JEREMYCWILSON.COM

Good Article: Law Firm Diversity

Diversity has become a bit of a buzzword over the past few years. People use it about as much as business people throw around the word “leadership,” as frequently as admissions teams talk about “fit,” and as habitually as law school professors use the word “reasonable.” But thankfully, many institutions today are taking it more seriously. Chief among those institutions are law firms, especially California law firms according to a recent article I found.  Among other things, they are promoting diversity on their websites, starting diversity scholarship programs, increasing target “interview” numbers, and giving diverse employees a seat at the executive table.

I recently found an article that discusses this very issue. The article focuses more on the diversity of new hires than of executives and diversity scholarship, but it raises a few interesting points about ensuring that diversity continues to improve–talking a little about some of the tactics firms are using to recruit and also about the way firms are collaborating to tackle the issue.  Ultimately, the end goal for firms is to use the best tools they can to work effectively and more systematically on the issue and to finally bring change to the legal industry. It sounds like some firms may finally be on their way. And not only is this true in California but it’s definitely true for firms based here in Chicago too, firms like Vedder Price, Foley & Lardner, Kirkland & Ellis, and Perkins Coie (HQ Seattle but big Chicago program)

This could be a really big moment in law firm history. Is your law firm staying on pace with the new diversity standard? What about your business? Or your school? If not, then how will you and your organization fit in going forward?  Will you resist change or will you finally adjust and help push this new standard forward? Why … because sometimes the best leaders aren’t always the entrepreneurs or those who come up with the bright ideas. Instead they’re often the ones with the intuition to quickly recognize another good idea, adapt, and then work in diverse teams and broker complex networks to influence others to do the same. Business and law firms have the current opportunity to lead in the push for diversity.

Please see below for a link to the article.

Title: Study: California Law Firms Lead In Diversity — But It’s Not Easy
Source: Fenwick & West LLP
Article Link: Click here to read the article

Good Article: John Legend Discusses Education Reform

Like many countries in the world, the U.S. faces the daunting task of improving an entire public education system.  Our recent recession has shown us that we need to drastically improve the training of our workforce, and that we also need to better equip the younger generations so they don’t face the same issues a decade from now. Inherent in the second issue is the fact that attaining public education for those in the middle and upper classes, is still vastly different than it is for those that have less privilege.  America has been talking about the situation for years now, but many believe that it’s time to finally take action.  In a recent article,  John Legend discusses this issue and how we can lend a hand to help.

I recently referenced this article in my Martin Luther King Day post last week, but I thought I’d devote a post to showcase it here today.  For reference, John Legend has long been passionate about changing the education industry.  In 2009, he gave the University of Pennsylvania’s (alma matter) commencement address, where he shared his thoughts on education reform. John was also featured in CNN’s Black in America this year where had had a similar message. And finally, John is a big supporter, a former employee of, and now a Board member of Management Leadership for Tomorrow, an organization that is doing as much as anyone to push forward the education agenda.  Years ago, John worked at MLT while launching his music career and helped spawn some of its innovative career programs.

John’s opinion (much like mine) is that much of America already recognizes this challenge. So the question really is are we ready and able to address it? Are we looking at countries like India and China and at the best schools here in the US and Europe to benchmark best practices? That’s what the most profitable companies do to stay competitive. Or instead, are we set on tradition, afraid of change, or unable to come up with new solutions? I don’t know the answer, and it’s likely far too complicated to be narrowed down here. But what I do know is that things like technology, creativity, and an the support of organizations all need to be utilized to bring about change. It also helps to have people like John Legend, the support of our ordinary citizens, and also some of the bright MBA and JD graduates who want to serve in the education industry.And not only are the students waiting for a helping hand, but so are the employers who need a bigger pool of talent to recruit from, and as a result so is our struggling economy that needs more productivity from more of its people.

Take a look at John’s article below. It was posted by the Huffington Post on Martin Luther King day.

Title: Education Reform: The Civil Rights Issue of Our Time
Author: John Legend
Hosting Website: Huffington Post

Leadership Lessons From Martin Luther King

Yesterday was the first day I was able to track visitors for my new blog site.  Anyone who maintains a serious website knows that this is a critical feature.  What’s interesting after taking a quick look at the numbers is that nearly 25% my hits came from outside the US.  While I usually get a pretty good percentage of my hits from all across the world, this was a bit higher than usual, highlighting how global the world continues to become.

But bigger than the “international” reach of my blog is that our entire society today has become completely global, and that today’s leaders, unlike those of yesteryear, face new issues and challenges as a result. Rather than focusing on operational tasks such as locating employees in other countries or using technology to build things more efficiently, today’s leaders are now faced with more complex challenges. They must learn how to communicate effectively across continents. They have to keep tabs on people, teams, units, and regions, many of which they may not see for months. And they are challenged to bring everyone on the same page to work together to achieve results.

What a challenge ! How can you unite employees and teams to come together from all the way across the globe when you’re not even there?  And how can executives ensure that their people share a common purpose rather than feel isolated and void of impact?  As a start, I think we can learn a few lessons about unity by looking at Martin Luther King, which is especially relevant now given the presence of MLK day.

MLK was one of the best uniters in history. Not only was he focused on his mission to bring equality to our society, but he also worked across all lines of diversity and brought thousands of people together to do so.  But, unlike many leaders today, he did it without the help of technology, in an age where globalization was yet to be accepted, and in one of the most violent eras in history.  I’ll offer a few reasons, from my own perspective, that may have made him successful.

1. MLK led because he had a powerful vision. The great proverb says “Where there is no vision the people perish.” MLK took one of the great issues of the time, and was able to relate deeply to the issue, articulate his vision about the issue to others, and rally everyone around him to feel the same way.  MLK tapped into hearts and spirits of a people and opened their minds to share his vision too.

2.  MLK was also an effective leader during tough times.  In the 1960s, social integration probably seemed nothing more than a fairy tale. It was an environment of heightened intolerance and injustice, and one where people of color often felt like they were left powerless and had no options. Yet King still displayed courage on his mission.  And what’s most impressive is that he did this not only in the face of uncertainty, but also in the face of death from his enemies as well as in the face of disloyalty from those on his own side. And he was still effective.

3. MLK also stressed long-term solutions and kept his eye on the larger prize.  Even when his actions did not bring immediate results or did not give him  instant satisfaction, MLK kept in mind that change meant a better life for his children and his grandchildren. And while some people may have characterized MLK’s ideas as crazy, not immediate enough, and not possible, that’s not anyone’s view today.  MLK’s long-term dreams have clearly initiated change in the minds and hearts of most everyone today.

4.  And finally, King showed us that the best leaders are those who build consensus and want to make things better for everyone.  As a leader, King did not dedicate his life for his personal cause, but instead he worked to improve entire communities … communities that were disparate, that were already engaged in their own fights for civil freedom, and that had different backgrounds, cultures, and geographies. He fought to give everyone a seat at the table, and today, it’s not just the African Americans who benefit from his leadership. But people from all around America and the world see the benefits.

And so leaders today can look at MLK, as they hope and strive to bring about unity and diversity. Though they should be careful not to use the word “diversity” too loosely.  Dr. King fought for diversity because he believed that having equality and justice as well as multiple perspectives were critical to our society, not because it was a fad.  And forty years later, it’s clear that he was right.

So for a moment, let’s all take time to commemorate the impact that King and so many others have had on the American community.  Furthermore, we should also understand that to improve our society going forward, it’s imperative that we also continue to increase the diversity in our schools, workplaces, communities, and our ways of thinking. Only then will be ready to take up after King and continue our march into the society he once envisioned. And only then can we get everyone around the globe to work together to achieve new results. And only then, can we really start our recovery from 2009’s economic crisis.  And only then, will society be able to reach it’s full potential for change.

—–
Please click on the links below to read two good posts about MLK. One is from music star John Legend (on education) and the other from HBS professor Rosabeth Kanter (on leadership)

John Legend (Celebrity) writes about MLK and Education
Rosabeth Kanter (HBS Professor) writes about MLK and Leadership

Tags: Diversity, Holidays, Leadership/ Management, Other Blogs

Kellogg Preview Weekend

Hi everyone, I wanted to quickly pass along the information for the Kellogg Preview Weekend. Kellogg Preview is a minority prospective weekend for this year’s Kellogg applicants. I went last year, and it was a lot of fun. It was a great chance to mingle with lots of potential Kellogg students, many who actually ended up at Kellogg. It was also a great chance to see firsthand what it would be like to be a student at both Kellogg and the JD-MBA program. And it was also a good time to do your interview on campus with an admissions staff member.

I plan to be stop by the event this year, so I hope to see some of you there. Keep in mind that if you do end up at Kellogg next year, we’ll be classmates because I’m spending my time at the law school this year and will start at Kellogg in 2010.

See below for official info on our event. If you are considering going, then I suggest you consider signing up soon because last year the event filled up. Also, note that although the event targets a specific audience, it is open to all prospective students.

Below is the official Kellogg blurb on the event. Feel free to use my comment box to ask any questions about the event.

——-

Kellogg Preview: Minority Prospective Student Weekend – November 13-14, 2009

The admissions office along with the Africa Business Club, Black Management Association and Hispanic Business Student Association are excited to once again host this annual event. Over this two day event, participants will enjoy mock classes with Professor Harry Kraemer and Professor Steve Rogers and connect with an assigned KPW Buddy while interacting with students from the larger Kellogg community.

To register for these and our off-campus events, visit our website.

We look forward to meeting you soon!

Tags: Admissions, Application Tips, Kellogg

NBMBAA Conference Recap

I just got back from New Orleans this past weekend from the NBMBAA conference. I had an incredible time. Thousands of people came from all over the US, enthusiastic to network with other business school students, optimistic to make that one special connection with a recruiter, and eager to get a competitive advantage and get one step closer to a full-time, six-figure dream job after graduation.

I arrived on Thursday early morning and after checking into my hotel, went straight to the career fair. Upon walking into the convention center, I saw hundreds of people scrambling to the registration room, all dressed in their best suits and in their shiny black shoes. Some were quickly running through their resumes before heading to talk to employers, others scrolling through emails on their blackberries, and others looking at the maps trying to find their target companies.

The crowd was incredibly diverse. It not only consisted of Black MBAs but also many of the world’s diverse cultures–Asian, Indian, Hispanic, White, and more. It was good to see that there were also quite a few women at the conference. Professionally, the people were mostly business school students.

Having been in MLT and having gone to lots receptions and admitted student weekends over the past year, I’d had the chance to meet a fair number of these people before, so it was nice to have a chance to see them all again. MLT was there in full force. Not only did dozens of MLT’ers from my class come out, but people from other classes came too. MLT also had a booth right near the front door. It felt like a mini-reunion.

Kellogg kids were also abound at the conference. Being in downtown Chicago at the law school, I don’t get to go down to Evanston as much as I’d like to, so it was nice to get together with everyone. Like MLT, Kellogg had a booth at the conference, and I spent a good deal of time there hanging out with the admissions team as well a with all the 1st and 2nd year students. About 15 or so other Schools were also in attendance, including the University of Chicago Booth, which is pretty close to Kellogg here in Chicago.

But despite all of the mingling, make no mistake about it, the highlight of the conference was Career Fair. Over the three days, more than 400 employers came out to actively recruit MBAs for summer internships and full-time positions. And this year, in these “odd” economic times, people didn’t take it for granted. My Kellogg counterparts were definitely on point. I chatted with them a lot about their job searches, and most of them had 1st and 2nd round interviews at the fair.

This fact highlights the biggest difference in recruiting at business schools and law schools. My MBA counterparts were hustling around for almost the entire conference, because for them, recruiting began before school even started. However at law school, we don’t start recruiting until December, which supposedly gives us a chance to focus more on our school work. As such, there isn’t much pressure for us to scramble around to find a job. As a JD-MBA I felt like I was part of both worlds. I was really interested to watch the recruiting process from the front line, so I definitely chatted lots of firms. But as a current law student, I didn’t feel any of the stress the MBAs felt, and I didn’t target any interviews during the conference.

Instead, my approach was to get a bird’s eye view of the recruiting environment and to see how all the companies fit into the puzzle. I spent my time talking to companies about the economy, asking questions about their financial well-being, and getting their perspectives on diversity. Most employers were quite willing to talk, especially since I probably came off as quite sincere given I didn’t have a hidden agenda of getting hired. On a couple of different occasions I was able to engage recruiters for 45-60 minutes at a time, whereas most people had closer to 10-15 minutes to make a pitch.

I was also able to learn a lot about a couple of not-for-profits who were at the conference. I spent a good deal of time with Education Pioneers and The Gates Foundation and went to their reception on Thursday evening for a couple of hours. The people at both organizations were fantastic, and I look forward to spending a lot more time checking out both organizations in the near future.

After a long two days of watching people run around looking for jobs, the career fair finally ended Friday at 5pm. At that point a lot of people went home to rest for a few hours before a night out on the town. I decided to head over to a private BCG reception at the local W hotel to mingle with some of the firm consultants. I’d met the Director of Diversity Recruiting a few times before, but it was good to see him again. After that, I went to the awards ceremony at another hotel to pick up my NBMBAA scholarship award with the other ten or so winners. As you might guess considering we were in New Orleans, the ceremony was more of a big celebration than anything, and it was a great lead-in to an unforgettable night on Bourbon Street.

I had a flight back to Chicago Saturday morning. I was on a flight with an MLT buddy who I wrote essays with in Boston, and I arrived home just in time to finish writing my Legal Writing paper for Sunday afternoon. It was quite a long weekend, but it was definitely worth the time. If you’re thinking about going to the NBMBAA conference in the future, you should definitely consider attending. The caliber of people are high, the opportunity to learn about companies is paramount, you’ll probably be in a pretty lively city, and the employers will likely be aggressively recruiting, which is especially nice in these “odd” economic times.

Tags: Careers, Diversity, Kellogg, MLT, Recruiting, Summer Internship

MBA Diversity & Hispanic Heritage Month

This weekend, I’ve been doing a lot of research trying to finalize my plans for the NBMBAA (National Black MBA) and NSHMBA (National Hispanic MBA) annual conferences. Having recently won both scholarships as incoming business school student, I am lucky to be able to attend both conferences at no cost. Considering how fortunate I am to be in this position, I’ve been thinking a lot about diversity, and decided I would take a moment to talk a little about it here, especially in light of Hispanic Heritage Month.

I believe that in America today, we are in a “race” to bring diversity to our professional communities. Even in my short career, I’ve already learned that diverse teams are essential to success in the market place. Just as cross-functional teams are used to create value in the market, so too do cross-cultural teams offer the richest possibility to improve our businesses, laws, and policies in today’s diverse economy. Hispanic Americans represent a large part of this diversity. They make up more than 15% of the US population and add immeasurable value to America’s economy and its communities.

Coming from Arizona, I experienced this firsthand, where Hispanics represent nearly a third of the population and where they contribute to every single part of the economy, white collar and blue collar. Hispanic Heritage Month is the period to recognize all of this value that the Hispanic Americans have had in the United States and a time to celebrate their culture. The observation of the month started in 1968, and more than 40 years later the event is still largely celebrated. The month begins on September 15th, because that day represents the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua (Mexico and Chile also celebrate their anniversaries in September)

Here at Northwestern Law, a good friend of mine happens to be the Hispanic Heritage month Co-Chair for the Latino Law Students Association. She’s currently a 2L, and she’s putting together a wide range of events to recognize the efforts of the Hispanic here in the US. Knowing her dedication to the club and to Northwestern, I am certain the events are going to be terrific.

I don’t know exactly what she has in mind, but I suspect it will be something to engage the entire community. An obvious first point of reference being in law school is Sonia Sotomayor, our new US Supreme Court justice. Sotomayor is now the first Hispanic American ever to serve the court, as well as only the third woman. Not only is it a monumental moment in history, but it’s also at a time when our economy needs her most.

As the economic crisis still looms over the business and legal worlds, progressive schools have realized that recruiting exceptional Hispanic and other underrepresented minority students is one of the keys to re-establishing America’s long-term success. At the top 20 MBA programs, there are still only 7% to 10% blacks and Hispanics, and in the world of Fortune 500 companies and blue chip law firms, the percentage of CEO’s and Senior Partners is about half that.

Although our integration process is still far from complete, we do continue to see progress take place at top graduate schools, especially business schools. Kudos to organizations such as the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA), Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), and the Consortium Scholarship Program, which give access to Hispanic (and other minority) scholarships and professional training.   I suggest that anyone who qualifies for these programs consider them as you are applying. And as usual, I’ll give a special endorsement for MLT, where the best and the brightest come while applying the business school.

But for a moment, what’s more important than winning scholarships and fine tuning your career is that on September 15th we all take a moment to reflect and appreciate the impact that Hispanics and all minorities have had on all of our lives. Furthermore, we should also understand that to further improve our society, it’s imperative that we continue to increase the diversity in our schools as well as at all levels of our labor force and ultimately work in teams together. Only then will we be able to put everyone in our nation to their best use and collectively unlock our greatest potential for change.

Tags: Diversity, Law School, MLT

MLT MBA Prep Application

Hey there prospective b-school applicants. I wanted to pass along a quick reminder about applying to MLT’s MBA Prep Program. I’m an alumni of the program and think very highly of it. As I’ve mentioned in a few posts before, MLT is definitely a tremendous resource, not only in terms of applying to school but also in terms of the resources you will have afterward–career counseling, mentoring, networking, training, and more. And the good news is that applications are currently being accepted.

That’s right. Applications are currently being accepted for MBA Prep 2011. That’s relevant for minority MBA applicants who intend to enroll in an MBA program as the class of 2013. For more details, feel free to check out my past post and the MLT website.

For those interested in applying this year, below are the two application deadlines:

1. First-round application deadline is September 15, 2009
2. Second-round application deadline is October 31, 2009

If you are considering applying in either Round 1 or Round 2, MBA Prep does encourage you to consider Round 1. Over the past few years, more and more applicants are applying to MLT, so as a result, it is becoming more competitive. You should never rush your application and should always put your best foot forward. But, on the margin, earlier is better.

Since today is already September 12, some of you will not be able to apply by the September 15. I encourage you to submit on or before the October 31 deadline. Feel free to post any comments or questions you have, and I will respond.

Good luck!

Tags: Application Tips, MLT

Korean Popstar In My Section And Diversity At Northwestern

My section has a lot of the really interesting people this year. It turns out that in addition to the 19-year old I recently posted about, I also sit next to a Korean pop star. Literally.  My section mate, who for now wishes to remain anonymous, graduated from a Korean University with a degree in English literature. And although she made her living as a performer overseas after graduation, she recently gave it all up for the chance to come to Northwestern Law and eventually change the world.

Since graduation, my section mate has been making a living by performing in Asia. Sounds like the good life, right? After all, don’t we all want to grow up to be pop stars! Well, despite loving her former career, she ultimately chose to come to Northwestern Law to become an international human rights lawyer, though I’ll note that she does also plan to continue performing after school. My classmate is a really great addition to the section, and we’ve already become library buddies during the first two weeks.

While having a pop star in my section is certainly unique, I think the general notion of having varied professional and ethnic backgrounds is old news to Northwestern Law, statistically the most diverse law school in the world. It’s also water under the bridge for top MBA programs, which constantly aim for as diverse a class as possible. In today’s professional community, diversity is the standard, so schools are trying to reflect that in their learning environments. Schools not only welcome, but they also embrace a student body enriched by various nationalities, cultures, interests, and points of view.

Practically speaking, the core of our learning model in law school, the Socratic method, continually reinforces this notion. In the Socratic Method, students must continually demonstrate the ability to work across boundaries. They must absorb multiple perspectives while still articulating their own views. They must also demonstrate the ability to work with and through other people. A capacity to confront a wide variety of issues, both legal and non legal. And the facility to build consensus amidst a variety of competing opinions and perspectives.

As law students, we by no means do any of this perfectly. However, the diversity here makes it a great place to learn many of these critical professional skills.

Tags: Diversity, Law School, Leadership/ Management

NBMBAA Scholar Award

Hey all! I just found out today that I won one of the NBMBAA (National Black MBA Association) Scholarship Award. Basically, the NBMBAA scholarship program was established to assist M.B.A. students to succeed in business school and beyond by giving them a bit of tuition assistance as well as providing them with ongoing mentorship, networking opportunities, and career opportunities. To be considered, I had to submit an application this past spring, of which the essay carried the most weight. The application also included the typical items such as a resume, data form, and short answers. I chose to write my essay about the MBA admissions process and what schools can do to better recruit and retain black and minority candidates. I actually spent quite a bit of time on the essay, partially because I really wanted to win but also because the topic is of real interest to me.

It’s definitely an honor to be selected to this competitive program, especially this year where money is limited and where NBMBAA told me during my final interview that only two applicants would be chosen. It’s also great because means that I’ve now won both the NBMBAA and the NSHMBA (National Hispanic) award, which is a huge honor. Click here for my post on NSHMBA. Finally, it’s a relief, because I really thought I had a mediocre interview a few weeks ago. The lesson learned here is that you should always fight through interviews, maintain composure, and never get discouraged, because you never know what the other person is thinking.

In addition to the scholarship money, the scholarship package includes a one year membership to the organization, round trip airfare, hotel accommodations for two nights, and conference registration. The conference should be a lot of fun and great for networking. For all those who qualify, you should definitely consider applying for the NBMBAA scholars program in the future.

Tags: About Me, Diversity, Financial Aid

A little about Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) and MLT on CNN last week

Hey everyone!  I want to take a few moments to write about an organization that I am part of called  Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT).  I’ve written about the program before, but I’m giving them a bit of special recognition for two reasons. (1) Because I recently finished MLT’s MBA Prep program this June and (2) because MLT was recently hosted on CNN’s Black in America series last week. 

I am definitely fortunate to have been part of MLT as an MBA applicant, the program is  top notch. Click here to see a clip from CNN that says the same thing. 

In terms of the mission of MLT, here is a blurb from the website: “MLT’s MBA Prep prepares early-career professionals for admission to top MBA programs and to make successful post-MBA career transitions. Individual coaching, seminars led by admissions officers, relationship- and skill-building workshops, mentoring from alumni, and in-depth boot camps led by corporate partners are all part of this highly successful program.”

Practically speaking, the program took place over an 18-month period.  In that time, I spent lots of time with my cohort, my individual coach, and my MLT friends, and together we visited campuses, interacted with current MBA students, reflected on personal goals, studied for the GMAT, wrote essays, and met with partner companies and admissions representatives. It was definitely a rigorous experience balancing the program with work, especially as a consultant, but it was well-worth when I got into a couple of really great schools and feel like I have a good head start to accelerate my career.

I just finished my MLT year in June, along with about 150 other fellows. The majority of the fellows got into one of their top choice programs—“overall today there are over 500 total MBA Prep Alumni, 90+% get into one of their top three business school choices, and most attend top 10 business schools.”

My cohort members were located in Boston and upper New York. There were about a dozen of us all from VERY different professional backgrounds and with very different professional interests. But the common denominator is that everyone is headed to great schools this fall, including Wharton, Booth (multiple), Kellogg (multiple), Tuck (multiple), Columbia, and others. We definitely had a lot of talented applicants.

In general, MLT has lots of kids going to these and other top schools this year. Additionally, MLT also sent a lot of kids to Kellogg this year, which I personally am excited about, it will be great to have a lot of friends down in Evanston.

If you are interested in MLT, you should definitely consider applying. Information sessions are happening all over the US in August for applicants who want to apply in 2010/2011 and graduate in 2013. Take a look at the website and see if any sessions are in your geography. Also, feel free to email me or post any questions about the program here on my blog.

Tags: Careers, Leadership/ Management, MLT

Article On Me and MLT in the Phoenix Business Journal

So I recently got a call from a PR firm. It was good news.  Apparently the Phoenix Business Journal wants to do an article on me and my experience in MLT. Pretty cool, right?  I thought so too. The journal talks a lot about some of the movers and shakers in Arizona, and they were interested in my professional experience and how that fit in with Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) over the past year. I don’t know what the final ratio of content on me vs MLT will be, though it should probably be slanted more toward MLT given its great accomplishments, but it doesn’t really make a difference. Should be pretty interesting to see what they say, and cool to have a small spot in Arizona’s biggest business magazine. I’ll be sure to post the article link here once it comes out.

Tags: About Me

NSHMBA Scholarship

I just found out that I won one of the NSHMBA (National Society of Hispanic MBAs) scholarships. Basically, the NSHMBA scholarship program was established to assist M.B.A. students to succeed in business school by giving them a bit of tuition assistance. To be considered, I had to submit a pretty long application this past spring, consisting of essays, shorts answers, resume, and a data form.

While the amount by no means wipes away all my student loans, it’s still great to be selected, and I’m quite happy to take whatever level of assistance is out there. Also, as part of the scholarship, NSHMBA funds your travel to and from their national conference in October, which should be a lot of fun. For all those who qualify, you should definitely consider applying for the scholarship next year.

Bain & Co Diversity Weekend

I just got back from a trip to NYC a couple of hours ago. I went to attend Bain & Company’s Pre-MBA Summer Diversity Program for first-year MBA students, which took place on Tuesday, June 30 from 8am until about 7pm. While some people might consider 11 hours of non-stop sessions to be a long day, after being in MLT for a year, this event felt like a breeze.

I applied to the Bain Program, because I intend to apply for jobs in the consulting industry, and specifically at the big three consulting firms (Bain & Company, Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey & Company). The program was framed as a one-day event intended to give us an introduction to the industry and also to Bain so that we can apply once school begins. I suspect it was also a good way for Bain to profile prospective candidates.

Like a lot of recent b-school events, I knew quite a few of the attendees from MLT and from other diversity events I’ve been to. I can’t say enough about the power of the MLT network, as students and alumni tend to be everywhere I go. I also have to give a big shout out to my Kellogg cohort. Kellogg admits were definitely the most-represented school at the event. And finally, who could forget the “Bainies.” As it turns out, I liked the Bainies a lot. The consultants were nice, smart, had impressive backgrounds, and were really open to teaching us about the firm.

In all, there were quite a few consultants there – post-MBA consultants, managers, and consultants of all others levels all the way up to Senior Director. Here are a couple of the highlights from the event.

Tiffany Showell (Bain’s Sr. Manager of Diversity Recruiting) and Bill (whose late name I didn’t catch, but he was the head of the NYC office) kicked off the event with some opening remarks. They introduced the first speaker, Russ Hagley, who is Bain’s Chief Talent Officer. Bain emphasized the fact that they had a Chief Talent Officer and that they were serious about getting good people at the firm and about having us there. This was the point where Bain did a good job at differentiating themselves from the other firms. Aside from the CTO position, Russ talked about how Bain was a not only a strategy company but also worked through the implementation of that strategy. He gave a few other similar examples (entrepreneurship, data-driven, etc)

Another high point of the day was the Interview Skills Workshop given by Keith Bevans. Keith has spent his entire career at Bain and was a energizing public speaker. He gave a lot of advice about doing cases and then walked us through an actual case.

We had a working lunch, where we did a group case interview workshop. We broke up into teams of about six and spent 90 minutes or so going over a case question that comes up in real Bain interviews. I felt really comfortable in the scenario, but I still feel like I have tons of practicing ahead to compete for a spot at Bain. Right after our case, Alok Desphande (Bain Manager) facilitated a session summing up thoughts on the workshop. He was a really sharp guy, and gave good insight to our comments. I made a point to talk with him later in the day.

Later, the CFO of Bad Boy Entertainment, Derek Ferguson (a former Bain Manager), gave the keynote address. It was late in the day, so to keep our attention he gave us trivia and rewarded correct answers with Bad Boy CDs. He was definitely a hit, though I did find one girl who had no idea who Bad Boy was. Toward the end of the day was the consultant panel, where which 6 current Bain consultants shared their experiences getting into Bain and working there. It was pretty amazing how sharp they were. Of the group, 2 were HBS grads, 1 Booth grad and 1 Wharton grad.

Mark Howorth, a senior Director gave the closing remarks. He had a great point at the end of his speech, when he said as a next step, we need to go to school and do well!! He emphasized the importance of getting a good academic experience and learning the fundamentals rather than trying to force fit or schmooze our way into jobs.

After his closing remarks, Tiffany Showell quickly wrapped up the session, and there was a cocktail hour for us to interact with the Bainies. We were able to talk to lots of consultants and get pretty pointed advice. There was also a free wine bar, which was pretty clutch. At the reception, I met up with a good friend Robin Lamb who’s a consultant in the NYC office. He graduated from Stanford a few years before I did. I definitely intend to chat with Robin once I’m getting ready to go through recruiting for my second summer in the JD-MBA program. I’m sure he’ll be a great help, just as he was for me in the b-school process.

I definitely recommend the Bain event for admits who might consider attending the event in future years, and for those who want to enter the consulting industry. Not only will you have a good chance to network with Bainies, MLT fellows, and people from various MBA programs, but you’ll also have a lot of fun.

Best of luck in your decision.

Tags: Bain, Consulting, Diversity, Recruiting