Aurora Straus, Emory Goizueta Business School MBA Class of 2026
Age: 25
Hometown: Cold Spring, NY
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Harvard, History & Literature primary / Government secondary
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Professional race car driver (8 years), Consultant at Bain & Company in the NY Office (2 years)
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
For “why MBA,” MBA has a unique value proposition for me insofar as I’m here to learn, not to pivot industries or job-seek. I have unique experience across motorsports, startups, and Bain, but my actual business training is limited to on-the-job training and online searches. An MBA will provide me with some of the foundational knowledge I feel like I’ve been missing.
For “why now,” I’m currently continuing to work full-time as a race car driver while launching a new luxury Motor Club in Florida (called P1 Motor Club – www.p1motorclub.com). I’m only a few weeks in, but doing an MBA concurrently with P1 Motor Club has been a HUGE unlock – I’ve been leveraging coursework and programs at Goizueta to help me in my day-to-day work, whether that’s developing a more nuanced go-to-market strategy or more effectively negotiating investor proposals.
Why did you choose Emory Goizueta? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
Because learning is my primary goal for my MBA, Emory’s small class size (130 people in my class!) and 5:1 student to faculty ratio were huge factors for me. I also loved Emory’s location – as someone who travels constantly, Atlanta is the ideal airport for me.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2026?
Perspective. Once another driver pushes you into a concrete wall at 175 mph, normal life slows down. Because “life or death” is my baseline, I have discovered I am very calm during otherwise stressful situations! My friends joke that Harvard was my low stakes escape from the stresses of motorsports. Over time, I have found that being a “stress absorber” is infectious – friends who are frustrated with work or relationships come to me looking for balanced, calm reactions.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I play piano, bass, guitar, and I sing. When I was younger, I wanted to be a folk singer.
Post-MBA career interests:
Motorsports!
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Not overthinking / drawing out the process! In early December 2023, I attended a Bain info session on preparing for the following year’s MBA applications. I decided that given my current career trajectory with motorsports and P1 Motor Club, it made more sense for me to apply now in Round 2. Because I condensed the entire standardized prep, research, and application process into about 3 weeks, I had to be extremely targeted about what I was looking for and why. At the time, it felt very rushed – but looking back, I think it spared me from a lot of stress and waffling that many of my friends experienced when they spent 12+ months on the process.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I wish I had visited more schools in advance, and sat in on “normal” days versus admissions-catered programming. It’s easy to get laser-focused on rankings or career outcomes, but I realized a few weeks into the process that culture was everything for me, and that it’s hard to really get an idea of a school without visiting it yourself.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
Oooof, GRE prep – that would’ve been painful anyway, but was exacerbated by the fact that I had one real shot at it before Round 2 applications were due. I give full credit to the Princeton Review self-study programs for a very effective crash-course.
What is your initial impression of the Emory Goizueta students/culture/community?
My initial impression of Emory was amazing! I was fortunate enough to be named one of Emory’s Woodruff Scholars, and my first on-campus experience was while visiting for that program. I was blown away by the level of camaraderie that Emory’s small class size and dedicated faculty creates, as well as students’ genuine love for learning. Every single student I spoke to mentioned one class or professor by name when describing their favorite things about Goizueta (which was unique relative to other schools I visited).
What is one thing you have learned about Emory Goizueta that has surprised you?
Goizueta is often typecast as a “consulting” school and an Atlanta-centric program (for understandable reasons given its impressive placements into Atlanta-area consulting firms), but Emory’s broad influence across industries and geographies has surprised me. Goizueta has very well-established connections within general management, corporate strategy, tech and entrepreneurial ventures, and more, and their reach spans well beyond metro ATL.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
I’m most anxious about time management. I self-selected into a program that is known for having a more rigorous academic nature, and I’m still working on the side as a P1 Motor Club partner and a professional driver. I’m a few weeks into our “core” semester, and it’s been a bit of a roller coaster!
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I’m most excited about the opportunity to apply all the skills I’m learning in my MBA program to my existing career in motorsports. It’s only been a few weeks, and I’m already noticing huge dividends.
