Eduardo Silva holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of São Paulo (USP). After working in different roles at Dupont for six years, he aimed to be a product marketing manager in an Industrial company to step-change his impact to innovation-led growth in Brazil. He partnered with MER (myEssayReview) for his application to 6 schools and received interview offers from all. Eduardo received admission offers from 4 schools with substantial scholarships. - Haas, UCLA, Kellogg, and Yale (Kellogg-70K Donald Jacobs scholarship, Yale SOM: 20k scholarship, UCLA Anderson: 70k scholarship). He was waitlisted by Stanford. Eduardo is heading to Kellogg to begin his MBA studies in Fall 2016.

In this interview with Poonam of MER, Eduard discusses the following:

• His background
• Why MBA
  
• Career objectives
• GMAT Prep
• School Selection
• Application  Preparation
• Interview Preparation & Execution
• Advice for MBA Aspirants

Background

Poonam: Can you tell us a little about yourself? Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? What do you do now?

Eduardo: I'm a 28-year-old male, born and raised in São Paulo (Brazil). I hold a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of São Paulo (USP) – class of 2010. During my time at USP, I joined an NGO to educate low-income students, to which I have contributed in multiple ways for more than ten years. After undergrad, I joined DuPont (based in São Paulo) and have been working here for almost six years. At DuPont, I have worked in new product development, marketing, and product line management roles. Currently, I am the Latin America Product Leader for the Tyvek® business.

Why MBA

Poonam:  When did you start thinking about an MBA?

Eduardo: In 2010, during my first role at DuPont (as a marketing analyst), I worked on projects with MBAs from top business schools. Their skills and attitudes were a source of inspiration for me, which led me to consider attending business school. After attending a few admission events (2011-12), I was motivated by the schools and their accomplished and exciting alumni,  so I finally decided to apply to business school later in my career.

Career Goals

Poonam:  What are your career goals?

Eduardo: My post-MBA goal is to step-change my impact to innovation-led growth in Brazil by securing a Product Marketing Manager's role in an Industrial company and moving up to an executive management role in the next 4-6 years. In these roles, I want to drive innovation-led growth in Brazil and Latin America to promote jobs and growth in my country and region. To achieve this vision, I need to improve my competencies in leadership, innovation, global perspective, and business fundamentals. A Kellogg MBA will help me to address these areas rapidly.

Application Strategy, Planning, and Preparation

Poonam: I know you started preparing for your application more than a year before the deadline. Could you please share your application strategy, planning, and preparation with our readers?

Eduardo: Poonam, it took me almost four years to move from the initial stage (GMAT prep) to the final stage (interview prep and execution). Here is a snapshot of my planning and preparation.

GMAT Prep (2012-2013):  Late in 2011, I bought a GMAT book to see how hard the test could be, and I found it intellectually challenging and interesting!   For about one year and a half, I studied three times a week in 1.5-hour sessions. I studied with guides (Manhattan Guides, Veritas) and Official Guides. My goal was to score at least 720. So I took many mock tests and decided to schedule and take the test only when I could score in the range of 730-760 for five mock tests in a row. I ended up with 740 on the actual GMAT.

School Selection (2014): Prior to selecting schools, I tried to define my career goals as clearly as possible and wrote them down. Then I attended a number of admission events in São Paulo, talked to alumni, and researched a lot on schools. I chose six schools based on a portfolio approach: four dream schools and two reach schools.

Application Planning (January 2015):  After school selection  (Kellogg, Stanford, Berkeley, MIT, UCLA, Yale), I created a very detailed timeline with all activities up to admittance and reviewed the applications for my target schools to estimate how long it would take to prepare all materials, including essays, video essays, short answers, résumé, recommendation letters, and transcripts.

School Profiling (January 2015):  For the six schools I chose, I decided to compile my findings on each school in a PowerPoint. Please note that I enjoy crafting presentations! On each school, I listed its culture, location, program, faculty, and many other distinct characteristics. Clearly defined points of interest in the school helped me immensely during essay writing and interview preparation.

Application Preparation & Submission (Mar 2015– Sept 2015): I drafted application essays and worked with Poonam to improve them. I completed all essays and short answers for each school before moving to the next one (I didn't do so at first, but Poonam showed me that this was the best approach).  I also worked with Poonam on improving my résumé and took her guidance on recommendation letters. Those who want more details on my experience working with Poonam can find my review posted on the GMAT  Club.

Interview Preparation & Execution (Oct 2015- Nov 2015): I received interview invitations from all six schools I applied to in October! As a result, I prepared for the interviews by first looking at the common interview questions and carefully responding to them on a Word document. Since many questions are school-specific (such as "Why Kellogg?"), I reviewed my research on each school, did some mock interviews by video recording my responses, and also with my girlfriend acting as an interviewer.

Understanding Distinguishing Aspects of Different Schools

Poonam: That's really impressive. You are indeed a great planner and an executioner.  Looking back, what was the most challenging aspect of the school admissions process? How did you approach that challenge and overcome it? How would you advise other MBA applicants who are facing similar challenges?

Eduardo: The most challenging aspect was understanding the differences between each school to select the ones I would apply and prepare my strategy for each. In Brazil, students choose schools based on prestige and rankings. Given so, I was naturally inclined to use rankings to select schools. However, in all MBA events I attended, the school representatives and alumni greatly emphasized fit and culture, so I realized that I had to look beyond rankings. To overcome this, I initially had to understand what the similarities among schools were, and only then could I start grasping distinguishing school characteristics. For example, the majority of US top 20 business schools share the following elements: general management emphasis (Wharton is not just for Finance, and Kellogg is not just for Marketing), well-accomplished students, strong alumni network, excellent facilities, strong career centers, global experience programs/courses, and a variety of clubs and competitions.

I am not trying to make the argument that business schools are similar – they are not! Failing to see the differences is the surest step to failure! My point is simply that, as an international student unfamiliar with top business schools (like I was), it is hard to understand the differences without knowing the similarities. I would encourage others to follow the same approach of understanding the common elements shared by top business schools and only do deep diving into their unique aspects.

His Preference for Kellogg over Yale, Haas, and Anderson

Poonam: You applied to 6 schools, and all of them interviewed you. You were waitlisted by Stanford and received admission offers from Haas, UCLA, Kellogg, and Yale with substantial scholarships. scholarships (Kellogg-70K Donald Jacobs scholarship, – Yale SOM:  20k scholarship, UCLA Anderson:  70k scholarship). You finally chose Kellogg. How is Kellogg the best school for you?

Eduardo: I wanted a school with a highly collaborative culture, an extensive network, and a variety of electives. Unfortunately, one needs to choose either a highly collaborative school with a small student body or a large school with more electives and larger networks but not close-knit. However, Kellogg has a reasonably large student body, network, and broad offering of electives, but surprisingly has managed to foster a distinguishably collaborative and teamwork culture! In addition, I wanted the sense of community found in schools in small cities, while I also desired a large city's vibrant life and resources. This is another tradeoff that many schools present, but not Kellogg! I will enjoy the sense of community of Evanston, the suburb where the school is located and nearly all students live, while also being a 35-min train ride away from Chicago, a fantastic city!

Advice for Prospective Applicants

Poonam: Fantastic. Your success is an example for MBA hopefuls to top schools. Do you have any admissions tips for applicants for the top 15 MBA programs?

Eduardo: Planning ahead is the most significant piece of advice, and it is the main reason for my success! The sooner you start, the better. For those with a tight schedule ahead and struggling to tackle GMAT and application simultaneously, I'd encourage you to reconsider taking one more year to prepare. I am sure being admitted to your dream school will make you happier than rushing your application and ending up in a school with less fit or opportunities. Looking 20 years from now, this additional year of preparation will seem negligible compared to the life opportunities that your top choice has provided you.

Poonam: I couldn't agree more. Do you plan to return to that industry post-MBA or head back to Brazil or relocate somewhere else?

Eduardo: I plan to return to Brazil since I want my degree at Kellogg to empower me to make a meaningful impact in my country. That being said, I might spend a year or two working in the US if I feel there are opportunities to grow and learn, which can later amplify my impact on innovation-led growth in Brazil. In terms of industry, I am currently in the manufacturing industry, where I have worked mostly on new applications of existing materials. Post-MBA, I am looking for opportunities at the intersection of the Manufacturing and Tech industries (like autonomous cars and many others).

Interests and Hobbies

Poonam: Sounds good. What are your favorite non-school books?  What are your hobbies?

Eduardo: My favorite books are the Game of Thrones series (a song of Ice and Fire). Like many other fans, I am anxiously waiting for the six-book to be released! My hobbies are playing soccer, tennis, video games, and board games. Also, I enjoy tasting new brands and types of beer! Long live the craft beer boom!

Poonam: Thank you, Eduardo, for sharing your story with us. It was a pleasure chatting with you. Your valuable insights will serve as a road map for prospective MBA candidates. Good luck with your Kellogg experience and your future career.

Click here for Eduardo’s testimonial of MER Services.

Click here for Eduardo’s GMAT Club Review.

Note: You can connect with Eduardo via LinkedIn or Facebook

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