Meet Emory Goizueta’s MBA Class of 2017

Matt Bruer 

Emory University, Goizueta Business School 

Hometown:  St. Louis, MO

Undergraduate School and Major:  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:  Triage Consulting Group – Associate and Senior Associate

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? When preparing for the GMAT, be sure to make use of the two free tests offered by GMAC.  The two practice exams helped me determine the areas I needed to review and also made me more comfortable taking computer adaptive tests.

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? Selecting a school (or list of schools) is a very personal process.  While it’s easy to get overwhelmed and rely solely on the rankings, I believe I am better off because I spent time thinking about the experience that was right for me. I used five criteria (curriculum, size, professors/staff, reputation, and location) to narrow my search and was ultimately able to find the school that is the right fit for me.

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? Start your applications early and be honest with yourself. Before starting my application process, I thought about why I wanted to return to school and how getting an MBA would help me achieve my career goals. Plotting out this information allowed me (and my recommenders) to convey a clear and passionate story through my essays, interviews, and recommendations.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I elected to attend Emory University’s Goizueta Business School because it is the best place to prepare me to reach my career goals.  The school offers a world-class business education that balances classroom learning with hands-on experience in an intimate learning environment. As a student looking to transition from consulting to marketing, Goizueta offers a unique opportunity to gain real world experience through programs like the Goizueta Marketing Strategy Consultancy and the Emory Marketing Analytics Center. The combination of these opportunities, Emory University’s reputation, and the school’s strong relationships with Fortune 500 companies across the country made Goizueta the right place for me.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? One thing that I really love about Goizueta is that the school frontloads the core curriculum.  While this makes for an academically challenging first semester, it also gives students a lot more flexibility during their final year and a half at the school. Ultimately, I hope to use this flexibility to make a smooth transition between healthcare consulting and marketing and operations in the entertainment industry. Since the majority of my final three semesters are open for electives, I will have extensive opportunities to take classes focused on my target function and industry.  My hope is that these classes, along with my summer internship, will help me make a smooth transition into the next phase of my career.