Allison Wilson, NYU Stern MBA Class of 2020
Age: 26
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Southern California, Biomedical Engineering major and a minor in Accounting
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Three years in the consulting industry, where I focused on healthcare operations and technology
Why business school? Why now?
After spending three years in consulting working on projects from different industries and functions, I have started to narrow down and identify my ultimate career goals. However, in order to reach these goals, I’m going to need to build a strong foundation of leadership skills, and I believe that being able to practice these skills in a b-school environment will allow for me to take more risks and see what I’m really made of. I believe that collaborating with peers from impressive, diverse backgrounds will motivate me to pursue avenues that may not seem obvious now, but that will give me a competitive advantage when I return to the workforce.
Why Stern? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
Location was a huge factor in my decision – being in New York is going to be incredibly advantageous for exploring industries and learning firsthand from some of the world’s most unique and successful companies. Stern offers a number of experiential learning opportunities where you are able to contribute value to firms outside of the classroom, and the variety of options that exist right outside of those doors is truly incredible.
Additionally, a sense of community is something that is important to me, and Stern’s motto of EQ + IQ (meaning a combination of emotional intelligence and intellectual capability) is something unique about the program that caught my interest as I was researching different schools. I’ve found that being the best or smartest at something does not necessarily correlate to the highest rate of success; rather being able to work with all types of people will ultimately be that determining factor. Knowing that Stern was specifically searching for those type of applicants made me confident that I will not only be able to learn from my peers, but that I will also get along with them and truly get the most out of these next two years.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2020?
I am a huge science nerd! Coming from a biomedical engineering background, I love all things biotech and hope to one day incorporate that interest into my future career. I think my experience working in healthcare and technology consulting has allowed me to bridge the gap between science and business, and I hope to assist my classmates who have a similar desire.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application?
Coming from Colorado I had the mountains as a backyard and love all kinds of outdoor activities. My personal favorite is snowboarding – there is no greater feeling than getting the first tracks on a powder day!
Post-MBA career interests?
Ideally, I would like to transition from technology consulting into a management/strategy consulting firm. I’d want to leverage this continued practice of leadership skills and one day start a biotech company of my own.
Advice to current prospective applicants:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Give yourself more time than you think you need to go through the entire process—life, job emergencies, etc. tend to happen when you least expect it so having that buffer will save you some serious stress at the end. I took my GMAT a full year before I began applying to business school so that I could research programs that fell within my range (and take a well-deserved break for a couple of months!). It also gave me ample time to make the Round 1 deadline, which I would highly recommend doing for your top programs.
–One thing you would change or do differently?
I would have gone and visited the schools earlier. I was only able to really check out the campus in person when I went to interview, and by that point had already put a significant amount of time and effort into each application. Having a busy schedule may make that somewhat of a challenge, but knowing that you have (or haven’t) found a school that you’re truly interested in will help you narrow your choices and focus on your true fit.
–Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
I put a high level of personalization into each of my essays for each program, which ended up taking a significant amount of research, writing, editing, re-writing, etc. I think this goes along with my previous point of visiting a school before spending valuable time on the application process. However, what got me through each essay was knowing that all the research on each program would pay off in the interview process and help me ask the questions that were important to my decision when I did get to visit each school.
What is your initial impression of Stern’s students/culture/community?
Even from the brief number of events that I have been able to attend having recently moved from out of state, I can tell that Stern’s community is amazing. Every single person genuinely wants to get to know you, and I have been so impressed with the caliber and diversity of the students in my class. I can’t wait to see how we all collaborate and challenge each other throughout these next two years, and I have no doubt that I will gain something valuable from each person I am able to work with.
One thing you have learned about Stern that has surprised you?
I’m surprised by how much Stern really offers in terms of events outside of the classroom. I can already see my recruiting and social calendars filling up quickly, and have even begun to receive information about learning opportunities with leaders from industries and firms that I am highly interested in.
Thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
I am most anxious about being able to fit in everything that I want to do. I am so excited about so many things that both Stern and the city of New York have to offer that I know I will need to prioritize and hone my time management skills in order to participate in each opportunity that is important to me. I love being busy, but I know I will need to step back and consider my ultimate MBA goals before saying yes to everything that interests me.
Thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I’m most excited for being able to push myself with being supported by Stern’s amazing faculty. I believe these next two years are an incredible opportunity for personal and professional growth, and I hope to leverage the courses, organizations and experiential learning opportunities provided by Stern to the best of my ability. I’m also excited to make 375 new friends, and from what I have seen so far I think this is a real possibility!
