We continue our Real Humans: MBA Students series with a visit to the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business.
Seventy-eight MBA students matriculated at Georgia Terry this fall. Thirty-two percent are women and 21 percent are international students. Twenty-one percent identify as U.S. minorities. During their undergraduate years, the group averaged a GPA of 3.50. Thirty-one percent each earned degrees in business/economics or computer sciences/engineering. Another 21 percent had studied the sciences while 18 percent pursued humanities/social sciences majors. When it came time to take the GMAT or GRE, the Terry MBAs landed average scores of 641 and 315, respectively. The students arrived on campus with an average of 3.75 years of work experience. Fourteen percent hail from a military background.
Beyond the class profile stats, collaboration, community, and career pivots are at the heart of the MBA experience—and the Class of 2027 embodies all three. Take Armin Maghsoudlou, who is swapping code for strategy. With a background in software engineering, machine learning, and data analytics, he went to Athens to turn his technical toolkit into product management and business leadership, drawn by Terry’s inclusive culture and hands-on learning. Fellow classmate Dillon Bliss made the leap from the U.S. Army, where he honed his leadership skills as an Armor Officer. Now, he’s channeling that experience into a civilian career in leadership development programs, motivated by Terry’s small class size and unbeatable value.
Also in the mix is Caleigh Christensen, who realized her STEM background needed a business boost after hitting ceilings in IT consulting. She chose Terry for its strong ROI, location near Atlanta, and project-based learning, all of which position her to step into leadership roles in operations and project management. From Lagos, Nigeria, Olajumoke Oke brings nearly a decade of CPG experience at Anheuser-Busch InBev. Her passion for revenue growth management and strategy—plus her eye for photography—will add both business savvy and creative perspective to her cohort. And then there’s former band director Jacob Zerega, who traded the podium for the classroom. With a passion for process optimization and operations, he’s already jumping into leadership roles on campus while bringing an educator’s creativity and adaptability to the Terry community.
Together, these five students highlight the diversity of backgrounds and ambitions that make the Terry MBA distinctive—where technologists, veterans, consultants, global brand managers, and even music educators come together to learn, lead, and launch the next phase of their careers. Read on for their stories and MBA admissions advice.
