Why an MBA?
Prior to joining ISB I worked for almost three years with ITC Limited, across the tobacco and foods divisions. As Assistant Manager (Sales & Distribution) I was responsible for the tobacco sales, convenience and grocery channels, for Madhya Pradesh and then later for Goa and parts of western Maharashtra, and North Karnataka.

After my sales stint, I then joined the strategic brand management group in the foods division, as Assistant Brand Manager. I was involved in brand strategy development and implementation, including activities such as market research, market potential evaluation, launches for new brands, promotions and communication development for the confectionery portfolio consisting of the mint-O and Candyman brands.

This is actually a second MBA for me. As I mentioned earlier, the first one was from Symbiosis and was done right after my graduation. The decision to do a second MBA was mainly because I believe that the learning could be better reinforced with work experience. Also, I am now majoring in marketing and strategy and leadership. The strategy major, specially, will help me further hone my people management skills, as these are the most crucial for any successful marketing job.

My preparation for the GMAT was mostly on weekends as weekdays were too work-heavy. I practiced the usual Kaplan, Princeton etc, all the usual books that are recommended. I think one thing that brought some method to the madness was blocking a GMAT date. That gave me a clear timeline.

ISB was the clear choice for me. The reasons were many: the world renowned international faculty, the one-year advantage specifically as I would need to take out only 1 year from my work life) and the research that is happening in the school on emerging markets. And last but not the least, the fact that I could study in a world class environment and still stay close to home in India. It was the mélange of the best of both worlds, truly!

It has been a great experience. The most amazing thing is that the ISB will make you discover your true potential and make you realise that there is so much that you are capable of. You discover new horizons, that you never knew existed before.

Everyone here has so much to bring to the table. Awesome faculty, such a varied and diverse peer group, from whom you have the chance to learn all the time. Also various industry projects that I have done, have given the opportunity to merge my academic learning with real time practical consulting.

And to top all this hard work, the fun we have here is amazing. We work hard and party harder!