Rachel Chapnick

Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management

“MBA student who realized a humanities degree, while useful, wasn’t the most employable.”

Hometown: Lake Worth, Florida

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am highly allergic to bananas.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Miami, History and Political Science

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: UK Department for International Trade, Trade and Investment Associate

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I was the youngest and most junior person to conceptualize and deliver a Prosperity Project – a program designed to encourage economic growth and regulatory cohesion while benefiting UK business. Back when blockchain was nascent and not a buzzword, I put on a regulatory roundtable as financial institutions and fintechs were looking for clarity before implementing or developing solutions. The roundtable featured US and UK regulators, technology innovators, and financial service implementers. It was estimated we had 75% of the top brainpower on the topic convened for our two-day roundtable.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Enthusiastic – everyone seems very excited to be here and is looking forward to the two-year journey ahead.

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? I was drawn to the fact Vanderbilt had a small class size and an enthusiastic alumni network. I would rather have a strong network than a vast one, and I wanted to be able to know my classmates, professors, school staff, and alumni. Every alumnus I asked to speak about their experience enthusiastically did so at their earliest convenience. They all also spoke about how the smaller size positively impacted their experience in school and beyond.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? The Distinguished Speaker Series – I love getting to pick the brains of smart people and being a fly on the wall for a fascinating conversation.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? All graduate schools offered the chance to explain poor grades or test scores in a supplemental essay. During my junior year, my grades were less than stellar after a roommate committed suicide. Answering that question via essay required a lot of introspection and the revisiting of painful memories, but it was amazing to realize how far I have come from such a dark period.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? While I loved working with companies, particularly startups, I ultimately would like to narrow my focus so I can one day start my own businesses and have a stake in the work I do.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Tulane & Gonzaga

How did you determine your fit at various schools? My main weeding metric was class size. I wanted a smaller class and cut programs that I deemed too large, no matter how prestigious. I spoke to alumni and students to determine fit, and LinkedIn stalked my dream jobs to see whether alumni from the school were in or had held those or similar positions.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I studied in the UK during the summer of my junior year. As mentioned, that year was a bleak time in which I quit caring about grades, learning, and even personal relationships. Until I got on the plane, I was toying with the idea of staying home and getting the trip deposit refunded. Thankfully I got on that plane. Within the first week, one of my professors saw something in me and took me out for coffee. That conversation reawakened an intellectual curiosity and zest for life that had been dormant for months. The courses there set me back on track academically and gave me the confidence to apply for an internship for the UK Consulate in Miami (for which I was vastly underqualified). I was able to talk my way into the internship, which translated to a full-time job and put me on the path to pursuing a full-time MBA at Owen.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? Ideally scaling and internationalizing a company I have founded or helped to found.