Jessica Hanway, Carroll MBA Class of 2022
Age: 27
Hometown: Stamford, CT
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Wesleyan University – Economics
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): 5 years – Consulting and Business Analytics roles. My most recent role was performing analytics at a hedge fund that traded derivatives.
Why business school? Why now?
I was interested in attending business school to build out my soft skills in order to move from an individual contributor role to a managerial role. Also, having gone to a liberal arts college, I felt that it would be helpful to take the core business classes and build up my business knowledge. The pandemic presented a unique opportunity to make a major life transition, as so much has changed already in 2020, so I leaned into the chance to go back to school.
Why Carroll? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I knew I wanted to stay in Boston for graduate school as this is an amazing city for students. Carroll is a great fit for me because of its small program size (80 people per class year) and strong focus on applying analytics to business cases. Since Carroll has an undergraduate business program, the school has a strong diversity of classes and faculty interests despite the graduate program’s small size. For example, Carroll offers a variety of courses on business in sports, which interested me given my work experience with the National Women’s Hockey League (more on this below).
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2022?
My liberal arts background and diverse work experience have shaped my ability to think outside of the box and approach problems uniquely. A liberal arts education teaches you to question assumptions that other people might take for granted and continuously ask “why?”. Business school teaches you to think in a very structured way, but it’s important to balance this skill with an ability to generate unique viewpoints.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application?
I am obsessed with sports and fitness, and one of my passion projects is working with the National Women’s Hockey League to develop opportunities for women to play professional sports. I work part-time for the Boston Pride women’s pro hockey team, and we have the most incredible players and fans. As a child, my “dream career” was to be a professional athlete. While the athletic abilities didn’t quite materialize, it is exciting to be able to use my business and analytical skills to build these opportunities for the next generation.
Post-MBA career interests?
One potential career interest that I am exploring is working for an early to mid-stage startup. I am looking for an opportunity where I can really throw myself in and make an immediate impact. BC has a great entrepreneurship community that has piqued my interest in this. During COVID, the school has facilitated virtual coffee chats with alumni entrepreneurs and VCs to offer perspectives on their careers. I have also been able to get involved with BC’s apprenticeship program, which lets students partner with local startups to solve their most pressing problems.
Advice to current prospective applicants:
One thing I would absolutely do again is have lots of coffee chats and phone calls with people who have already been through grad school and are working in job roles that I could see myself working in. Grad school is a large investment (both money and time), and the one piece of advice I continuously heard from MBA grads was to make sure you know what you want to do post-MBA before you go back to school, so that you can choose a program that best fits your interests. Recruiting also starts within the first month of your program, so having a sense of what types of internships you want to apply to is helpful.
If I could do something differently, it would be to take the GMAT instead of the GRE. When I first graduated from college, I had considered applying to PhD programs in Economics which required the GRE, so that was the test I took. While most top business schools are starting to accept applicants with GRE scores, the GMAT is still the most common test that applicants take, so I would recommend you take that if you know b-school is for you.
What is your initial impression of Carroll’s students/culture/community?
Carroll students and faculty are incredible – our program is very tight-knit, and we have been able to navigate having safe social events despite the pandemic. I genuinely appreciate my classmates too – the culture is collaborative and supportive. It sounds cliche, but everyone is smart while also being very nice. Carroll students are the kinds of people you actually want to grab a beer with after classes. I am also surprised by how diverse my classmates’ backgrounds are, which has led to many interesting conversations.
One thing you have learned about Carroll that has surprised you?
I am continuously surprised by how supportive and receptive the alumni network is! Alumni are eager to speak with current students about their experiences. I have reached out to a bunch of alumni through LinkedIn and set up informal calls or coffee chats, and so far everyone has been willing to speak with me. The BC network is as amazing as people had told me.
Thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
I think the uncertainty around COVID is continuously in the back of everyone’s minds as winter approaches. However, BC has done an excellent job of managing a hybrid classroom environment for MBA students and has done regular testing of students. I have confidence in the university that they are prepared to handle COVID and the design of our program when winter comes.
Thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I am equally excited about getting back into the classroom and meeting new people. I love learning, so it has been fun to be in an intellectually stimulating academic environment again. I have also been excited about meeting my classmates and learning about their diverse backgrounds.
