Northeastern University, D'Amore-McKim School of Business

Q: Tell us about your background. A: I earned my undergraduate degree at the University of Albany as a double major in psychology and business. Halfway through college, I realized I didn't want to be a psychologist. As I was trying to decide what I wanted to pursue, I took a few accounting courses. The material was interesting and came naturally to me so I decided to explore earning a master's to gain the skills and expertise I would need to pursue it as a career. Q: What were you looking for when considering programs? Why did you choose D'Amore-McKim? A: I wanted to join a program that would help me jumpstart my career. D'Amore-McKim seemed to have a vested interest in each of its students. In contrast, other schools I was considering didn't seem to be as dedicated to preparing students for the professional world. I liked how eager Northeastern was to help and guide me toward success. Everyone at the university had my best interest at heart and wanted me to find my place and make the most of it. I really appreciated that. Q: Tell us about your three-month corporate residency at PwC. A: I was an external audit and assurance corporate resident at PwC from January to March during their busiest season. I served as an acting first-year associate for two clients—one in retail and the other in utilities. My learning was progressive. I first reviewed paperwork for my retail client and was then able to prepare those same documents for my utilities client. It felt great to be trusted to handle client work and perform some testing myself. I learned so much at PwC. Everyone was willing to share their knowledge, whether it was about clients, accounting, or the firm. I learned a lot about professionalism in my residency. I often had the opportunity to interact with clients and PwC's partners. These interactions helped me better understand what an auditor does and how to conduct client relationships. My experience solidified that I made the right choice in picking this program and career path. After working during the chaos of the busy season, I realized how capable I am and that I'm never alone in this industry. I'm grateful to say I accepted a full-time offer as an audit and assurance associate at PwC after completing my residency. My time as a corporate resident was such a great experience and taking this next step would not have been possible without D'Amore-McKim's dedication to helping me gain industry experience and build my professional network. Q: How will your MS in Accounting/MBA help you achieve your professional goals? A: My professional goal is to rise through the ranks in public accounting to a managerial position where I can make business decisions. Eventually, I want to hold a C-suite position where I can have a seat at the table to positively impact my community. Accounting is a company's backbone, so my degree will help me significantly in achieving my goals. The accounting curriculum has provided a solid foundation, including how accounting is integral to business decisions. The MBA portion of my degree taught me how to work with people, manage up and down, and advocate for myself and others. I've learned how to make appropriate business decisions and be flexible and reactive to stay ahead of the competition. Q: What advice would you share with future students? A: My advice for future students is to decide what positions and companies interest you and find the people who'll help you get there and support you. Prioritize open communication and ask for sincere, honest advice. You can only make the best decision once you have all the necessary information. Take advantage of earning a combined accounting and MBA degree in 15 months. The MS in Accounting/MBA is such a great program, and there are so many opportunities waiting for you in the Graduate School of Professional Accounting. Utilize your resources and soak in your experience.

Q: Why did you decide to get your Master's in Business Analytics? A: I am passionate about socioeconomic issues in the U.S. Understanding and addressing these issues requires knowledge of data and statistics. I ventured into this field to learn to handle data and analytics. Another reason was the increasing digital adoption in society, boosting the demand for data analytics professionals. I knew earning a Master's in Business Analytics would improve my technical skills and would be a valuable degree to have as a business professional. I was drawn to Northeastern's Master's in Business Analytics program because I would learn a variety of programming languages, and it didn't require previous technical knowledge. The coursework also promised tangible experiences that I knew would prepare me for a professional role after graduation. Q: What makes you passionate about business analytics? A: Technology has become so prominent that there are large, complex amounts of data that people are not exactly sure how to process. This is where coding and analytics come in—it helps growing businesses extract insight and information from this data to make it organized and useful. I want to work in marketing analytics and can't wait to utilize the knowledge I've learned to make an impact. Q: How has the program improved your technical skills? A: I gained a solid foundation in the tools and technologies used to analyze and visualize data. The curriculum started with fundamental theories, so I first gained an understanding of business analytics. Then it progressed, and I learned about coding tools and technology. I started this program without prior technical experience and have learned a great deal in my time here. I'm confident it has prepared me to use data analytics to make informed business decisions. Q: What will you be doing after graduation? A: I accepted a position as an Associate Consultant at C-space, a global consumer agency. My role involves using marketing research and analytics to translate consumer data into useful strategy for the company. What I learned in the Master's in Business Analytics prepared me for this role. The case studies we discussed in class helped me learn to identify business problems and solve them using different analytics tools and technologies. For my final project, I worked on ways to stimulate economic growth in the town of North Attleboro; the basis of my research involved collecting a lot of data by interviewing people. I will leverage all of this knowledge and experience I gained during this program and apply it to my role at C-space. Q: What would you say to prospective students considering the Master's in Business Analytics program? A: With the current trends in the job market, it's a good investment to learn about business analytics. More jobs and opportunities require an analytics background, so anyone considering a Master's in Business Analytics is taking a step in the right direction. Specifically, the Master's in Business Analytics at D'Amore-McKim sets its students up for success. The faculty is very knowledgeable and shares their industry knowledge to prepare you to become a business leader. I recommend the Career Management course taught by the Graduate Career Center advisors. This free class helped guide me through my job search. Through this class, I received interview guidance, participated in mock interviews, and learned how to network in professional spaces. The skills I gained will help me throughout my career.

Q: Tell me about yourself. A: After working in consulting as a financial accountant for about two years, I began considering a master's in finance because I wanted to learn more about coding and the mathematical approach to quantitative finance. Q: Why did you ultimately choose D'Amore-McKim to achieve your professional goals? A: One of the main reasons I chose D'Amore-McKim was the liberty the program offers me in selecting classes. This past semester, I took two electives chosen based on my interests and focus within the program. For example, Northeastern has many financial modeling courses, some strictly curated so that students may learn the coding language VBA. Having this skill is an important and attractive attribute when applying for jobs. Certain sectors in finance are looking for employees comfortable using this language and others like it, so I knew this program would give me a competitive edge in the future. My goal is to first return to consulting to build on my experience and utilize what I've learned, and in the future, I hope to pursue a career in private equity. Many of my courses this semester are focused on mergers, acquisitions, and valuations, and these skills are essential in consulting and private equity. I'm confident I can leave Northeastern and pursue a successful career. Q: What was it like working as an Equity Analyst with the 360 Huntington Fund? A: The 360 Huntington Fund is a student-run fund that encourages members to get involved and opens their eyes to what is happening in the market. I worked as an Equity Analyst, and I remember during the entire fall semester, I was tracking the market extremely closely so that I could contribute and get involved. I really valued the interactive nature of the fund and the opportunity it gave me to listen to other students. It allowed me to put myself out there and talk to new people. It was a fun experience where we all learned so much. Q: You just finished a graduate co-op with Impact Point Co. What was it like? A: Impact Point Co. is a consulting firm startup where I worked closely with the office of the CFO as a consultant. I spent my time as a co-op creating thirteen-week forecasts and learning how to take a company's financials and forecast decisions for the long term. This position allowed me to work within a startup while also learning to consult with larger private equity firms. I know the practical knowledge I gained through this hands-on experience will make me stronger in future consulting roles. When my co-op ended, they offered me a full-time position after I finish my program, so I can't wait to keep growing with the company. Q: Congratulations on the new role! How has your master's prepared you for your future career? A: At Northeastern, students are given the opportunity to learn and practice the skills that are essential to their future careers. Many courses involve projects and presentations requiring the ability to think on your feet, clearly articulate your ideas, and show your technical knowledge. My data analytics class was one of my favorites. I had access to data camp for an entire six months. Most students come from a background where we wouldn't necessarily have access to this information, so this access was incredibly useful in helping me feel prepared for the future. Being a graduate student at D'Amore-McKim, and having the opportunity to do a graduate co-op, have allowed me to leverage my valuation and corporate finance skills, which I will use in my new full-time position. Q: What advice would you share with future students? A: Say yes to the opportunities presented to you. Say yes to being the team leader in a project. Take on new responsibilities. Speak with professors and ask them for help. They are amazing and will talk to you and provide helpful information. It is important to put yourself out there and speak to new people. Don't be shy! and take advantage of the diverse Northeastern community.

Q: What made you decide to pursue your master's degree in International Management at Northeastern? A: My goal is to secure a position in global hospitality management. Earning my master's in international management will compliment my undergraduate background and prepare me for the career that I want. A master's degree is also highly respected in my culture. Northeastern is famous for its experiential learning and preparing students for job opportunities. I hope to work in the U.S. post-graduation, and the many opportunities offered at D'Amore-McKim to participate in real industry projects and networking events will help me gain experience that will help me launch my career. Q: Tell us about your “Make your case” consulting experience. A: For my “Make my case” consulting project, I worked on a small team to advise a Northeastern alum who founded Drink Simple, an organic beverage company that sells maple water. Our task was to build a marketing campaign to boost sales by raising product awareness and providing market education about the misconception that maple sap is a sugary, unhealthy product. I did a lot of research on the healthy beverage industry. My marketing professor mentored us and gave us unique insights into the market. We isolated the root cause of why Drink Simple' hasn't broken through the market and made recommendations for solutions. Our client loved our ideas for her brand and has expressed interest in putting them into action. “Make Your Case” gave me the confidence and skillset to carry out impactful marketing campaigns and build a brand's image. I'm excited to put this experience on my resume. Q: What was your experience participating in a “Consult-a-thon”? A: During the Consult-a-thon, I was responsible for interviewing a client and boosting their company's online presence and engagement through videos and digital marketing. As a former blogger, I enjoyed the opportunity to return to that creative process, work with a real business, and put theory into practice. After the Consult-a-thon ended, our client asked my team to move forward with implementing our proposed solution. That is rewarding. This hands-on experience has been so impactful for me and has given me confidence in myself to use all of the skills I've learned in this program. Q: How has your master's prepared you to achieve your professional goals? A: My graduate experience has granted me not only theoretical knowledge but helped me develop my communication skills, leadership mindset, and confidence. Through my studies, I served as a Teacher's Assistant, reinforced my passion for digital marketing with my Consult-a-thon project, and worked with Drink Simple for my “Make Your Case” project. Through these experiences I've learned how to negotiate, problem-solve, talk to clients, and adopt a professional and driven attitude. Having these real-life scenarios to show potential employers how I apply what I've learned has already improved my confidence in interviews. That speaks to the power of Northeastern and its ability to set its students up for success. Q: What advice would you share with future students? A: Your courses won't just serve as a pathway for a master's degree. View them as your stepping-stones for your future employability. Don't ever underestimate yourself—whatever you want to do, try it. The whole Northeastern community is here to support you while you're exploring new interests and opportunities. So don't worry.