Kyle Humble, ASU Carey MBA Class of 2023
Age: 31
Hometown: Lake Orion, Michigan
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Michigan, International Studies
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): 8 Years as a US Army Officer
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
As I planned to separate from the Army, I quickly realized that I needed to gain some professional skills that I could add to my leadership experiences as an officer. An MBA program seemed like the perfect fit to make me more marketable to employers as well as give me some time to acclimate to civilian life.
Why did you choose ASU Carey? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
When trying to decide which state to move to after my time in the Army, I was a little resistant to my wife’s idea of returning to her home state of Arizona. After comparing business schools located in other western cities, I quickly got on board with her idea of moving to Phoenix when I saw the reputation that the W.P. Carey name holds among business schools.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2023?
Something that sets me apart from my veteran peers in the program is that I was a civil affairs officer. We’re a very small branch within the Army and I had the privilege of serving at the US embassy in Pristina Kosovo. There I worked to reduce ethnic tensions and promote faith in the Kosovo government. I think that my experience in dynamic environments offers a unique perspective.
Tell us a fun fact that didn’t get included on your application:
I’m into baking and was baking bread before the pandemic made it cool. I got a little defensive over coworkers assuming I was just a pandemic baker, but I’ve been in the game awhile. My wife and I really like a potato dill bread to go with fried eggs for breakfast.
Post-MBA career interests:
After graduation I want to work within supply chain for a hospital or medical supplier. I think that the explosive growth of the medical field, along with the supply chain issues illuminated by COVID, provides a great problem to solve along with work that I can feel good about doing.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
– What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Speaking with current students. The W.P. Carey recruiters were great and gave me the contact information for a couple veteran students in the program. Exchanging emails is good, but the biggest benefit came from having conversations with them over phone of via Zoom. I encourage anyone interested in a program to speak with a current student to see what their experiences are.
– What is one thing you would change or do differently?
Unfortunately, with COVID, I was not able to see the campus until after I had already moved to Arizona. Not that I would have made a different decision, but I would have been fun to get a tour and see where I would be learning.
– What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
Definitely the GMAT. It was the quantitative section that was frustrating for me, not just because math isn’t my strong suit, but because I had to relearn so many topics I had forgotten. My wife was very supportive through the process and helped to make sure that I could get my study time in. I really appreciated her taking on more household responsibilities to give me the time I needed.
What is your initial impression of ASU Carey’s students/culture/community?
I’m really relieved to see how cooperative all the students are. My wife is a lawyer and I heard horror stories from her about law school students stealing books from the library or tearing out pages from them to try and drive down the grading curve.
There’s definitely a real sense of all of us being on this journey together and all the students that have experience with accounting or statistics in their professional lives are more than willing to hold study sessions and share their knowledge.
What is one thing you have learned about ASU Carey that has surprised you?
That “Business is Personal” is a motto that the program lives up to. I think all of us are used to mottos and mission statements being a little of a check the box requirement, but W.P. Carey has absolutely lived up to it. Form the time I first contacted the school to ask about the application process I have had help from the recruiters, operations team and current students.
Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your personal application or admissions process in any way? If so, how?
When picking a school for my undergraduate degree I didn’t visit a single school. I just picked University of Michigan for it’s ranking within the state of Michigan, sent in my application and showed up on campus for the first time at orientation. I was looking forward to actually visiting schools this time around, but COVID prevented that. Instead, I’ve never visited any school I’ve attended until I stepped foot on campus for orientation.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
Definitely feeling like a fish out of water. I didn’t take any business classes in undergrad and felt like my fellow MBA candidates would be way ahead of me in their understanding of the class subjects. What I appreciate now is that everyone came to the program for some kind of transition and what they are learning isn’t necessarily what they were doing in their previous jobs.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I’m excited to find my internship for the summer. It really is a quick jump into the process of job searching. We’re only about a month into the program and I’ve already spoken with a couple companies for information sessions and have submitted an application. There are definitely some nerves involved leading up to a job fair, but overall, its an exciting process and I’m looking forward to finding out where I will get the opportunity to intern.
