Getting Involved on Campus with Johnson’s Veterans Association
Johnson touts the fact that close to 11 percent of its students are veterans, although Shelato said that statistic wasn’t one he compared school to school and didn’t impact his decision to attend. “The biggest difference for me was how approachable Johnson’s veteran community was,” he says, adding that it’s something he is now trying to pay forward. As part of the student-led Association of Veterans (AOV), Shelato is vice president of admissions, which means he is the one who receives emails from prospective veteran applicants.
“I have been told by a number of prospective students that we are far and away more approachable than some other schools—we respond quickly, we are cordial, we genuinely want to talk to other veterans considering business school,” he says. Nothing would make him more proud of his community than for this to be true, he says.
“I tell veterans that I speak with on the phone that I consider myself a veteran before I consider myself a Johnson alum,” he says. “I want them to find the right fit for them regardless of whether or not it is Johnson.”
In terms of his advice to prospective veteran applicants, reach out to veterans at the schools you are interested in early in the process. “I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to speak to people from Johnson when I was applying,” he says. “It really helps you learn how to translate your experience effectively as part of the application process as well as to assess the school and learn the culture.” Most schools have an association of student veterans, and that’s the best place to start, he says.
But his ongoing involvement with the AOV has done more than simply let him return the favor he received as a prospective applicant, he continues. “I am still learning more about my achievements from the past and how to communicate those in a way that makes sense to someone who doesn’t have a military background—how those skills translate into something that is valuable to a company,” he says. Here, fellow veterans can be very helpful.
Membership in the AOV also has provided an opportunity to talk across academic immersions, across career perspectives, to hear about experiences outside of your own, he says. Shelato, who is pursuing a career in consulting, quickly found himself falling into a cohort and associating with lots of prospective consultants. “AOV transcends all of that—I can talk to people interested in managerial finance or marketing or tech,” he says. “And especially early on, when you don’t know for sure what you want to do, that’s a great opportunity to test things out and learn from other people’s experiences.”
Finally, the AOV is frequently contacted by various companies interested in hiring veterans, so membership can have career development benefits as well. For example, this past year AOV members attended an MBA Veterans Conference together held in Chicago. “There they can go talk to several companies at once and bring their resumes—it can result in interviews on the spot,” Shelato says.
Johnson Military Preview
To commemorate Veterans Day this year, the AOV planned a special day called Johnson Military Preview and invited prospective students to sign up to attend. Those who signed up in advance to participate are eligible to receive an invitation to interview throughout the application cycle as well as an application fee waiver good for any time during the 2017 application year.
Taking place today, November 10th, the day included tours of Sage Hall and the rest of campus, opportunities to meet with admissions representatives and an invitation to attend a Sage Social, Johnson’s Thursday evening social gathering. Two panels—one of current veteran students and another of veteran alumni—offered participants a chance to ask questions about student life, career opportunities and more. “Military Preview Day is really a great opportunity for prospective applicants to see and experience Johnson and its culture,” says Shelato.
In parting, Shelato offers one final piece of advice to prospective veteran applicants considering business school—whether at Johnson or somewhere else. “One of the challenges I had when I got here was that I underestimated what I could bring to the table based on my background—I assumed that all my classmates who weren’t veterans had some fundamental knowledge or experience that surpassed mine so I was hesitant to speak up,” he says.
“I couldn’t have been more wrong,” he says. “It’s a very diverse student body, and everyone here has a lot to gain and a lot to give. I would encourage vets out there—when they get to their MBA program—to have confidence in their viewpoints and discuss them. They are equals to their classmates.”
