Master’s in Supply Chain Management: Niccole Marcial, Rutgers Business School

If you’re doing a virtual program, set a routine for yourself and stick to it. Take advantage of the knowledge of your professors because they care whether they see you or not. They really want you to succeed, and they have a ton of real-life knowledge. Tapping into that is what it’s all about. Also, try to make at least two close connections.”

Student Name: Niccole Marcial

Graduate Business School: Rutgers Business School

Describe Yourself In 15 Words: I’m a very ambitious learner, love anything data and analytics, and I’m a natural hostess.

Master’s Graduation Class: 2019.

Undergraduate School and Major: Rutgers University,  Industrial Engineering.

Current Employer and Job Title: Colgate-Palmolive, Analytics Manager.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Helping to launch the analytical capabilities of our global Network Operations Supply Chain team. We introduced Tableau to help centralize product and production insights across our global Oral Care sites and helped make a smarter contingency strategy using Python.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as a graduate student: Completing the Mini-MBA program really helped me to connect with a lot of smart classmates I would have otherwise never met and to learn from some great experts. Graduating from the program with strong grades (~3.98 GPA) was a great accomplishment, too!

What was the key factor that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Rutgers had great reviews online and awesome ranking in the area of supply chain. Also, I attended Rutgers for my undergrad and already had a lot of respect for the university.

What led you to choose a Master’s in Supply Chain Management over an MBA? I actually had multiple discussions on this before deciding with my father, with a friend’s mother (a professor) and someone from my HR department to gauge what difference it makes in their eyes. I ultimately decided on the master’s program because I felt it would still give me the business insight I wanted, would be less of a time commitment while working full-time and holding a part-time job, and because my company indicated they wouldn’t treat it any differently. I had no strong urge for an MBA. I placed more value on efficiency and quality learning as priorities.

What has been your favorite course and how has it helped you in your career? I actually had two favorites for two different reasons. Ironically, they were my first course and my last course. I enjoyed demand management because I love trying to predict outcomes. I’ve used what I learned in that class a lot in my roles that aren’t even supply chain focused. Trying to predict trends is key in many areas. I also really enjoyed the marketing class because it was a different perspective. I’ve used it a lot in my current work in marketing/sales analytics and insights to try to better understand how to prospect our customers.

What role did your school play in helping you to land your first job out of the program? I’m not 100% sure as I didn’t leave the company, but I did share the news with HR and was the first choice for the role that I got that same year. It wasn’t quite a role I would have expected to be able to land otherwise. I think it gave them more confidence in my business acumen.

How did your classmates enhance the value of your business school experience? I still talk to two friends I made virtually early on in that program. We discuss work opportunities, and they inspire me to reach higher. I’m a social person so it just made it fun to always sign up for the same courses together and help each other out. 

Who was your favorite faculty member and how did this person enrich your learning? Professor Mark Sutterley. He’s the first person I ever spoke to about the program, and he sold me on it. He was very responsive and helpful. I felt like I was never too overwhelmed. He structured the homework and exams in a practical way that made it easier to retain, and he was just an overall pleasant person. Professor Rudi Leuschner was also a responsive professor which is valuable to me, especially when studying virtually. He allowed me to get proctored on campus and even went out of his way to meet and welcome me for my first proctored exam which surprised me. His content was easy to watch and stay engaged in, and again he’s such a pleasant person virtually and in person.

What is your best advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s graduate Master’s program? If you’re doing a virtual program, set a routine for yourself and stick to it. Take advantage of the knowledge of your professors because they care whether they see you or not. They really want you to succeed, and they have a ton of real-life knowledge. Tapping into that is what it’s all about. Also, try to make at least two close connections.

What was your best memory from your Master’s program? We were all invited to Jersey City in 2019 for an alumni event. It was nice to see everyone in person and celebrate the awesome accomplishment!

DON’T MISS: MEET THE MASTERS OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

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