Suzannah Zitter

“Learning addict, inclusion enthusiast” 

Program: MBA

Hometown: London

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve been obsessed with rock climbing since I was a child

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Warwick, Economics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Current role – Product Developer, Goldman Sachs.

What were some of the key motivating factors behind pursing your MBA, and why did this seem like the right time for you?

I signed up because I wanted to know the content, rather than having a particular promotion or career change in mind. I noticed that several people who knew a lot about my areas of interest had MBAs and thought “maybe that’s where they learned all of this.” I wouldn’t say I know it all now, but I’ve learned even more than I had hoped.

When you think of your school, what is the first word that comes to mind and why?

Accessible. Accessible to those who are short of time – The interactive teaching content is designed mobile-first. I can study and take the smaller assessments quickly and easily on my phone. This allows me to get a lot done in travel time and is the difference that made doing an MBA around work realistic for me.

Accessible to those on a budget – Quantic is also significantly cheaper than any other accredited MBAs I had seen. They also have a range of scholarships and payment plans. I’m a big fan of making education cheaper in principle, so am happy to be a part of that. I also like that it attracts a different cohort. As an example, there is a big population of medical professionals from the UK. Unfortunately, in the UK, many doctors aren’t highly paid. I’ve met several classmates who are very intelligent, short of time, otherwise couldn’t afford an MBA and have a business idea in the medical field. Through Quantic they are gaining skills to make that idea a reality. I’m inspired to have met them and full of hope that they will achieve their goals.

Accessible across geographical barriers – The cohort lives all over the world. In virtual meets I’ve really enjoyed connecting with classmates who live in remote locations and would otherwise would have struggled to get a US accredited MBA. I appreciate many institutions offer online programmes, but most are adapted from the classroom and involve a lot of zooming in on PDFs. Quantic’s format is very different, I suspect because it was designed from scratch with online learning in mind.

Essentially, I feel like Quantic have stripped it back so that if you have enough motivation, an MBA is much more feasible than before. I’m glad to be a part of that.

What are one or two key aspects of this MBA program that stood out among the others, and why were they so important to you?

Quantic is incredibly mobile-friendly and conveniently segmented. During any journey or wait, I can study. If you are late to meet me for lunch, I won’t be scrolling Instagram, I will be swiping Quantic. This makes a huge difference when you are figuring out how to make time for an MBA. Combined with listening to webinars while in the gym, this has made the whole thing relatively manageable.

I also really like the ‘AI advisor’, although I didn’t appreciate it when I was applying. You can ask a chat bot to give you more detail on a specific screen, to give a different example, to elaborate on the difference between two terms etc. It is a great way to make the learning pace adjustable. On modules that come naturally to me, I can flick through the content relatively quickly. If something isn’t clicking, I can ask as many questions as I like or ask for links to more reading material.

What course were you/are you most interested in taking coming into the program and why?

I was originally most excited for ‘managing software development’ as I thought it would help with my work. It turns out that it had a lot of overlap with what I had learned on-the-job, so it didn’t change my life as much as I had imagined, but was very validating.

What club, activity, or experience at the school have you most enjoyed so far, and why?

There was a group meet in London for current students and alumni. It was great to connect with other students in person. I think because Quantic appeals to those with more motivation than time, it was a very inspiring group. One working mother was telling me how she studies whenever she is feeding her baby, “if I’m awake all those hours, I may as well be studying.”

What are two things you have learned at your school that have surprised you so far – one academic and one non-academic?

I was surprised by how relevant the entrepreneurship modules were to my work. It makes sense that the same principles apply to building a new company as to building a new process or offering within an existing company. A lot of the content has been helpful in my work and added a new lens to consider projects through.

I was also amazed by the content of the accounting fraud case study. We looked at the Dixon Illinois case from early 2000s. It really helped bring accounting to life and made me appreciate accounting regulation and control more.

What do you consider the biggest accomplishment in your career so far?

Rather than a single project or revenue stream, what I’m proudest of is my resilience. I’ve had a few serious personal crises while working. I took some time out (shout out to GS for being understanding) but in both cases I came back as motivated as ever and with a fresh perspective. When life gives you curveballs, don’t think you need to prove something by keeping the same momentum in your professional life. Whether you are an employee or an entrepreneur, you can get the best results in the long run if you are honest with yourself (or your management) about what you can give at the moment and when you can reasonably be back to 100%.

What is one thing you have recently read, watched, or listened to that you would highly recommend to other prospective MBAs? Why?

Mo Gawdat’s podcast episode on ‘The Diary of a CEO’. I would recommend it to anyone. 1h 56 minutes of very easy listening from a very impressive and inspirational man with so many knowledge nuggets relating to societal happiness, personal happiness, stress, innovation, technology in general and the future of AI. It will make you want to buy his books, but this is a great place to start.

What advice would you give to help prospective MBA gain admission into the MBA program?

Download the app and do the free trial modules. Do them well.

1 – It will give you a sense of the teaching style (though it does get harder)

2 – It is a good sense check – if you can’t make time for this, you can’t make time for an MBA

3 – It will make your application stronger. My interviewer commented on the fact that I had completed the trial modules.