“In terms of the highest tangible ROI, an MBA is hard to beat as a veteran, especially for someone like me coming from a non-technical background." – David Lee

David Lee will be attending the Stanford Graduate School of Business next September after over six years of service in the US Marine Corps. He has served as the Director of MBA and Other Graduate Programs at Service 2 School, a free resource to help veterans get into their dream education program. As a result, he has's got a wealth of knowledge for veterans considering going to school once they get out of the military. A NROTC graduate of the University of Michigan, David was academically #1 of 600 at the Officer Candidate School.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• His decision to leave the Marine Corps
• Analyzing grad school problems, their fit, and potential return
• How Service 2 School provided free help in his application process
• Surprises in the grad school admission process
• Advice to those considering applying to schools once they leave the military
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
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QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

• Service 2 School - FREE coaching for any military veterans to get into your ideal undergrad or graduate institution
  • Veritas Prep Complete GMAT Course Set - 12 Books
  • Complete GMAT Strategy Guide Set (Manhattan Prep GMAT Strategy Guides)
• Service 2 school's MBA application guide
• Warrior Scholar Project - Immersive one and two week academic workshops or "bootcamps" provided free of charge to enlisted veterans and held at some of America's top colleges and universities.
• Four Block - Military veteran resources
• Breakline - career transition resources for veterans interested in Tech
• The Honor Foundation:  Transition Readiness Institute created exclusively for Navy SEALs and the U.S. Special Operations community.
• Stanford ignite - social entrepreneruship program for post 9/11 veterans

Show Notes

• [1:50] Background
• [3:00] Making the decision to leave the military
• [4:30] Researching potential options
• [5:50] Choosing to remain in the Reserves
• [6:30] Choosing graduate school as a means to shortcut impact
• [8:30] Service 2 School and how they can help with college & grad school admission
• [9:54] Surprising in the MBA application process
• [11:10] Choosing schools for application...and which to accept
• [11:50] Advice on the application process
• [13:45] A timeline for applying to business schools
• [15:00] Resources for GMAT preparation
• [15:35] Life while applying to grad school
• [16:30] Extracurricular activities while on active duty
• [17:45] What he's learned from working at Service 2 School
• [19:15] Common veteran questions and misconceptions about grad school
• [22:45] Final words of advice