MBA Mama Spotlight: Brooke Carroll (Georgetown — part 2)

Guest Blog from Brooke Carroll //

Advice For Women Considering An MBA

I encourage getting an MBA — most definitely for women and especially for mothers! In my case, I really want to start my own company and don’t want to take the traditional business school route working in a corporate job. And that is totally okay! Business school, the top programs, are looking for bright, talented and UNIQUE individuals.

Just because you aren’t doing consulting, doesn’t mean that you cannot add exceptional value to the work world.

As a mom, we can contribute the the business world indefinitely! First, we encourage other mothers to do the same. Second, we are great role models for our children and thus, the future generations to come. Third, there are plenty of moms at there that start brilliant companies and run Fortune 500 companies. Jessica Alba and the Honest Company is a great example of this. I also interned for a company called 3 Green Moms, which included three moms who graduated from top business and law schools, who came up with a sustainable business idea and have done very well.

I think that if you are a woman and are a mom, you shouldn’t let that hold you back from pursuing your career goals. I think you can balance things and getting an MBA is a great first step in being able to do this.

Choosing Georgetown

I chose Georgetown for several reasons. Namely, because it is a top program and also my husband had committed to a position in DC — so it was probably wise to apply around the area! I had applied to four other top programs, and only was accepted into UVA (Darden) and Georgetown. Darden is an amazing program, but I would be a 3-hour drive away from my husband, who was my fiancé at the time. Also, I didn’t realize at the time of acceptance, but Georgetown had actually offered me a Forte Fellow Scholarship, which paid almost entirely for my tuition. When I found this out, I knew that Georgetown was the right place for me.

I also came to an Experience Georgetown day on campus and really felt at-home. I loved the people and the building. I also loved the class that I sat in on — Professor Mayo’s Strategy class. It reminded me a lot of my undergrad business school experience at USC in California. I had a great feeling about it.

I was honestly torn when I was accepted into Darden because it is ranked higher and the program is incredible, especially for aspiring entrepreneurs. But at the end of the day, being offered the scholarship, having my husband in DC and the “fit” with Georgetown, allowed my decision to be made extremely easy.

The culture and climate at Georgetown for women is incredible. I don’t even think about the fact that I am a “minority” female most of the time. Sounds weird, but what I’m trying to say is that I never feel like I’m a minority or don’t belong — I just feel like I’m a normal person going to school every day.

Georgetown also has a lot of programs offered for women — like GWIB, Georgetown Women In Business, which is one of the most popular clubs at Georgetown. Also, the scholarship that I was offered — is Forte — which supports women in business.

Georgetown really does a great job with creating a diverse program of students from different backgrounds and cultures. I have made wonderful friends out of the women in my cohort and some from others — who are truly exceptional people. I definitely feel that being a woman contributes to classroom discussions and provides a unique perspective that men may not be able to provide — and visa versa.

Thoughts on Disclosing MBA Mom Status

As I mentioned, I got pregnant AFTER I was accepted into Georgetown, so I’m not sure how that would have affected my application. What I can say is that I generally don’t worry about being a mom/having children when it comes to applying for future jobs. The way I see it, is that if the company creates a bias around the fact that I am a mother, then I surely don’t want to work for a company like that in the first place.

What I want is a company that understands what mothers do on a daily basis and a company that supports it. I can also say that I tend to gravitate towards companies that are run by moms. As I mentioned, the Honest Company and 3 Green Moms are companies that I sought out and worked for/am hopefully in the process of working for. These are companies that I find fascinating and are companies that I feel I would be comfortable at in my own skin — because they GET it — they are moms themselves… and kickass career women!

Once you become a mom, you have this unspoken language and a certain level of respect for other moms. I think this is strengthened within business. If I am not able to find a company that provides the type of atmosphere that understands and supports mothers, then I will work towards creating it myself!