As more women pursue their potential and make their way into the C-suite and into leadership positions, business, government and society benefit. MBAchic is a community and platform for MBA and professional women focused on making investing in education and careers, to propel them into those C-suites and positions, more accessible. The #MBAchicTakeover series is a co-produced video series that offers viewers a glimpse of life as an MBA. The mantra of the series is, “if you see it, you can be it," because we never know who will attend a school event or start studying for the GMAT because of something they’ve connected with here.
Since February 2019, #MBAchicTakeover hosts have taken us around the world, sharing valuable insights and inspiration along the way: on job seeking "treks" through London, on a “day in the life” as full-time, part-time, online or executive weekend MBA candidates, on the entrepreneurial hustle as graduates starting their own companies in cities big and small, and in reflective Q&A sessions about their studies, careers and lives. This series continues to produce outstanding informative and entertaining content that shares the insights and advice you won't glean from business school rankings or campus guides.
These takeovers are timely and valuable; now is a great time to go to business school, especially for women (even more so, as the world navigates the challenges due to COVID-19 and reckons with racial inequality). Demystifying the MBA experience and "who" it's "meant for" helps to inspire the next generation of leaders to dive in.
Part of the strategy is in our recruitment and selection; we seek out hosts with interesting backgrounds and experiences, who have a knack for storytelling. It’s important to our team to share diversity of experiences, backgrounds, thoughts and paths. “Non-traditional” path-takers have been some of the most engaging hosts as they help viewers see themselves on the path to business school, simply by relating to our viewers and telling their story.
Prior to filming, we'll discuss takeaways and lessons for our viewers, takeover logistics and structure. We’ll create a storyboard, including popular / sourced questions from our audience, and agree on a go-live date. MBAchic helps shape the story in publishing and assists with artistic direction when necessary, weaving in our themes and visuals as the story carries on. The day's subtitled content is uploaded to @MBA.chic’s interactive Instagram Stories, and later to our website and other social channels. Our hosts have also expanded their own platforms through their participation, which has proven to be another draw.
Following each #MBAchicTakeover is a write-up on MBAchic.com. It’s important that this content is searchable and easy to navigate, given the importance of and value-delivered by each production. In addition to appearing on our host's online profiles, episodes are often shared to social channels of schools and MBAchic partners (ex. Texas McCombs School of Business shared Weekend Working Professionals MBA Laura Gallardo’s #MBAchicTakeover as a resource for aspiring students).
The goal of the #MBAchicTakeover series is to share real experiences and offer inspiration, tools / resources and empowerment for viewers to pursue their full potential. We are honored to have these inspiring women share their experiences, challenges and wins so openly with our audience and offer guidance that you can't easily find when setting out on this path to an MBA. It's incredible to hear positive feedback from viewers who are inspired to kick off their own MBA journey, or move forward towards a goal they previously felt was out of reach.
In addition to inspiring our community to pursue their academic and professional goals, this fresh, creative take on sharing the business school experience has enabled us to start partnering with our hosts, with brands and with academic programs:
