Meet Foster’s MBA Class of 2018

Scott Mackenzie

Foster School of Business, University of Washington

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Life is too short to take it easy. I’m always looking for new challenges.

Hometown: Cupertino, CA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I recently got my third passport because the last one ran out of pages.

Undergraduate School and Major:

B.S., Neurobiology and B.A., Psychology at the University of California, Irvine

Ph.D., Neurobiology & Behavior at the University of Washington

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Predoctoral Researcher, University of Washington

Content Marketing Writer, NanoString Technologies

Founder and Editor in Chief, TravelCodex.com

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I’m very proud of the travel blog I created. There are hundreds of amateur blogs, which usually fail quickly, but mine has gained a strong following in part because I try to take a different, more analytical approach than some of my competitors. It has been a great way to learn new skills. I also get to meet a lot of key executives in the travel industry. Because I focus on travel loyalty programs rather than any particular destination, I spend a lot of time thinking about the behavior that drives these business models.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? I only applied to one school, so I may not be the best person to discuss the application process. However, I believed that the Foster School of Business was the best fit and worked hard to craft an application that focused on my unique background and its relevance to Foster’s culture. In the end, I was confident in the outcome.

The bottom line is that it’s important to know one’s self during the application process, so you can excel at providing convincing essays and interviews. The GMAT is just a test. It doesn’t reflect many other important traits such as an ability to work with others and take initiative.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? The diverse backgrounds of students at Foster appealed to my curious nature. I didn’t want to confine myself to narrow ideas about what business students should study, and I like to surround myself with people who have unique perspectives. Furthermore, the class size seems small enough that I’ll avoid getting lost in the crowd.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? I’ve always had a strong interest in human behavior, and I think product management offers an excellent opportunity to apply this to a business setting. New technologies are making it possible to tailor products and services to individual customers — a huge change from convincing them to buy a generic item designed for the lowest common denominator. I’m also attracted to the interdisciplinary nature of the role, which provides a better understanding of the objectives in each company division. 

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program?  I hope that my classmates would remember my willingness to challenge convention and establish measurable goals. These two traits carry over from my time as a research scientist; I want to know why something works and how to make it better, not just that it worked before.