Tuck Bridge Stories: Kathryn Whitney

Kathryn Whitney is a 2013 graduate of Trinity College where she majored in American Studies and Political Science. Kathryn attended the 2011 Tuck Business Bridge Program. Currently at Latham & Watkins, a top-ranked, global law firm, Kathryn is in their Business Services Training Program. As a Business Services “Trainee,” she rotates through various administrative departments of the firm, providing a wide range of office support services to partners and associates. These departments include Accounting & Finance, Attorney Recruitment & Development, Attorney Support, Business Development, Human Resources, Litigation Services, Office of the General Counsel, Operations and Technology. This is her Bridge story:

I went to a small liberal arts school where I studied political science and American studies. I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in business, although I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do. However, I knew that I would have to further my, at that point, limited business education. Bridge provided me with invaluable business skills as well as opened my eyes to numerous career paths in the business world. Coming out of college, I applied for analyst positions at various investment banks. I ended up accepting a position as an analyst at a boutique firm that specializes in Mergers & Acquisitions in the industrials industry. Although I didn’t major in finance as an undergraduate, the fact that I had completed the Bridge program, along with some financial modeling classes post-graduation, gave my employer the confidence in my skill set to hire me.       

I was surprised that Bridge really did give us an inside look at what business school is truly like. The group structure of the program only enhanced the collegial, business school-like environment. Although I expected Bridge to be an intense and challenging academic program, I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun it was! I enjoyed being around fellow liberal arts students and exploring these subject areas for the first time together. The professors and BAs were so friendly and willing to meet at any point during the program to discuss everything from resumes and careers to what to expect from business school down the road. Their level of commitment to students going through the program was surprising, yet not surprising at all. 

My favorite moment of the program was going through MarkStrat. I enjoyed collaborating with my group and testing out strategies in the simulation. It was fun getting a real-world look at marketing, not to mention competing against the other teams! The simulation felt more like a  game than an educational experience.

Overall, my favorite part of Bridge was connecting with fellow Bridgers, Tuck professors and BAs. I enjoyed getting an inside look at what the academic part of business school is really like, while experiencing the teamwork, camaraderie and sense of community that is very much present at Tuck. The Bridge Program inspired me to pursue a MBA in the future and Tuck is definitely high on my list!