Sam Daly, NYU Stern MBA Class of 2020
Age: 30
Hometown: Bryn Mawr, PA (Philadelphia Suburbs)
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Colgate University, Political Science
Pre-MBA Work Experience: A little over four years as an artillery officer in the Marine Corps immediately after undergrad followed by three years in financial services in New York.
Why business school? Why now?
As someone who went to a liberal arts undergraduate school and did not study a business or technical field, I am in a unique position to benefit from an MBA. Business school will provide me with the academic foundations to fill in the gaps of my overall business knowledge that I haven’t gotten on the job. I will be exposed to a wide variety of different subjects just as I was in my liberal arts undergraduate education, which suits my interests and learning style perfectly. Additionally, I am excited to inherit a valuable network of alumni and classmates who will be a major resource throughout my career.
I am pursuing an MBA now because I have just enough work experience to give me a sense of what I am good at and what I may want to pursue as a career, without being so established that taking two years to get a degree would have any detrimental effect on my professional aspirations. There are also certain jobs/careers I am looking to potentially break into that recruit heavily from MBA programs, which makes getting an MBA a no-brainer at this stage of my professional life.
Why Stern? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
Stern was a very easy choice for me. As a veteran, I was lucky enough to receive a very generous scholarship courtesy of the Fertitta family, which made an acceptance hard to turn down. My wife and I had also been living in New York prior to me beginning school, so going to Stern allowed for our lives to continue much as they had prior to me taking this leap. Finally, and probably most importantly, I really connected with the students and administrators I met while I was applying. Everyone I met was interesting, intelligent, and willing to help me with anything I needed. Stern students, administrators, and alumni truly embody Stern’s focus on both IQ and EQ.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2020?
A big differentiator for me, and for pretty much all veteran MBA candidates, is my leadership experience. I had the privilege and challenge of leadership responsibility very early on in my professional life. What further differentiates me from other veteran candidates is that I was also fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be a manager during my time in the private sector, so I have been able to further refine my leadership style to work in a more fluid, less hierarchical business world.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application?
In kindergarten, amidst a group of peers aspiring to be soldiers, police officers, firefighters, or astronauts, I wanted to be a snake charmer. My mother and father were thrilled.
Post-MBA career interests?
I am interested in using business school as a way of pivoting into investment banking. Stern is uniquely positioned to help me pursue this career path due to its location, alumni network, and excellence in finance related fields of study. Banking will also allow me to add value to industries I find fascinating and current, but wouldn’t otherwise have access to, such as interactive entertainment, renewable energy, or financial technology.
Advice to current prospective applicants:
First, applying to business school is not particularly easy, so if it feels overwhelming at times you are not alone!
There are a few things that I wish I knew prior to deciding on where to get my MBA.
Like lots of folks considering getting an MBA, I basically chose, almost at random, a handful of schools from the top of some ranking system thinking that at the end of the day the experience and degree would essentially be interchangeable. This is not the case! Different business schools are, in fact, different from one another, so I think it is very important to visit the schools you think you are interested in, meet and network with current students and recent graduates, and weigh your “fit” with a school just as heavily as you would other decision-making criteria.
Another thing I think I got a lot out of during my MBA application journey was an in-person GMAT prep program. While some folks can do online/self-driven studying and preparation on their own and be just fine, I felt that the regularity and scheduled nature of taking a class helped me balance preparing for the GMAT with my already busy work and social schedules.
Something I would have done differently is I would have applied to fewer schools. I think if you can be honest with yourself on where you would fit-in best and have a shot at being admitted, you can save yourself both time and money with two or three targeted, thoughtful applications as opposed to scrambling to submit six or more first round applications to schools you would not necessarily be interested in upon further introspection.
Finally, something that was ultimately very important but also very difficult was the “networking” aspect of MBA admissions. Although I am naturally extroverted, I have a hard time speaking with strangers, specifically to ask for help and advice. I was able to get through this by reminding myself that it was a warm-up for what I will be doing at business school while I am meeting my classmates and prepping for recruitment in the fall. Once on the other side of the application process, you learn that everyone who has been to business school is truly more than happy to chat for a bit or offer some advice because the odds are that someone did that for them and they want to pay that kindness forward.
What is your initial impression of Stern’s students/culture/community?
I think Stern’s community is a major positive differentiator for the school. Stern’s attention to “EQ,” also known as emotional intelligence, is not lip service. The Sternies I have met so far have not only been intelligent, interesting, and ambitious, but also generous and kind. This statement holds true for current students, recent graduates, and older alumni that I have met, and just continues to positively reinforce my decision to come to Stern.
One thing you have learned about Stern that has surprised you?
I have been pleasantly surprised by how organized and well-led the professional clubs are at Stern. These clubs have interview and job-preparation down to a science and have incredible support and buy-in from the University. For someone who is considering a career change these clubs are an invaluable resource.
Thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
To no one’s surprise I am most anxious about recruitment this coming fall. The stakes are high, and the pressure to know exactly what you want to do coupled with preparing for interviews and job applications is intense.
Thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I am most excited to meet the rest of my classmates!
