Meet Chicago Booth’s MBA Class of 2018

Peter Randaccio

University of Chicago, Booth School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Driven, outgoing guy with big dreams, a golf obsession, and a weakness for chicken wings.

Hometown: Buffalo, NY

Fun Fact About Yourself: Once lost a ticket to the Super Bowl in a coin toss, via Facetime, the night before the game.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Southern California (USC), Major in Communication (2011)

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Amazon.com

Brand Manager, Original Series Marketing (Amazon Studios)

DreamWorks Animation SKG

Manager, Corporate Brand Management

The Walt Disney Company

Manager, Brand & Franchise Management (Media Networks)

Representative, Brand & Franchise Management (Media Networks)

Coordinator, Brand & Franchise Management (Media Networks)

Undergraduate Associate, Marketing & Business Development (Consumer Products)

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Earning two promotions within 11 months at Disney

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? Start your process early and set clear, realistic goals for yourself. While everyone’s individual situation is different, most people are working in demanding, full-time jobs while trying to tackle the GMAT and application process. Give yourself ample time to present the best version of yourself in your applications.

Make a point to connect with at least one person from the admissions team at each school to which you apply. This can happen at events such as The MBA Tour or in more personalized scheduled campus visits, but e-mail follow up is key to establishing a longer-term connection. Ultimately, these are the people who will be deciding your fate, so you need to make sure that you are more than just your profile.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I am eager to learn more about finance and economics and I believe Chicago Booth has the best resources in those fields to help me pivot my career path. One look at the school’s employment report from last year’s class showed me that Booth does an awesome job helping students land jobs in companies that I admire.

The flexible curriculum was also a big factor for me. As someone switching careers, it’s very helpful to have the freedom to choose when I take the “core” courses. I can load up on finance and economics classes prior to my summer internship, something that is unique to the Booth experience. Finally, the school’s location in one of the best cities in the U.S. was critical. I only looked at schools with close proximity to a big, diverse city.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? I get bored easily when I’m not challenged and I thrive in strategic problem solving. My time at Amazon really opened my eyes to the power of data in decision making. From the research I’ve done, it seems like a career in consulting, finance or corporate strategy would constantly challenge me with new and exciting problems. The focus on using data and models to inform decisions in these positions is a key draw, but I also enjoy being part of a team and collaborating with others to solve problems. In an ideal world, I will be working for McKinsey, Bain or BCG or an investment bank, covering media and entertainment, in Los Angeles.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program?  He gave back as much as he took from this program, and he made everyone else around him better.