Meet The Minnesota Carlson MBA Class of 2017

Elizabeth Clifton   

Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota

Hometown: Oxnard, CA

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Notre Dame, Chinese & Political Science

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

• McMaster-Carr Industrial Supplies, Los Angeles, CA – 2 years
  • Department Manager, Sales Operations
  • Phone Contact Center, Supervisor
• General Mils, Minneapolis, MN – 6 years
  • Customer Account Manager II, Giant Eagle
  • Trade Pricing & Analytics Manager, Western Region
  • Business Planning Associate, Publix
  • Sales Training and Development Planning Associate
  • Business Management Associate, National Category Management
• Department of State, Washington, DC – 2 month
  • Post-Grad Summer Internship

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? Going into the application process with 7 years of work experience made the GMAT seem like the most daunting aspect of the application process. What really became a turning point for me was changing my perspective of the GMAT from an overwhelming test to an empowering opportunity to brush up on some analytic skills prior to school and to highlight my strengths to the admissions officers.

The advice that I would give is to realize that the GMAT is one of the few areas of the application where you have control.  When you apply, you can’t change your college GPA or your work experience. With practice, you can really impact your GMAT score.

Just remember to take the test seriously. I found it helpful to prepare for the test as if it was an actual class and practice like game day. Set up a routine similar to test day conditions and build your endurance by completing practice tests. Before the actual test day, it also helped to familiarize myself with the check-in protocols and to do a pre-drive to the testing facility so I didn’t have to worry about getting lost on the day of the exam.

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? The most important factor for me in determining a school was fit. The official MBA rankings may vary from year to year, but the connection that you have to a school will be what you remember. To determine the right fit for me, I made a spreadsheet of the aspects that were most important to me such as academic rigor, teaching style, location, international opportunities, community, and alumni engagement. After creating the list of what I was seeking, I set up informational interviews with students and admissions officers to see how the schools compared based on these criteria. For the schools on the top of my list, I visited the schools, interacted with students, and sat in on classes to see if that was a school where I could see myself thriving. The school with the highest overall ranking for me was Carlson.

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? The best piece of advice that I can give for all of these situations is to be yourself, but (more importantly) to know yourself.

The application process for me was really about introspection. Whether it’s applying for schools, writing essays, or interviewing with the admissions teams, be able to express your passions, goals, and development opportunities. Be sure that you can give your own answer to these questions: “Why an MBA now?”; “Why this school?”; “Why are you a good fit?”; and “What do you want to do post-MBA?”.

For interviews, if possible, the interview should not be your first interaction with members of the school community. Check out their events calendar for on campus events, try to find alumni in your town, or set up calls with student ambassadors. This will give you a wealth of information to bring into your interview, demonstrate your interest in the school, and help you determine if this is a good fit.

For essays, start early, stick to the prompt, and have people close to you read through the essays to make sure that your voice is coming through.

Lastly, for recommendations, make sure to pick the right recommenders, approach them early, and prepare them with the information that they need – like your resume and why you want to attend the school – so they are prepared to be the best advocate for you possible.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? From the time I was young, I always felt that If you do what everyone else does, you are going to be where everyone else is – and that has never been my aspiration. I wanted to be a part of a program that was different and would enhance and challenge my perspectives of the business world.  Carlson was that school.

Carlson had the academic rigor, global focus, small class size, and personalization that I was looking for in an MBA program. As part of the University of Minnesota, Carlson offers the resources of a large school with the personalization of a small community. What really differentiated the program for me, however, was the unique enterprise experience that allows you to go beyond case studies and gain actual work experience consulting for Fortune 500 companies in the Twin Cities.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? My goal is to leave the program better than when I started. That goal really has two aspects. First, I want to ensure that…I take on challenges that prepare me to tackle the ever-changing and demanding global business climate that I will be entering. Second, I want to make sure that I am able to leave my mark on the program, help the program continually improve, and set a higher benchmark for the next class.