Megan Brunick MSBA ’22 Carves an Atypical Path into Marketing Analytics
From a young age, Megan Brunick MSBA ’22 knew she wanted to study and pursue a career in business. As she researched the different areas related to the field, the more she found herself drawn to the world of business analytics.
“It was a good mixture of creative thinking and strategy, and was also based in mathematics and quantitative reasoning,” she said.
The Virginia Beach native knew of William & Mary’s reputable undergraduate business school programs so when it came time to apply for college, the Raymond A. Mason School of Business topped her list of schools.
“I was looking for a smaller community and campus that had prestigious academics and a strong alumni network,” she explained. “William & Mary was welcoming and had the feel of a small school but had the resources of a large school.”
Shortly into her freshman year, Brunick discovered that she had a number of AP credits from high school that, when transferred over, would allow her to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in three years. After learning about the Mason School’s two-semester Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program, she knew that was the next right step.
“I thought it would serve me well professionally to complete my undergrad education and this one-year program in four years,” she said.
Maximizing Her Mason School Experience
Brunick says there were many highlights during her tenure as a William & Mary undergraduate and graduate business student. Academically, she was able to explore different topics of interest – from her concentration in marketing to electives sponsored by Mason School partners – that exposed her to the different applications of technology in the business space. The MSBA also allowed her to further develop the technical skills she was introduced to as an undergraduate.
“The MSBA program really focused on diving deeper into analytics topics that as an undergraduate I dipped a toe into,” she explained. “I learned R and Python which I didn’t know previously, and we worked with tools like Tableau, SQL, and Alteryx which will be vital to my career.”
Personally, a highlight for Brunick during her William & Mary experience was when she was invited to speak as one of three student representatives at the University’s Charter Day celebration.
“I was asked to share personal stories with the school’s honored guests about how research and innovation opportunities impacted my experience in college,” she said. “I was comfortable public speaking because of all the presentations we had to deliver in class and it was special to represent the business school at such a celebratory occasion.”
Brunick says another significant part of her time at William & Mary was participating as an active member of her sorority. She feels she was able to make an impact by sharing her experience as a business undergrad and MSBA student with younger sorority sisters.
“I was sort of designated as the go-to person to talk to about the business school. I really valued doing four full years of college at William & Mary and want to help others see different paths they can pursue while at the college,” she said.
Carving A Career in Marketing Analytics
Professionally, Brunick secured a product marketing internship with Synopsys the summer before she entered the MSBA program. It was an opportunity for her to apply her marketing concentration in the real world, and the experience ultimately solidified her desire to pursue a career in marketing analytics.
“I worked on data-oriented projects which piqued my interest in how data and analytics apply in the marketing field. I am thankful for my career advisor and for all of the resources that are available to MSBA students through the Graduate Career Management Center. They were supportive and helped me go a different route from my peers who were pursuing employment opportunities in consulting or more traditional data analyst type roles,” she said.
After graduation this spring, Brunick plans to join Red Ventures in Charlotte, North Carolina as a Digital Marketing Analyst. She is excited to join a fast-growing field and leverage the in-demand skills she’s acquired through the MSBA program, and she is looking forward to moving to a new city and exploring all that Charlotte has to offer young professionals.
“William & Mary prepared me technically as well as to know how to apply those technical skills and convey insights in a business setting,” she said. “The Mason School expects a lot out of you, and pushes you and challenges you in each assignment to develop those hard and soft skills. That approach aligns well with my motivation style, and I am excited to jump into a new city and this new career at Red Ventures.”
