Toby Mills

University of Chicago, Booth School of Business

“Born at the beach, moved to Seattle, and loves the outdoors.”

Hometown: Venice, CA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have surfed, skied, skated, and snowboarded in the same day.

Undergraduate School and Major: UCLA, Economics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Associate at Goldman Sachs 

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The long-term relationships and trust I built with clients

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Excited and eager to enjoy their experience.

Aside from your classmates, 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? As an economics student, a huge amount of the research I studied in undergrad was performed at Chicago. The quality of the professors and academic experience set Booth apart. Beyond just academia, peers and employers know the quality of the Booth program.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? The wine club – I love learning about and tasting new wines.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I loved my role, but I wanted to enhance and broaden the impact of what I was doing, and an MBA will give me the tools to change the scope of my work.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I spoke to my mentors and did a lot of internal searching to make sure that I was ready to fully take advantage of the program.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? HBS, Stanford GSB, Berkeley Haas, MIT Sloan

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I focused on first determining what was important to me both professionally in developing my career, but also personally. I spent time reading P&Q, meeting with as many current and former students as possible, and traveling to campus when I could. I think being on campus, when possible, really helps you determine your fit.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I had never lived permanently outside of California and less than a month before graduating, I was contacted to pursue the opportunity I took in Seattle. I ended up loving my experience and it taught me that you can never plan too far ahead, and that flexibility and keeping an open mind are essential.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I am interested in pursuing strategy roles in Financial Services Technology.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Pursuing a career where I feel I have a broad and meaningful impact on the well-being of my firm’s clients.