John Neufeld                   

New York University, Stern School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less:

Me, a collection

Of memories, ideas, thoughts

Same and different

Hometown: Doylestown, PA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I started a French Press Friday for my team where every Friday we would have coffee and snacks and it really became a great way for us to all hang out and get to know each other.

Undergraduate School and Major: Bates College: Biology and Photography

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: IDEXX Laboratories, Associate Scientist II

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? NYU Stern’s IQ+EQ focus really appealed to me as well as their many opportunities for real world learning. IQ+EQ was important to me because I wanted to form strong relationships with my peers. Real world learning was also something I focused on as I believe the best type of learning and growth happens out in the world applying your classroom experiences.

What makes you most excited about getting your MBA at NYU Stern? What makes you most nervous?  I am most excited about making friends and starting to form relationships with my classmates. I am most nervous about the fact that I am doing a big career pivot and do not have a background in business.

What club or activity excites you most at this school? I went to the club kickoff for the Social Impact and Sustainability Association (SISA) and I was pretty excited by the fact that there are so many students that are passionate about sustainability. It will be enlightening to interact with such like-minded people and figure out how we can leave the world a better place.

What word best describes the NYU Stern classmates you’ve met so far? Why? Welcoming. Every time I meet a new Stern student, they are always so friendly and down-to-earth. It has been a very welcoming experience overall.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I spent six months working on improving the precision of the biomarker test we were developing. I learned a lot of new skills and became the foremost expert on this specific part of the test.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I got to a point in my career as a scientist where it was either I will be doing this for a long time, and I will get my PhD, or I should move on. I wanted more variety and more interaction with people. Business seemed like a natural progression where I could have a big impact and have a lot more face time with clients. Currently I am planning on recruiting for consulting or product management. Both of these excite me with incredible opportunities to learn a lot and solve problems.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Wharton and Yale.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I tried to visit all of the schools I applied to in order to see how I felt on the campus and to try and interact with students. The tour at NYU Stern was great as it was student led and it made me feel like the students really cared about the school and wanted to share the experience.

What have you been doing to prepare yourself for business school? I have been trying to do a lot of self-reflection in order to purposefully choose a career path after graduation.

What is your favorite company and what could business students learn from them? I am not sure if I have a favorite company, so I will just pick something I like. I have had a Hydroflask water bottle for almost eight years now and it works just as well as day one. Quality counts!

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