Q) Can you introduce yourself?

A) My name is Renata and I’m from Sao Paulo, Brazil. I’m a second year full-time MBA student at Chicago Booth. Prior to business school I worked in the CRM and Analytics spaces at a commercial bank, and did finance in FinTech.

Q) What made you decide to study in the US?

A) I wanted to switch industries (pivot to tech) - getting an MBA is a smooth way to do this transition. I already studied in Europe, so this time I wanted to come to the US to have the MBA experience.

Q) How was your experience as an international student in the US different from that in Europe?

A) Regarding daily life issues, in Europe, I lived in 4 different cities (Jouy-en-Josas/France, Paris/France, St. Gallen/Switzerland and Geneva/Switzerland) in a 1.5 year period. I lived in college dorms and sublet rooms, meaning that I didn’t have to deal with as many bureaucracies as I’m dealing now in the US. In Europe it was also easier to do other stuff, such as open a bank account or get a phone plan.

As for my experience, I think the main difference was that in Europe there were many internationals studying with me, and it was hard sometimes to figure out the “local” thing to do. Here in the US, and specially being in a big city as Chicago, many American friends try to show me Halloween movies, teach me drinking games, etc.

Q) What are your post-MBA plans? Do you plan to stay in the US?

A) I want to work in the tech industry here in the US. 

Q) Any advice you can give to international students who wish to work in the US? What are some challenges and opportunities that you faced as a MBA student in the US? 

A) Come prepared for a recruiting marathon. You need to study companies, network and prepare a lot before interviews. Every year fewer companies are willing to sponsor internationals, so try to find out with your school and classmates which companies are sponsoring.

An MBA student in a top school has many opportunities. Companies come to the campus to talk to students, it is easy to reach alumni, and there’s the opportunity to see many famous speakers during events. The challenge is time management. Two years fly and there are many different opportunities when you are an MBA student, so you need to pick the ones you want the most and stick to them.

Q) What are some things that you wish you knew about before coming to the US as an international student?

A) Try to come early to do all bureaucratic stuff. Since we don’t have SSNs (Social Security Numbers), we need to do everything in person. Also, summer is fun and there are many things happening in the US. It’s good to enjoy and relax before classes start. Full-time MBAs are 2 years long, but there are so many things happening during the MBA life that time passes really fast. Try to enjoy every moment!

Q) You were one of our early customers even before joining the team! Why did you choose ConnectED as your cell phone service provider?

A) When I heard about ConnectED Mobile for the first time, I didn’t know that getting a cell phone service provider in the US could be so troublesome. I could make a group and sign up for a family plan, but I didn’t want to charge or remember to pay my friends every month.

Before living here, I had bought only prepaid SIM cards in the US for short term vacations. However, I knew that option would be the most expensive. ConnectED was the best option to have an individual plan and have access to family plans’ pricing.

Q) Would you recommend ConnectED to your friends and family?

A) Yes! I always do! When I arrived in the US, I walked around the city for a few days and used the data to make sure it would have good reception. I also knew that I was going to travel abroad and I wanted a provider that had international roaming data included. I went to China and Mexico last year and my phone worked very well! I’m really happy with ConnectED Mobile. I always recommend it to incoming students to use it.