It is well into the business school
application cycle for this year, today is LGO Ambassador Day, and the LGO
application date just over a month away. So it seems like a good time in
the life of this blog to share why I decided on the Leaders for Global
Operations (LGO) program.
Business school is a chance to change directions in careers and life. The problem was, I couldn't decide where I wanted to go. I knew things that I was interested in professionally (supply chain, operations, problem solving, travel, general management knowledge) and for personal reasons I was interested in living in an urban area. I had never lived in a "real" city and undergrad was in a college town so I wanted something bigger.
I also worked to define what skills I
wanted to get out of an MBA. I wanted to refine my management techniques
and leadership style through immersion in challenging coursework, group style
learning, and university organizations. Beyond specific skills, I was
looking to engage with classmates, faculty, and professional mentors from a
diverse vocation and background pool to develop a broad global network.
I boiled down my search to only places
with strong manufacturing and supply chain courses, a reputation for academic
excellence, known for building a strong general management foundation, and with
an extensive and supportive alumni network. This led me to decide to
apply to the LGO program at MIT Sloan, Kellogg at Northwestern, Wharton at
University of Pennsylvania, and Ross and the Tauber Institute at
University of Michigan.
I had an exciting round of results and
had the opportunity to spend weekends through the winter visiting different
admit weekends. What I really realized is how much I was looking for a
community where I felt comfortable. I wanted to meet and learn from
classmates that were diverse in background and culture. I didn't want to
feel like a peon in a world of giants, but be among peers foraging new
frontiers. Finally, I wanted to get the most academically and
professionally out of the two years away from a salary and you can't get better
than two degrees in two years from the arguably the best engineering school in
the world and an MBA program routinely ranked in the top 5 programs.
The LGO program hit on all accounts.
The class (and their SOs) is an incredible group that is warm, inviting,
quirky, smart, fascinating, and from all different backgrounds. There are
the engineering similarities that help us speak the same language and the
global differences where we actually speak different languages.
Looking back at the application
process, I have nothing that I would have done differently. Applying to
other schools helped me solidify what I wanted out of business school and
visiting helped my find out where I best fit.
I have NO REGRETS about my decision and I am so excited and proud to be part of the LGO class of 2017!
If you are interested in
applying for LGO and have questions, you can:
- Ask them in the comments. I
would be glad to give you my thoughts or find the best source for your
questions.
- Contact the LGO office at lgo@mit
. edu
- Talk to other applicants on GMAT
Club http://gmatclub.com/forum/calling-all-mit-lgo-applicants-2016-intake-class-of-200059.html
I enjoyed reading about your application experience.
ReplyDeleteHow did you decide on engineering systems for your engineering degree and do you have any insight into why it's no longer an option for this year's students?
Hello -
DeleteI selected engineering systems because I was interested in Supply Chain and the classes in that area were the most interesting to me. I would recommend looking through the recommended classes on the MIT LGO website under the different major and track options to get a better idea of what to expect.
ESD is no longer an option for this years students because it will not exist at MIT after the spring semester. I believe a lot of the courses will be rolled into a new offering from MIT IDSS (Institute for Data, Systems, and Society). This group is new as of a few months ago and I do not know how it will fit into the LGO program. For more specifics, the LGO admissions office is an excellent source.
Thanks for sharing, Carrie - I have similar goals of finding a school that fosters a community of ambitious but collaborative students.
ReplyDelete