Georgetown / McDonough - 10-17-2022 | Clear Admit ApplyWire

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October 17, 2022 9:40am ET

Applying: Georgetown / McDonough, NYU Stern, Yale SOM

Pre-MBA Career: Human Resources at a Football Club

Post-MBA Target Industry: Other

GRE: 325

GPA: 3.45

Years of Work Experience: 6

Location: London

Post MBA Location: US (east coast) and long term UK/international

Notes:

am so excited to finally be able to post on here! I have been listening to the podcast for months as I have been studying for the GMAT and GRE and today I finally sat the GRE and got a score I am happy enough with to post! (I had originally tried the GMAT and got below a 600 so refocused and tried the GRE - obtaining a 161 verbal and 164 quant which I am so happy about!) I recognise this post is lengthy, but I hope you guys don't mind and can provide some insights to another Philly/ Londoner!

Background:
I am a 28-year-old white American female who currently lives in London. I got my undergrad degree from UPenn with a major in nursing and a minor in french. I determined after my sophomore year that I didn't want to pursue a career in nursing; however, I was adamant to finish what I started before pivoting to another area that I was more passionate about - sports. Growing up in Colorado Springs, home of the Olympic Training Ground, I had been surrounded by sports and athletics my whole life; I helped with the administration and management of various sports teams in high school; and then in college, I was a coxswain on the men's rowing team for two years and then worked at UPenn's Athletics Department for my junior and senior years as well as working for a local collegiate athletics association in the summers. Aware of the fact I needed a way to pivot into the sports world, after my undergrad I obtained my Master in Sport Business with distinction at Loughborough University in London whilst working part-time at a Premier League Football Club. After graduation, I switched to full-time role within the football club, primarily focusing on managing the casual staff workforce. After a year or so, I moved into the HR Team and focused on Recruitment, Talent Acquisition and L&D. Last year I was further promoted and moved to a new role as Payroll and HR Analytics Manager.

During my time working in sport (and especially after seeing the global effects of the pandemic on workforce patterns and shifts) I have realised that there is a gap in sport, particularly in Premier League Football in comparison to the US counterparts (NFL, NHL, NBA etc), in how human capital and human resources are leveraged to contribute to overall business goals. Furthermore, as the sporting industry gets more and more global, there is a need for leaders to help sports clubs and conglomerates compete in a larger industry (for instance how there are many oversee owners for British football clubs or how various Americans have companies that own a myriad of teams around the world). I want to be able to help bridge these gaps and be a part of incorporating human capital into the greater corporate strategy of organizations and I believe obtaining an MBA will put me in a position to do that.

Post MBA, my short-term goals would be to get a job consulting within a Human Capital Management and or Sports and Entertainment department of a consulting agency (Deloitte, McKinsey etc) and then in the long term I would love to take my education and experience back to football in the UK or internationally and apply it within the industry first hand working as Chief of People, or within Human Capital Strategy.

Outside of work, I am an avid baker and home cook and have my own vegan recipe and food blog. I partake in weekly local park runs with a group of runners and go to yoga classes. On the side, I also help tutor undergrad and graduate students in essay writing and due to my experience in recruitment, have helped others with career prep such as cover letter and CV composition. Two years ago I also obtained my CIPD Level 5 (which is the UK equivalent of obtaining the Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional status). During my undergraduate career, I worked in the athletics office and rowed as previously mentioned, but also was an active member of my sorority Alpha Phi, Penn Coffee Club and a periodic writer for one of Penn's many online newspapers, The Filament.

In addition to just general insights/ thoughts on my school choice/ chances etc. I was curious if you guys could help me with the two questions:
Would my application benefit from taking MBA Math or HBS core? If so which one?
Should I use the optional essay space to explain my reasoning for pursuing a nursing degree and then changing careers entirely (personal reasons - both parents were in the medical field and after my mom died from a battle with cancer in high school I felt a personal duty to pursue a career in that area... etc. Looking back, I wish I would have transferred into the business school but the hind site is 20/20!)?

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Show Comments (7) Last: October 24, 2022

hollykellner Likes Earned: 24 Just reading back over this and my GPA is actual a 3.51 if that helps at all! Sorry about the typo - clearly still tired after the test. (1)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1582 Congratulations on your GRE. MBA Math might help, and if nothing else, it will help prepare you for your first semester. Your experience is less traditional (course, I’d like to know which club you work at, but that’s another conversation) and that can help, with a well defined path that you’ve planned going forward. Showing growth and impact at work will be key. You can use the optional essay to briefly explain the pivot. I also wonder if you’re aiming high enough with your target programs? Or at least add 1-2 more top 16, 1-2 M7? (1)

grichmond Verified User. Likes Earned: 1152 Thanks so much for this post! It's great to know that you've been listening to the podcast and readying yourself to share an ApplyWire entry! Lots to unpack here, but my general sense is that you are going to be highly competitive at any number of top US MBA programs. While your numbers aren't going to jump off the page, I think that they are clearly enough to keep you in the game, and it's also worth noting that you did attend a very good undergraduate program, Penn being Ivy League, etc. What's truly compelling here is the career pivot you engineered, the international experience you have gained, and the impressive trajectory in the HR domain. Your outside activities also suggest that you are exactly the sort of well-rounded candidate that top business schools are seeking. I am curious to better understand how you have arrived at your list of target schools; was this based on strength in human capital coursework and placements? Sports management offerings? I do suggest that you take a serious look at some M7 programs like Harvard and Wharton, and perhaps CBS too. Also, has LBS ever been considered, in light of your potentially working in the UK after b-school? I do think that MBA Math (which will be faster/cheaper than HBSCore) could be a great idea to help ensure you are ready (while sending the schools a great signal). And, yes, using the optional essay to briefly describe the decision to pursue nursing (parents in the field, mother's passing) and your path to the pivot (masters degree) would be smart - if those elements aren't coming out elsewhere in your file already. One final set of questions: how much overlap is there between the Masters in sport business and an MBA? Was there much in the way of quantitative coursework? How did you do in that program? Best of luck and thanks again for the post!
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hollykellner Likes Earned: 24 Thanks Alex and Graham for the thoughtful response and unpacking my essay of an entry! (Also, apologies on the lengthy response below…) My selection: NYU and Yale both have Human Capital and Sports and Entertainment classes/opportunities and organisations (ie. NYU has the Entertainment, Media and Sports Association (EMSA) and Yale has connections with North American Society for Sport Management). Although they only send 3-4% grads into media and entertainment (which is standard across most programmes as it is fairly niche), they send good chunk of people to consulting which I think is an ideal area for me to merge both human capital and sports. To be honest, I threw Georgetown in the mix as it was well as it is known for sports, and I was worried if I was reaching too high to only apply to Yale and NYU (especially am still not 100% sure yet that I would be happy going there). On the other end of the spectrum, if you think I have a shot, Harvard would be an absolute dream. I know Harvard has some amazing courses in human capital and the course taught by Anita Elberse on Business of Entertainment, Media and Sports sounds spot on (not to mention the various case studies she has created on the subject). HBS also multiple publications on sports, business, women in leadership and human capital that I have read over the years as I’ve researched different topics. With its world network, curriculum, and excellent faculty I would jump at an opportunity to get an MBA at HBS (I was just worried if it was a bit of a moon shot). Overall, I also care about the school's international brand since long term I would love to end up abroad working for different sports teams or orgs. However, I am not considering schools in the UK at the minute as I do think that would limit me to only being able to work in the UK, whereas getting experience from a top program in the states I believe it would hold more water in a variety of settings. I also do want to gain some experience in the states before moving back to Europe as I think this will be key in giving me the expertise and knowledge necessary to be a key player in merging two different corporate structure/cultures (i.e. with recent ownership of Premier League Clubs by Americans and how new structures and teams are being created). As for my master’s program it was much less rigorous than an MBA and was more of a whistlestop tour of different topics in Sport Business. I had a few quantitative modules such as data analytics but on the whole it wasn’t very quant heavy. Of course, it helped me pivot and get to London which in the end was priceless; however, I am still missing some key business/quant skills to progress to the next level. That being said, I did do extremely well in the course and received my degree with Distinction (the highest level you can receive in the UK for a master’s degree). Hope that helps answer your questions! Thanks again! (1)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1582 You should take the moon shot. Otherwise you might always wonder if HBS was achievable. Same with Wharton, and maybe one more M7, along with the three you’re currently targeting. Also, outside of the US, LBS would provide very decent networks, especially in Europe. (0)

grichmond Verified User. Likes Earned: 1152 Yes, I concur with Alex. Apply to HBS and Wharton - along with your current targets - if possible. Take your shot!
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alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1582 More details on this candidacy in this episode of Wire Taps: https://www.clearadmit.com/2022/10/wire-taps-258/ (0)