Meet UNC’s MBA Class Of 2019

Alyssa Sheinbaum 

University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School 

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Soccer player, documentary enthusiast, and world traveler passionate about the built environment.

Hometown: Marietta, Georgia

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was in a Hungarian reality TV show, but no, I do not know how to speak Hungarian.

Undergraduate School and Major: Georgia Tech – Civil Engineering

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: Office Engineer, Project Engineer, and Project Manager at Clark Construction. Most recently, I was on site building the new International Spy Museum in downtown Washington, D.C.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The highlight of my career thus far was as a Project Manager working with the International Spy Museum project team to negotiate and procure the building façade under budget, and ultimately see it through the beginning of construction. I was brought on board in early 2015 to begin working with the project’s world-class architects and engineers to help budget, plan and procure the façade scope of the new museum.

After developing numerous financial updates, attending several meetings, and working with specialists from across the globe, we were able to contract the façade subcontractors under budget and within the project schedule. It was truly amazing to watch the project progress from schematic sketches to design and construction for over two years before leaving to pursue my MBA.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? Give yourself plenty of time! Applications take a lot more time to complete than you would expect, and you can only apply once you have all prerequisites in order. I would advise all potential applicants to assume you will take the GMAT/GRE more than one time and potentially up to three times (like me!). It might sound crazy, but start planning out your exam and application schedule at least one year in advance to allow a little extra time for additional tests if needed.

Also, I highly recommend you reach out to professors and faculty of all schools you are applying to, especially if you do not have access to current or former students. This will help you get a feel for the academics and programs offered as well as help answer any questions about the program. Contact information for professors and faculty members are easy to find online and, in my experience, they are always willing to answer any questions you have.

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? I plan to continue my career in the real estate and construction industry after graduation so the Leonard W. Wood Center for Real Estate Studies allowed UNC Kenan-Flagler to stand out from other top business schools. The opportunities that the program provides to students, from the Real Estate Fund and the Real Estate Conference, to various real estate Global Immersion Electives are unparalleled. Additionally, the fondness with which every student I met talked about the program, the incredible UNC campus atmosphere, and the passion of the faculty that I experienced firsthand when I visited the campus, made UNC Kenan-Flagler my number one choice for business school.

It didn’t hurt that our admitted students weekend occurred the same week that the UNC men’s basketball team won the 2017 NCAA championship!

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school?  Since I do not have a business background, success to me would mean having a thorough understanding of the core principles of business, finance and accounting as well as a fundamental understanding of basic real estate principles and concepts that I could apply toward my full-time summer internship in the real estate industry.

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