{"id":33418,"date":"2016-06-15T23:34:14","date_gmt":"2016-06-16T06:34:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=33418"},"modified":"2016-07-27T15:35:00","modified_gmt":"2016-07-27T22:35:00","slug":"the-mba-career-search-and-life-as-a-chicago-booth-mba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/the-mba-career-search-and-life-as-a-chicago-booth-mba\/","title":{"rendered":"The MBA Career Search and Life as a Chicago Booth MBA"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Listen<\/a>The MBA career search and life as a Chicago Booth MBA \u2013 today on Admissions Straight Talk<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are joined today by the co-founders of Transparent MBA: Mitch Kirby, Alyssa Jaffee, and Kevin Marvinac who are also all students at Chicago Booth.<\/strong> <\/b>[0:35]<\/p>\n

Mitch graduated from Princeton with a degree in molecular biology and then worked in the Health Practice at Booz. Alyssa went to the U of Wisconsin, studying Marketing and Spanish and then worked for the Advisory Board in marketing and sales for about 5 years. And Kevin, after earning his bachelors in Finance and Latin American Studies at Notre Dame, pursued his love of wine and worked for the Gallo Winery. They all met at Chicago Booth<\/a>, and we\u2019re going to hear the rest of their story from them. Welcome!<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Transparent MBA?<\/strong> [1:25]<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a way for MBA students to anonymously share compensation and satisfaction information for firms that recruit MBAs. <\/span><\/p>\n

Their roles<\/strong> [1:52]<\/span><\/p>\n

Mitch<\/strong>- product developer\/coder<\/span><\/p>\n

Alyssa<\/strong>- works with the corporations<\/span><\/p>\n

Kevin<\/strong>- user side<\/span><\/p>\n

How did Transparent MBA come into being?<\/strong> [2:40]<\/span><\/p>\n

Mitch:<\/strong> I wanted to understand career options better, and felt there was a lack of MBA-specific data in the space. The data from the school\u2019s career services wasn\u2019t specific enough (by company), and other options (like glassdoor) aren\u2019t MBA-specific.<\/span><\/p>\n

What need does Transparent MBA fill that other services don\u2019t?<\/strong> [4:20]<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s specific to the needs of MBAs and allows more specific company-based searches than school information, which often doesn\u2019t provide details on bonuses, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

When did they launch, how have they grown<\/strong> [5:23]<\/span><\/p>\n

Transparent MBA launched in 2015 with just a few students. By Feb of 2016, they were outside Booth, with 35 schools and thousands of participants. <\/span><\/p>\n

Is there any danger that with small sample sizes, people are retrieving more anecdotal evidence than data?<\/strong> [7:00]<\/span><\/p>\n

They\u2019re actually trying to combat a reliance on anecdotal info by giving people the opportunity to get more information from another source, rather than just relying on something they heard. <\/span><\/p>\n

You can log in and compare industries. Later there will be more filters and tools so you can filter by school, grad year, etc<\/strong>.<\/strong> [8:30] <\/span><\/p>\n

Is the site useful to pre-MBAs? Or is it more for MBA grads?<\/strong> [10:25]<\/span><\/p>\n

Pre-MBAs can use it now through the prospective user portal. It can be helpful to see what their future options will be. In the future, it could potentially be a tool to help compare schools<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Role Booth played in helping develop Transparent MBA?<\/strong> [11:25]<\/span><\/p>\n

Mitch took <\/strong> a course in coding and building web applications, which gave him the skills to develop the project. He also met his cofounders at Booth. And they\u2019re participating in the New Venture Challenge, which is helping them think through challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

The New Venture Competition- how does it work?<\/strong> [12:30]<\/span><\/p>\n

There are 30 teams, of which 10 will make the finals and 1 will win. They pitch their venture to investors. It makes them think harder about everything they\u2019re doing. <\/span><\/p>\n

The next stage is the Acceptance Pitch on June 2, to see if they make the finals. They\u2019re competing for $70K in funding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

[Update: Since the recording of this podcast, the Transparent MBA team\u00a0won a $90K prize\u00a0by winning first place in Booth's New Venture Challenge Competition!]<\/em><\/p>\n

Any investors yet?<\/strong> [13:40]<\/span><\/p>\n

They\u2019re self-funded, but talking to investors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plans to monetize?<\/strong> [14:00]<\/span><\/p>\n

Right now they\u2019re focusing on developing the user experience, but there are corporations that are interested in the job search community.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mitch and Alyssa are graduating this spring, while Kevin is finishing his first year. How has Booth met their expectations?<\/strong> [15:20] <\/span><\/p>\n

Kevin:<\/strong> The flexibility. He decided to decelerate, and change to part-time student status in order to work on Transparent MBA \u2013 Booth gives him this option. He found the meaty classes during his first year really rewarding.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alyssa:<\/strong> The amazing professors and network. Booth teaches you to dream bigger and think beyond what you thought you could accomplish.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mitch:<\/strong> \u00a0<\/b>It\u2019s an open community where you have the opportunity to pursue whatever you\u2019re thinking about, and you have the support to do it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Did they intend to pursue entrepreneurship<\/a>\u00a0when they came to Booth?<\/strong> [18:10]<\/span><\/p>\n

They had a bit of the bug coming in!<\/span><\/p>\n

Plans for next year?<\/strong> [19:00] <\/span><\/p>\n

Kevin will take classes part time and work fulltime for Transparent MBA. Mitch and Alyssa are evaluating based on how the competition goes. Alyssa may transition to the venture capital side.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anything they\u2019d change about Booth?<\/strong> [20:10] <\/span><\/p>\n

More time! There are so many opportunities to take advantage of and so many people to meet.<\/span><\/p>\n

Have their professors been helpful in getting Transparent MBA off the ground?<\/strong> [20:50] <\/span><\/p>\n

Yes! They have profs who meet with them on a weekly basis and provide advice on pitching, introductions to their own networks, etc. They treat them as mentees. <\/span><\/p>\n

Was there any time they thought it wouldn\u2019t work?<\/strong> [21:50]<\/span><\/p>\n

While Mitch was coding Transparent MBA, he wasn\u2019t sure, but once it launched, it took off!<\/span><\/p>\n

What will they miss about b-school?<\/strong> 23:00<\/span><\/p>\n

Constantly being surrounded by smart, driven, fun people.<\/span><\/p>\n

Advice for Booth applicants:<\/strong> [23:20] <\/span><\/p>\n

Kevin:<\/strong>\u00a0Have a plan, think about what you want, and don\u2019t be swayed by the herd mentality.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mitch:<\/strong> \u00a0<\/b>Every decision you make is personal, and you know what\u2019s best \u2013 understand your motivations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alyssa:<\/strong> \u00a0<\/b>Dream bigger: you can do anything you set your mind to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their vision for Transparent MBA<\/strong> [25:40]<\/span><\/p>\n

They want to create a map of every career \u2013 where people go after their first positions, how their careers develop, etc. In other words, a long-term career decision-making tool.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Click<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Transparentmba.com<\/a>
\n\u2022 These Boothies Created a Glassdoor for MBAs<\/a>
\n\u2022 Startup Spotlight: TransparentMBA<\/a>
\n\u2022 MBA recruiting is frustrating. So we created this to fix it.<\/a>
\n\u2022 Chicago Booth MBA tips<\/a>
\n\u2022 8 Full-Tuition Scholarships for Civic Scholars at Chicago Booth<\/a>
\n\u2022 Interview with a Techie at Chicago Booth<\/a>
\n\u2022 Get Accepted to Chicago Booth, an on-demand webinar<\/a>
\n\u2022 Chicago Booth Zone<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Shows:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 PayScale: How Much Can You Earn, and How to Earn It?<\/a>
\n\u2022 Haas, McCombs, and Case Interviews<\/a>
\n\u2022 Picking a Career, Interviewing Right and More Job Talk<\/a>
\n\u2022 How to Become a Corporate Executive\u00a0<\/a>
\n\u2022 An HBS Entrepreneur Promoting Career Flexibility<\/a>
\n\u2022\u00a0Entrepreneurship at UCLA Anderson<\/a><\/p>\n

Subscribe:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"Listen<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"Subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Register<\/a><\/p>\n

This article<\/a> originally appeared on\u00a0<\/em>blog.accepted.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Applying to a top b-school? The talented folks at Accepted have helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to their dream programs. Whether you are figuring out where apply, writing your application essays, or prepping for your interviews, we are just a call (or click) away.<\/p>\n

Contact us, and get matched up with the consultant who will help\u00a0you\u00a0<\/em>get accepted<\/a>!<\/p>\n

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The MBA career search and life as a Chicago Booth MBA \u2013 today on Admissions Straight Talk. We are joined today by the co-founders of Transparent MBA: Mitch Kirby, Alyssa…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,939,775,243],"tags":[108,884],"class_list":["post-33418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-blog","tag-chicago-booth","tag-chicago-booth-school-of-business","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33418"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33421,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33418\/revisions\/33421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}