Meet Notre Dame’s MBA Class of 2017

Elizabeth Sadler

Elizabeth Sadler

University of Notre Dame, Mendoza College of Business

Hometown: Hingham, MA

Undergraduate School and Major: Colgate University – International Relations and French

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: Washington Speakers Bureau – Event Manager, Office of Condoleezza Rice, Hoover Institution, Stanford University – Research Associate

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE?  If a prospective business school student doesn’t come from a quant background (academic or professional), I recommend taking Statistics and / or other foundational math classes prior to starting official GMAT/GRE prep. Also, create a detailed timeline for prep, practice tests and official test dates with realistic buffer time to hit application cycles.

Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply? It’s important to take an honest look at your motivations for attending business school, your own strengths/weaknesses, and where you want to be after graduation. Identify your core values and apply to schools that align with the vision. The whole application process is quite introspective. The more work you put into this upfront, the easier it will be to write the essays and short answers later on.

What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? Get organized, do your homework, and communicate a consistent narrative throughout the admissions cycle. Give your recommenders plenty of advance notice (with gentle reminders), and have people you trust read your essays for honest and constructive feedback.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? As Lou Holtz once said about Notre Dame: “If you’ve been there, no explanation is necessary. If you haven’t, none is adequate.” Not only is there a genuine sense of community, but also the Notre Dame MBA prepares its students for the highly competitive job market and cultivates a sense of responsibility to serve communities with integrity.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I plan to take these next two years to bolster my quantitative skill set and to take stock of where I am personally. I want to engage my passions and work on deficiencies to graduate a more complete, capable, and grounded leader. I also plan to attend all the home football games. Go Irish!

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