Greg Westhauser, Georgetown McDonough MBA Class of 2020
Age: 26
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Bucknell University – Chemical Engineering
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): Semiconductor Manufacturing – 4 years
Why business school? Why now?
I wanted to switch industries. I am an engineer by training and trade, but looked up from my desk one day and realized I didn’t want to be in manufacturing my entire life. Moreover, I did not want to be an engineering fellow. I wanted to make key business decisions, lead others in a global environment, and one day even start a company of my own. That was the day I started applying to business school and I haven’t regretted my decision one bit.
Why McDonough? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
Georgetown McDonough merged my two biggest needs for going into the business world: a strong business education and a global focus. MSB is able to leverage their location in the heart of the nations capital to provide advantages other schools just can’t reach. I am interested in federal consulting and global technology so the D.C. advantage is huge to me.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2020?
As an engineer, I bring a very real knowledge of a manufacturing environment and what it takes to produce a product from raw materials. As a member of the Consortium, I am helping bring awareness to the lack of representation of minorities in business. As a dedicated student, I bring an inquisitive mind and a willingness to teach and be taught by my fellow students.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application?
I am an avid traveler and have been to over 26 counties to date. My goal is to visit at least one new country every year in order to keep the number of countries I have visited greater than my age.
Post-MBA career interests?
I am interested in consulting and digital product management.
Advice to current prospective applicants:
I had no idea where I wanted to end up at the beginning of my application process. I started with Location, then Core Values, then Rank. I found that I was happiest when in big cities, so I crossed small town schools off my list. Then, I decided I wanted a collaborative environment so I crossed more schools off the list. At the end of the exploration phase I had five schools that meant the most to me and I could not be happier where I ended up.
What is your initial impression of McDonough’s students/culture/community?
Many schools say it, but McDonough has the closest knit community that I have seen at any of the schools. It does not matter if you started in journalism and wanted to career switch or you were a hard core consultant and want to make manager, everyone here has similar goals and everyone here wants to help you achieve yours.
One thing you have learned about McDonough that has surprised you?
How kind the faculty are in their teachings. They know everyone here has come from a different background and are more than happy to spend extra time on a topic or in office hours if you need help. This is a definite departure from my engineering curriculum.
Thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
I am most anxious about final exams in topics that I know nothing about like marketing and accounting.
Thing you are most excited about in your first year?
In the Spring time, we have an event called the Executive Challenge. It is an event where real world executives, most are McDonough grads, come back to campus and we compete in a real world problem solving activity. I love the competition and the exposure to executives that understand what McDonough is like.
