Victoria Schetelich
University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin School of Business
MBA Graduation Year: 2020
Specialization: Brand and Product Management
Hometown: Cranford, New Jersey
Internship: Internship: Marketing Manager Intern; Intuit; Mountain View, California
Position: Marketing Manager; Intuit; Mountain View, California
When I started my career, I always knew I wanted to be in leadership to make impactful decisions and shape a company’s future. Then, working at a technology startup, I realized I had a passion for understanding customers and building strategies. I knew an MBA would help me reach my leadership goals, help me fine-tune my business acumen, and expose me to exciting opportunities in a new field.
The specialization model at Wisconsin was the perfect way to experience and take advantage of large-school opportunities and still get the personalized touch of a curated curriculum and active advisors. To switch careers to marketing, I saw how Wisconsin’s model would accelerate my knowledge in the field and connect me with positions and companies.
The career services team is amazing and is a large part of why I chose Wisconsin for my MBA … I am incredibly grateful to have had such tremendous support.
—Vicky Schetelich (MBA ’20)
My very first applied learning was with Procter & Gamble and started the first week of my first year. As part of a case involving the introduction of Tide laundry services, we formed teams. Mine was assigned to do an in-home interview with a local Madison customer. We interviewed a young woman at her apartment, discussing her laundry habits and preferences. I could not believe we were actually doing real-life interviews this early! It was exciting and impactful, and I knew then that I had made the right decision to come to the University of Wisconsin. I loved the hands-on learning and gained the skills and confidence to complete 20 interviews during my summer internship.
The applied learnings in my specialization helped me understand what the real life of a marketer looks like. I learned how cross-functional teams work and where marketing fits into business. Those lessons trained me to always keep the customer at the forefront of every decision and action, which is the heart of marketing! Beyond my specialization, the MBA core classes and structure helped me hone my teamwork skills, work across different disciplines, and gain leadership skills.
The career services team is amazing and is a large part of why I chose Wisconsin for my MBA. During my first few weeks of school they led classes that prepared me to do brand management-specific interviews and taught me how to frame my answers and plan an interview strategy. The team was crucial in preparing me and building my confidence for interviews. They also helped me make decisions on full-time job choices, which interviews to take, which alumni to network with, and which conferences to attend. I am incredibly grateful to have had such tremendous support.
My classmates are interesting, diverse, smart, and welcoming people who I have learned a lot from. The speed of the curriculum and interview schedule during the first year brought us all close together. I know that these peers will be lifelong friends and colleagues throughout my career. I really enjoyed Wisconsin’s smaller class size. I wanted to really get to know my classmates and professors, and it was clear that Wisconsin does an amazing job building a fun and encouraging community. And then there is Madison, which is a key part of the MBA experience. It is the perfect sized city. It has a lot of restaurants and activities plus shows and events happening outside of the university, so it feels like much more than a college town.
The MBA program has a proud and involved alumni base. I wanted to be a part of that large Badger network. Our alumni are very eager to give back their time and stay engaged in the program. Alumni return for recruiting and company information sessions, and really get to know each student. In my specialization, every student is paired with an alumni mentor our first year. My mentor is an associate director at Procter & Gamble who is a 2005 graduate. We speak on the phone every month. She helped me acclimate to grad school life, build my curriculum, prepare for interviews, and succeed during my internship. She makes time to meet with me when she is on campus and remains incredibly active in the program. This level of mentorship has been a critical part of my MBA experience.