Kelsea Woods, Cambridge Judge MBA Class of 2025
Age: 31
Hometown: Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of South Carolina, B.A in Theatre with Leadership Distinction
Pre-MBA Work Experience: I’ve spent the last nine years specializing in influencer marketing, talent and brand partnerships both on the digital media side at Refinery29 and VICE Media Group as well as agency side with time at ITB Worldwide, Fohr and most recently, Influencer as a Senior Account Director. Throughout my career, I have helped hundreds of brands like P&G, Sephora, and Amazon partner with the right talent in a meaningful and authentic way through firsthand, creator-driven storytelling.
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
The decision to go to business school was a fairly easy one to make. Right before I turned 30, I spent a lot of time reflecting on my career progression to date, especially as a manager, and ultimately where I wanted to see myself grow in the next several years. I was ready for a new challenge, one that would have an even wider impact globally, and I realized that I was at a point in my life where I could fully commit to the experience. To me, going to business school was a crucial step in making the transitions in industry and geography I was looking for in the most strategic way possible.
Why did you choose Cambridge Judge? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I knew I wanted to study and remain in the UK after business school so I purposefully targeted programs in the UK. Cambridge Judge stood out from day one. I connected immediately with their mission statement and vision and the way that came to life through the program and the people involved. The sense of community at Judge was evident from every person I met with, even over Zoom, and to me, it felt like the best possible environment to embark on this year of personal and professional growth. It was also important to me that I would be studying at a program that was a part of a larger institution and that I would have additional touchpoints, like the college system, to make connections with students from different fields and backgrounds.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2025?
The diversity and breadth of my past experiences, coming from an arts background and managing different types of relationships, are unique on their own but together bring a lot of creative problem-solving power. Being able to make strategic and potentially unexpected connections has served me well and I am excited to bring that into collaborative work with my classmates.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I am a voracious reader and have picked back up reading/writing poetry in the last few years. While I was going through the interview process, I was reading a biography on Sylvia Plath and didn’t realize she also got her masters from Cambridge. Hearing how generative her time was at Cambridge felt like a little sign and I hope to find inspiration there too!
Post-MBA career interests:
Management Consulting; Private Bank Wealth and Relationship Management
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Once I knew I was going to apply, I decided that I would wait for the next application cycle to give myself a longer runway to work on my application and take the test. By giving myself the gift of time, I was able to be really strategic with how I approached all aspects of the application and make sure I was able to spend more time on certain parts than I would have otherwise been able to do. One of those things being coffee chats with current students and recent alumni. I would highly recommend anyone applying to business school talk with as many folks as you can. Out of the larger group of students I talked to, I made sure I could find other women from the US who were coming from non-traditional backgrounds to get an authentic feel for what my experience there could be like.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I wouldn’t change much in terms of the steps I took, but if I could do one thing differently, it would be to be a bit kinder to myself and take off some of the pressure.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
I am sure I am not alone when I say preparing for and taking the GMAT/GRE. Building a realistic but structured study schedule with time to rest and review was a game changer for me, especially when it came to learning and implementing test strategies.
What is your initial impression of the Cambridge Judge students/culture/community?
A large part of the reason I chose Cambridge was based on the culture and how closely the program’s values mirror my own. It was one of the most immediate things I felt when I first started engaging with students and the admissions office and compared to my engagements with other programs, the warmth and personal touch stood out.
What is one thing you have learned about Cambridge Judge that has surprised you?
I don’t think I fully grasped the extent of the networks that I will be joining both through Judge, my college, and Cambridge as a whole. Given how long the university has been around, it is no surprise that they are absolutely massive and I’m looking forward to joining the ranks.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
Getting back into student mode after being out of school for so long. The application process and preparing for the test were great primers but it is definitely tapping into a different part of the brain.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
It’s hard to narrow it down to just one thing but I would have to say I am most excited about all the discoveries I will make throughout the program. I am someone who is endlessly curious and loves to break things down and dive deep, so the anticipation of learning so much in this one year is deeply exciting.
