The Veteran Perspective

An ally in the admissions process

Charles (Chip) Altman is your single greatest asset.  He is a wealth of knowledge and can help you with anything leading up to your acceptance and continues to support you through your graduate school career.  He will always go to fight for you throughout the admission process and is an advantage you cannot use enough.

A support network

You will inevitably befriend other veterans during your time here.  Think of this as a beautiful support network to share your military experiences without explaining every acronym and nuance.  It may not be obvious yet, but you will inevitably miss the mission-driven culture and close friendships you amassed in the military.  Use this group of similarly minded people to grow yourself in order to succeed in your next role as a business manager.C

Creating a new community

However, you are thankfully (forcefully) separated within core groups – take advantage of these opportunities to learn from folks who have work experience in the fields you may be looking to for your next career.  The school knows that veterans are natural leaders and look to you to instill some of that experience and competency into your fellow classmates.  Take chances and go way outside of your comfort zone in order to learn from your cohort – they’re brilliant.

By David Burton, Class of 2020