Aidana Saudabayeva, Carroll MBA Class of 2022
Age: 24
Hometown: Bethesda, MD
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of St Andrews, Economics
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): 3 years, Financial Services
Why business school? Why now?
I chose to pursue an MBA to formalize the business knowledge I learned working at a small business and to pivot to a career in corporate social responsibility. I think this is a good time to pursue an MBA because I have had a few years of experience and I realized what I am interested in.
Why Carroll? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I chose Carroll because of its small class size, proximity to a big city, and emphasis on data analytics. Another factor was that the Carroll School of Management has a Center for Corporate Citizenship, which aligns with my interest in CSR.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2022?
I think my most valuable contribution is my international background. My family is originally from Kazakhstan and I completed my undergraduate degree abroad in Scotland. I love exploring new cultures and traveling to new places. Living in different environments taught me to be adaptable to change and to appreciate diverse cultures and ways of thinking.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application?
I love trivia! I used to host a trivia night at a bar in St Andrews, and currently, my friends and I host a monthly trivia night where we each write a round of questions to share. In our first month at BC, I had the opportunity to host a virtual trivia night for our first-year MBA class. It was a fun evening and a great opportunity to meet people who are starting the program off remotely.
Post-MBA career interests?
I want to work in a CSR role or at a company with a strong CSR program in an HR or marketing role.
Advice to current prospective applicants:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Attend as many MBA events as possible and talk to everyone you can! It will help you get a feel of the school, the community, and your potential future peers.
–One thing you would change or do differently?
I would explore the option of taking the GRE instead of the GMAT. If I hadn’t focused as much energy on improving my GMAT score I could have also applied in an earlier round.
–Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
I was really stressed about the GMAT and invested a lot of time and resources into prepping for it. What helped me was taking a course that kept me on track with studying and forced me to set time aside every day to study.
What is your initial impression of Carroll’s students/culture/community?
Everyone is super friendly and eager to learn! It’s obviously hard to meet everyone this year without large class events, but our whole class is on Slack together. This has helped us build a community and allowed us to plan smaller-scale events and virtual events to get to know each other.
One thing you have learned about Carroll that has surprised you?
A pleasant surprise was the level of care and support we receive from our professors. Everyone wants you to succeed, but not only just get a passing grade, they really go out of their way to make sure we fully understand the material.
Thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
I was really anxious about how the program would work in a pandemic year. BC ended up starting in a hybrid model with half of our classes in person and half virtually, which has been working really well.
Thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I’m excited to meet new people and be back in school! I have been elected onto the student government board for the Carroll School, and I’m excited to start working on that.
