Professional Jazz Drummer Seeking an MBA. What are my options?

Hi there,

I'm a professional jazz drummer seeking an MBA to gain a management job in the music industry. I graduated from Northwestern University with a double major (jazz studies/ percussion performance in addition to communications). For the past 7 years, I've been a jazz drummer/percussionist, playing in some big-time ensembles and gigs (think like Big Phat Band).

I graduated with a 3.9 GPA in communications/percussion studies at Northwestern. I took the GMAT and got a 740 (48 Quant). If it matters, I'm also African-American. I do SAT tutoring for my volunteer time.

I'm just curious as to what my options were, and if it would make sense to apply to my alma matter, Northwestern, for Kellogg. I know I'm an extremely unorthodox MBA candidate as a professional musician, so I don't know what schools to target or how to approach my application.

Thank you!

5 Comments
 
Best Response

Corrupti ut vitae ducimus quibusdam vel. Assumenda est quam earum minima. Fugiat vel magni tempora delectus et nostrum.

mbaMission Admissions Consultant For personal advice, please see up a free consultation: http://www.mbamission.com/consult.php Website: http://www.mbamission.com Blog: http://www.mbamission.com/blog

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”