The idea of a business school, for many, conjures images of rigidity: stuffed shirts, properly tuned haircuts, and brutalist, monochrome buildings—foundational visions of the business school stereotype. But these observations can be fairly limited, if not completely outdated. While some schools are still defined by business traditionalism, the University of Miami Business School offers a decidedly less obtuse vision.
The Miami Business School, overlooking Lake Osceola in Southern Miami, defies business school assumptions. Alongside the city’s effortlessly pleasant weather, potential students won’t find the the limited, formal degree options, with more choices than the vast majority of business schools virtually anywhere, including: three full-time MBA programs; three different Executive MBA programs; a part-time MBA option; Online MBA option; and five different dual MBA opportunities. In addition, the school offers eight on-campus specialized master’s options and two more online specialized masters degrees.
Simply stated, when it comes to a wealth of choices, you won’t find many schools that offer more.
Expansive opportunities also means an immensely diverse class of students. Statistically, Miami is considered the most “international” city in the United States, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, inviting a truly global array of career opportunities that few business schools can try to match.
When talking with several Miami Business School MBA students, the diversity of choices and Miami’s undeniably friendly international appeal is certainly reflective, including a French-born fitness expert, a clothing line founder, and a Venezuelan marketing guru, among others. Read on to see their stories and what the future may hold for life after an MBA.
Denzell Turner, Miami Business School MBA Class of 2020
Age: 28
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Michigan, Communication Studies
Pre-MBA Work Experience: After graduation, I accepted an offer to work in the Automotive industry as a Data Analyst at IHS Markit. Through my five years with the company, I went from an Analyst to Sr. Consultant working closely with car manufacturers across the industry. In addition to my time at IHS, I served as a Digital Media Correspondent for the NFL, contributed to the University of Michigan Black Alumni organization as the Marketing Director, and in my spare time, managed clients through my small digital media business Determination Media LLC.
Denzell Turner, Miami Business School MBA Class of 2020
Why business school? Why now? In high school, the goal was always to have a master’s degree. Because I didn’t pursue the business track in undergrad, I felt an MBA would be ideal post-grad. After five years of different marketing positions, I felt it was time to finally pursue my MBA to become more well-rounded in other key areas of business.
Why the Miami Business School MBA program? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend? I wanted to focus my MBA in marketing, so it was important for me to apply to programs in large media and entertainment markets. Also, I felt Miami was a school that was diverse in population and thought, which is an ideal learning environment for me. After my interview, I knew the school was the right fit because they were invested in me.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to your MBA class? I like to think of myself as a Business-minded creative who understands both ends of a project; development and market execution. My experiences thus far have allowed me to manage projects from the most granular levels of detail to the higher levels of the associated business goals.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application? I was a part of an Improv Comedy group in undergrad. I saw the group Images of Identities perform my first week on campus and I knew had to be a part of it. Still some of the best times I had in my life!
Post-MBA career interests? Right now, I can see myself as a Brand Manager/Marketing Director in the Sports and Entertainment industry or for a large company. I would like to use my leadership position to be an innovator in the field and help develop up-and-coming talent.
Advice to Prospective MBA Applicants
One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process? Dedicate as much time as possible (in advance) to studying for the GMAT/GRE. The better you perform, the better position yourself in the application process.
One thing you would change or do differently? I would have applied for more scholarships. Despite what they say, the money is out there for graduate students; just have to look for it.
Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it? The GMAT for sure. Not a big fan of standardized tests but they are a means to an end so they should be taken seriously.
Greatest highlight so far at the Miami Business School? Winning the Villanova University Law School Game Day Case Competition. It was the first time the University of Miami had a team in the competition, and we brought home the gold.
One thing about the Miami Business School that you didn’t expect before arriving? The willingness of the faculty and staff to support us as MBA students. Our teachers care about us beyond the classroom and it shows. Also, high-ranking faculty are available to us despite their titles.
Thing you were most anxious about in your first year? Living in a new city so far away from home made me anxious. It took me a while to get adjusted but finding my University of Miami family helped make the transition much easier.
Thing you were most excited about in your first year? Getting back into the classroom and being challenged academically. I felt I was burnt out in my career prior to coming back so it was exciting to me to acquire some new business knowledge
Ethan Pastel, Miami Business School MBA Class of 2020
Age: 29
Hometown: Lexington, MA
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Denver, Marketing Major, Italian Minor
Pre-MBA Work Experience: I worked for 5.5 years in the consumer products industry at Reebok and New Balance as a product cost analyst.
Ethan Pastel, Miami Business School MBA Class of 2020
Why business school? Why now? I wanted to go to business school to pivot towards a career in marketing. Also, I felt that I wasn’t learning and developing as much as I wanted in my current role. It was ideal timing because my wife and I had been considering moving to Florida, and business school offered me a chance to have a fresh start in a new location.
Why the Miami Business School MBA program? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend? I chose the University of Miami for multiple reasons. UM has been ranked near the top 50 business schools in the country. It has a tremendous reputation and is the premier option in the South Florida area. The location was ideal for me because it’s close to family. Finally, UM is unique in that it provides amazing exposure to Latin American business and culture.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to your MBA class? There are two contributions I made to my MBA class. Along with some other students, I founded The MBS Sustainability Club, an extracurricular club focused on learning about the business incentives supporting environmental and social sustainability. I also brought my five-plus years of professional experience from prominent corporations. I used this experience to provide insight to some of the younger students about how work really is.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application? My first job out of college was a temp job doing data entry at a health insurance company. I was hired to complete a specific project that was only supposed to last one month. When the project was complete, I was asked to stay on with the company for another month. I was the only one offered an extension out of a group of ten. I ended up being kept on for five more months. In month five, I negotiated a three-day work week so that I could pursue full-time employment. Near the end of month six, I found a job at New Balance which launched my career.
Post-MBA career interests? My post-MBA career interests lie in the marketing industry. I would like to either be a brand manager or involved in product, as a product developer or product manager. I also think that my creativity with brainstorming ideas could lend itself to entrepreneurship
Advice to Prospective MBA Applicants
One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process? Before getting my MBA, I tried to talk to as many people in my office as I could about graduate school. I got a lot of feedback both positive and negative. I learned that it wasn’t absolutely necessary to succeed in my industry without it. In the end, it was helpful to hear from multiple perspectives before making my decision and I ultimately decided that an MBA was the right move.
Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it? I wish I could have skipped taking the GMAT. To help me get through the GMAT, I took a prep course. Since the GMAT is a major component for scholarship consideration, I placed a lot of pressure on myself to do well. I like to think that the class paid for itself because the scholarship I received far outweighed the initial investment for the class.
Greatest highlight so far at the Miami Business School? The greatest highlight was the Miami Leadership Challenge. It was a great experience where they throw you in to a mock crisis situation. Your team then has to come up with a press release, go through a boardroom meeting, and if you get far enough, participate in a press conference.
One thing about the Miami Business School that you didn’t expect before arriving? One thing I didn’t expect about University of Miami is the diversity. There are many people from all over the world. I didn’t expect to see so many countries represented.
Thing you were most anxious about in your first year? I was most anxious about grades. My scholarship has a performance incentive attached to it, so I really wanted to do well in all my classes. Luckily, I got my internship early in the year, so it did not dominate my anxiety.
Thing you were most excited about in your first year? I was most excited about meeting my fellow classmates. It is a great networking opportunity and I developed some great relationships. The program has many great people in it and I feel like everyone is friendly with each other despite cohort separation and friendship cliques.
Gabrielle Gallou, Miami Business School MBA Class of 2020
Age: 23
Hometown: Lorient, France
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Denver, Colorado – Marketing
Pre-MBA Work Experience: I created my digital consulting company for small fitness companies (gyms, workout programs, etc.)
Gabrielle Gallou, Miami Business School MBA Class of 2020
Why business school? Why now? After almost a year of having my own digital marketing company, I knew that I needed something to help me grow my career. I felt that business school would bring me the knowledge and exposure that I needed. I was still undecided regarding the direction I wanted my career to take, and understood that going to business school to get my MBA would help steer my focus by exposing me to different disciplines.
Why the Miami Business School MBA program? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend? The most important factor for me in deciding where to go to business school was the diversity of the people. Miami has a very strong influence from Latin and South America, a place that was not familiar to me. The Miami MBA particularly is representative of the city of Miami, by having a large number of students with international exposure.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to your MBA class? I believe that my most valuable contribution to the MBA class is my involvement in student life. I am part of the Graduate Business Student Association and am the president of the Women in Business Club. I find it very important to represent my class and make sure opportunities are provided to everybody.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application? I spend a lot of my free time at the gym. I enjoy competing in CrossFit for fun, and it definitely helps me focus on every other aspect of my life.
Post-MBA career interests? I discovered a great interest in Management Science and Operations by going to school at Miami Business School. I would like to work for a large corporation in the implementation department and work on strategizing the launch and promotion of new products.
Advice to Prospective MBA Applicants
One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process? As part of my application process, I researched the extra-curricular activities that each school offered. As important as classes are, I believe that the outside-of-the-classroom opportunities make business school education more valuable. Miami Business School lured me in with its focus on international connections. It offers global study trips, international consulting projects and a diverse, multicultural student body.
One thing you would change or do differently? I wish that there was a single common application that I could complete and submit, and that every school could pull from. I agree that applicants should write a different essay per school, because the motivations might be very different based on which school you apply to, but filling out the same information multiple times is draining.
Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it? If I could, I would have skipped the GMAT. Although it is a measure of test taking abilities, it does not measure one’s ability to fit in a graduate level classroom. I wish the application process was based more on the essay and an in-person interview. What helped me get through it were the practice problems and practice test online.
Greatest highlight so far at the Miami Business School? So far, my greatest highlight at Miami Business School has been the Miami Leadership Challenge. The weekend-long event is a great challenge because it teaches us crisis management. I really enjoyed being part of it with my teammates.
One thing about the Miami Business School that you didn’t expect before arriving? Before coming to Miami, I did not know how involved students would be in the business school. Indeed, the way the Graduate Business Student Association and all student organization are running is impressive. People openly advocate for what they want while the school actively supports the students that want to step up as leaders.
Thing you were most anxious about in your first year? Before starting my MBA, I was nervous about the work experience people in my class would have. During my undergrad, I did some internships, but I only had one year of post-undergrad work experience. I thought that I would be among classmates with 10-plus years of experience, and that I would not know how to relate. I found that I fit in just fine in my class, and that I have learned so much from people with more experience than I have.
Thing you were most excited about in your first year? During my first year, I was really excited about the number of people that I met. Business school is a very open setting where most people come in without knowing anyone else, and everybody is eager to get to know each other.
Jack Shelgren, Miami Business School MBA Class of 2020
Age: 23
Hometown: Winter Haven, FL
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Florida State University, Entrepreneurship
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Founder of Hooligans, a clothing brand, and working as a leasing associate for a boutique commercial real estate firm, Azor Advisory Services, Inc.
Jack Shelgren, Miami Business School MBA Class of 2020
Why business school? Why now? I wanted to set up my career in Miami, and the University of Miami Business School is the best in the area. I hesitated between working full-time and doing the MBA later in my career, or doing it now, fresh out of undergrad. Ultimately, I decided to do the MBA now because I received a generous scholarship from The U, and I figured it would strengthen my prospects and relationships in Miami.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to your MBA class? My dedication to connecting colleagues with employers, other students, professors, or alumni I think would be beneficial to them, and my positive attitude.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application? I managed a local band through high school and my first year of college, called Glass House Point. I mostly got paid in beer, but I occasionally received wads of cash for getting the band gigs. They still play together, eight years later, and the lead singer is touring with MGMT this summer.
Post-MBA career interests? I am considering a career in finance, real estate finance, sales or entrepreneurship. My passion is in entrepreneurship, but I am very interested in finance and real estate. Ultimately, I will make my career decision based on whom I would be working with. I strongly believe in the power in who you surround yourself with.
Advice to Prospective MBA Applicants
One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process? Flying down for the in-person interview and campus visit. The campus is beautiful, and you get to experience the people of the University of Miami in-person. The people are what seal the deal.
One thing you would change or do differently? I would visit sooner. I sort of delayed the visit because I was considering other MBA programs and I was busy with work, but the visit would have cleared things up for me sooner and mitigated some anxiety.
Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it? I spent way too much time on the personal essay for admission. Although I believe it is important to clearly lay out who you are and what you want to do, do not obsess over it and overthink it. Jot down your primary points and hand it off to a friend for review. Don’t get bogged down in the weeds.
Greatest highlight so far at the Miami Business School? It’s hard to pick a single moment, but one of my favorite moments was our round of applause for one of our professors during our last class with him. Looking around the room, I could see everyone smiling with true appreciation. Another favorite moment was our group presentations for our marketing class—one of our groups made a music video for Pedialyte, but remixed it “PediaLIT” and it was hysterical.
One thing about the Miami Business School that you didn’t expect before arriving? I didn’t expect Miami to be a small world. But it really is. Everybody knows everybody.
Thing you were most anxious about in your first year? I was most anxious about making friends with the people in my program. After the first week, that anxiety dissipated.
Thing you were most excited about in your first year? I was most excited about getting my summer internship, and I got my internship offer in December!
Karol Olivero, Miami Business School MBA Class of 2020
Age: 24
Hometown: Valencia, Venezuela
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Bentley University – Bachelor of Science in Marketing
Pre-MBA Work Experience: I spent my working years in marketing. After finishing my Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, I worked in the marketing department at Mack Trucks Inc. where I was able to apply my skills into content development, sales, customer service, event planning and promotion & advertising strategies. I learned earned my Master’s in Marketing in Barcelona, Spain, where I was able to apply and gain marketing skills in the hospitality and wellness industries.
Karol Olivero, Miami Business School MBA Class of 2020
Why business school? Why now? I am an entrepreneur at heart and already have a project on my mind that I want to move forward. However, I felt that I was missing some more preparation in business management, so I thought an MBA would allow me to gain knowledge in every possible field I would need to understand how to manage my own company.
Why the Miami Business School MBA program? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend? Quality and results. UM has developed amazing programs over the years and the results have made their brand even stronger. I researched the faculty and the curriculum of the MBA program and felt that it was a great challenge to take on at this moment in my life. Miami is a very competitive city filled with many business professionals and opportunities. If you develop the right network, you will always have a door open, and the Miami Business School MBA allows you to do that.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to your MBA class? The amount of leadership programs I have completed. All classes require group work for assignments, and we are constantly rotating among teams. I feel fortunate to have had advanced experience managing different personality types within a group so I am able to get the most out of each of them in order to come back with great results.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application? I am a skincare lover! I have struggled with rosacea for a long time and bounced from one dermatologist to another with not much improvement. I recently decided to take control of it and stop relying on others, so aside from getting my MBA, I am involved in workshops to expand my knowledge on products and treatments. So far, it has worked great and I have learned so much about this industry.
Post-MBA career interests? I have developed a passion for the skincare industry and safe and clean products, hence Post–MBA I would love to move forward towards that industry. From marketing strategies to product development, I want to make an impact in today’s society by promoting clean and safer products.
Advice to Prospective MBA Applicants
One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process? I would let the recruiter know from the beginning that I am committed to being in this program. One of the things that scared me the most was my GMAT score not being as high as it should have been, so I had to be honest with my recruiter and find a way to prove that I deserved a spot at the MBA program regardless of my GMAT score. I insisted so much and I was very determined during my interview that I believe it showed the kind of person I am and the kind of experience and attitude I was going to bring in to the classroom.
One thing you would change or do differently? I would get more involved with on-campus activities and create stronger connections with my professors, as they are well known in their fields and in the city of Miami. This in turn opens many doors for when graduation comes and I am finally ready to get back in the work field.
Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it? 100 percent the GMAT. It drove me crazy! I am so bad at taking standardized tests that I get so nervous. However, starting early, preparing with the right materials and completing constant mock tests improved my confidence when the test date arrived.
Greatest highlight so far at the Miami Business School? The city! Miami is a great place, it literally has everything you could think of. You get to meet all kinds of people, from different backgrounds and professions. There are far too many activities to do, places to visit, and amazing restaurants. It is a great hub for opportunities, so always be on the lookout.
One thing about the Miami Business School that you didn’t expect before arriving? The people! I am from Venezuela, so I really enjoy the prevalent Latin culture in Miami. However, I did not expect my cohort to be so diverse and to enjoy Latin culture as much as I do. I am lucky to be in such a great class!
Thing you were most anxious about in your first year? Not being able to manage my time properly. The program does require a lot of time and effort, and I feared that I was not going to be able to manage it properly.
Thing you were most excited about in your first year? Just getting started. I felt ready to be part of this new journey and to make the most out of it.