A native of Pensacola, FL, James grew up in the Florida Panhandle, home to some of the best beaches the United States has to offer. He completed his undergraduate degree at Duke University where he played varsity baseball. Prior to pursuing his MBA at Anderson, James spent four-and-a-half years with Deloitte Consulting where he focused on retail and consumer products.  James is passionate about retail and is using his MBA to pursue retail strategy positions. Outside of his professional interests, James is an avid snowboarder and tennis player.

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When evaluating MBA programs, one of the most common pieces of advice applicants receive is to make sure the school is the right “fit”, both in terms of student culture and alignment to career goals. And sure, this makes logical sense – the MBA experience is a two-year journey and ideally, those pursuing their MBA finish their degree having either pivoted careers entirely or accelerated their career in their previous field, all while building a lifelong network. As you evaluate schools, you’ll start to notice themes, with some schools being prominent in one or many industries. While most people know Anderson for our strength in technology, consulting, and finance (and yes, we are very strong in these spaces), I can confidently say that anyone can find their stride at Anderson, no matter how unique their interests may be. 

As someone interested in retail and consumer products, I knew that my interests when coming to Anderson were niche relative to students whose interests lie in more prominent industries. (In general, retail/consumer products is a less represented industry across all MBA programs). Admittedly, I did have concerns – where do I start in pursuing this space? Can I pursue this space here at Anderson? What resources will I have? Will I be alone on this journey? Trust me, I debated all these questions. Now, nearly done with my first year, I can’t imagine a better place than Anderson to pursue my goals. For any potential students with a similar concern, I’d share a few pieces of advice from my own experience:

Lean into Student Clubs: Anderson has over 50 professional, identity, and interest clubs. Clubs are an integral part of Anderson and were vital to helping me find classmates with similar professional interests. Our professional clubs touch nearly every industry imaginable, and many have smaller verticals to further segment professional interests, create community, and provide career opportunities. Use the clubs to start charting your path and make your Anderson journey as personal to you as possible.

Keep a Close Dialogue with the Parker Career Center: prior to your first day, you will be paired with an advisor in Parker. Parker’s reputation speaks for itself and developing an early relationship with your advisor is an important step to navigating the recruiting landscape, particularly if your goals are less common. Many advisors have been with Parker for 10+ years and bring a plethora of knowledge when it comes to developing and navigating a roadmap for achieving your goals. Regardless of your goals, it is likely your advisor has helped at least one student with something similar in the past. Nurture the relationship with your advisor to vet ideas, learn about previous student experiences, and get guidance for tactical steps you can take in pursuit of your goals.

Leverage the Alumni Network: as you know, one of the key outcomes of the MBA experience is the network you build. Fortunately, the alumni network at Anderson is incredibly broad and incredibly welcoming. To help me navigate my career aspirations, I made it a point to form relationships with alums whose careers lined up with my own goals. With any outreach, I found the alumni network responsive and more than willing to help, be it with general advice or actual leads on opportunities. Take risks and maximize opportunities to connect with alumni. I can assure you they will want to help.

All in all, I believe the above steps will be beneficial for any students considering ‘a road less traveled’ during their time at Anderson. Self-determination and personal diligence, coupled with the combination of peers, advisors, and mentors that Anderson provides will set you up for success. Whether you are still considering Anderson or are intent on joining next year’s class, you should feel confident that you absolutely can achieve your dreams at Anderson no matter what they are.

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• Student Blogger: James McGhee ‘25
• Undergrad: Duke University ‘18
• Pre-MBA: Senior Consultant at Deloitte Consulting
• Leadership@Anderson: EVP of Retail – Marketing Association, Director of Workforce and Education – Anderson Venture Impact Partners, Director of Yield and Special Projects – Admissions Ambassador Corps