{"id":39070,"date":"2017-09-11T06:30:36","date_gmt":"2017-09-11T13:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=39070"},"modified":"2017-09-11T02:27:53","modified_gmt":"2017-09-11T09:27:53","slug":"from-the-military-to-haas-mba-episode-223","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/from-the-military-to-haas-mba-episode-223\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Military to Haas MBA [Episode 223]"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Military and older student attending the UC Berkeley Haas Full-time MBA program. Let\u2019s hear his story. [powerpress]<\/p>\n

Our guest today, David Middleton, graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from the US Coast Guard Academy in 2003, when many of his classmates were in middle school. He served in different capacities in the Coast Guard, most recently as Operations Officer and Chief Pilot, responsible for over 100 aviation personnel and the management of 6 helicopters protecting 585 miles of coastline.<\/p>\n

And he\u2019s a FT student at Haas about to begin the second year of his MBA program. David, welcome to Admission Straight Talk!<\/p>\n

Can you give us some background? How did you come to join the Coast Guard? <\/strong>[1:35]<\/p>\n

I grew up in San Diego. I used to tell people I didn\u2019t want to leave San Diego, and I didn\u2019t want to join the military.<\/p>\n

During a weeklong orientation at the Coast Guard Academy, I realized what a great opportunity it was. Leaving San Diego for CT was a big change\u2026 But I decided if I could pursue aviation I would do that.<\/p>\n

When I learned how small the Coast Guard is and what their mission is, I was really excited.<\/p>\n

What motivated you to get an MBA?<\/strong> [3:30]<\/p>\n

It was pretty work-driven. I\u2019ve been an operator for a long time. I\u2019ve been flying helicopters, and I\u2019d been on a ship as an engineer for a while.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know if most folks really understand the military \u2013 I describe it as an up-or-out system. You\u2019re really looking to the next rank to take on greater responsibilities.<\/p>\n

I saw education as the way to be promotable. And looking beyond the Coast Guard, I saw the MBA as preparation for whenever I did transition out.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve been a helicopter pilot and chief pilot \u2013 so you\u2019ve already done a lot in a managerial role, correct?<\/strong> [4:35]<\/p>\n

Yes. In LA I did public affairs. When I was stationed in Alaska, I did a lot of aviation safety, which was good. And when I found myself in San Francisco, I was the instructor pilot \u2013 I took on a lot of leadership when my boss (the chief pilot) left unexpectedly.<\/p>\n

What did you find most difficult about the b-school application process? <\/strong>[5:50]<\/p>\n

Because I was in the job I was in at the time \u2013 everything. For context, I was on the last year of my assignment. I put in for a program that the Coast Guard has to send you to grad school. I felt rushed because I didn\u2019t get my approval until October \u2013 too late for Round 1 deadlines.<\/p>\n

When you interviewed, what was the most memorable or difficult question you were asked? <\/strong>[7:35]<\/p>\n

A memorable question was \u201cHave you ever had to make a difficult decision?\u201d<\/p>\n

Because of my work experience, it was a good question for me. I could tell a story about a rescue I\u2019d done. In my job you\u2019re making life and death decisions.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re at Haas now. What are the best aspects of the program for you?<\/strong> [9:45]<\/p>\n

What stood out to me when I was applying \u2013 and now I\u2019m living it \u2013 is the culture and diversity. People read about it, but it\u2019s palpable.<\/p>\n

The culture aspect \u2013 people are nice. I was used to a tightknit culture in the military and I wasn\u2019t sure if I\u2019d find that, but I really have.<\/p>\n

What could be improved?<\/strong> [11:05]<\/p>\n

The thing that stands out: it was challenging spacewise to do group projects. I\u2019m excited to start class this week because the new building is opening.<\/p>\n

You mentioned the tightknit collaborative culture in both the Coast Guard and Haas. What are some differences?<\/strong> [12:00]<\/p>\n

For me, it\u2019s the first time being a civilian again. Even though I\u2019m still active duty, I\u2019m not in uniform. In the Coast Guard it\u2019s very structured \u2013 you refer to people by rank. At Haas, it\u2019s more independent.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re older than the average Haas MBA student. Was it hard to be a student again? <\/strong>[13:00]<\/p>\n

The average age is about 28, and I came in at 35. It was a little challenging to be a student. I\u2019d initially thought that since I did well in undergrad I would be able to handle it.<\/p>\n

I was commuting in because my wife works a couple of hours away \u2013 and I found I got behind pretty quickly. The material was tough and the pace was fast.<\/p>\n

Was there anything else that surprised you about Haas? <\/strong>[14:35]<\/p>\n

I always knew I\u2019d be surrounded by great folks. But people are really unassuming, even people who\u2019ve started their own companies or graduated at the top of their class from Ivy League schools. I\u2019m more and more impressed.<\/p>\n

Has the program changed your approach to leadership? <\/strong>[15:40]<\/p>\n

The leadership component is a constant work in motion. In the military, you get a lot of leadership and responsibility right away. Now with the academic angle I find myself reflecting on those experiences.<\/p>\n

In my Leading People class, we were talking about performance evaluations. In my last role, I did a lot of them, and I thought back about how I\u2019d done them.<\/p>\n

What are your plans for after graduation? <\/strong>[18:00]<\/p>\n

When I applied to school it was a sponsored program through the Coast Guard \u2013 so I\u2019ll return to the Coast Guard. At some point I\u2019ll probably transition into a civilian role.<\/p>\n

What will you miss about Haas? <\/strong>[19:30]<\/p>\n

The people \u2013 but I hope I\u2019ll continue to build on those friendships.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll also miss being a student and having the time to dig into books and articles.<\/p>\n

Do you have any tips for MBA applicants, especially those coming from the military? <\/strong>[20:20]<\/p>\n

I probably should have started a year out.<\/p>\n

If you reach out to the veterans club or active duty club at the program, they\u2019re very helpful.<\/p>\n

Have you experienced any special challenges coming from the military? <\/strong>[21:25]<\/p>\n

The first thing is just being a student again.<\/p>\n

From the military side, being a civilian is different: in the military, the chain of command is so structured.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favorite class?<\/strong> [22:40]<\/p>\n

I enjoyed my core classes. And I really enjoyed my real estate elective. We worked on a great project locally where we designed affordable housing for teachers. It was a really fun problem solving project. I enjoyed the design thinking aspect of it \u2013 where you don\u2019t know the answer.<\/p>\n

Any favorite professors?<\/strong> [29:42]<\/p>\n

I really liked my accounting professor and my real estate professor.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been blown away by their background and knowledge \u2013 and their willingness to meet with you.<\/p>\n

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

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

\u2022 David Middleton on LinkedIn<\/a>
\n\u2022 UC Berkeley Haas MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines<\/a>
\n\u2022 Up Close and Personal with Berkeley Haas at the 2017 AIGAC Conference<\/a>
\n\u2022 A Veteran\u2019s Transition to Tuck<\/a>, an interview
\n\u2022 Leadership in Admissions<\/a>, a free guide<\/p>\n

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

\u2022 Exploring the Haas MBA: An Interview with Peter Johnson<\/a>
\n\u2022 Haas, McCombs, and Case Interviews<\/a>
\n\u2022 An NYU Stern Grad and Strat Consultant Helping Vets Get Into School<\/a>
\n\u2022 Breaking Some HBS Stereotypes: An Interview with Ben Faw<\/a><\/p>\n

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

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\"Get<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This article<\/a>\u00a0originally appeared on\u00a0<\/i>blog.accepted.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/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 to 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<\/i>get accepted<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Military and older student attending the UC Berkeley Haas Full-time MBA program. Let\u2019s hear his story. [powerpress] Our guest today, David Middleton, graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,939,775,113,243],"tags":[1982,1193,528,2042,53,875],"class_list":["post-39070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","category-blog","tag-graduate-interview","tag-haas-mba","tag-mba-student-interview","tag-podcast","tag-uc-berkeley-haas","tag-uc-berkeley-haas-school-of-business","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39070","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=39070"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39070\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39072,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39070\/revisions\/39072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}