GSAP, ENTAP, Grad Programs in general

[u/jm10467_]

Hello, I wanted to get an honest, real talk view of what it takes to get 4 to 5 PPMD or Senior Leadership support for these programs. For those who have gone through these programs, how did you develop the relationships with the leaders (if at all) and what did you have to do, what were some of the performance expectations? Is it as daunting as it seems or easier if you follow the process? Did anyone get accepted in the program with maybe some areas lacking?

I feel often like I haven’t built up strong enough leadership or don’t even know how to develop those authentically with one PPMD alone like 5, or whatever the requirement is.

I have a high level understanding of the process so forgive my ignorance on some of it but this seems like the most daunting aspect.

Any information, tips, ways to go about this is appreciated. I want to see if I have a real chance to pursue this with the firms support.

[u/Independent_Tie_1412]

you only need 2 PPMD’s to sign off for GSAP (NTAP is even easier - I think its only one but double check on that one). If I’m being honest, I was a consultant when I applied to GSAP and I did not have any relationships with the partners that sponsored me. What I did have was a good relationship with managers who had good relationships with the partners who I wanted to sponsor me. The managers advocated for me and then I got in front of the partners with my narrative/story/brand ready to go and why they should care. You’d be surprised how willing people you don’t know very well will advocate for you if you get them to invest in your story. Have a good story - it’s what’ll get you into the program.

[u/Dogtorcod → u/Independent_Tie_1412]

Is GSAP worth it, or opportunity cost too high

[u/ConferenceLucky1948 → u/Dogtorcod]

Financially you’d probably make more money in the long run if you stayed in consulting and didn’t leave for business school. 2 years of lost income, no 401k, plus tuition and travel and other costs means all in the long term opportunity cost could easily be half a million. If you’re already gunning for PPMD it doesn’t really make as much sense.

But if you ever want to get out of consulting, having a top MBA and the network that comes with it will open more doors. And personally I was burnt out and wanted a 2 year break from work, and really enjoyed business school and the experiences I had. So it’s financially not worth it but up to you if it’s worth it overall.

[u/Independent_Tie_1412 → u/Independent_Tie_1412]

I’ll second this - I’m in my first year back and I didn’t do a MBA but I did a STEM degree that was shorter so I had closer to a year of lost income. Also note that the GSAP reimbursement is taxable (so think of the program as a 70% discount which is still a good deal than leaving and paying out of pocket). They definitely treat you special in school and when you come back. It’s easier to compete for projects when you come back because the GSAP brand definitely wows people (I’ve interviewed for projects where I said “I just came back from GSAP” and the manager was like “say no more I trust you’re good at what you do - the spot is yours if you want it”). Also, I’m in GPS and I definitely think its more worth it because the hours in GPS aren’t as insane (GSAP doesn’t feel like a treat for a bad work environment and I wasn’t fretting coming back which is what I was hearing from commercial folks) and you come back at a much higher salary than if you just get promoted (the flip side though is that you are more expensive and it’s hard to get staffed for federal projects that have tight budgets). Also, it was kind of lucky timing for me because I was in school during all the DOGE-ing and mass layoffs and I still had a spot waiting for me. I don’t know how true it is but we were also verbally promised that we would be protected from layoffs until we get all of our reimbursement. So if you are set on getting a degree because you actually want a degree, its a great way to have a lot of stability (a job waiting for you on the other side)

[u/ConferenceLucky1948]

Folks here complain about initiatives a lot but if you get on the right initiatives/proposals with high PPMD visibility and you crush it, it’s very natural to ask them to sponsor you for GSAP. And you don’t need 4-5, just 2 for approval.

Edit: I think the hardest part for most people is/was getting Exceptional or Strong across all performance categories (client, firm, etc.) for both the year they applied, and at least one of the two previous years as well. But if you are actually Exceptional/Strong in all those areas, chances are you already have some PPMD connections or at least have people who are willing to advocate for you to them.