This week, we had the chance to speak to Arinze Obiezue. Arinze is currently a Content Designer at Facebook, and an admit to the Stanford Graduate School of Business Deferred MBA Program for the Class of 2025, and as well as a Co-Founder for EarlyAdmit. In this interview, Arinze spoke to us about his decision to apply to deferred MBA programs, co-Founding EarlyAdmit, and his advice to college students who are interested in deferred MBA programs.
MBASchooled: Tell us about your background. What were you studying in undergrad, and why did you decide to apply for a Deferred Admission to MBA Programs?
I grew up in the tiny Nigerian city of Aba but I moved to Mauritius at the age of 17 to study Business Management at the African Leadership University (ALU) as a member of the university’s inaugural class. During my time at ALU, I took on a number of leadership positions on campus in addition to founding the university’s official editorial and the first LGBTQ+ society. I also took advantage of my time as a student to do a number of internships in 6 countries across 5 industries at companies such as Facebook, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Sanofi, and Chocolate City Entertainment, Warner Music Group’s strategic partner in Africa. I currently live in London, where I work as a content designer at Facebook and as a co-founder of EarlyAdmit, a deferred MBA consultancy.
I applied to deferred MBA programs for flexibility, predictability, and accelerated career growth. Firstly, I wanted the freedom to take professional risks without having to think about the impact on my chances of getting admitted to an MBA program in the future. Secondly, I wanted to have the certainty of going to business school at a set date and, with that in mind, create a clear plan for my career within that time frame. Lastly, I knew that having an early admission to a top business school in my back pocket would earmark me as a promising business leader in whatever industry I join—consequently setting me up for a fast-track career.
MBASchooled: When you were trying to figure out if you wanted to apply, where did you go for information? What did you find?
For me, it was a mix of research and conversations. I already knew the two schools I wanted to apply to: Stanford Graduate School of Business (Stanford GSB) and Harvard Business School (HBS). Having already researched the schools extensively, I started speaking to the two people within my network who had been admitted to these deferred MBA programs in the past. They provided rich context about the program details, the application process, and the value of the deferred MBA program itself. However, I was still very unsure about my competitiveness as an applicant.
That was when I turned to external content. I read a lot of blogs that were written by people who had been admitted and I was inspired by the diversity of their backgrounds. That convinced me that there is no singular type of student that these top business schools are looking for. Rather, what mattered were my competence, my personal qualities and how my unique experiences could add value to the business school.
MBASchooled: What are some of the benefits of deferred MBA admission?
Deferred MBA programs open a world of opportunity to admitted students, which we covered extensively in one of our EarlyAdmit blogs. However, I’ll focus on one that I consider to be the most important—early access to a powerful network. Getting into a deferred MBA program at top business schools like Stanford GSB and HBS has allowed me to connect with a network of ambitious admits who are keen to support one another throughout the deferral period. In our Slack channels and WhatsApp groups, fellow admits are scheduling meet-ups across the globe, are helping one another facilitate job moves, and are sharing exclusive opportunities they find.
Even though I turned down my HBS offer, I have still been able to connect with a lot of HBS 2+2 admits in our social groups and at Facebook; some of whom have become friends! As a deferred admit at Stanford GSB, I also have increased access to GSB students and alumni who continue to advise and guide me personally and professionally throughout my deferral period. Without even joining the business school yet, I’m already enjoying some of the benefits of a Stanford MBA many years in advance. That’s what deferred MBA programs do!
MBASchooled: What schools did you end up deciding on applying to? Why those schools?
I applied to just two schools: Stanford GSB and HBS. Nobody was more shocked than me when I got accepted by both schools. I applied to just those two because, in summary, they were best positioned to give me the things I was looking for in an MBA. I did not see the point in applying to any other schools since I knew I would not want to attend even if they admitted me. That clarity helped me focus my time on strengthening my application to the GSB and HBS. There are more unique reasons I applied to each school, but the three main things that mattered to me were: network, education, and brand value.
First, both of these schools had the most powerful networks of any MBA program within my fields of interest: technology, media, entertainment, and venture capital. In addition, I felt that their top-ranked academic and leadership curricula would help me deepen my understanding of business and grow into the kind of leader I aspired to become. Lastly, Stanford GSB and HBS are the most prestigious business schools in the world. Therefore, I could see how having either school on my resume would very likely open doors for me that may otherwise have been closed.
MBASchooled: What was the application process like?
The application process was challenging but very helpful, as it helped me reflect deeply about my goals and the interconnectedness of my story. Each essay question required a deep level of introspection, especially the Stanford GSB essay question: “What matters most to you, and why?” That question gave me such a tough time because I kept oscillating between different things I thought mattered most to me, until I arrived at the one! Overall, it took me about 5 months to complete both applications: 3.5 months for Stanford GSB and 1.5 months for HBS. Preparing for the GMAT was the least fun part of the process, but one that taught me a lot about endurance and consistency. I never thought choosing my recommenders would be as complicated as it turned out to be. I had to be very thoughtful about who I asked to be one of my recommenders because I wanted to focus on the depth of their knowledge of me instead of the prestige of their titles. For example, I had to navigate a difficult conversation with the president of my university (an HBS alum) asking him not to proceed with my recommendation because I wanted someone else (my thesis supervisor) to write it instead. The things we do just to get admitted.
MBASchooled: Talk about Early Admit. What is it, and why did you start it?
EarlyAdmit focuses on providing affordable coaching products and services to students from underrepresented minority backgrounds who are applying to top deferred MBA programs. When I was an applicant earlier in 2020, I struggled to find help from people who had been accepted to the deferred MBA programs at the schools I was applying to. Some of the people I had reached out to on LinkedIn never even responded to my messages…till today. I wanted to be better. I wanted to pool together a number of students who had been admitted to these top programs and have them work together to support future cohorts of applicants. With EarlyAdmit, I have been able to do that. The other co-founders and I have been able to assemble a team of coaches who have collectively been admitted to the deferred MBA programs at each of the top business schools including Stanford GSB, HBS, Wharton, Columbia, MIT Sloan, UVA Darden, Kellogg, etc.
I also wanted to fill a gap in resources available to international applicants, especially those applying from developing countries where knowledge of deferred MBA programs is severely limited. As an international applicant myself, I know how difficult it was for me to find guidance during the application process even though I had two other international students within my network who had been admitted to my target schools. For others who did not have the opportunity I did, it must have been significantly more challenging. This is in my role as Head of Products at EarlyAdmit, I work to ensure that our products are accessible, affordable, and relevant to the growing pool of international deferred MBA applicants. Through EarlyAdmit, I want future cohorts of international applicants to have all the guidance I wish I got with my deferred MBA application.
MBASchooled: What advice do you have for undergraduate students who are thinking about business school in their future. What should they do, or at least be thinking about?
Well, they should start by visiting EarlyAdmit. I’m totally not biased with that suggestion. If they are in their freshman or sophomore year, they should check out our mentorship guide. There, we provided a thorough set of guidelines to help them make the most of their times as undergrads in order to be well-positioned for admission by the time they are ready to apply to deferred MBA programs.
If they’re international students, our international guide will be instrumental in shaping how they think about using their experience as international students as an advantage in their applications. They can also schedule a chat with one of our coaches. We’re all more than excited to help as many students get admitted!
Want to learn more about deferred MBA programs? Check out our interview with Devon Gethers, CEO of Early Admit