Pre-MBA Events for Women
Just as there are several pre-MBA events designed to provide early networking access to underrepresented minorities, so too are there a range of events for admitted MBA students who are women. The Forté Foundation features two—its MBA Women’s Leadership Conference, taking place this year in Seattle in mid-June, and its FAST Track Conference, which will be held at the end of May in New York. The first, a two-day annual event open to both current and incoming MBA women, includes a Career Expo that draws numerous Fortune 100 employers. The second, a one-and-a-half-day conference, zeroes in on financial career possibilities, from investment and private wealth management to investment banking and portfolio management.
Another organization with a mission similar to Forté’s called the National Association of Women MBAs, also hosts an annual conference in October, including three days of networking opportunities and an on-site career fair featuring recruiters spanning multiple industries. This year’s event will take place outside of Chicago.
Like its MBA camp for URMs, Goldman Sachs also hosts a half-day MBA Women’s Summit for prospective first-year female MBA students looking to learn more about the financial service industry and summer internship opportunities. And as noted above, Barclays MBA Ambition Program, JPMorgan’s MBA Early Advantage Program, and Morgan Stanley’s Early Insights Program are all open to women as well as minorities—as are the brand camps at Nestlé and P&G.
Pre-MBA Events for Members of the LGBTQ Community
Another group that gets some pre-MBA love in the form of recruiting prep opportunities is the LGBTQ community. Morgan Stanley’s Early Insights Program is open to students who identify as LGBT, as well as to URMs and women.
In addition, ROMBA offers incoming MBA students the opportunity to take part in summer industry treks to get to know recruiters in a range of industries. A trek to Minneapolis June 22nd and 23rd will introduce participants to marketing and retail firms there; a finance trek to New York will take place June 26th and 27th; a tech and retail trek to Seattle will take place July 10th and 11th; a general management and consulting trek will head to Chicago-area firms July 13th and 14th, and a tech trek to San Francisco-area firms will also take place July 13th and 14th. “These are great opportunities for attendees to get a better understanding of what options they might consider within the industry, meet other LGBTQA individuals admitted to MBA programs around the country, and network with LGBTQA MBA alumni and professionals,” reads the ROMBA website. “Last year multiple students attending treks ended up receiving job offers from companies they visited.” A list of participating companies, along with additional details about the 2017 treks, is available here. Attendees are responsible for their own travel and accommodations.
And as noted above, Barclays MBA Ambition Program, JPMorgan’s MBA Early Advantage Program, and Morgan Stanley’s Early Insights Program are all open to members of the LGBTQ commuity, as well as women and minorities—as are the brand camps at Nestlé and P&G.
Pre-MBA Boot Camps for Veterans
Last but not least, a final category of boot camps is, in fact, for soldiers—former members of the U.S. military, that is. In mid-July, tech giant Google will invite up to 50 prospective first-year MBA students who are veterans to its Google Student Veterans Summit in Mountain View, CA. Toward a stated goal of creating “a diverse workplace that represents their users,” Google is looking for candidates who demonstrate “a commitment to the core values of impact and collaboration.” The three-day, all-expenses paid summit includes a special curriculum developed to help veterans transition smoothly to the civilian workplace, as well as opportunities for participants to network with members of Google’s veteran community.
Just as it features pre-MBA events for URMs and for women, Goldman Sachs in 2011 began to also host an annual Veteran Career Event. This one-day event provides an overview of the firm, summer opportunities and how to navigate the recruiting process while also introducing participants to Goldman’s Veteran Network.
Stay tuned for an upcoming article that will examine the pros and cons of starting business school with a summer internship offer—a not-unusual occurrence for participants in many of the above pre-MBA events.
