Daniel Carlini

University of Chicago, Booth School of Business

“I’m enthusiastic about learning and teaching, attached to family and friends, and a tireless “tryer”

Hometown:  Recife, Pernambuco – Brazil

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am a terrible cook. Nevertheless, I decided to open a Pastry shop. It has been very successful and I am respected by my employees. Well, by most of them – I was banned from the kitchen, as all my ideas of new products and product improvements were not very successful.  So I decided to focus on the management of financial aspects of my business.

Undergraduate School and Major:  Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica (ITA), Civil Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: A. T. Kearney, Associate

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I was part of a global team implementing a budgeting methodology to a consumer company around the world. I led the implementation in three different countries and, along with my team and the client, was able to deliver significant savings and substantial operational and process improvements.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Collaborative. Being out of the country until a few weeks before the beginning of the classes, I was lagging behind in the process to move to Chicago (get a visa, get an authorization for my dog to travel, finding an apartment, etc.). But I could count on my classmates to help me with the whole process, giving me tips and facilitating my process.

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? Flexibility. Not having a formal education in business, I’m coming to Chicago with a strong need to develop a diverse set of skills. Booth, more than any other school, offers a flexible curriculum that will allow me to fit my classes to my skills, knowledge gaps and ambitions.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Management Consulting Group, Booth Education Group, Epicurean Club and Wine Club

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I have evolved quickly as a consultant, mainly thorough on-the-job training, formal and informal guidance and a great deal of effort. Hitherto it has been enough, but in the next steps of my career, as I assume leadership positions in my company and start influencing junior consultants careers, I feel the need to become a better leader and consultant. I believe this way I will be able to positively impact my clients and my colleagues.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? After visiting the schools and talking to many alumni and students, I understood that to properly decide if an MBA was worth the investment, I would have to think beyond the numbers and try to evaluate the qualitative aspects of this experience. Once I took into consideration the life experience I would have, the classmates I would meet, the trips I would take, the clubs I would participate in, the Nobel prize winning professors I would have learn with, etc. it was very clear to me that the MBA was completely worth the investment of time and money.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Columbia Business School, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan School of Management, Wharton Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business and Kellogg School of Management

How did you determine your fit at various schools? First of all, I visited all the schools I was considering applying to. I took into consideration the way I was received by staff and students. Secondly, I sought out schools with a strong sense of community. Since I was moving out of my country, it was very important for me to find a new family in my school. Finally, I researched the programs’ curriculum and employment history to understand whether it would fit my objectives. During this process, I found a lot of information online (either on the schools websites/official blogs, or in other sites like Poets & Quants), and I talked to a lot of alumni and students from each school.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? When I was only 11 years old I was expelled from school for bad behavior. Although I was just a child, I was told by the school director I had no chance in life. That moment was crucial to my development, I needed to prove her wrong. From then on, I significantly improved my behavior and lived life dedicated to my family, studies and career. It also gave me a great interest for basic education.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I plan to become a manager in A. T. Kearney, focused on the Education sector in Brazil.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Working on the improvement of the Brazilian education sector.