Advice on schools

Cool, I dig it. I think you're definitely a viable candidate, but your app is gonna be a bit like dynamite. Use it right, and you can move mountains. Use it wrong, and it'll blow up in your face. I would not sell business consulting as a stepping stone to headmaster as the centerpiece of your goals essays. Sell consulting on the value/interest of consulting.

For school selection, if you're serious about consulting I think you should change up your school list. Drop HBS, Stanford, and Sloan for Wharton, Kellogg, Booth, and Ross for starters.

OK I will definitely look into that.

Do you mean that I shouldn't say I want to be a headmaster? Just talk about wanting to do consulting?

A lot of schools have essays on short and long-term career goals, and you could mention it in the long-term section. The problem is that its akin to applying to law school and saying you want to be an author one day. No matter how true it is, I think it actually creates a distraction in your application compared to a pure play that sells consulting all the way through or education all the way through.

Have you done any research on education pioneers or broad residency? Both of those programs put business managers into public education -- which is actually the path I'm pursuing. You can make a very linear goals statement by saying that you've been a teacher, now you see the value of business skills in education, you're committed to bringing those skills to underprivileged communities, and someday you'd like to run and expand your own school.

OK that makes sense. Can you recommend anything for me to read on broad residency or pioneers in education?

Wow I have been reading about the broad residency program and it looks awesome! Thanks so much for that!

My pleasure! You'll notice from both programs that they tend to populate the same types of organizations: progressive city departments of education (NYC, Chicago, DC), and high performing charter schools (Achievement First, KIPP, YES!). Looking at some of those charter school websites will help as well.

So are you applying for Broad Residency immediately following B-school or are you planning on doing something else for a couple of years?

And btw I am applying to Booth and Kellogg now. No Wharton though, my wife does not want to live there . I'm keeping Darden and Stanford because of their dual MBA/MEd programs and I'm keeping MIT because I love math and have always wanted to go there .

I'll be seeking an internship through Education Pioneers and then returning to Kansas City where our public education system is a hot mess. As of right now, Kansas City is not a city affiliated with Broad Residency, but in 3 years time that may change.

Glad you're looking into some dual MEd programs, that's excellent! Michigan offers one in addition to Stanford. I was considering a MEd too, but decided on a MPP with a focus on education policy as my double.

Both Chicago and Northwestern place very well into both EP and BR. If your wife is open to NYC, both Columbia and NYU place extremely well, and most of the flagship charter school brands have significant presences in NYC. Yale is another big pipeline school to EP, as well as Duke. All of the West Coast schools place well.