Brittany Bui

New York University, Stern School of Business

“Food lover, plant propagator, movie enthusiast, clean skincare collector, and most importantly family/friend devotee!”

Hometown: Laguna Beach, California

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have over 50 cousins

Undergraduate School and Major: Chapman University, major in Business emphasis in Finance, double minor in Psychology and Social Justice and Law

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Nasdaq as a Financial Analyst/Business Controller for four years

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the school’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Emphasis on IQ+EQ and trajectory of Stern’s ranking and reputation. After visiting different schools and talking to professors and alumni, I felt that Stern really cared about the person vs. just their accomplishments. Even through Stern’s application questions, it was obvious that they wanted leaders who cared about the world and wanted to make it better. Stern also continually jumps in ranking which was exciting too.

What makes you most excited about getting your MBA at NYU Stern? What makes you most nervous? I am so excited to get my MBA at Stern because I know from all the people I have met already how strong and impressive my network will be. I feel so empowered that I have so many different directions I can take, and Stern can help me along the way. I am more nervous about the recruitment process.

What club or activity excites you most at this school (and why)? I am so excited to be a part of Stern’s Social Impact & Sustainability Association because I will be surrounded by like- minded individuals who will be working for companies striving for a sustainable and regenerative future.

What word best describes the NYU Stern classmates you’ve met so far? Why? Not calculated. Everyone I have met has been so genuine and authentic and from very diverse backgrounds.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment is the relationships I have created with various people on my company’s leadership team and all over the organization.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career?  I always knew I wanted to pivot in my career to a more consumer-facing and creative role. After four years, I felt very comfortable in my job, so I knew it was time to move on.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I knew I wanted to be in New York or California, so I applied to Columbia, UCLA, USC, and UCI.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? The short-term and long-term goals were such difficult questions because they forced me to be very introspective and actually think about what I wanted for my career and for my life.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I went to visit all the schools, which I felt told me everything I needed to know. I visited NYU Stern many times. After attending the Women’s weekend, I felt a very strong pull towards Stern.

What have you been doing to prepare yourself for business school? I have been trying to read a lot of books about industries I am interested in. I just finished Bitter Brews, which is about Anheuser Busch and a book called Eat Like a Fish about food sustainability and kelp farming.

What was your defining moment and how did it prepare you for business school? I don’t think I had one defining moment, but applying to schools was such an introspective process and it really made me feel like I could do anything. It was so empowering to have all these opportunities opening up and to hit a restart button.

What is your favorite company and what could business students learn from them? My favorite company (more like a non-profit) is one I recently learned about called GreenWave, which works on regenerative farming techniques. I think we can learn a lot from them and the founder Bren Smith about the notion that you can have a successful company that maintains your core values and makes the world a little better and brighter for the next generation.

DON’T MISS: MEET NYU STERN’S MBA CLASS OF 2022