Julia Schwart, Columbia Business School MBA Class of 2026
Age: 25
Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Cornell University, Food Science and Viticulture and Enology
Pre-MBA Work Experience: I worked as a Regulatory Affairs Associate Scientist at PepsiCo for three years. I oversaw product and labeling compliance for Gatorade, which entailed reviewing ingredient specifications, generating ingredient lines and nutrition facts panels, and providing technical insight for the use of marketing claims on pack.
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
I made the decision to attend business school seeking for a career pivot from R&D CPG into Tech or Consumer VC. While I enjoyed my role in R&D at PepsiCo, the career progression seemed very specialized and analytical for me. While working I discovered that my strengths and enjoyment were linked to people and project management rather than technical competencies. Business School would help me develop my managerial skills further, teach me how to think more broadly and strategically, and provide me with the network and resources to succeed in this pivot.
Going to school as soon as I came to this realization felt like the right thing. I’m young and I have my entire career ahead. Might as well take advantage of school for personal and professional development now to be able to apply these learnings for as long as I can.
Why did you choose CBS? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I chose Columbia Business School because I was living in NYC for work already and wanted my business school years to expand and solidify my professional network and community of friends in the city for the longer term. In addition, going to business school in a city that is at the center of business gives students access to countless in-semester internship opportunities, highly influential guest speakers, and invigorating activities to develop both personally and professionally.
Lastly, I love Columbia Business School’s internationality. The school is known to be one of the most international top business schools. I knew the diversity of the student cohort would lead to an enriching experience of constant learning both in and out of the classroom.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2026?
I believe that aside of bringing a very unique professional background into the program due to the specialized nature of my majors and role at work, my most valuable contribution is my uplifting, raw, and encouraging energy.
I was born with a motor disability that taught me how to build resilience, perseverance, and a growth mindset from a very young age. I’ve learned to be confident in my own skin and strategically seek for help to achieve what seemed impossible at first.
Due to these experiences, I find myself inspiring others to be authentic, carry themselves confidently and voice their thoughts and ideas fearlessly while staying grounded and humble.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I always considered traveling to be part of my education. So far I have visited 53 countries and counting… Hope I get to all of them someday.
Post-MBA career interests:
I love the consumer product space, more specifically better for you products in wellness. I’m also really passionate about cutting edge technology and transformative innovation. Therefore I will be most likely pursuing a role in Consumer VC, or a commercial role in tech like product marketing management or customer success.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
I loved all the self reflection and introspection the application process entailed. I enjoyed taking the time to journal and think about who I am, what I aim to achieve in the near future and what contributions I’ll bring to the MBA community. These are some profound questions that the essay prompts encouraged me to think about and I enjoyed the growth and self actualization that stemmed from it.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I decided to apply to MBA programs six months before the deadline. While people had recommended me to get a competitive test score on the GRE before I started drafting essays, I had to do both simultaneously because I was running against the clock. I woke up multiple times at dawn to take practice tests before work. I solved practice exercises while commuting on the train to work and back. I felt the intensity and the time pressure that I could have avoided if I allocated a year to prepare the application instead of six months.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
Oh man…. the test was a tough challenge. I struggled quite a bit to get a competitive GRE score. I studied for 25 to 30 hours a week and I was barely seeing any improvement in my score. I would have totally skipped that.
What helped me to study smarter was to create an error log and think thoroughly through the questions I was making mistakes on. I worked on foundational middle school math puzzles and built better intuition for the quantitative section of the GRE from them.
What is your initial impression of the CBS students/culture/community?
I love how inclusive and respectful the culture at Columbia Business School is. Students and professors are very open to new ideas and constructive feedback to make the most of the academic experience. The classroom setting feels safe and non-judgemental and I truly feel like we are learning how to share valuable points of view, and try new things in a lower stakes setting which encourages experimentation.
What is one thing you have learned about CBS that has surprised you?
I was very surprised about the grade non disclosure policy of the school. Most classes prioritize effort over accuracy. The academic culture fosters collaboration rather than competition.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
I’m a bit anxious about navigating competing priorities. The semester is in full swing with academics, extracurriculars and social activities and recruitment for summer internships. I know striking a balance and prioritizing self care will be the trickiest it has ever been for me.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I’m excited for all the travel plans. The MBA program encourages travel both through classes with immersive field experiences abroad or unofficially with friends to visit cool places like their home countries which helps understand their cultures first hand.
