How My Time on Broadway and Entrepreneurial Mindset Helped Me Navigate The First Year of Business School

After performing as an artist and entrepreneur in NYC, Julianne Katz (Rice, ‘21) decided to move to Houston to attend the Rice University MBA Program to explore new career interests and passions. During her first semester of business school, Katz relied on her entrepreneurial skills to navigate the transition from work to business school, and initial challenges. In this interview, Katz talked about how she prepared for her MBA, how she navigated her first semester at Rice, and her advice for prospective MBA students who are preparing for business school.

MBASchooled: What did you do prior to business school, and why did you choose to come to business school?

Prior to business school I was a performing artist and entrepreneur in New York City. I got to live out my childhood dreams of performing in many productions, including the Broadway National Tour of Fiddler on the Roof. My last few years in NYC I worked as an associate director/choreographer to Broadway living legend Susan Stroman. I had a long list of side hustles while living the artist life, including a business that I co-founded. That business ignited new passions and ideas, and ultimately led me to want to get my MBA.

MBASchooled: After you decided to attend business school, what was your timeline like leading up to business school? What did you do leading up to coming to school, and when did you arrive on campus?

My decision to pursue business school was pretty abrupt. I signed up for a GMAT class hours after making the decision, rushed my Round 2 applications, did zero networking and ended up on several waitlists. Summer 2018 rolled around and I didn’t move from those waitlists.

That summer I started attending events (Forte sponsored, individual school info sessions, etc) and making connections with current students. I signed up for the HBS Online CORe program and MBAmath.com to get my feet wet and have some additional proof of my determination for admissions purposes. I did ten Round 1 applications for a very targeted list of schools where I knew I was a “fit.” It was a long and drawn out process.

I quit most of my jobs a couple months before classes started and moved to Houston about two weeks before school started. By the time I actually started school (2 years after beginning the admissions process), I had done so much work in order to prove myself that I felt really ready.

MBASchooled: How has your previous work experience helped you navigate business school so far? What other skills or experiences have you had to learn or gain in order to navigate business school

Having experience as an entrepreneur has been everything. I can draw upon experiences that I didn’t even realize were meaningful or applicable. My EQ and the soft skills I’ve developed from my life in the arts have also been impactful in my experience. Empathy, listening and communications skills are vital to get through all the group work and job recruiting.

MBASchooled: As a “career switcher,” what was the biggest challenge you had to overcome to adjust to business school? How did you manage through that?

Quant classes! Having very fast moving classes in finance, accounting, and data analytics all at once in the first semester was overwhelming. On top of getting all your work done and maintaining good grades, you are expected to network and recruit for internships almost daily. That first semester burn-out is very real! I don’t know that I managed through it… but I did get through it, as did all of my classmates. I think reminding yourself that “everyone gets through it” helps soften the experience.

MBASchooled: During your first year, was your favorite experience at Rice during your first year, and why?

It sounds really cliche, but my favorite experience at Rice has been bonding with my classmates/friends. I really love the Rice community and have learned so much from all my classmates.

MBASchooled: Knowing what you know now, what else would you have done prior to business school to prepare for the first semester? / What advice do you have for how prospective MBA students should prepare before going to business school especially considering the uncertainty with the world right now?

I was not expecting the recruiting process to begin so quickly. I had a few major interviews before I even started classes. Though the Career Development Office helps us with some prep work over the summer, I was not fully secure in my narrative, nor did I have ample opportunity to learn about and network with the companies.

If I could go back for a redo, I would have postponed those interviews and spent my time networking and trying to do some office visits instead. I had a perception that “the earlier, the better.” But I do not recommend accepting early interviews unless your interview skills are already outstanding. Doing a mediocre interview in July is not better than doing a really great interview in January.

Given the current state of uncertainty in the world right now, my biggest advice is to stay open minded about the opportunities that may come your way. Things may not look exactly as you pictured them. Some job opportunities that once looked promising are diminishing, but other opportunities to solve sudden, current problems are popping up. Networking looks different now, so take advantage of small, personalized opportunities to connect. Reach out to second year students in advance of school starting. They will be so happy to help guide you and it will help alleviate some of the uncertainty. Reach out to alumni for zoom zoom coffee chats. Though your MBA journey may not be as smooth as you had hoped, now is really a great time to build connections with mentors who may have a little extra time on their hands.

MBASchooled: Given the shift to a virtual MBA Experience as a result of COVID-19, what was the last part of your year like? How did you and your classmates try to maintain the experience?

Obviously, the switch to a virtual MBA experience is not ideal, as socializing and networking is such a big part of the journey. Within the virtual classroom, having breakout rooms was always a nice way to quickly check in with classmates. Rice’s student association made a huge effort to keep our weekly Partio (Party on the Patio) going virtually, including International Partio, where students were able to share a little piece of their culture. Students stepped up in various ways to keep us connected, such as doing cooking/baking lessons over Zoom. The Rice Business Women’s Organization has stayed incredibly connected– we’ve had amazing yoga classes and dance classes, I’ve had the pleasure of hosting a weekly bootcamp class, and our leaders have kept the book club thriving. Was it just as good as the real thing? Of course not! But watching my friends make lemonade out of lemons has been incredibly impressive and motivating.

MBASchooled: How did you adjust to the virtual academic experience? What worked for you, and what was challenging?

It was a really tough adjustment, not only for students, but for professors, too. We all dealt with tech issues, distractions, and the emotional ups and downs of navigating this new pandemic experience. The most challenging thing (especially in those first few weeks) was maintaining focus in the classroom while breaking news was happening all around us.

For me, it was vital to keep a disciplined calendar. I scheduled my workouts, my mealtimes, my reading and homework time, etc. Without having clear expectations of myself and what I needed to accomplish in a day, I would very easily put things on the back burner and just stay glued to the news.

I think what got me through the “down” days was just constantly reframing the situation for myself. None of us signed up for an online MBA, but we still had a wonderful opportunity to be learning and growing throughout this situation. Maintaining a sense of gratitude for my education, however it was delivered, was what I clung to throughout the end of the semester.