If you could go back and give yourself a message back when you started this MBA journey, what would it be?

The biggest mistake that I made was staying in the Coast Guard.  The opportunities for Academy Grads that go to Business school are incredible.  The leadership experience, the undergraduate education, and the ability to communicate, are all highly prized in the world of business.  I was in the military from the time I graduated high school until the day I showed up to business school.  If I had made the transition straight to a job, I would have most likely found myself working in a position that was nearly identical to what I had been doing in the military.  Not because I wanted to do the same work, but because I didn't know all of the different options.

The first year in business school blew my mind because it opened my eyes to the possibilities of post graduation.  Furthermore, by choosing a top tier general management focused business school, I was able to learn the baseline necessary for all forms of business.  Finance, strategy, marketing, ops, etc. are all useful in future positions, and being forced to take them all with your whole class, allows you to appreciate the types of positions and industries that are available.

Study for the GMATs. During my application process, I didn’t study for the GMATs.  I simply showed up and took them.  While I did well, a little hard work beforehand would have opened up every school in the country.  This is important because there is a direct correlation with the school you attend and the opportunities you have after graduation.  In 20 years it mostly likely won’t matter if you went to 1 or 20 (50 is a different story), but directly after graduation, it is huge.  This just means that you can be doing what you really want to do in 10 years rather than 20 years.

Branch: Coast Guard
MBA: Darden (University of Virginia)
Year 2013
Industry: Private Equity