com, but essentially my area of expertise is in military benefits and so we have an entire channel dedicated to explaining the benefits in the most common language possible along with links to the forms to fill out and the processes. We have advisers who post either blogs or full-length articles and feature articles on how to use benefits and the best way to avoid red tape and so on.

Diana Jordan: Reggie, what funding sources are available just for military candidates if they remain on active duty after graduation at Darden and other schools?

Reggie Webb, Director of Signature Projects, Darden Business School: If you’re sponsored by the military and you’re going to return to active duty, the navy does this, their program is the8-10 Program for the Black Core. I know the army does it - they call it the Advance Civil Schooling Program. I’m sure all branches have similar programs but basically they pay for your schooling and they also provide you with living stipends and things like that, and in return you go back and serve after graduation.

Diana Jordan: Deputy Director, Joe Cothron, for Army Education in the Adjutant General’s office, where does the soldier begin his or her search for information?

Joe Cothron, Deputy Director for Army Education, Adjutant General’s Office: To his army education center, we have education centers scattered throughout the army even in Iraq and Afghanistan. And that’s just one place where he can go and get personal assistance, but then we also have online assistance where he can go online and ask questions and so forth.

Diana Jordan: Mike, what resources do you know of for military MBA students?

Lt. Col. Mike Moose, Public Affairs Officer, US Army Human Resources Command: Two great websites to check out for some resources, there’s MilitaryMBA.net and MBAVeterans.com. MBAVeterans.com is a great resource for current students because it’s much more focused on connecting US employment opportunities and also does a great job at connecting you with other veterans in programs, so that’s a great way for you to contact them and see what their experiences have been.

Diana Jordan: Terry, where should MBA candidates go to get the process started?

Terry Howell, Managing editor, Military.com: If you go to Military.com/education, you’re going to find all the information you can possibly want on how the tuition assistance systems work, how the Montgomery GI bill, and then the Post 9/11 GI Bill work. In addition each of these services has their own websites which we link to. They can also go directly to their education service officer if they’re currently on active duty and get that kind of one-on-one personalized help that they need ,and then of course the VA have the websites at www.va.gibill.gov which is also very helpful.

Diana Jordan: You are hearing that as military, your strong attributes are valuable in corporate life and in the classroom, but there are adjustments to be made – avoiding military-speak, getting comfortable with life on campus, for a few examples. Let’s round out the show with a few reminders to will make your path to the MBA easier. Any other advice, Mike?

Lt. Col. Mike Moose, Public Affairs Officer, US Army Human Resources Command: Without any question, the best thing you can do is to contact anybody at the program that you’re interested in with a military background and hear their story on how they came to that decision to go to that school and that’s what made a big difference for me. Talking with veterans at many of the top programs helped me learn how they made their decision and ultimately helped me pick which has been a great help for me at Ohio State.

Diana Jordan: Barry, at MIT Sloan, what do you have to say to military people?

Barry Reckley, Assistant Director of Admissions, MIT Sloan School of Management: Don’t sell yourself short. It has been my experience that you walk in with a tremendous amount of positive attributes from your military experience that will help you as far as regardless of what interest you basically get in to. So and that sense don’t be linear, be able to expand your envelope or expand your horizons and see what’s available out there and tap into it as much as you can. Yes, I think it’s kind of the military way that you have to be very structured and this is the only way to go, and they shouldn’t do that. The whole MBA experience is basically to explore as much as you possibly could explore and that has been my experience. A lot of folks have been pleasantly surprised of what they found themselves doing even though it wasn’t exactly the same thing as far as the military is concerned.

Diana Jordan: For more information, a transcript of this show or to register for your weekly MBA Podcast, visit MBAPodcaster.com. Join us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to get the latest news & insight in the world of business school. This is MBA Podcaster. I’m Diana Jordan, thanks for listening and stay tuned next time when we explore another topic of interest in your quest for an MBA.