Chris Brudzinski
"I didn't want to just be a number in a huge class. At Carlson you develop close connections with a large portion of your class."
Your Story
During undergrad I decided that what I really wanted after graduation was an intense leadership challenge. I knew that becoming an officer in the Marine Corps was about as challenging as it could get so I enrolled in their Officer Candidate School Program. During my five years on active duty I deployed multiple times and got to travel the world. I loved every minute of it, but knew that it wasn't necessarily what I wanted to do forever. My favorite part of the job was managing people, and I knew I wanted that in whatever I did next. With that in mind, a transition into the corporate world made a lot of sense. The Marine Corps gave me world-class leadership experience, but I needed to develop a set of business skills in order to be successful. Getting my MBA seemed like the perfect next step.
Why Carlson?
I chose Carlson for a couple of reasons. The first is location. I'd been away for nine years and wanted to give coming home a shot. Minneapolis is a great place to live and work. I also knew about Carlson's strong connections with the many Fortune 500 companies present in the Twin Cities. The other reason is the small class size and emphasis on community. I didn't want to just be a number in a huge class. At Carlson you develop close connections with a large portion of your class.
Overall Experience as a Carlson MBA Student
My experience here at Carlson has been overwhelmingly positive. It's allowed me to step outside my comfort zone and get involved in so many things I would never have done otherwise, from case competitions to student clubs. The classes here have done an excellent job at quickly getting me up to speed on business skills and acumen. Also, the on-campus recruiting process was critical to my landing a great internship. Last but not least, I've made many friendships that I know will last a lifetime.