Meet Minnesota Carlson’s MBA Class of 2018

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Rachel Evans

Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: I’m a recovering politico who happened into business and fell in love with marketing.

Hometown: Cannon Falls, MN

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve worked on a political campaign every election season—presidential and non-presidential—since 2006.  Every year, I tell myself this will be the year I sit out…and every year, one of my political-world friends lures me back in. This is why I refer to myself as “a recovering politico.”

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Saint Thomas; Political Science

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: General Mills, Inc.:

  • (Current) Marketing Communications Senior Planner- Cheerios
  • Marketing Communications Planner- Shopper Marketing
  • (First position) Account Operations Specialist- Foodservice

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I was so honored to develop our communications and partnership strategy for the launch of gluten-free Cheerios.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants?  Looking back, I wish I would have given myself more time to prepare for the GMAT.  I took a prep class, but I wish I would have worked with a tutor, too. And I definitely wish I had not taken my GMAT class during the summer, when weekends are full of weddings and trips.  GMAT prep would’ve been a great (Minnesota) winter activity.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? When I started researching MBA programs, I knew I wanted to be part of a community that was more collaborative than competitive.  And because my bachelor’s degree is in political science, I also knew I needed to find a rigorous program that would really push me to gain a broader understanding of business.  Carlson really fit both of these desires, as well as also being a small enough program so that I’ll be able to actively be involved in the community, and really get to know both my classmates and professors.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? My dream job is to lead the marketing of an organization that is doing innovative work and is really open to taking risks in order to get better.  I want to love where I work, because I know I’ll love what I do.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? When we graduate from Carlson in 2018, I hope my classmates say that I was a lot of fun, and that they hope we get to work together again sometime in the future.

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