Ellison Hoke, OSU Fisher’s MBA Class of 2023
Age: 26
Hometown: Columbus, OH
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Loyola University Chicago, BBA Marketing
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): 4 years full-time experience in account management and consumer branding for large CPG retailer’s private-label brands
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
I was a marketing (business) major in undergrad and really enjoyed learning the consumer behavior side of marketing. With business, I love the variability and opportunities that a business career provides. Not only can you work across different industries, but business challenges and develops many different skill sets and capabilities. I started my career in account management at agencies and enjoyed developing marketing, management, and general business skills. I found I really liked working with clients to help solve their problems, along with delivering a final product and seeing that come to life. My client interaction allowed me to see beyond my roles at the time and gave me great insight into in-house marketing strategy and brand management. It also provided insight into managerial and leadership roles. After 4 years, I hit a point where I did not feel challenged in my current role, and I was confident in what I wanted for the future. I knew an MBA would help me achieve those future goals.
Why did you choose OSU Fisher? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I wanted to go to a business school that would challenge me, had a program with a large network, and an emphasis on Brand Management, along with opportunities to get involved in the community. While many of the programs had similar core business competencies, the differentiator was an ability to obtain an MBA with a focus on marketing/brand management. There are many students that come into the program trying to pivot their career, and Fisher offers many opportunities to explore different areas and learn from other MBA graduates. The Fisher alumni are outstanding and incredibly helpful. I have reached out to many MBA alumni on LinkedIn who have been more than willing to have calls with me, meet to chat about their experience or industry, help with my career goals, etc. The outreach has been remarkable. It’s a huge alumni network of amazing people who are doing amazing things and are more than willing to help.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2023?
Working in agencies provides a unique perspective to business – we really work with all parties involved in the process of getting a product to shelf from start to finish. With a focus on CPG for large retailers branding, packaging design, working directly with product suppliers and printers, you gain a strong understanding of the what goes into this process. Through this I developed strong skills working cross-functionally with different internal and external teams, and valuable skills communicating and collaborating with very different types of people. With my background in leadership and service, I held the perspective that empathy is the key to building genuine relationships, which was key in a position where you are balancing so many different needs, timelines, etc. I look forward to adding this value to the Fisher class through our student organizations and class projects.
Tell us a fun fact that didn’t get included on your application:
I love anything involving the outdoors – running, hiking, traveling. Last year when I began applying for MBA programs, I was also training for my first Marathon. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, it was cancelled, so I am re-training now and hope to run it this fall!
Post-MBA career interests:
Pre-MBA I worked in agencies managing client accounts and projects. Post-MBA, I would like to focus on transitioning to a managerial role in-house with a Brand Management or Strategic Marketing path.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
– What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Preparation, preparation and more preparation. I spent time researching programs to find the best program, school and fit for me. I also prepped to ensure my application fit the program and how I would add value to the Fisher community. When writing my essays, I made sure to incorporate things that were important to me and let who I was really come through. I committed the time to writing, editing, and re-writing my essays. Aside from your application, essays are what recruiters are reading to get to know who you are so it’s important to let that shine through.
– What is one thing you would change or do differently?
Once admitted to the program, I think I would have set aside more time to prepare prior to classes starting. If you are able to stop working earlier, I think it would be better to have more time to really focus on the summer career preparation, MBA math courses to prepare you for your quantitative course work in the fall, etc. because in the end, all of that is really only going to help you once you start classes. It’s also important to take time for yourself and reset before you get really busy again.
– What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
Many schools and companies have adopted video application questions, which I find awkward because you are basically reading a prompt and answering the questions on the screen – kind of like an interview with a computer. If I could have skipped this at the time, I probably would have! Now that I’m in the midst of interviewing at companies and having to do them again, though, I’m actually thankful that I had some prior experience with it. It’s also a great way to let your personality come to life prior to the real interviews. My biggest piece of advice for these is practice! Even just practicing recording videos as you do mock interviews is really helpful.
What is your initial impression of the OSU Fisher students/culture/community?
I was most nervous about this when starting the program – I had no idea what to expect in terms of the other students in my class, the culture of Fisher, etc. For some reason, I thought that a competitive business program meant the other students were going to be overtly competitive and less focused on the camaraderie and building that sense of community. I can honestly say I could not have been further from wrong! After the first day of our pre-term sessions, the nerves were gone. I have met some of the most wonderful people, who I am constantly learning from. We have such a diverse group of students, from different countries and cultures, as well as very diverse career backgrounds. Everyone is there to help each other, and we built a sense of community right off the bat. Along with our direct MBA class, the class above us who just entered their second year of the program has been very present and willing to help us navigate our first year. Culture is so important to me, and Fisher’s culture has truly been top-notch.
What is one thing you have learned about OSU Fisher that has surprised you?
I was really surprised at how connected Fisher is to the community. Something that was important to me in choosing a school was their emphasis on giving back to the community and service opportunities. While many places will say they focus on community efforts, it’s hard to know what that looks like until you are involved. Fisher has an experiential learning challenge in our second year where the MBA students work directly with local non-profit organizations and use your learnings and skills to identify problems and opportunities for improvement in the organization. There are also many organizations on campus to get involved with local non-profits or the community through Fisher, building on using business skills to create positive change in our communities.
Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your personal application or admissions process in any way? If so, how?
Overall, I don’t think the pandemic affected the actual application process for me, but we did do all virtual interviews when we got to that point in the process. Our classes have all been in person, though, which I am thankful for.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
In our first year of the program, we are focused on so many different things, it often does feel hard to balance. We’re trying to get involved in campus organizations, build relationships with our classmates, network, narrow down companies we would want to work for, interview for our summer MBA internships, while also trying to manage our class workload. Coming from full-time working, I am most nervous about getting back into the school mindset and finding that balance.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
It’s tough to choose one because there are a number of things I am really looking forward to. There are a few campus organizations in particular that I am excited to become more involved with throughout the year. Even though it can be overwhelming at times, I’m excited to explore all of the different companies and opportunities that are out there, and eventually our MBA internship next summer. I think it will be really powerful once we finish our first year, reflecting back on how much we developed scholastically, professionally, and personally from our experiences in the program.
