Imani Coney, Carnegie Mellon Tepper MBA Class of 2024
Age: 28
Hometown: Saginaw, MI
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), Mechanical Engineering Major
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): 5 years in Management Consulting
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
Thus far in my career, I’ve sat at the integration of business and technology and led cross-functional teams in defining client solutions. The decision to pursue my MBA was overall an easy one. I knew graduate school would propel my career forward and exponentially increase my career opportunities. The COVID-19 Pandemic was a catalyst for taking the leap as I was not traveling for work and was able to devote additional time to my GMAT studies and application preparedness.
Why did you choose Carnegie Mellon Tepper? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I knew I wanted to use my MBA to pivot into the Product Management (PM) function and Carnegie Mellon is unique in that they offer career tracks such as ‘Technology Strategy & Product Management’ that directly align with my career goals. PM as a role is still evolving. As such, the definition, and responsibilities of an individual in that position can vary by industry, company, and the MBA program. Tepper’s depiction of a PM along with the faculty and elective courses available far exceeded my expectations. I am optimistic that with an MBA from Tepper I will be prepared to tackle real business problems with confidence.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Tepper MBA Class of 2024?
Tepper’s academic calendar uses a 7-week mini for each class. This truncated timeline leads professors to pack a lot of material into each class. With such a rapid pace, it is easy to fall behind and get discouraged trying to understand a complex concept. I am naturally very inquisitive and feel comfortable speaking up in class for clarifications or with thought-provoking questions. Some of my classmates are less apt to ask questions in class and appreciate my honesty. I enjoy engaging in class dialogue, so my outspokenness helps foster a comfortable environment where everyone can understand the material and participate in discussions.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I am an aspiring entrepreneur; I purchased a house in Houston, TX at the height of the pandemic and will be entering the short-term rental property (Airbnb) industry while earning my MBA in Pittsburgh.
Post-MBA career interests:
After graduate school, my short-term goal is to transition into a product management role, either within the technology or consumer packaged goods industry.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
I participated in the Management Leaders for Tomorrow (MLT) MBA Prep Program. Through this one-year program, I received admission coaching and was able to network with university recruiters all while getting to know other black and brown MBA perspectives. The encouragement and support from my peer cohort helped me remain encouraged through GMAT testing, essay critiquing, and interview prep. The advice and guidance I received helped me through the application process and I now have an extended network of MLT alum. I would highly encourage Black, Latinx, and Native American professionals who are considering pursuing an MBA to apply to MLT programming.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
Everyone has their own journey and experience through the MBA application. For me, my confidence waivered when approaching the GMAT. I originally did not understand my learning style and thus invested time and resources on material that was not beneficial for me. After some self-reflection, I discovered what method of studying was best for me and worked with a tutor, Josh Braslow, to help improve my test-taking strategies. If I were to complete the MBA application process again, I would have first evaluated my preferred learning approach and committed to working with a tutor earlier.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
The number of information sessions and coffee chats can get overwhelming! The value added in having these conversations helped me gain insight into the culture and rigor of each school’s MBA program. However, I am naturally more introverted, so meeting and talking to college recruiters and current MBA students took me out of my comfort zone. To overcome this, it was helpful for me to prioritize and sign-up for the events I was most interested in, often weeks in advance. By adding these engagements to my calendar, I could manage my time better by visually seeing what days I had existing commitments.
What is your initial impression of the Carnegie Mellon Tepper students/culture/community?
One aspect of the curriculum that really stood out was the involvement with the Accelerate Leadership Center (ALC). Tepper recognizes that self-awareness and reflection are required to be next-generation leaders. Unlike other programs where only select students participate in leadership development, Tepper incorporates the ALC into the core program by having all incoming students complete an Emotional Intelligence (EQ) assessment where we get insight into our individual leadership styles. All students are encouraged to take advantage of one-on-one leadership coaching to review their results and develop an individualized action plan tailored to their needs. I look forward to clearly understanding my weaknesses to make me a more well-rounded leader.
What is one thing you have learned about Carnegie Mellon Tepper that has surprised you?
When Tepper defined its motto as ‘The Intelligent Future,’ it truly embraced the forward-thinking aspects of technology. With a quant-intensive curriculum, I expected quite a bit of handwritten notes and problem-solving. Surprisingly, a vast majority of the material covered in class is available online. This rings true for leadership and career coaching as well. Even further, homework submissions and examinations are set up online as well.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
I am nervous about the overall workload of juggling academics, internship recruiting, and campus engagement in my first year. Adapting to conflicting commitments of group projects, corporate presentations, and exams will be challenging.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I’m excited to get involved with the Black Business Association (BBA). The BBA is dedicated to academic, professional, and personal development. As a member, I can volunteer for community service events, serving the Pittsburgh community. I look forward to stepping into a leadership role to support DEI efforts in increasing the enrollment of underrepresented minorities.
Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your personal application or admissions process in any way? If so, how?
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, many business schools that I was interested in decided to host more virtual sessions to learn about the school culture and offerings. This was challenging in that I was not able to visit most schools I was interested in, in person. Rather instead, schools increased the number of webinars and virtual networking opportunities. As a result, developing a professional relationship with recruiters was difficult because most if not all the engagement was done through webinars and emails.
