Meet The Berkeley Haas MBA Class of 2019

Caroline Schraer 

U.C.-Berkeley, Haas School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Music enthusiast, digital nerd & data lover, brand management professional, fan of disruption for innovation

Hometown: Hamburg, Germany

Fun Fact About Yourself: Huge Game of Thrones fan (but how can you not be?)

Undergraduate School and Major: Hamburg School of Business Administration – Media Management

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Warner Music Group Germany

2009 – 2012 Trainee

2012 – 2013 Junior Manager Digital Marketing

2013 – 2015 Manager Digital Marketing

2015 – 2017 Brand Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:

• Developing a newcomer artist campaign from the scratch and charting #1 on the official German charts
• Releasing a gold record with German electronic dance music artist Robin Schulz

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? 

• GMAT: Take as many full-length practice exams as possible
• Essays: Figure out what the school you’re applying to is about and what really matters to them. For Haas, I tried to reflect all of the four key Defining Principles.
• General: Take time! I started studying for the GMAT in October 2015. Also, your recommenders need time.

What was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? Receiving a fellowship from the school was definitely one of the key decision factors. Also, I strongly relate to the school’s values and connected with the people at the “Days at Haas” admit event—it felt like the perfect fit. Additionally, the location, weather, and outdoor activity options favored the decision. Last, but not least, my partner felt very included by the partner’s club activities and had a share in the decision.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school?  I would like to transition from media to tech and from marketing to product Innovation or business strategy. Companies that intersect between media and tech would be very interesting to me.