Episode Transcript
[00:00:17] Speaker A: Welcome to the Clear Admit MBA admissions Podcast. I'm your host, Graham Richmond, and this episode is part of our Admissions Director Q and A series Today. I'm delighted to welcome Emily Sharkey from the Georgia Institute of Technology's Scheller College of Business. And Emily is the executive Director for graduate business admissions and recruiting at Scheller. And I will let her elaborate on her journey to admissions at Georgia Tech, but I can tell you that she's been with the school for nearly 12 years and that she served in nearly every role possible in admissions, including recruitment, operations, assessment, and much more.
Emily holds a BA in the history of art and architecture from Middlebury College and a master's in arts administration from the School School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I also feel the need to share that I always really like connecting with Emily because we both studied art history, which is a much maligned degree, I think, and then somehow landed in management education.
So, I don't know, it's almost as though some of us art history majors have a wide range of transferable skills. But I'm going to get off my soapbox and welcome Emily, to the Clear Admit podcast. Hi, Emily. Thanks for making time.
[00:01:23] Speaker B: Hi, Graham. I always appreciate chatting with you, especially with our history. And just a plug for art history.
It gives you great critical thinking skills.
[00:01:32] Speaker A: Yes, totally. So I tried to give a little bit of your background, but I know you've done more than just work Georgia Tech, so I don't know, maybe just tell us a little bit about your background and the path that led you into this current role.
[00:01:43] Speaker B: Of course, I think like most people in admissions, we did not grow up thinking, I want to be in admissions when I get older. And it definitely was a roundabout path to get here. I think of this as my third career. I started out in private equity, actually, right after my master's in arts administration. I worked in private equity for about five years and then made a really hard pivot from that to working at one of the largest community foundations in the country, which was a community foundation in Connecticut. And there I both supported nonprofits in submitting grant applications and also assessing grant applications. I was there for about five years. We moved to Atlanta, and that is when I started in admissions at Georgia Tech.
[00:02:32] Speaker A: Got it. And what. I mean, obviously you moved to Atlanta, but what drew you to admissions work specifically?
[00:02:38] Speaker B: When I was really considering my next steps, I was focusing on higher ed. I really wanted to be in a university setting. I really like being around people who enjoy learning. I like the opportunities at our universities To. To be exposed to different things. And so I was really focusing on that type of setting, like this kind of lifelong. This idea of lifelong learning and being able to access that.
And then coming from this community foundation where I was kind of helping grant applications and assessing grant applications, I felt like that was a really transferable skill to admissions. And so that is where what I was focusing on when I was thinking about working in higher ed. And I'll say it really proved to be true about the setting of Georgia Tech brings great speakers, and I get to attend these things. I just don't think I would do that if I wasn't in this setting. I think a good example is next week, the dean of Scheller is interviewing the Chief Economist of OpenAI. So just relevant topics, these. These great speakers, and just being exposed to that is exciting for me.
[00:03:51] Speaker A: Yeah. And I. I was lucky enough to spend a little bit of time at Georgia Tech actually a couple of times in the last few years. And there's definitely an energy. And it's, you know, it's kind of downtown, but it's a really big campus. And there's all these little robots roaming around, I remember, with, like, deliveries and. No, it's definitely like, it. There's a. There's definitely. I totally appreciate this idea that being in a university setting just gives you access to so much and just all these learning opportunities.
So you're a lifelong learner. You're energized by that kind of a setting. But I think sometimes candidates think of admissions people in a different light. Like you're kind of maybe a gatekeeper. So what for you is a misconception that you think applicants tend to have about admissions officers or even the process of admissions?
[00:04:34] Speaker B: Yes. I really like this question.
I think from an admissions perspective, we are always looking for reasons to admit candidates, not deny them. And I think sometimes candidates have the reverse expectation.
We really want to admit you, and so we are really hoping you put your best foot forward.
And in that vein, we provide so many resources and opportunities for you to do that, to give yourself the best shot. And so I think if people are really serious about applying for an mba, take advantage of the resources. We want you to do well. We want to be able to admit you to the program.
[00:05:15] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah. That's terrific to hear. Hopefully comforting for some, too. You've been doing this for more than a decade now, and I kind of wonder, has your thinking about admissions changed over the years? And if so, how? I mean, I feel like there's so many things that have been happening in our space. Particularly you just mentioned the Chief Economist of OpenAI, which makes me think of artificial intelligence. But has your thinking about admissions shifted in the decade plus that you doing this?
[00:05:41] Speaker B: I think my base philosophy around admissions hasn't changed. I think working in admissions, the really fun part about it is seeing candidates apply, seeing them go through the program and seeing all of the experiences it opens up for them after they finish the program. So I think at the, like, the base level, my philosophy or ideas around admissions has not changed. I think something that has changed for me is my appreciation of getting to know colleagues in this space. I think admissions is this kind of unique, strange environment that most people don't understand. So being able to connect with colleagues at other programs who do the same thing is something I've come to value more and more as the longer I've been in the industry.
[00:06:29] Speaker A: Interesting. Yeah. And I think, I mean, I've seen you at a few of these different conferences and it is really nice to talk with other people who are dealing with the same challenges, I guess. Speaking of challenges, what is something that you think candidates tend to worry about far more than they probably should?
[00:06:46] Speaker B: Yes. And this is a question or a comment I get a lot from prospects, which is they're concerned that they come from a kind of quote unquote, non traditional background. And actually heard a colleague from another school this week say she wished that students would just remove non traditional from their, from their vocabulary.
And I think people refer to it as either they don't have a business undergrad academic background or they don't work in the corporate world before coming to get their mba.
The reality is we want people in our program who have diverse perspectives, who have different experiences, who come from different backgrounds. It makes the classroom experience much better. It gives people just different perspectives. It's better learning for everyone.
We really value people who come from all different academic undergrad backgrounds and all different professional backgrounds. And so I think this, this concept that there's some perfect background that we're looking for is, is really untrue. And I think students worry about it way too much.
[00:07:48] Speaker A: So even people with art history under. Even people with art
[00:07:51] Speaker B: history or, you know, we have so many teachers or healthcare professionals or nurses or,
[00:07:57] Speaker A: yeah,
[00:07:58] Speaker B: you know, physical therapists. Like, we really, we really like people from different experiences, different backgrounds.
[00:08:05] Speaker A: Yeah. And I think I've, I've probably mentioned this before on the show, but one of the things that always struck me was when I was in business school, I was put into like a Learning team, which they were doing at my business school. And, and I had, I still remember there was a guy from the Peace Corps, there was an architect, there was someone who'd worked at Goldman or one of the investment banks. There was a consultant and then there was a woman who was like a stats PhD who'd worked at some corporation, but in a kind of very technical, kind of stats oriented role, I guess. But yeah, sort of. And I had sort of more of a little, you know, kind of a edtech background, but it just. Yeah, so. And I think that's what business school is about and it's not. Yeah, so there's all, all types of folks come in. Speaking of that though, when you think about the students that you've connected with over the years, what, what makes, what qualities tend to distinguish those who get the most out of the MBA or take, you know, take the most advantage of it? And I ask that because sometimes I feel like people are so focused on admissions, like what are the qualities I need to get in? But I want to know what are the qualities that you need to really thrive and get the most out of the experience?
[00:09:08] Speaker B: I think it is the same in the program as it is in just the rest of your life that the more you put into something, the more you get out of it.
So I think curiosity is critical to getting the most out of your MBA experience. I think having a growth mindset is critical to getting the most out of your experience. I think there are so many opportunities in MBA program. There's so many student clubs and committees and professional clubs that like extracurriculars, getting to know your classmates. There's so many new things you can try and have exposure to and, and have those new experiences. I think a little bit unique in adult life that you don't always get this exposure to all of these new things all at once. And I think the more you try out new things and are willing to change your mind about things, the more you will get out of the program.
[00:10:04] Speaker A: Yeah, and it is true. I mean, there's just so much on offer when you get to business school. And we do a series called Real Humans where we talk to kind of recent Real Humans alumni, where we talk to people who've graduated from business schools and students. So often they talk about, you know, we ask them like for advice that they would want to share with someone just embarking, you know, on the process. And often they talk about like how this idea of that one class that I took as kind of a flyer, you know, just like something that I was kind of interested in, but, you know, or that one club I joined on a whim really made the experience. And so yeah, this idea of being curious and, you know, pushing yourself, putting yourself all the way into it. So I wanted to ask you, alums come back to campus a lot and you probably see them out on the road as well. But what's something they often tell you that they, they didn't fully appreciate about the Scheller experience when they were students?
[00:10:52] Speaker B: I think that something that alums don't realize they have until they don't have it anymore is the support system and scaffolding in place to support them as students while they're here. So whether it be our student services team or the career advisors, the career team, all of just the general support you get in higher ed at a university, there's a lot here to help people through this process. And then when you leave, that's not there as much in your everyday life and you have to do a lot more on your own. And so I think they miss it when they leave. They miss having those kind of mentors and support and people there to help you when you have questions.
[00:11:37] Speaker A: And I feel like, I mean, maybe you could speak to this a little bit. But I know Scheller being kind of a slightly smaller program, I think that those services are really strong as a result.
[00:11:47] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:11:48] Speaker A: Because when you have a smaller student body, you can really tend to each of, you know each of your students. But do you want to just say a little bit for our listeners who maybe don't know the class size and how it's sort of structured?
[00:11:58] Speaker B: Yeah. I often say that we have the best of both worlds here in that our full time MBA program, we have several MBA programs. So the population of MBA students is bigger. But our full time MBA program has about 60 students per year per class. And so you really get to know everyone really well. You get to know the faculty really well. You're not competing with hundreds of students in a classroom. You're maybe in a classroom with 30 to 35 students. And so you also get to know your faculty really well and have support from them.
[00:12:28] Speaker A: But
[00:12:28] Speaker B: also means like career advising, it's just a significantly smaller number of students that career advisors are working with or our student services team is working with at the same time. Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the largest public research institutes in the U.S. so you have this broader Georgia Tech network. Right. Your network isn't just the full time mba, your classmates, it's the whole kind of network of Georgia Tech. And so I think you get the best of both worlds where you get this kind of one on one experience in the program because it's a small class size, you get to know everyone very well, but you also get the benefit of a really large network.
[00:13:06] Speaker A: And I sort of feel like it's, I mean, now I haven't, I'd have to go and really research this, but I feel like it's not that common to have a really kind of smaller MBA program that's part of a large university, but that's also in a major urban center where there's a wealth of employment opportunities and things like that. Because you do. I feel like most of the urban offerings are going to be bigger by, by, by nature. So that seems like a unique thing too. But while we're, while we're talking about stellar, I now have to ask you what's a stereotype about the MBA program or even the broader, you know, Georgia Tech that you want to debunk?
[00:13:40] Speaker B: Yes, I think the biggest stereotype we have, which makes sense is that the only people who should come to our program or who want to do our program come from a technical background and, or want to go into a technical field post mba. And I get it that it's in our name, but it's also not true. I think for sure the opportunities are there. We have an amazing curriculum if you come from a tech background and want to go into the tech space. But the reality is we are a great general MBA program and we have students going into so many different industries and functional areas and just calling back what I said before about just appreciating diversity of perspectives in the classroom.
I think I briefly mentioned it, but, you know, we do, we have had so many teachers. I always think we had a ballet dancer and she went to like brand management or a teacher who was doing commercial strategy at Delta Airlines. Or we had an, just we have a current student, she was an oncology nurse and then she interned at Bain Consulting this summer. And so just as an example of, we really value people from all different backgrounds and you don't have to come from a tech background to be successful here.
[00:14:57] Speaker A: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. So this kind of dovetails. But I wondered if you'd talk a little bit about the city and, you know, or the broader region I've gotten a chance to see. I know you just opened a new building which we held the Clear Admit MBA fair in last May, I think it was. So, you know, but just tell us a little bit about what role does Atlanta play in, you know, life at Scheller?
[00:15:19] Speaker B: I actually think where we're located is probably a more important part of the program than perhaps other programs.
So as you mentioned, we are in midtown Atlanta, an urban environment.
But Scheller College of Business is located in an area of Atlanta called Technology Square. And part of the reason it's called Tech Square is a lot of companies decided to put innovation centers around Scheller College of Business in. In Tech Square. And like, for example, like Delta has an innovation center.
Home Depot has an innovation center. Just lots of companies who want to be around. Georgia Tech students and Georgia Tech business students have these kind of. These little, like, almost startup type of spaces around us in Tech Square. So I think that's an important part of the program. It's an important part of the kind of ecosystem of Scheller. And then, like, pulling back a little, Atlanta itself has a really large number of Fortune 500 company headquarters or North American headquarters for more global companies. I mentioned Delta and Home Depot and Coca Cola is across the street from us.
Norfolk Southern. A lot of large Fortune 500 companies are in our backyard or next door. But there's also North American headquarters, like Mercedes Benz has their North American headquarters in Atlanta. Porsche Cars has their headquarters here in, you know, in the Atlanta area. So I think that is pretty unique as well. The other piece I would say, because I think it actually is important for people, is Atlanta has the busiest airport in the world, but what that means is you can get direct flights to almost anywhere. It's very rare that I ever have to change planes
[00:16:58] Speaker A: to
[00:16:59] Speaker B: get to where I want to go. So it's convenient that way.
[00:17:02] Speaker A: Yeah, I found that to be true when I was coming in and out. I do want to ask you, though, with regards to the role that the city plays, are there examples of programs that Scheller has that allow students to kind of officially kind of, I don't know, connect with or consult to businesses in Atlanta, things like that?
[00:17:19] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, I think something that I really appreciate, I think our students appreciate about the program is how many, like, experiential learning classes we have. We call them practicum classes, but.
And I mean, we have a lot. I mean, I want to say we have at least 14 electives that fall in that bucket. And in those classes, you are working with the companies around us, like on consulting projects type of things. And I think we're able to have so many because we have access to all of these companies in our backyard.
[00:17:50] Speaker A: Yeah, that makes A lot of sense.
So those are the serious questions that I had for you.
But as you know, if you've listened to any of these others, and I don't know if people go and listen to the other ones when you're in admissions director, but I know our audience has been loving these. But we've been doing these lightning round questions to kind of end on a lighter note and also just so that our listeners get to know you a bit. So if you'll humor me, we'll just run through these.
[00:18:13] Speaker B: Great.
[00:18:14] Speaker A: So the. The first one is coffee or tea?
[00:18:16] Speaker B: Coffee in the morning, matcha in the afternoon.
[00:18:20] Speaker A: Okay. All right. Yeah, you're the first that said both. I think everyone's like, been very staunchly in one camp or another. Beach or mountains?
[00:18:28] Speaker B: Definitely mountains. If I could spend every day hiking in the mountains, I would.
[00:18:33] Speaker A: I was going to say, just given that you went to Middlebury, up in the mountains of Vermont. Yep. All right. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
[00:18:39] Speaker B: Definitely not a morning person. Never have been. I don't think I ever will be. The older I get, I think I'm more just a daytime person.
[00:18:47] Speaker A: Okay, that makes sense. What's a pet peeve that you have?
[00:18:51] Speaker B: So I think this is by virtue of living in a city with a lot of traffic, but when people don't use their blinkers, it does make me irate.
[00:19:02] Speaker A: You know, this is like the second traffic like I was talking to. Now, I'm not gonna remember who it was, but there was another admissions director who talked about when people are supposed to merge on a highway and how it really pisses them off when someone jumps up alongside and just cuts in at the last minute. So a lot of traffic stuff. What's a comfort food?
[00:19:19] Speaker B: It may sound random, but there's this Japanese kind of soup dish called kitsune udon. And if I ever feel like I'm getting a cold or something, that is what I want.
[00:19:31] Speaker A: That's a good dish.
And also, you know, it's funny, I think Atlanta has a lot of really great comfort food. I just remember, yeah, I had a lot of great things to eat while I was down there. What is a guilty pleasure? And you can't say udon.
[00:19:46] Speaker B: I won't. I take a little offense with putting guilty in front of pleasures. I feel like people should just be able to enjoy the things they're enjoying as long as it's not impacting anyone else.
I read a lot of fiction.
I love reading. I always have. And I read a lot of fiction and it has Been shown to increase empathy. I encourage everyone to read more fiction. I think the guilty part for me is I will read. Instead of maybe taking care of some responsibilities, I use it a little bit as an escape.
[00:20:18] Speaker A: Okay, well, that's a good thing, though, I think, to read and to escape a little bit when you have a busy work life and stuff. What is the best advice that you've ever received?
[00:20:27] Speaker B: I'm going to paraphrase. I can't remember exactly the wording, but it is something about don't be your own roadblock for taking kind of the next step or the next opportunity. Meaning don't be the one to tell yourself no, put yourself out there. Don't stop yourself from kind of pursuing opportunities, even if you feel like you might not be wholly qualified for it. It was advice I was given in a job search, or I think I was saying, oh, I don't. I don't think I should apply for this. I don't have all the qualifications.
And he said, don't. Don't be the one to tell yourself no. Like, let. Let other people do that. So basically, don't. Don't hold yourself back. I mean, I think that's relevant to lots of things outside of just job searches. Don't be the one to stop yourself from trying new things.
[00:21:13] Speaker A: Yeah, that's really good advice. And now I realize as I look at this and I've been hearing everyone's answers to these questions, that's like a little heavy for the lightning round. Like, I probably need to move that question into the regular part of these discussions because, you know, it's like coffee or tea and then, oh, what's best piece of advice you've ever been given in your entire life? So, all right, what is one thing that applicants should stop doing immediately?
[00:21:32] Speaker B: Oh, gosh, please stop comparing yourself to others. I get so many questions of, what's the perfect profile? What profile of applicant are you looking for? There is no perfect profile. And don't compare yourselves to other people's profiles. Hopefully you got this from the conversation Graham and I just have that we are looking for people with all different experiences and you are a unique person, and we aren't comparing you to the other applicants. Please don't do it to yourself.
[00:21:59] Speaker A: Yeah, you know, one of the things that I think happens is that because so many other processes in life, particularly admissions, right. Are often much more sort of cut and dried. Like, oh, to get into these law schools, you need this on the lsat or, you know, there's. And business school admissions is Quite. You know, it's a mix of art and science, and so it's not. It's very holistic. And I think some candidates have a hard time understanding that. It's really true, you know, that you can just be you.
[00:22:24] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:22:24] Speaker A: Last one for you is best thing that you've read, watched, or listened to recently.
[00:22:30] Speaker B: Yes.
I'll do a book because I do read a lot. And. And can I swear on this, it's a. It's a book that has. Yeah, it's okay.
[00:22:38] Speaker A: Yeah, that's fine.
[00:22:39] Speaker B: So it's a book called Insidification by Cory Doctorow. Have you read it or listened to it?
[00:22:44] Speaker A: I have not, but I've seen it on the book. I've seen it in stores, and it's kind of piqued my curiosity.
[00:22:49] Speaker B: I think it explained so many of the frustrations we all have in this, like, online platform environment, whether it be social media or shopping apps. And it kind of just explains why things seem to get worse over time instead of better. And it made me realize, I think we've all been gaslit a little bit about it. And it was. Yeah, I'd. I'd recommend it to anyone who uses the Internet.
[00:23:15] Speaker A: Yeah, that sounds like. Okay, now I'm going to put it on the list. Yeah. I could not agree with you more. Like, I feel like, you know, we used to live in a world where things were a lot more curated and now it's sort of the fire hose and you can sort of see everything and anything, but it's sort of harder to kind of find your footing and there's a lot of junk out there. Yeah. Emily, I really appreciate you making time to do this.
It's been really helpful. I'm sure that folks tuning in have learned a little bit about Scheller and how you think about admissions and. Yeah. Just always appreciate getting some time with you.
[00:23:42] Speaker B: Well, I appreciate the conversation with you too, Graham.
[00:23:44] Speaker A: So that's going to do it for this episode of the show. Thanks for tuning in to the Clear Admit MBA admissions podcast. Please remember to subscribe, rate and review the show wherever you listen. And we'll be back with more of these admissions Q and A's as the season goes along here, as well as our regular weekly episodes that air on Mondays.
Sam.
