Ana Luiza Mendes Nogueira, CBS MBA Class of 2023
Age: 28 years
Hometown: Campinas, Brazil
Undergraduate Institution and Major: UNICAMP – Bachelor in Economic Sciences
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): Investment Banking M&A (3 years), Investments (3.5 years)
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
Some of the work I have most enjoyed to date was working with some of our investee-companies to reshape their strategies and find potential areas of improvement. As an economics undergrad, I thought I could benefit from the formal management training an MBA provides.
Regarding timing, I wanted to have some professional baggage before doing an MBA so I could draw from previous work experiences in class.
Why did you choose Columbia Business School? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
First, Columbia’s prime location attracted me. I knew that living in NYC would not only be the realization of a childhood dream, but also an amazing edge to my career. CBS’s location in the city provides a unique exposure to our world’s thought and business leaders and the ability to network and recruit in the center of the financial world.
Second, Columbia Business School has a strong curriculum in the two areas that I wanted to focus after my MBA. This was the aspect that attracted me the most about CBS: The fact that it manages to have a strong curriculum in both impact investing, through the Tamer Center, and in Private Equity, with the PE Program led by professor Hitscherich. Other schools that I looked at were strong in either one of these fields, but never in both.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2023?
I would say that a personal trait of mine that can contribute a lot to the Class of 2023 is my ability to leverage experiences I had in one situation in others. As a lateral thinker, I am always trying to connect things and find ways to use what I learnt in the past to solve new problems. Being one of the members of the Class of 2023 who are committed to pushing the economic development agenda forward, I would say that I have a great problem to tackle after the MBA and can really use what I will learn here at CBS.
Tell us a fun fact that didn’t get included on your application:
I am extremely clumsy. Once, I managed to fall into a manhole while walking to a job interview. I missed that job interview because I had to be rushed to the hospital, but ended up securing the job. I guess leaving a mark does help recruiters remember you even if you’re not there!
Post-MBA career interests:
I truly believe that profit and purpose of a business can walk hand in hand, so I want to continue using investments to drive change in Brazil. I plan to continue working with development investing to lead, in the long term, an activist Private Equity fund focused on impact investing.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Come into the application process with a deep understanding of yourself – how do the dots in your story thus far connect, how do they shape you to become who you are and why are you doing this? This soul-searching process takes time, and it is better if you are not under severe time pressure. I guarantee this will make the essay-writing process a lot easier and truthful to who you are!
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
Don’t take the GMAT unless you feel entirely prepared for it – it can be a waste of time and money and, worst of all, hinder your confidence on yourself. I rushed to do mine the first round because I was about to move to another country for work and wanted to get the GMAT out of the way to focus solely on my expat experience. It just added to the anxiety levels with little fruitful outcomes.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
The MBA application process can cause a lot of anxiety. Of course, if I could, I would’ve loved to skip that anxiety altogether. However, being conscious of that led me through a path of finding ways to deal with my stress and anxiety. I found that practicing vinyasa yoga was the best way for me to decompress and turn my mind off after long hours of studying for the GMAT.
What is your initial impression of the Columbia Business School students/culture/community?
Collaboration and diversity aren’t just buzzwords that Columbia Business School uses to showcase its community in vain. Here, I am pleased to say, theory does meet practice. Throughout these past 2 months being a part of the CBS community, I have witnessed first-hand how CBS manages to pull together a group of interesting individuals who are there for each other during good and bad times, be it to share a drink at a happy hour or create a study group to solve a problem set some.
What is one thing you have learned about Columbia Business School that has surprised you?
While researching Columbia Business School, I read some blog posts that mentioned that CBS’s community was not as tightly knit as other b-schools because several people came with their own NYC friendship circles from prior to the MBA. Talking to alumni and existing students, I already knew this wasn’t true at all, but it was nonetheless one “myth” I was glad to see proven wrong in practice.
Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your personal application or admissions process in any way? If so, how?
My GMAT appointment was cancelled or rescheduled countless times because the test centers were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It even came down to the point of me going to the testing center to do the exam – since I had a confirmed and valid appointment – only to find out that the testing center was closed. This back and forth reminded me once again about the importance of resilience and adaptability.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
As a lot of first-year MBAs, I am anxious about how I will fit all the amazing MBA experiences into a 24-hour day schedule! I hope that my sleep doesn’t suffer too much.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I have always been someone who gets energy from facing the unknown. As such, I am extremely excited about exploring this world of “news” that going to business school entails: new country, new home, new friends, new lifestyle, new school…
