Meet Rochester Simon’s MBA Class of 2019

Patrick Coulter

Simon Business School, University of Rochester

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Friendly, active, and outgoing. I enjoy helping businesses become more efficient and effective.

Hometown: Cape Town, South Africa

Fun Fact About Yourself: I enjoy running on the road and trails as often as I can. I’m most proud of completing a half marathon in just under 90 minutes.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Cape Town, Bachelor of Business Science (major in Finance)

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Pick n Pay Retailers (Pty) Ltd – Cape Town, South Africa:

  • Senior Analyst, Smartshopper Loyalty program
  • Manager of Pick n Pay Online Business-to-Business, Online Shopping Division
  • Corporate Strategy Analyst, Group Strategy & Planning Dept.
  • Business & Data Analyst, Information Services Division

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I wouldn’t want to claim any one professional accomplishment as being “mine.” Every time we achieved something or produced a great piece of work, it came down to the efforts of the whole team. I don’t think any one of our numerous successes or accomplishments stands out more than any other. There were, of course, some that had more impact while others were more personally satisfying. So, I would say that rather than any single event, my greatest success has been being able to work successfully as part of numerous teams and consistently deliver a high standard of work.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in the MBA program so far: I’m early into the program, but making it onto the Dean’s merit list for the 2017 fall term has been one highlight so far.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? Think seriously about what attributes of each school matter to you. You don’t have to go to the most expensive school or the one with the highest ranking to get the experience that is best for you.

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? Aside from Simon Business School’s excellent credentials in finance and economics, I chose Simon because of the small class size and the incredible warmth of everyone I had engaged with at the school before coming here. I felt that Simon would be a place where I could be an integral part of a closely-knit group and build meaningful relationships with my classmates.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? For me there are three big items. The number one goal is to convert my summer internship with BCG into a full time offer for when I finish at Simon. I also feel that continuing to excel academically and making the Dean’s merit list for the winter and spring terms would also be something I consider a success. Lastly, I think being elected to a club board and having everything well planned and in place for the new academic year (before leaving for my internship) will make a tremendous difference for future members and would be considered a success.

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