After working on the Learning and Development team at Google, Gaby Omenn (USC Marshall, ‘20) came to business school to strengthen her quantitative and data skills in order to build a path toward a senior management position. During her time at USC Marshall, Omenn picked classes and took on leadership positions to build skills and experiences to take her toward this path. In this interview, Omenn shares her journey to USC Marshall, and her advice for how prospective MBA students can navigate the transition to business school.
MBASchooled: What did you do prior to business school, and why did you choose to come to business school?
Prior to business school, I was working as a program manager in Google’s Learning and Development team. I was running one of the learning programs that most teams took to better work together. I chose to come to business school to brush up on my quantitative and data analytics skills. Having been a religion major in undergrad (and having a masters in education), I knew that if I were to climb up to a senior management position, I’d need some new chops.
MBASchooled: After you decided to attend business school, what was your timeline like leading up to business school? What did you do leading up to coming to school, and when did you arrive on campus?
Well, I had the complicating factor of getting pregnant! I actually started my business school journey in the summer of 2016, when Google was offering GMAT prep classes onsite. I took the GMAT in August and did well enough to start applying to schools. My husband and I were planning on relocating to Seattle to be closer to family, so I applied to and got into University of Washington. However, soon after interviewing with them in February of 2017, I found out I was pregnant. So, I took the year to reassess (and have our daughter) and we ultimately decided to move back to LA, where we met. I applied to USC and UCLA. I got waitlisted at UCLA and I got a full ride to USC Marshall, so that decision was made for me. My baby was 8 months old when I arrived on campus in July 2018.
MBASchooled: The first semester of business school can be an exciting but challenging time. How did you navigate these challenges early on, and what resources, programs, etc at Marshall were helpful in your transition?
The first semester is no joke, and I had the added complexity of having a demanding home life as well. The key for me was to set boundaries early with my core team and with myself about what I could and couldn’t say yes to. I knew I had to limit the number of clubs I joined and I couldn’t say yes to every business school outing. So, I picked the clubs that would push my skills and help me grow as a leader (student government, the data analytics club) and I made sure to attend some quintessential outings (a USC tailgate, for example).
MBASchooled: During your first year, was your favorite experience at USC Marshall during your first year, and why?
My favorite experience at USC Marshall during my first year was our PRIME trip to Shanghai. During the second semester, we got to pick a Pacific Rim country to travel to and work with a company there to solve one of their most pressing issues. The trip was the culmination of our consulting work with our client and we spent a week touring the country and listening to our colleagues present their solutions to their clients. I went with a great group of classmates to Shanghai and having never been to China, it was incredibly eye opening.
MBASchooled: During your first semester, what did you decide to recruit for and why?
With such a bustling home life, I knew that traveling for an internship was practically out of the question, and so I focused my search on opportunities here in LA. I also was uniquely function agnostic; I primarily wanted a role that leveraged my burgeoning data analytics skills. With that in mind, I applied to a wide swath of companies — consulting firms with limited travel, Google, an entertainment agency, a start up, and an investment firm — and I ended up with five internship offers across all different industries. Ultimately, I ended up working for a human capital consulting firm from which I received a return offer.
MBASchooled: What’s something about business school that surprised you, or that was unexpected?
I came to business school a little later in my career (I started 11 years after graduating from Princeton), so I was pretty worried about still being able to build a community with my peers. That fear was completely unfounded. Despite not being able to go out as often as I used to in my mid to late twenties, I have been able to build strong friendships with classmates that I’m confident will persist after graduation.
MBASchooled: Knowing what you know now, what else would you have done prior to business school to prepare for the first semester?
As someone with textbook imposter syndrome and a humanities background, I was worried I wouldn’t be prepared for the rigor of the quantitative classes. As a result, I took optional virtual classes on accounting and I attended a pre-orientation “bootcamp” on excel and accounting, which ate up the two weeks leading up to the official orientation. While it fed my need to prepare, most of what I learned, I learned in my first semester as well.
Instead, I would have relaxed a bit, and built some good routines that kept my wellbeing in check. For me, that’s yoga, which I picked back up about midway through. The first semester can be really time-consuming and intense, so having strong self-care habits in place is really important to establish beforehand.
MBASchooled: What advice do you have for how prospective MBA students should prepare for going to business school
Figure out where you want to be after business school (whether it be your ideal location, industry, function, etc), and work backwards from there. I ended up turning down Haas to attend USC (a worse-rated school) so that I could build a network in Los Angeles from business school onward, since I knew that’s where I wanted to be long-term. And, professionally, it’s been very worth it.