Jean

My name is Jean and I graduated as an MSc in Electrochemical engineering from the Ecole Polytechnique de Louvain. I completed a second MSc in Venture Creation and Entrepreneurship from the Catholic University of Leuven. My expertise lies in the field of renewable energy.

I started my career as an engineer then decided to do a master's in entrepreneurship. I wanted to apply my technical knowledge into private equity and ventures and have an international career. But I realized that a Masters from the Catholic University of Leuven would not give me access to the private equity and venture capital industry and thus decided to make a switch. I realized that the best way to make the switch would be to get an education from the best business school in the world, Wharton, a school that I managed to get into.

With a strong polytechnic background and a good command over English, the GMAT was not very difficult and I easily got the 740 required for Wharton. The more difficult part was the creative part of the application. I did not have anything to make me stand out from the score of other students who had also applied. I had done regular studies and a normal job before applying for this program. So writing about myself, trying to stand out, being creative and original was the most difficult part of the entire process.

Life at Wharton is a mixture of great fun and immensely hard work. With multiple parties, mixers, team-building events, and the formation of curated diverse learning teams, the school try to help its diverse student bodies intermingle and break the ice. The classes are interactive and one needs to be actively engaged in the classroom rather than a passive absorber of information. It is a great space for networking and forming lifelong bonds with new people from different corners of the globe.

First of all, believe in yourself. I met people from different backgrounds during my time at Wharton. Not all of them came from strategic consulting or investment banking background profiles. Everybody is given a chance to show if they deserve a chance at Wharton, whether they have a polytechnic background or a liberal arts one. Your skills, values, and desire to achieve something in life matter more than your background.

Secondly, do not underestimate the application process. The GMAT is less difficult than the application process. It is something you have never done before: analyzing and talking about yourself and trying to stand out without it sounding like a brag is very difficult.

The final advice is to get help from professionals from the MBA Center. The support from Dr. Hubert Silly was instrumental in helping me get through to the school I wanted to be in.