If You're Military, MBA Might Be a Good Fit

"Military personnel have the leadership skills, the ethics, drive, and decision-making skills that major corporations want, however, they are often lacking the theoretical business know-how." That's what Ethan Hanabury, Senior Associate Dean for Degree Programs at Columbia Business School observes.
Those unique skills -- and the lack of a few key skills -- lead many military personnel to MBA schools. Dean Hanabury suggests military applying to schools such as Columbia, reach out to military already on campus to get tips to writing strong applications. He also says military should highlight their copious leadership skills which corporations find tremendously attractive. Another suggestion -- chances are it's not easy to address the GMAT while overseas, but practice, take classes, whatever it takes to do well on the test.
Another tip Dean Hanabury has - keep in mind if you're military that your experience may not translate well for admissions officers who perhaps have not had any military experience. So, in the application process, translate that experience to general terms, like leadership, and decision-making.
Columbia is in the Yellow Ribbon Program, and also participates in the GI Bill and the Post 911 GI Bill. Hanabury reminds you to network with veterans for great recommendations.
Hanabury is just one of the more than a dozen guests on our upcoming shows Military MBA: From the Military to Corporate America: Getting In and the second show focuses on Fitting In. We'll let you know when these post.