Latino Creative Accepted to MBA Programs at Oxford, USC, and Georgetown
Our client Aleksej had a unique journey with our team. He worked as a Breakthrough Coach for The Art of Applying® before becoming a client and working with us to develop his MBA applications.
Since he visited the city at 20 years old, Aleksej dreamed of moving to London and having a career there. However, he assumed that might not be possible until he was in his thirties. After joining The Art of Applying® team and being inspired by the clients he got to work with, he decided to apply at 25 years old, well ahead of the timeline he thought he had to follow.
Still, Aleksej had doubts about his candidacy. He shared, “I was looking at what my [GRE] score was compared to the average for Oxford and I was so below this average. Also, I come from this nonprofit background… I’m 25. The average age for an Oxford class member is 29 years old…I [said] okay, this is, again, excuses Aleksej. I can’t listen to that just because I have those weaknesses, I’m not going to postpone my dreams and my application so I clicked submit.“
Fortunately, with the help of The Art of Applying® team and some work on his mindset, Aleksej was accepted to Oxford and many other prestigious MBA programs. He even received scholarships from three of the schools he was admitted to.
However, his work in securing financial aid didn’t stop there. He worked with The Art of Applying® team to negotiate scholarships with schools he was accepted to. He said, “I was kind of under the impression that what a school gives you, that is what they give you. It’s the end of the story. You should be grateful just for an admittance…[But at The Art of Applying® the] next step is to actually graciously ask for more funding and to do it earnestly and to express why it’s important… In total, [I received] about $75,000 just through that…financial negotiation.”
For other applicants who may be doubting their candidacy or finding excuses to put off applying, Aleksej has the following advice, “Don’t [make] another excuse. Don’t wait another year. Don’t wait another month to sign up….Just really listen to what your dream is and if it’s something you’ve obviously been wanting for so long, give yourself the permission to get the best help to make it possible.”
Start Date: November 2020 | End Date: June 2021
Applicant Information
- Age: 25
- GPA: 3.69
- GRE: 318; 158 V, 160 Q
- Work experience: Nonprofit theater space, Breakthrough Coach at The Art of Applying®
- Undergraduate: Cornell University
- Major: Industrial labor relations
- Minors: Theater, Business, Inequality, Performing and Media Arts
Acceptances
- Saïd Business School, University of Oxford (MBA)
- University of Southern California Marshall School of Business (MBA)
- Georgetown University McDonough School of Business (MBA)
- Carnegie Mellon University – Entertainment Technology Center (Master of Entertainment Industry Management)
Scholarships
- University of Southern California Marshall School of Business (MBA) – $50,000
- Georgetown University McDonough School of Business (MBA) – $20,000
- Carnegie Mellon University (MEIM) – 60% scholarship
Notable Quotes
Aleksej reflects on how deciding to invest in the program and himself was the push he needed:
“It was scary but part of me kind of related it to this idea of…a personal trainer. You’re committed to working out because you’re like, ‘I spent a good chunk of my money. I’m getting my money’s worth.’ Prior to The Art of Applying® I just wasn’t showing up as my best self. I wasn’t making the commitment to my applications I needed to. I need to make this investment because it’s an investment in myself… What used to be maybe an hour a day or postponing until tomorrow became every free moment that I had making sure that the essays that I’m bringing to the next consulting call are as polished as they can be, to really use that time to its most efficient value. Yeah, it was definitely a scary plunge but I needed this expertise, I needed this guidance, because I had these dreams and I couldn’t postpone them any longer. “
Aleksej shares his perspective on why you shouldn’t let your GRE score hold you back:
“In retrospect, during 2020 I genuinely thought all the excuses I had were legitimate… I was like, ‘Oh, I absolutely cannot [apply]. I need this GRE score. Or…I need to settle into a new city… I almost feel like getting that perfect GRE score is people’s permission to allow themselves to apply. They’re like, ‘Once I do this, then I’m worthy enough to be considered by all these great schools.’ I just want to challenge that mindset… It’s one piece of the entire application process. It’s a holistic process. So first of all, you can actually still be working on your GRE while working on your essays. It’s not like you have to do either or but also…what happens if you don’t reach your score? [You’re] still going to apply. Then why are you telling yourself that you’re not even going to start all the other processes?”
How Aleksej went from being skeptical about mindset coaching to never missing a session: “I had no clue what to expect from mindset coaching. In fact, [for] the first month of the mindset call, I was almost like…’I’ll just skip this.’ Then I went, and I was just so surprised. I just started having these like preconceived notions that I had about myself and success and being successful in business school…[torn] down. It was just so useful, and now it’s my favorite part. I will make sure my entire day is clear, so I can do that monthly mindset call and it’s just something that I really was not expecting because I had no clue what it was, and now it’s like my favorite thing.”
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