Hello.

I am a junior officer serving in the Army. Currently, I have slightly less than 2 years remaining on my initial active duty service obligation, and I presently have no intentions to stay in. I am looking for feedback from any former veterans or active duty service members on the feasibility of obtaining an MBA after a relatively brief stint in service (4-5 years). I finished my first tour in Afghanistan about 9 months ago...although I am a 13A, (Field Artillery) I deployed as a distribution platoon leader in charge of running logistics on a medium sized forward operating base. I plan on finishing out my career as an executive officer, or on a battalion staff. I graduated from TAMU in 2012 with a B.S. in economics. I realize that many top MBA programs in the country like to draw from former military officer pools due to the relative strength in leadership qualities that they are likely to have over their civilian counterparts.

-Would it be wise to pursue a civilian career for a couple of years after my service, before going MBA?
-What are the advantages/disadvantages that being in the military would give me with regard to the admissions process?
-For those that do have an MBA, was the time spent removed from the private sector workforce an issue?
-Who/what rank was it who gave you letters of recommendation?
-What exactly do you put on your resume? OER related bullet points?
-What curriculum related areas would I likely be a bit behind vs. civilians? Finance/Accounting? Marketing?
-Any other institution/programs I can associate myself with in order to bolster my resume? I.E. community service?
-Finally, any advice or tips on taking GMAT?

I realize that the time from pre-applications process to actually starting your MBA is likely long and painful, but I've still got close to two years before I could realistically start. Any advice or tips would be greatly encouraged.

Thanks all!

--If making a living is not an issue (i.e. take care of the necessities of life) go to school and don't work as you will get your MBA quicker. The only other reason to work would be that some companies pay for some or all of your MBA through tuition reimbursement

--Don't know

--No

--N/A, I got my MBA while on active duty and got the government to pay for some of it and stopped when it would increase my commitment.


-- Events where you managed things, sounds like that is what you did in Afghanistan so there ought to be some good bullet points there.

--Why would you be behind? You are ahead with much more responsibilities with larger impact in the military than what they have been doing in the civilian world. Unfortunately that often doesn't translate with hiring managers that have no idea or a warped idea of what the military is and you don't want to work for those people anyway.

-- Activities in the community that show you have initiative and drive are good to put on a resume.

--Get one of the practice books at the book store that is all I did, for the most part it is not too difficult mostly basic English and math like the SATs.

Col Kurtz......hate to answer a question with questions...what career do you intend to pursue, and what do you think an MBA will do for you?

I am active duty but getting out to start a FT MBA program next fall. Here are my thoughts.

-Would it be wise to pursue a civilian career for a couple of years after my service, before going MBA?
No. Get your MBA right after your military oblogation. Getting entrenched into a civilian career and then pausing for two years or trying to go part time will be more difficult. Especially if you have a family at that point and have to go awhile without an income.
-What are the advantages/disadvantages that being in the military would give me with regard to the admissions process?
Depends on the school, but you have a lot of experiences your civilian peers don't have. Leadership, high stress, etc. Play them up.

-Who/what rank was it who gave you letters of recommendation? 3 majors, XOs. But this is going to depend on who you think will write you the best ones. Give them at least a month or 6 weeks to write them.
-What exactly do you put on your resume? OER related bullet points?
Spend lots of time on it and get several people to take a look at it. Use numbers when possible, "was responsible for $16M worth of equipment..." Etc
-What curriculum related areas would I likely be a bit behind vs. civilians? Finance/Accounting? Marketing?
I took Econ, finance, and accounting classes at a local CC to try and catch up or get ahead.

-Any other institution/programs I can associate myself with in order to bolster my resume? I.E. community service?
I didn't. I let my military service stand in for that.
-Finally, any advice or tips on taking GMAT? A couple of brief thoughts:
start studying for the GMAT in your spare time now. Maybe you will ace it the first time, but if not, you will have time to try again