Caroline Campbell

Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business

“A people person that loves to bring clarity to chaos and building relationships.”

Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana

Fun Fact About Yourself: My husband is also getting his MBA at Tepper in the same cohort!

Undergraduate School and Major: Purdue University, Psychology

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Client Success Partner, Cognizant

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Carnegie Mellon’s MBA curriculum and programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? I didn’t come from a quant background. While I learned a lot on the job the past five years, I was looking to round out my skillset and learn how to make data driven decisions to better contribute throughout my career. The school’s focus on analytics taught by industry-leading faculty will allow me to grow immensely in this regard.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Carnegie Mellon? I’m very much looking forward to Statistical Decision Making – it’s part of the core curriculum in the first year at Tepper and I’ve heard amazing things. I’m also excited for the Outdoor Adventure club (as an outdoors enthusiast).

The Tepper MBA is known for intensive one-on-one coaching and personal development. What area do you hope to strengthen during your two years in business school and why? I hope to refine my problem-solving skills, but also gain a more holistic sense of my strengths and weaknesses from an EQ perspective. The Accelerated Leadership Center at Tepper offers 1:1 coaching to track towards becoming better leaders holistically.

The Tepper MBA is also known for being highly data-driven. Why does the program’s focus on quantitative analysis and decision-making appeal to you? How have been able to leverage this approach in your career so far? Tepper will equip me with skills that will build upon what I have learned in my work as a tech consultant. In the past, I’ve leaned heavily on data visualization and robust reporting to tell better stories and help my clients make the best decisions, and I look forward to building upon those skills even further.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I was able to lead one of the first enterprise client implementations post-acquisition. It was high pressure and high visibility. I was given full ownership of the partnership and a lot of responsibility, and it was right at the peak of the pandemic. I bonded a lot with the team and client and grew immensely through that experience.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Carnegie Mellon’s MBA program? Be yourself and be able to concisely summarize who you are and what you are looking to get out of the MBA program. Also, talk to students (don’t be afraid to reach out!) and ask real questions that you are curious about – those conversations will help you determine your fit and gain a better understanding of the program culture.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE MBA CLASS OF 2025: INSPIRING, INVENTIVE, IMPACTFUL