Meet Notre Dame Mendoza’s MBA Class of 2018

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Bradley Egbert

University of Notre Dame, Mendoza College of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: I seek out deep water and unknown territory because that’s where I thrive.

Hometown: Eugene, OR

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am the world’s best trail mix partner; I eat everything but the M&M’s.

Undergraduate/Masters School and Major:

University of Oregon: Bachelors In Economics, Religious Studies

The Maxwell School, Syracuse University: Masters In Economics

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Senior Economist

The Port Authority Of New York & New Jersey (2013-Present)

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I redefined the way that the Port Authority analyzes and tracks vehicle traffic across its toll bridges and tunnels that collect $1.7 billion in tolls every year. I used this new demand profile to create and implement forecasting models that put the agency at the cutting edge of toll road forecasting in both the region and the world.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants?

1: Study for the GMAT in two stages. The first stage is getting down all the content you need to be successful and the second is learning how to take the test in the allotted time. You can learn or re-learn most of the content in about a month. After that, you will need another one to three months to get the test-taking strategies and timing down.

2: The best way to get the test timing down is to take 10 questions at a time, but only give yourself 20 minutes to complete them. Then assess how you did and do another 10 the same way.

3: Get as much help as possible on your application. Whether it is an admissions consultant or an eagle-eyed friend, anyone who is willing to be super honest with you about your application can take it from good to great.

4: Be yourself in the interview. You want to be at the school that wants the real you because that school is going to invest in you the most in you and help you grow the most.  

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? The values that lie at the core of the program. At Mendoza, they want to do more than just educate and gather people who are good at business – they want to help people use business to change the world and make a difference in communities. This isn’t something they simply talk about, it is evident in the people they recruit and in the classes they offer – it’s something they actually do.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? Coming into my MBA program, I am most interested in strategy and analytic consulting roles. I thrive most when I am working on complicated problems and coming up with creative solutions for people who need help. Consulting offers the opportunity to use my analytic capabilities to help companies overcome or understand the complex challenges they are facing.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? I would hope that my classmates would say that my ability to invest my life in causes bigger than myself inspired them to think about how to leverage their career or business to make an impact beyond the bottom line. I made a point to learn how to do this when I first moved to New York City and it has definitely impacted my life in really cool ways. If I was able to inspire others to invest their life and leverage their careers and business for things outside of themselves while at Mendoza, I would feel very successful.

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