In this Real Humans: Alumni, we meet Isabel Steffens, who was looking for a graduate business school experience that offered a smaller program, a general management track, and a great location. Dartmouth Tuck checked all those boxes. Read on to learn how Tuck’s resources and culture of collaboration provided the foundation for her success at Goldman Sachs.
Isabel Steffens, Dartmouth Tuck MBA ’25, Private Wealth Advisor at Goldman Sachs
Age: 30
Hometown: Los Altos Hills, CA
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of California, Santa Barbara, Economics
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Senior Strategic Operations Manager, Uber, 3 years (Dec 2020–July 2023), Tech; Senior Associate, Hamilton Place Strategies, 2.5 years (June 2018–Dec 2020), Consulting
Post-MBA Work Experience: Private Wealth Advisor, Goldman Sachs, 1 year (started July 2025), Financial Services
Why did you choose to attend business school?
I chose to attend business school because I wanted to expand my network, gain clarity on my long-term career goals, and grow my leadership skills.
Why Dartmouth Tuck? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
After attending a large undergraduate university, I knew I was looking for a graduate experience in a smaller program. Tuck also offered a general management program, rather than requiring its students to specialize, which appealed to me as someone who wanted to broaden my general business acumen and leadership skills. From a personal perspective, I love the outdoors, so having access to both winter and summer sports in Hanover was a huge draw.
What about your MBA experience prepared you for your current career? How do you feel that your MBA has been an asset when it comes to navigating new challenges, such as AI?
The resources at Tuck were phenomenal when it came to figuring out what career path was right for me. One of the benefits of being in a small class is that we never had to compete for time with career counselors, alums who came back to network, or even time with professors. I found that at Tuck the well-rounded curriculum and vast resources helped me make an informed and confident decision when moving into the next phase of my career.
When you go back to school in your late-twenties you’re at a much different phase of life personally and professionally than you were in college. Tuck’s program required group collaboration in almost every class, which helped all of us have a better understanding of how to show up effectively at work in a team setting.
What was your internship during business school? How did that inform your post-MBA career choice?
I interned at Goldman Sachs in their Private Wealth Management division. I was fortunate to get a return offer so decided to return full time post-MBA.
Why did you choose your current company? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to work?
Goldman Sachs has an excellent reputation and brand which was a primary factor in my decision to join the firm. I spoke to a handful of Tuck alums who also joined Goldman Sachs’ Private Wealth Management practice and based on their positive experience at the firm, decided to pursue this career path.
Advice to current MBA students:
—One thing you would absolutely do again as part of the job search?
Use networking coffees and conversations to develop relationships and to ask well thought-out questions to really understand the career path you’re choosing to go into.
—What piece of advice do you wish you had been given during your MBA?
I was given this advice but would continue to give it to incoming MBAs: Enjoy your time at school, it’s such a unique time that you won’t get back!
