Katelyn Vu is a current Fashion & Luxury MBA student, specializing in Luxury Marketing and Brand Management. Prior to Stern, she worked at Neo Media World (WPP) as a Marketing Manager. Katelyn has 5+ years of experience in digital marketing and strategy, partnering with EssilorLuxottica, Amazon, Sony and a variety of tech companies. At Stern, she is involved in the Luxury & Retail Club. Outside of work and school, Katelyn enjoys traveling around the world and trying different cuisines.
As an NYU Stern MBA student, my days are filled with classes, group meetings, networking events and social engagements. Thus, time management skills are critical and Google Calendar is my friend. No days are the same, but here is a snapshot of a typical day in my life as a “FLUX” (Fashion & Luxury) MBA student.
With multiple alarms starting at 7AM, my day usually begins around then. I often listen to news podcasts like Up First by NPR as I prepare for school. Around 8:20 AM, I head down to the subway. Since I live near World Trade Center, my commute to school is only 20 minutes by train and it’s a great time to check my emails and skim through news articles from the Business of Fashion and Vogue Business sites. Once I get to school, I stop by Matto Espresso in the Stern Sosnoff Lounge for an iced latte and some baked goods to get myself ready for a full day of activities.
At 9AM, it’s time for class. Today, in Pricing class, we learn about regression analysis and profit maximization strategy. After the morning class, I swing by the Nyman Family Reading Room – aka the quiet grad lounge – on the 4th floor to work on my homework and review the cases for my next class.
For lunch, I usually pick up something nearby to munch on while continuing to work on my projects and papers. However, I have scheduled a coffee chat with a Stern alum today so I head to Hudson Yards for the meeting.
After lunch, I come back to campus and swing by the Office of Career Development to prep myself for the recruiting season. The Careers team helps with job search strategy as well as resume and cover letter review, and mock interviews.
At 3 PM, it’s time for another class. The afternoon session is Brand Strategy with Professor Gormley. We discuss the brand identity of legacy brands such as Chase and National Geographic. We, then, break into groups to work on our projects.
At NYU Stern, we get a lot of opportunities to meet with industry leaders as it is located in the center of NYC. Student organizations often invite company founders and industry experts to speak about their experiences and perspectives on different topics. These events are a great way to build connections. I usually say hello to the speakers and introduce myself at the end of each event. Today, we get to hear from Liah Yoo, founder of Krave Beauty. It’s so inspiring to hear about her journey in creating and growing her business, and how she has authentically competed in the beauty industry.
At 5:50 PM, I run to my pilates class in Soho. It is very important for me to try to stay healthy amidst my busy schedule!
By 7:30PM, it’s time to relax and socialize. I head to MacDougal Street right near campus to meet my friends for a drink and dinner. This is my chance to get to know my classmates and continue to build relationships that will last beyond graduation.
My day ends around 10 PM as I head home to prepare for the next day.