Real Humans of Carnegie Mellon Tepper MBA Class of 2025

Caroline Campbell, Carnegie Mellon Tepper MBA Class of 2025

Age: 27
Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Purdue University, Psychological Sciences
Pre-MBA Work Experience (role, company, years): Client Success Partner, Lev (boutique tech consulting firm acquired by Cognizant in 2020)

Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
I loved being client-facing and growing deep relationships with my team, as well as working on projects across all industries. The generalist strategy consulting model allows for an accelerated form of that exploration – and business school at Tepper would offer me a well-rounded quantitative foundation with which to approach that career pivot. Overall, I wanted to prioritize moving toward wherever my growth (personally and professionally) would be most concentrated.

Why did you choose CMU Tepper? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
The analytics/quant focus certainly appealed to me, but the bigger factor was the small class sizes and Tepper’s tight-knit community combined with Tepper’s entrepreneurial resources at the Swartz Center.  

What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2025?
After college, I had the benefit of entering the Orr Fellowship – a 2-year entrepreneurship and business fundamentals-focused fellowship in Indianapolis. It felt like a second undergrad in terms of growth (personally/professionally) and network, and I feel hugely privileged to take my learnings from such a good program culture into business school. There I learned the importance of true community, enthusiasm, and showing up – and I feel excited to bring that energy into my class at Tepper!

Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
For a while, I worked for a creamery and sold artisan cheeses at the local farmer’s market. I learned a lot about the industry, and to this day, it is one of the most fun jobs I’ve had!

Post-MBA career interests:
Strategy Consulting

Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
I talked to as many people as possible at each school to get a feel for the culture, and then also talked to my own mentors/bosses about the decision, my strengths/weaknesses, and their thoughts. It was so helpful to hear a realistic, objective assessment of both myself AND the school’s vibe as I made this huge decision.

–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I would have started to talk to students way earlier (before I even started preparing for the GMAT/GRE) – once I started, I realized how much more beneficial it was to be face-to-face (or over Zoom) to get a true sense of the program and ask questions about their experience. It also gave me more experience articulating who I was and what I was looking to someone new, which was a huge part of the process.

–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
It was very challenging to make the decision to leave my former company – I really grew up there and had so many amazing mentors and friends. At the same time, it helped to feel so supported by a community in taking the step to go to business school.

What is your initial impression of the CMU Tepper students/culture/community?
I was struck by the extent to which everyone was truly themselves. I saw a great diversity in personalities, interests, and hobbies, and I loved how those differences seemed to bring the group together. Additionally, everyone was so helpful, candid and willing to share about their own experience.

What is one thing you have learned about CMU Tepper that has surprised you?
I love how Tepper places so much value on being interdisciplinary. I have learned I can take classes at virtually any of the CMU schools – Computer Science (top in the nation), Theatre – and the school really strives to support that collaboration.

What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
As much as I’m excited to round out my skillset with the quant coursework that Tepper is known for, there’s definitely some anxiety that comes with that!

What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
The people! I’m so excited to get to know my cohort and build relationships.