“The biggest reason I can so confidently say, “I’m so glad I came here and had this experience,” is that I just feel like my concept of myself and what my future could hold is so wildly different.”

Back by popular demand, Graciela Brewer returns to reflect on her Harvard Business School experience. We discuss what she found easier and more difficult than expected, how she has made the most of her HBS MBA, and her thoughts on how applicants can best prepare for business school.

Questions

• Introducing Graciela Brewer (0:00)
• Graciela’s Harvard Business School experience: expectations vs. reality (4:00)
• What Graciela found most valuable about her HBS experience (17:30)
• HBS during the pandemic (23:10)
• Graciela’s involvement in the Latino Student Organization and Socioeconomic Inclusion Task Force (28:00)
• Graciela’s thoughts on prioritizing mental health, well-being and family at HBS (34:00)
• How Graciela landed her internship – and post-MBA job – at Toast (38:00)
• Taking advantage of “time off” at business school (47:00)
• Graciela’s advice for MBA applicants: talk to students and work on your stories! (51:30)
• How Graciela would re-design the HBS MBA (55:30)
• Last thoughts for applicants, including her formula for student involvement (1:00:00)

About Graciela (Grace)

Graciela Brewer is a second year MBA at Harvard Business School. After she graduates, she will help Toast, which makes software for the restaurant industry, with design operations. Before attending Harvard Business School, Grace got her B.S in Information Science from Missouri University of Science & Technology and worked as a Senior UX Designer at Netsmart.

Episode Sponsor: Queen’s University’s Smith Full-time MBA

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Show Notes

• Connect with Graciela on LinkedIn
• Harvard Business School MBA
• #163 How I Got into Harvard Business School with Graciela Brewer
• Latino Student Organization at Harvard Business School
• Socioeconomic Inclusion at Harvard Business School
• Meet the MOMBAS – persisting through a difficult year
• Toast: built to make your restaurant better
• The 2-Hour Job Search by Steve Dalton
• MBA Coffee Chats by Bob Manfreda and Adam Putterman
• Authentic Leadership Development

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