Casey Lipton Rubinroit, Northwestern Kellogg’s MBA Class of 2026
Age: 29
Hometown: New York
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Pennsylvania – Philosophy, Politics, Economics Major
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Sweetgreen Product Marketing Lead (2.5 years)
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
I did not have a formal marketing education at my undergraduate institution, so after quite a few years in the field of marketing, I wanted to round out my skill set and increase my level of confidence in working with my teammates and my cross-functional partners.
Why did you choose Northwestern Kellogg? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I was drawn to Northwestern Kellogg for both the academic offerings and the school’s culture. Kellogg is well-known for its marketing department, and classes such as Marketing Strategy for Growth and Defense were attractive to me for my career development. I was a JV (what Kellogg calls partners) prior to applying to the 1Y program and Kellogg did such an incredible job in creating a community in which I felt welcome as a partner. As a partner to a JD/MBA, I was able to see firsthand how strong the Kellogg community was and how collaborative the students were with each other.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2026?
I have experience working in the QSR space at Sweetgreen, where I was fortunate to have exposure to many different areas of marketing, which involved launching and running a loyalty program, owning the national promotion and CRM strategies, enhancing the digital app experience, and working with third parties including DoorDash, GrubHub and UberEats.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I am a big fan of Ben & Jerry’s and worked for the company while in college where I had the opportunity to dress up as the cow mascot for Free Cone Day.
Post-MBA career interests:
Marketing for a QSR or CPG Brand
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
I would speak to students and learn more about the clubs and classes that would be of interest to me.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I would ask a lot more questions about the culture and events that students feel best encapsulate their experience. This would have been a great way to differentiate business schools and would have made me even more excited about applying to Kellogg which I could have incorporated into my application materials.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
I would have skipped the recommendation requests because it was uncomfortable to have to ask my mentors, who I know have a lot on their plates, to take time out of their day to fill out these materials. It was helpful to ask for my recommendations early and to spend time with my recommenders describing why I felt that I was a good fit for Kellogg.
What is your initial impression of the Northwestern Kellogg students/culture/community?
The Kellogg student body is highly collaborative. I first experienced this aspect of the culture this summer when I was taking accounting and finance, and my fellow classmates were willing to share study guides and explain homework assignments to one other. It felt like students were lifting each other up instead of just trying to do better than the rest of their classmates.
What is one thing you have learned about Northwestern Kellogg that has surprised you?
Kellogg offers many programs in addition to the traditional 2-year MBA that are meant to suit the needs of many different students. I am a 1Y, which was particularly attractive to me and what I was looking to get out of the MBA experience.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
There are so many events, classes and other opportunities that I want to take advantage of, but I only have one year to pack it all in. I am hopeful that I will be able to prioritize the activities that I am most excited about, but this is not always an easy task when there are so many attractive opportunities.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I am excited to take classes in areas that I am less comfortable in an encouraging environment. For example, this quarter I am taking a Capital Markets class, which is something that I do not have any experience in. This feels like a low-stakes environment where I can gain new skills without the pressure of having to “get it right” every time.
