Many of our students who do not come from a military background are both surprised and impressed by the amount of responsibility and managerial authority military candidates have had during their careers. However, many of our military candidates do not immediately recognize their own strengths and the potential value they bring to an MBA community.

When we speak with military candidates, many are worried they do not have the “right” background for business school. We say it often, but it bears repeating – There is no one “right” background for UVA Darden. “Traditional” and “Non-Traditional” do not apply here. Many of our students do not have prior exposure to traditional business subjects like finance and accounting, and they hail from a broad range of industries and organizations. For example, our Full-Time MBA Class of 2022 boasts over 70 undergraduate majors and represent 25 industries and over 300 employers.

As an Admissions Committee, we are trying to bring as much difference as possible to the classroom. Darden is a case method school, and the more diversity present in the classroom, the richer those case discussions will be. We are looking for students who know their story, who want to be active participants in their MBA experience, who are going to share their perspectives with others but also recognize they have much to learn from their peers, who will be great classmates and teammates, who want to make an impact outside of the classroom. The list goes on, and many of these attributes directly intersect with military candidates’ strengths as well as past experiences.

At Darden, you will bring your whole self to the learning experience. For this reason, we encourage you to be authentically you during the research and application process. Take time to get to know us, but give us an opportunity to know you. And remember, the better you can understand your story – particularly the “whys” of your narrative – the stronger your application will be.

On a more practical level, here are a few more tips we typically share with military candidates:

Make sure your resume is understandable to a lay audience.

Typically around 5-8% of our full-time MBA classes and approximately 30% of our Executive MBA classes come from a military service background, so our Admissions Committee is familiar with some of the jargon and terminology unique to military careers. However, when crafting your resume, you should assume the reader will not know much about your particular branch, organization or responsibilities. Your resume is a great opportunity to highlight leadership, impact and progression in your career, and you will want to make sure you make the most of this important space.

Engage your networks.

Many of the military candidates we meet, particularly those who are in the process of separating, are less sure about what their next step might be. There is typically an element of “I don’t know what I don’t know” and applicants are looking to use their time in an MBA program to narrow their career interests and goals. While this is understandable, your short-term and long-term career goals will be important parts of any successful MBA application, and they are also fundamental to other important questions – for example, “why MBA.”

So what is a candidate to do? Network. Network. Network. And by “network” we mean talk to people! Informational networking is great place to start any MBA journey. Who in your communities has pursued an MBA? Who has recently transitioned out of the military to the private sector? Talk with them about their experiences. What did they learn? What would they recommend? Use these conversations to also learn about companies and industries that may be of potential interest to you. These conversations will give you an opportunity to test hypotheses about potential career paths, and even better, you will be building relationships that – if maintained – will continue to benefit you as an MBA student.

Connect with our military-oriented affinity groups.

Good luck on your MBA journey and congratulations on taking this step in your personal and professional development!

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Become the Leader You’d Like to Follow at Berkeley Haas.

Veterans traditionally make up around 10% of the Full-Time MBA Class each year here at Berkeley Haas. The incredibly unique perspective of those in service coupled with the commitment to service has only enhanced the Haas community. Our veterans hold leadership positions, including our MBAA president. The veterans on faculty further enrich the experience in our program.

Successful candidates to our program focus on these core values. They focus on the leadership attributes that are gained through service. Even candidates who haven’t been in formal supervisory positions have an opportunity to reflect on these attributes as they are often central to their time in service.

At the Center of Innovation

The Berkeley MBA experience produces leaders who excel at the core skills that businesses will always need—critical thinking, communication, and constant adaptability—and who deliver strategic, operational, and organizational innovation.

You gain these capabilities through:

Connect with Us

Founded in 2008, the Haas Veterans Club is designed to serve U.S. and international military veterans in the Haas community. Today, the club includes veterans from six nations and five U.S. military services. Club membership is open to veterans, students pursuing careers in the defense industry, and anyone interested in learning more about military service.

The Haas Veterans Club hosts events throughout the year, supports club members as they transition from the military to the civilian sector, and connects club members to the professional military network.

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At NYU Stern, we value the perspective that our veteran applicants bring to our program, and we encourage applicants to lean in to their military experience in their application. Veterans typically have leadership experience beyond that of a non-veteran applicant coming from a more traditional business background, and they should highlight this leadership experience throughout their application.

Additionally, while it's important for veteran applicants to pull out key skills and translate some of their work experience into civilian terms, they shouldn't do so at the cost of highlighting the quality of work they have done in the military. Applicants shouldn't water down their experience for the sake of making it more digestible for the admissions committee. We have experience reading military applications. Make clear connections between your work in the military and the business role you are interested in, but don't shy away from your specific, unique military experience.

Michigan Ross values the unique qualities that veteran bring to our MBA program. Veterans have been incredibly successful at Ross and is a growing community. Seven percent of the fall 2020 matriculating class were veterans, a record for the school. As you prepare to embark on the MBA Application journey, we wanted to share these key tips:

Deal with the Standardized Test early on

Most applicants, including our vets, agree that the standardized test is the most time consuming part of the MBA application process. Given that test scores are valid for five years and the amount of test prep required to do well, we recommend beginning test prep 12-18 months before intended matriculation. The vast majority of our students take the test multiple times and see improvement on subsequent attempts. You’ll want to leave yourself adequate time to retake the exam or even switch to a different exam if it’s a better fit. It’s easier to work on this earlier in the process rather than under a time crunch in the spring if you’re placed on a school’s waitlist.

Share your full self in essays

Essays are one of the only opportunities for Admissions Officers to learn about who you are and what you value before interview selection. Many veteran applicants write essays about their experiences in service for many if not all of the essay prompts. These experiences are often strong and well written, but they also frequently repeat experiences we hear about in other parts of your application. You bring more experiences and perspective than just your time in service, so don’t be afraid to share your full self when writing essays.

Translate leadership experiences and impacts for your resume and interview prep

All Admissions teams are looking for students who have made an impact in their respective careers thus far and show an upward trajectory of success. It’ll take some time and preparation to clearly define your experiences on your resume. When possible, be sure to quantify key parts of your day to day duties- i.e. size of your unit and value of equipment you oversee. Clearly outline new ranks as they were earned and any accommodations or rankings that positively reflect your success. As you prepare for your interview, take time to practice limiting jargon and breaking down service experiences for those unfamiliar with military practice.

Define your career path

For any school you apply to, you’ll be asked to share your career goals. Most full-time MBA students are making a career switch, so don’t feel intimidated explaining your transition. The key is to clearly define your transferable skills and why you’re passionate about an industry. As much as possible, show the Admissions team you’ve done your homework on your post-service career and have already begun talking with people in the field to prepare. Recruiters always tell us that they trust MBA programs are providing students with the core quantitative skills to be successful. They focus heavily on matching student’s passions and values to their industry and company culture. If you have a personal connection and passion for your post-MBA goals, be sure to communicate it.

Leverage current veteran resources

Most schools have a veterans student group which is really hands-on in the Admissions process. Many schools even have special visit weekends for veterans which are a great way to learn about a school’s culture first-hand. Current students understand how demanding the Admissions process can be and make themselves available to help review essays/resumes etc. Don’t be bashful reaching out for this support- they were in your shoes just a year or 2 before and excited to pay it forward.

Why Ross for Veterans:

• As a public institution, the University of Michigan is proud to provide in-state tuition for all veterans and allows veterans to take full advantage of GI Bill benefits. In addition, Ross has recently created a cost of living stipend scholarship awarded to many veterans.

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The section that follows was made possible by the independent contributions of several different admissions offices at top tier programs across the country. They gave this advice and their time to write it voluntarily, which is a testament to how much they value their veteran student population. Hopefully it will provide you with a slightly different but still complementary view of how you should be thinking about your MBA application.

The one statement most commonly made by our military veterans considering business school is: I don’t think that I have many transferable skills to bring to the business school classroom and the corporate world. That statement is quite simply not true. Business schools are always looking for versatile candidates whose skills will transfer to the corporate and professional world. Military veterans bring many qualities to an MBA program: proven leadership, teamwork, adaptability, perseverance, creativity, diversity, and quite simply GRIT. Military veterans are trained to make decisions quickly with limited data. Military veterans are experts at utilizing their critical thinking skills, oftentimes on a large scale affecting many people. And military veterans work alongside a diverse group of people from all races, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and geographical locations. All of these qualities are instantly transferable (and valued) to an MBA program and the corporate world.

So how does a military veteran take all of the above and translate that into a competitive application for business school? First, make sure that your resume translates into “civilian language”. We are looking for career progression and tangible metrics to qualify your work experience. Second, connect with the school’s Armed Forces Club. This student club is your resource about student life activities and access to current military students. The military community is a close-knit one and finding current students (who just went through the application process) will provide perspective and a real testimony. Third, make sure you understand your military educational benefits and align with a business school that will help you maximize these hard-earned benefits.

Vanderbilt Business is committed to helping military candidates transition to business school and is proud to offer not only a collaborative environment at a top-ranked business school but dedicated resources for military candidates. As a Vanderbilt Business student, you will have access to customized executive coaching and tools typically reserved for executives at Fortune 500 companies through our Leadership Development Program.

Our admissions process is a personalized one with every candidate having a dedicated Recruiting Manager assisting you through the application process. We recognize that through the military you have gained extraordinary leadership experience, advanced communication skills and a significant amount of experience working on teams. Our team works diligently to recognize the depth of experience you have gained through the military and the transferrable skills you have developed through that experience.

In recognition of the patriotism, scholarship, and leadership qualities and capabilities of veterans, the Bass Military Scholars Program provides $25,000 per year to an annual cohort of highly talented veterans pursuing graduate and professional degrees across five Vanderbilt Schools. In addition to Bass Military Scholars program and other scholarship opportunities specifically for military candidates, Vanderbilt Business is committed to providing our Yellow Ribbon eligible students the maximum amount approved by the Veterans Administration (VA) based on unmet need. As a military candidate, you also have a dedicated financial aid officer who is familiar with your benefit opportunities to assist you with the transition.

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“As the spouse of an active duty U.S. Army soldier for the past 16 years, I appreciate the value that military service members add to the classroom. They provide strong leadership and global experiences and the grit to excel under pressure.”

Shelly Heinrich, Associate Dean, MBA Admissions

Advice for Military Applicants

• Translate military jargon: As with any industry, it is important to translate the industry specific terms into more general terms. So, if you were in charge of a battalion, how many people does this equal? How would you translate your rank title into a civilian equivalent? What do the numerous acronyms stand for? Be prepared to do this not only on your resume, but also in your interview. And leverage our McDonough Military Association (below) to assist you in this translation.

• Relax in the interview, but prepare: In general, civilian life is a bit more relaxed, so while you should still be professional, don’t feel you need to prepare as if you’re briefing a general officer. Come prepared to answer questions like: Why are you pursuing an MBA? Why are you interested in this school? What do you hope to do post-MBA? Typically, military officers haven’t had as much time to practice interviewing as their civilian counterparts. If you went through ROTC, you may not have completed an internship as an undergraduate and it’s likely you haven’t had to interview for jobs within the military in the early part of your career. However, you have had more than enough experiences that will be very compelling to share in an interview. So, do some research on typical MBA questions and prepare, prepare, prepare.

• Highlight your global experiences: Military candidates typically have had strong global experiences as compared to their equivalent peers. Highlight what you have learned by working with other cultures. Demonstrate how it has made you think differently about the importance of diversity and how that experience will be valuable in a very diverse MBA classroom.

• Capitalize on your ability to work under pressure and overcome obstacles: One of the best characteristics that military applicants have is their ability to work under pressure and overcome obstacles. The military trains you to keep going even when it’s challenging, and this trait will be important when classes get challenging and the workload of balancing everything seems unmanageable. Admissions committees appreciate the grit that military candidates often bring to the classroom experience, so be sure to highlight this in the interview.

There are many resources to consider as you research Georgetown McDonough.

Some highlighted MMA activities:

• Vet Pre-Orientation to set expectations and highlight resources to prepare you for the coursework. Questions as simple as what to wear to class will be covered, as we know that some of our veteran students will be making a cultural transition as well by returning to school.

• War Stories: This annual event is hosted by the MMA and provides the platform for our veteran students to share their military experiences with the broader McDonough community.

• VetImpact: Students gain consulting experience by doing pro-bono consulting work for veteran-owned businesses.

Funding and Scholarships

• Application Fee Waiver: Active duty, reservists, or veterans of the United States military receive an application fee waiver to the Full-time and Flex MBA Program.

• Yellow Ribbon Program: Through the Yellow Ribbon Program at Georgetown, eligible Full-time and Flex MBA students receive $15,000 per year from Georgetown McDonough, which is matched by the Department of Veterans Affairs, for a total of $30,000 annually toward tuition and fees in addition to the Post-9/11 tuition benefits.

Other programs within the McDonough School of Business that many veterans consider include:

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