From Biomedical Engineering Undergrad to Technology and Innovation Management MBA
Introduction
Regina* came from a large family of artists and entrepreneurs. In fact, some of the creative people in her family had become quite famous while she was growing up, and it was always somewhat intimidating. Instead of spending time trying to figure out what she wanted to pursue, she avoided it altogether. Regina felt that she had some big shoes to fill, and she had no idea where to begin. Regina’s parents had pursued filmmaking, which left them feeling like they couldn’t effectively encourage professional development for their daughter, who preferred computers and graphic novels. It turns out, Regina’s also a creative thinker, but more in the way of creative problem solving than screenwriting and fine arts like her mother and father. Regina’s best friend in middle school was in a car accident that required her to seek the use of a prosthetic hand to write again. This had inspired Regina toward STEM disciplines, and she decided to attend a large public university with every major you could imagine so she could try out some new subjects and declare her major once she knew what she wanted. Regina ended up declaring her major as Biomedical Engineering, and for her capstone project, she spent hundreds of hours with her fellow classmates designing and building a medical device for use in surgery settings. During the summer breaks from school, Regina was so burned out on classes and studying that all she wanted to do was relax and spend time with her family. While she did achieve a high GPA, Regina did not pursue important professional development (internships, part-time jobs) during the completion of her undergraduate degree. Regina’s parents reached out to me to help her hone in on what she wanted to study for graduate school. Regina was excited to continue her education into graduate school, but she had no idea where to begin.
*(name has been changed for confidentiality purposes)
Methodology
First, Regina and I began by discussing her likes and dislikes of her undergraduate program. What did she like and what did she hate? We examined her transcript course by course. Regina realized that there was a pattern: the courses that were strictly about engineering interested her the least. The courses that focused more on policy, regulation, computers, and economics interested her the most. Regina could see herself continuing to study in the field of biomedical engineering, but not in the capacity of designing the devices herself. Instead, I was able to show her how her problem-solving skills and keen multidisciplinary nature might help her pursue a career in a management or business area of biomedical engineering.
Solution
Right away, we began to look for internship or volunteer opportunities at local biomedical engineering firms. Regina secured a part-time internship at a firm about 30 minutes from her house. She was able to see firsthand the inner workings of a successful biomedical research and business environment, and Regina was able to tell which roles might suit her. She was even able to see which roles were needed that didn’t even exist yet! As a result, Regina decided to seek admission to MBA programs with an emphasis on technology and innovation management. Even though the GMAT was not required for most of her program choices, Regina decided to take the test anyway and submit her scores to those that provided the option. Regina’s resumé didn’t demonstrate a great deal of professional development, and she felt she needed to be as competitive as she could in other ways in order to compensate. After all, most of the MBA programs she found with emphases on technology and innovation management were rather competitive.
Results
After studying for the GMAT for 4 months, Regina took the test three times and achieved a high score. Regina had a high GPA and GMAT score, however she was lacking in professional development and experience, so she applied to a few extra schools for cushion. Overall, Regina applied to 12 business schools and gained admission to 9. Growing up on the east coast, Regina had always wanted to try living on the west coast, so she chose to move to California for her MBA studies focused on technology, innovation, and global product development.
