Can you tell us more about yourself?
My name is Nathaniel. I graduated from the Universite libre de Bruxelles with a Masters in Engineering (Mechanics- Robotics). I worked as an intern for the European Southern Observatory in Chile for three months in 2007. I worked for ENGIE in Belgium for over five years before joining NuCloud Global, Inc as to the Head of Project Management Office in Beijing, China.
Apart from this, I was the Solo flutist at La Monnaie for a period of one year between 1999-2000. I am fluent in four languages, Chinese, Dutch, English, and French.
What prompted you to apply for an MBA?
I graduated from the best engineering college in Belgium and specialized in Mechanics. After my Masters in Engineering, I was recruited by ENGIE an energy supply company as a Prompt Power Optimiser, responsive for decisions regarding timing of power plants being on the line and involved in the trading of excess power. Even though the job was very interesting, the career evolution was quite slow and ENGIE is a Belgian company, international exposure was also limited. As I am very interested in Data Science and have a family in America, it was quite logical for me to apply for an MBA in America that would allow me to make a career switch and internationalize my career.
What did you find the most difficult in the application process?
After two months of classes with Dr. Hubert Silly, I managed to get a 720 on GMAT without much problem even though my English is not perfect. I received great methods and support to tackle the verbal section of the GMAT. The most difficult thing I faced was explaining how my ‘technical’ job experience could be a precursor to an MBA while also showing that I was ambitious. I needed to find the right tone in my essays to appeal to the admissions committee. DR. Hubert Silly was very helpful to me in this regard, helping me find the right balance in the tone I approached the committee with.
What is life like at Columbia?
As the only Ivy League Business School based in Manhattan, the Morningside Heights campus is just a thirty-minute train ride to Wall Street and a twenty-minute train ride to Silicon Valley, where many of New York’s tech start-ups are based. Apart from its enviable location, CBS lives up to its rankings with the quality of the classes and the network that a student gets a chance to build in the course of his/her studies. There are student clubs and bodies to help facilitate this networking which is what remains for far longer than the course period.
What would be your advice to someone applying for an MBA program?
Do not underestimate yourself. This is the first advice I would give. As an engineer, I had my moments of doubt about whether my profile would sit well with the program. But my collaboration and interaction with Dr. Hubert Silly were absolutely eye-opening for me. He and his team at the MBA Center were very helpful throughout the months of the application process. They made me see the value that my profile could bring to an MBA program. I had ten other friends of mine who collaborated with Dr. Hubert Silly and all of them got accepted to great MBA Programs like NYU, Yale, INSEAD, Wharton, etc. I have absolutely no qualms about recommending Dr. Hubert Silly and his team to students who would like to apply for MBA programs.