MBA Student Sarah Walsh: What's in Your Bag?

Vice President of Community for our student government, Board member for Carlson 4 Community, an interview coach for the Graduate Business Career Center, a Carlson buddy, and a representative for Carlson during recruiting, Sarah Walsh (FT MBA ’15) is one of my favorite people at Carlson–and, as you might have concluded, is one of the most visible around.

Sarah also has a reputation for being one of the most organized in our class, and is particularly known for binding a class’ notes, readings, and agenda all in one nice booklet. If you look down at the pictures, you’ll note the large binder. It’s quite impressive, and really sets the theme for the items in her bag:

ITEMS:
- A water bottle
- Apple MacBook Pro
- Binder of class materials
- Calendar
- To-do list/book
- Sharpies and highlighters
- Pens
- Kate Spade pencil bag
- Chapstick
- Mints

What’s your most important item in your bag?
Sarah: Definitely my to-do list and my calendar. Being organized has been critical to my success and helped me manage the different homework assignments, club activities, social activities, and career activities. I love planning events and bringing people together as well, but it just makes things even more complicated. Writing things down really helps me prioritize my schedule. 

Why Carlson?
Sarah: I’ve always been interested in marketing, but really fell in love with it during my internship as an undergrad. My manager at the time told me that if I wanted to manage a brand, I would need an MBA at some point. Carlson was attractive due to its Enterprise program, and it’s been helpful in helping me transition to a marketing role. 

What do you like the most about the MBA program so far?
Sarah: The Brand Enterprise program; as a career switcher, I found it really valuable to have real-world marketing projects through the program. I’ve had the opportunity to have a 7-week project and then two 14-week projects, giving me nearly a whole year of marketing experience between the Enterprise and my summer internship at Kimberly-Clark.

And of course, from a personal perspective, it’s been great to meet all of these new people and to make new friends. I’ve loved the small class feel and the ability to really get to know everyone in the program.

A big thanks to Sarah for agreeing to interview and show us what's in her bag!