Nataly Perkowski, Georgetown McDonough MBA Class of 2020
Age: 28
Hometown: New York, NY
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Northwestern University, Economics & International Studies
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): 6 years of capital markets banking experience (loan structuring & origination), primarily covering the real estate and energy sectors.
Why business school? Why now?
After spending six years in banking, I realized I didn’t want to be in the industry long term and developed a strong interest in real estate. Coming from a liberal arts background, I wanted to go to business school to get a more formal business education, develop my real estate industry knowledge and build a stronger professional network outside of banking.
Why McDonough? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
The first thing that drew my attention to Georgetown was the strength of the real estate program and the Steers Center network. After getting accepted, I was particularly impressed by the amount of people that reached out to me to connect me with current students, alumni, and career center advisers. I felt like Georgetown offered a personalized experience when it came to my MBA goals and is a school that truly believes in investing in its students and developing their unique skills.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2020?
Since coming to Georgetown I have become very active in the Real Estate Society and Finance Club as well as the Graduate Women in Business (GWiB) group. As a woman looking to go into real estate, I am excited to get involved in creating more opportunities for women in the real estate and finance industries and becoming an advocate for Georgetown women looking to go into male-dominated fields.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application?
I was a coxswain on my crew team in high school and competed in national championship regattas.
Post-MBA career interests?
Post-MBA I am interested in going into real estate private equity or working in an acquisitions role at a real estate investment firm. I’m particularly interested in the hotel, office and retail sectors, so I’m focusing on firms with large portfolios or specialties in those areas.
Advice to current prospective applicants:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Visiting school campuses and speaking to current MBA students. I found the experience of going to various schools and learning about students’ individual experiences particularly helpful in choosing which MBA programs to apply to. More importantly, the connections I made allowed me to develop close relationships with current second-year students and get helpful advice on both the application process and my long-term career goals.
–One thing you would change or do differently?
Writing is not my strong suit, so the essay portion of the application was particularly challenging for me. Looking back, I wish I had started brainstorming and creating rough drafts of my essays earlier on in the application process. I also regret not spending enough time editing my essays and getting them reviewed by my advisers and peers.
–Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
The GMAT. The process of studying for the GMAT is particularly stressful when you are working long hours at a demanding job. I was able to get through it thanks to endless amounts of caffeine and a great manager who understood my time constraints and allowed me take on a reduced workload during the few months I spent studying for the exam. I would highly recommend taking Manhattan Prep’s GMAT course; it allowed me to stay on track with studying and offered practice exams that were generally more difficult than the actual GMAT, which really helped boost my score.
What is your initial impression of McDonough’s students/culture/community?
The student body is very diverse from a cultural perspective with 30 percent of the full-time MBA class represented by international students. Georgetown’s MBA program stresses the importance of a global mindset so this did not surprise me. However, I was very impressed with how open and welcoming the student body is.
Georgetown is a great place to make new friends and I’ve found that current students and alumni will truly go out of their way to help you with exploring your career options and navigating through the chaos of your first year as an MBA student. From a social perspective, Kegs happy hours on Thursdays have been a great way to meet students outside of my cohort and Georgetown clubs and organizations are known for planning some of the best social events throughout the year—LABA (Latin American Business Association) and Wine Society parties in particular are events you won’t want to miss!
One thing you have learned about McDonough that has surprised you?
I have been truly impressed by the amount of resources available at Georgetown to guide students through the career development process. The Steers Center in particular places a strong focus on, first and foremost, helping students achieve their career goals. For career switchers in real estate, the Real Estate Society’s weekly CRE 101 sessions as well as Argus/Excel and valuation seminars have been extremely helpful for getting up to speed on real estate fundamentals. Additionally, there are several career treks organized over fall break that allow students to meet executives and visit companies in their field of interest.
Thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
Internship recruiting—the recruiting process for first year MBAs looking to go into real estate is known to be particularly long and challenging. The process is not as structured as recruiting for consulting or finance and involves constant networking and persistence when it comes to building relationships within the industry. On the bright side, I’m looking forward to being able to spend more time developing stronger contacts at the companies I’m interested in and learning more about real estate prior to starting my internship.
Thing you are most excited about in your first year?
Exploring D.C.! Prior to coming to Georgetown I had never been to D.C. I’m excited to explore the various museums, restaurants, bars and attractions D.C. has to offer.
