How to create a stand-out MBA application

Senior Manager, Site Merchandising, Walmart
Bentonville, Arkansas

Growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina, the call to become a Tar Heel rang loudly for Oliver Jones (MBA ’24). He first came to Carolina as an undergraduate, earning a BA in media and journalism in 2017. After graduation, he made the decision to stay at UNC-Chapel Hill in a role as a study abroad advisor and later as a graduate student manager for the Romance Languages PhD program.

It was little surprise that when contemplating where to earn his MBA, he jumped at the chance to become a double Tar Heel. “There was something truly special about UNC Kenan-Flagler. The Carolina Way and the town of Chapel Hill kept reeling me back in,” he said, noting that he was drawn to the school for its “‘collaborative over cutthroat’ approach to business; its world-renowned faculty in finance, marketing and operations; its numerous global opportunities; and the sheer kindness and willingness to help that I experienced from everyone in the community.”

Oliver challenged himself from the moment he started the Full-Time MBA Program. “With a background in journalism and education, the quantitative side of business school really intimidated me at first,” he admitted. “I recognized this was a gap I needed to work on, so I took as many data analytics, economics and finance classes as I could during the first year.”

He then participated in the Datathon Case Competition as a perfect “trial by fire” to put his new skills to the test – and he and his team took 1st place in the event for their ability to use Python to accurately predict next year’s demand for 1.5 million SKUs in over 5,000 stores for a leading automotive parts retailer in the U.S.

“What set our team apart wasn’t necessarily the raw predictive power of our code, but rather our ability to effectively communicate the potential for machine learning to transform the client’s business operations,” he said, adding, “I still have so much to learn in the data science space, but I was ecstatic to see that my storytelling and communication skills translated well to a high-stakes, quantitatively intensive scenario.”

Oliver also served as an MBA Student Ambassador, was on both the Business Technology Club and International Business Association leadership teams, and earned numerous awards and fellowships (including an MBA Core Value Award for Innovation and a Foreign Language & Area Studies Fellowship from the Carolina Asia Center). “I’m hoping to put my language skills and interest in East Asia to good use in an internationally focused career in retail,” shared Oliver, who first learned Japanese while teaching English in Hokkaido.

Participating in the Social Enterprise and Sustainability Global Immersion Elective (GIE) in South Korea allowed him to take a giant step closer to understanding business in Asia. “The pre-coursework encouraged me to view business through more than a strictly financial lens and understand how environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues can influence the formulation and implementation of a firm’s strategy,” he recalled. Traveling to Seoul and Busan, he got to see how ESG initiatives were taking root at firms on the other side of the world.

Back at home, he completed his summer internship at Walmart, as part of their pricing strategy team. “It felt like the culmination of everything that I had learned throughout the first half of my MBA. As a first-generation college student coming from a non-traditional pre-MBA background, I often felt imposter syndrome in the first year, especially when surrounded by so many talented and accomplished peers. However, the 12-week internship with Walmart showed me that I had not only developed the business skills needed to succeed at UNC Kenan-Flagler but also that the soft skills I learned earlier in my career were highly transferable to a corporate setting.”

At the end of his internship, Oliver made a presentation to Walmart’s senior leadership, providing actionable recommendations to improve price competitiveness across a variety of merchandise categories. “When I was in the moment, it almost felt like I was back in my classroom in Japan, teaching a lesson to my students,” he recalls. “I was excited to ‘teach’ Walmart’s leadership something interesting that I had learned about their business.”

Clearly, the presentation paid off, since Oliver was tapped by the company to return to their Bentonville, Arkansas headquarters to join their Merchandising Leadership Development Program upon graduation from the MBA program.

Looking back on his MBA experience, Oliver acknowledged that he sometimes opted out of some experiences or recruiting tracks out of fear of exposing himself as a failure. However, the MBA program changed his approach. “UNC Kenan-Flagler has shown me that through grit, hard work and determination, I can accomplish even my most ambitious goals. I wish I had believed in myself from the beginning the way I do now.”

Alejandra del Campo Farro
Associate, McKinsey & Company
Washington, D.C.

Alejandra Del Campo Farro describes herself as a “Peruvian tree-hugger who plans to use business, law and science to change the world.” Changing the world? By the time Alejandro Del Campo Farro left her hometown of Lima, Peru, to enroll in the Full-Time MBA Program at UNC Kenan-Flagler, she was already well on her way to doing so.

After earning her Bachelor of Laws degree at Universidad de Lima, she was a Legal Assistant of Mining and Environmental Regulation at Hochschild Mining before joining Coelvisac (now CVC Energia), a Peruvian company that provides distribution, transmission, generation and commercialization of electric power. There, she worked with the “Arena Verde” (or “Green Sand”) project, which comprised seven electricity distribution projects in different areas of the Peruvian coast.

As the Legal Coordinator of Electricity Distribution Projects and Business Development, she coordinated with numerous state regulatory entities and local governments to bring electricity to communities without access to basic services but with enormous potential for agricultural development. “It was gratifying to be part of this incredible change,” she says, proudly. “Bringing electricity to these areas not only contributed to their sustainable development but also represented a significant advancement in protecting the Peruvian environment.”

Recognizing that a deeper business background would enhance her ability to make a positive impact on a global level, she enrolled at UNC Kenan-Flagler while simultaneously pursuing a Master’s in Environmental Management at Duke. The dual degree program matched perfectly with her goals and the courses offered in the Energy and Sustainable Enterprise concentrations at UNC fulfilled her need for additional business knowledge and skills in those areas.

Not surprisingly, her favorite course was “Strategy and Sustainability.” “The cases we studied in class were super interesting, ranging from mining to chemicals to fashion. I loved listening to my classmates and their appreciation for these topics,” said Alejandra. She, too, enhanced the classroom experience by providing invaluable insights into the practical applications of sustainability principles.

Despite the double course load, she embraced opportunities to participate in both academic and extra-curricular events. Applying her legal expertise and skills learned in the MBA, she and her teammates brought home honors in several case competitions, earning 2nd place in the Penn State Smeal College of Business MBA Sustainability Case Competition and 3rd place in the Cornell Case Competition for Family Ownership. Additionally, as Co-President of the Latin American Business Association, she helped create a Latin festival for one of the weekly “Carolina Casuals” events. “We had Latin food, posters of influential Latinos around the world, and a bachata dance instructor. Even our dean was dancing!” she recalls happily.

After interning with McKinsey & Company, she was asked to return full-time upon graduation as an Associate. As she works in teams to solve pressing problems, she is now armed with the ideal skill set to excel. “I always want to work with a purpose and for the benefit of others,” she says, as she continues on her journey to change the world. “I want to be the Minister of Energy and Mines of Peru someday.”

Team Financial Advisor, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Charlotte, North Carolina

Growing up in Raleigh, NC, Abbey Forbes (MBA ’24) discovered tennis early on and it quickly became her greatest passion. While academics were a priority, a racket was never far from reach. At 18, she took home both the Wimbledon junior doubles title and the USTA Girls 18s National Championships in doubles. With such a promising future in tennis, she could easily have followed a career path as a professional athlete.

Instead, she enrolled at UCLA, where she earned a BA in political science in just three years and founded its first Black Student-Athlete Alliance to provide virtual mental health support for Black student-athletes during the pandemic. She also took note of the lack of understanding that many of her fellow athletes had when it concerned the financial aspect of professional sports.

She briefly contemplated becoming a lawyer so she could better address their legal concerns and help them achieve financial stability. Then she recalled her family’s strong background in business: “My mom has been in corporate America since the ‘80s, my dad started his own business and has a degree in accounting, and my grandmother was high up at JP Morgan in their human resources department,” she notes. “I had never thought about business before. I had no prior business experience, but I wanted to be an advocate for those athletes who need it the most.”

Focused on this goal, she visited UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School to investigate the possibilities of graduate school. “I went to the Capital Markets Lab for the first time and thought, ‘I love this place. I want to take classes here,” she recalls.

With her mind made up, things moved quickly. She applied to and enrolled at UNC Kenan-Flagler and found that she enjoyed all aspects of finance, particularly spreadsheets and financial models. Realizing that every opinion in class was valued and that faculty encouraged students to learn from each other gave her a sense of belonging and solidified her purpose: she would pursue the cause that first propelled her toward an MBA by finding a way to support athletes in their financial stability.

Upon graduation, she landed a position at Bank of America Merrill Lynch as Team Financial Advisor in Charlotte, NC. There, she is putting into practice what she had dreamed about as an undergrad as part of a team that specializes in financial services for athletes and entertainers.

“I learned through this program that I didn’t have to look like somebody that I wasn’t. I didn’t have to be somebody that I wasn’t. I just needed to be myself – honestly and authentically myself – to make the difference I wanted to make. I feel like now I can truly make an impact on people’s lives,” Abbey says proudly.

It was the MBA program that made all the difference: “UNC Kenan-Flagler gave me a whole lot of confidence,” she says. “I think it is one of the best ways to set yourself up for the best possible life you want to live.”