Why to Pursue a Joint MBA and MPH Degree - Michael Olsen

In Chapter 16 of 16, social entrepreneur and technology consultant Michael Olsen finds his passion by starting and developing non-profit Kilifi Kids (www.kilifikids.org). The intersection of developing world scope, public health, and technology captures his interest and Olsen decides to immerse himself further in these areas by pursuing a joint Masters of Public Health (MPH) and Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Emory University in Atlanta.

What to Consider Before Investing in an MBA Education - Nina Godiwalla

In Chapter 10 of 14 of her 2010 Capture Your Flag interview, "Suits: A Woman on Wall Street" author and Wharton MBA graduate Nina Godiwalla answers "What questions should early career professionals ask themselves before applying for an MBA program?" Godiwalla reflects on her experience researching and then attending the Wharton MBA program at the University of Pennsylvania. There, she learns the importance of preparation and research going into school. While in school, Godiwalla encourages students be open to possibilities while also maintaining a clear purpose on larger picture investment returns. These may be building a network or developing expertise in a particular business field. Godiwalla cautions against planning the future too far and overlooking the often randomly occurring opportunities that pop up. For her, it was creating a meditation program for MBAs, which then helped her start a business years after graduation.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen: What questions should early career professionals ask themselves before applying for an MBA program?

Nina Godiwalla: I think the whole business school experience is pretty – it can be transformational if you allow it to be so I don’t think they have to know exactly what they’re doing but think they should have a sense of what they’re going there, what they’re going there for. I don’t think it has to be laid out the way we do lay out our business school applications and I think a lot of people say ‘I just laid it out because that’s what I was supposed to do.’ But I think you should have a sense of what you’re going in there for and I also think a lot of people when I was in business school, especially entrepreneurs, felt this was a very stifling environment and there were a lot of people that were a little bitter that they were there. There was a group of people that thought ‘This wasn’t the right experience for me’ and a lot of them had wished that they had researched it a little bit more.

Business school is an animal of its own and just going in to go to business school to get the letters, I just don’t think it makes sense and especially when you’re putting – you’re investing in it in that kind of a way. So you have to, I think you should have to have a clear picture of what it is, if it’s ‘These two things I’m trying to get, I’m trying to really create that network for myself and I’m trying to find something that really resonates for me in the business world and I want this broad exposure’. I think that makes more sense than saying ‘I know for sure I’m going to be a management consultant specifically in the health care industry’ because if you completely define what you’re doing after that you can put blinders on.

And one of the things that was a little surprising to me, I never thought I would ever use this in the business world, is when I -- I did something I was really passionate about while I was in business school, I was involved with a lot of different things, but I started the meditation program there and who would have ever thought like later on I would’ve actually used that in the business world, I did it because I wanted to, I wanted to expose business school students to something that I felt was very valuable and then later in my life I’ve actually used it to create my own business. There’s no way me or anyone else that was sitting there would’ve thought that that’s something I would’ve used in the future in terms of business and I think that was a good example of taking that opportunity to do things that you’re really – you’re excited about because you’re going to learn something about yourself through that experience.

Meeting Rwandan Genocide and Zim Land Reform Survivors - Hattie Elliot

In Chapter 5 of 16, entrepreneur and connector Hattie Elliot learns about genocide and land redistribution from student peers while studying at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. She meets classmates who survived Rwandan genocide and land redistribution survivors in Zimbabwe.

How Wellesley Woman's College Builds Student Self-Esteem - Kyung Yoon

In Chapter 12 of 18, Korean American Community Foundation (KACF) executive director and Wellesley graduate Kyung Yoon reflects on how attending the woman's college helped empower her sense of self worth. Peers and professors took all students seriously and, as a result, Yoon felt all the more empowered.

How Informational Interviews Lead to Graduate School Admission - Diana Wilmot

In Chapter 9 of 9, Diana Wilmot shares how building practical experience and talking to people about job roles focuses her educational measurement and assessment career ambition. Upon moving to northern California, Diana Wilmot visits University of California Berkeley and asks what it will take to get admitted into the masters and doctorate program. She then goes off and teaches for several years, meeting new professionals along the way to understand what possibilities exist in assessment.

How Mother Supports Daughter's Education Career - Diana Wilmot

In Chapter 5 of 9, education psychometrician Diana Wilmot shares how her mother's support and education career have impacted her own ambition and career in education. Wilmot starts young watching her mom teach high school English and interacting with a family focused on education careers. From applying to Northwestern University to deciding on Berkeley for graduate studies, Wilmot's mother has been a constant encouraging force for her daughter.

How New Haven Influenced Decision to Attend Yale - Louise Davis

In Chapter 7 of 20 in her 2009 Capture Your Flag interview, Louise Davis shares how, while in high school, she prioritizes colleges located in urban settings. The school should have resources committed to serve the local community in need and allow students to apply the resources. Seeking something comparable to her San Francisco childhood, Davis decides to attend Yale University, given its high priority serving the local New Haven, Connecticut community.

How to Shift College Education Marketing Strategy - J.T. Allen

In Chapter 4 of 14, MyFootpath.com founder J.T. Allen learns different motivations driving individuals to seek a college education.  Specifically, Allen sees the variance by demographic and, further, differences in purpose.  This recognition helps Allen adapt marketing strategy and shift customer focus from high school students to mid 20s to 40s clients.

Why Study Sports Journalism at University of Michigan - Jen Duberstein

In Chapter 3 of 18, Jen Duberstein, now a Major League Soccer attorney, discusses why she chose University of Michigan (U of M) over University of North Carolina (UNC) to pursue a sports journalism career.  Duberstein considers sports program strength, school spirit, and respected journalism outlets to narrow her college choice on U of M and UNC. Ultimately, she decides on U of M, prioritizing its strong journalism presence, in particular its Michigan Daily newspaper and university radio station, over UNC's NCAA Tournament basketball victory.

Why Choose an HBCU Education at Howard University - Phil McKenzie

In Chapter 8 of 13, Phil McKenzie shares how a desire to more deeply connect to the African American experience propelled his decision to choose Howard University, a historically black college and university (HBCU), in Washington D.C. for college after graduating Brooklyn Tech High School.  Phil McKenzie graduated from Howard University and earned an MBA from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business.  Before starting FREE DMC and the Influencer Conference, McKenzie worked for eight years in sales and trading at Goldman Sachs.