*Please note that no client details are ever shared in SBC Scoop or otherwise without complete sign off from client.<\/p>\n
Our client Bill came to us wondering if his atypical background would hurt his chances when applying to MBA programs. He had been working for the family business, a manufacturing company in Baltimore, for three years out of college. He worried that when compared to the many applicants coming from consulting or financial backgrounds, his story might not measure up. His consultant assured him that coming from a family business might in fact help him stand out, so long as they addressed a couple of specific concerns.<\/p>\n
Bill hadn\u2019t been planning to go into the family business in college, so he majored in philosophy, but when his father passed away unexpectedly he stepped in to help run the business alongside his aunt and uncle, who were partners in the company. He found he loved working in the company and his interest in entrepreneurship and the wider business world was sparked. Fortunately, since Bill was helping partly with the firm\u2019s accounting, he was already taking math and accounting classes at night, which helped show off his quantitative skills. His consultant advised him to study and retake the GMAT to shore up his quantitative score, which he did as well.<\/p>\n
That done, they turned their attention to his recommendations. Bill was most concerned here, since most of his coworkers and supervisors were his relatives. Bill and his consultant brainstormed some ideas for recommenders they could approach outside the company. In the last year, Bill had built a strong relationship with a retail vendor that had been supplied by his company for over a decade. Since this vendor was evaluating Bill on many similar criteria to a direct supervisor and was an objective, outside source, they thought it would be a good fit. Bill\u2019s vendor was happy to help out.<\/p>\n
Bill\u2019s consultant also found out that he volunteered as an tutor for adult ESL students most weekends. Bill had started years ago and included it as a line in his resume, but assumed because it wasn\u2019t a private business pursuit that it wouldn\u2019t factor into his application. His consultant thought differently, though, and reminded him that long-term volunteering showed dedication and a greater social awareness. The program\u2019s organizer was happy to help Bill out with a recommendation.<\/p>\n
Bill felt confident that his family business-based app could stand up next to candidates coming from a corporate background, and he was right- he was admitted to Tuck and Darden and chose Darden to a be a little closer to home.<\/p>\n
If you are looking for guidance on your MBA application, Stacy Blackman Consulting can help with hourly<\/a> and comprehensive<\/a> consulting services. Contact us<\/a> to learn more. Visit the website for Stacy Blackman Reviews<\/a>, and check out the company\u2019s e-publications for more in depth school-by-school guidance.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" *Please note that no client details are ever shared in SBC Scoop or otherwise without complete sign off from client. Our client Bill came to us wondering if his atypical…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,775,113,243],"tags":[812,18,845,1906,121,846],"class_list":["post-12577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","category-blog","tag-advice","tag-b-school-application","tag-recommenders","tag-stacy-blackman","tag-tips","tag-volunteering","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t\n