MBA Student Profile: Vadim L Ostrovsky, Fuqua School of Business

Ukrainian born Vadim L Ostrovsky looked closely at the many different full-time MBA rankings available before zeroing in Fuqua School of Business.

However, while they proved important to him, he still needed to complement his research on rankings with feedback and advice from MBA alumni, current students and the business schools themselves.

“Before applying for any MBA programs, I selected schools based on their rankings in the Financial Times’ Business School Report, Business Week’s rankings, and the US News MBA rankings,” explains Ostrovsky. “I supplemented the rankings with extensive conversations with students and alumni of the schools that I was interested in.” For interested MBA applicants, business schools often bring students and alumni along to MBA fairs, such as the QS World MBA Tour, so that applicants can discuss their options with people who have previously been in exactly the same situation.

As Ostrovsky notes, MBA rankings are not always an easy tool for short listing the many different programs on offer from business schools, and are certainly not a perfect tool for everyone. “The main challenge, so-to-speak, was comparing the benefits of one particular program versus another,” he explains.

Selection criteria

“There are many factors to consider when weighing-up the pros and cons of MBAs from differing business schools. For me, salary upon graduation, a school’s reputation, percentage of foreign students securing full-time employment upon graduation, a school’s historical ranking trend, and the average level of debt upon graduation were all very important factors. Identifying the main drivers was difficult, and so was quantifying these factors so that I could compare them.”

Importantly, for Ostrovsky at least, his selection criteria worked and he was able to narrow down his selection to Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. “I chose Duke because of its excellent reputation and financial aid offered,” he explains, noting the scholarshiphe was awarded by Duke University.

After being accepted onto Fuqua School of Business’ full-time MBA program, he has nothing but praise for the course. “Duke beat all my expectations,” he enthuses.

“[Fuqua] is a very strong school that creates an environment where anyone can thrive. I have matured professionally, intellectually, and socially beyond anything that I could have imagined before starting.”

International opportunities

While Ostrovsky is unsure of how his career will pan out in the future, he does value the international perspective that studying in North America has added to his future opportunities. “I would like to acquire some experience of working in a Western country, preferably the USA,” he points out. “However, I believe strongly in the Ukraine’s business opportunities and plan to return to my motherland eventually.”

Finally, the Fuqua class of 2011 MBA student has some important advice for would-be MBAs currently going through the business school application process. “Do not put all your eggs in one basket during the recruitment season. Diversify, diversify, diversify!” he warns, encouraging applicants to apply for more than one school, with a range of specialisations.