Q1. Hello Shubhangi, why don’t you start by telling us about yourself?

• I’m based out of Bangalore, India. I completed my undergraduate education from Christ University, Bangalore in BBA honors.
• Currently, I work here as a senior finance analyst at a US-based travel technology company called Headout.
• I have over five years of experience in the finance domain.

Q2. So Shubhangi, there’s a common myth out there that if you’re working in a startup, or you’re sort of involved in the startup ecosystem, an MBA really doesn’t make sense. What made you aspire to pursue your MBA?

• Yeah, that perception is definitely there, I think, mostly because you do get a lot of ownership working in a startup.
• For me, I saw a gap in my leadership skills. I believe that leadership is not just about ownership, it’s also about emotional intelligence.
• Through an MBA program, my motivation was that I’ll get to be a part of a diverse cohort, people coming from different cultural and professional backgrounds. Interacting, connecting and networking with them would make me a capable global leader.
• To move into strategy or to grow into a domain of strategy, GTM, and all those things, and grow further into the tech industry itself, I felt like I needed further skills. 
• An MBA program gives you a practical exposure, teaches you the application of those skills in various sectors.

Q3. While working with you, one thing that really stood out was your GMAT prep, which was a bit of a roller coaster, right? So why don’t you just maybe tell us about that? Because I still vividly recall you gave the exam multiple times, and, finally, cracked it.

• The first time I gave the exam was in June. I didn’t get my target score in the first attempt and landed with a low 600 score in the Classic Edition of GMAT.
• Since the application process itself takes like a few months, I was confused about my next step and that’s when I got in touch with The MBA Edge.
• The first conversation itself was about my approach towards GMAT and understanding why building a strategy was critical. We prepared a one month plan, where Abhinav sent a lot of resources and stuff that I can cover within a month to improve my score.
• After one month of preparation, I gave the exam again and there was a significant improvement in my score, which was still shy of the top median GMAT score at top schools. 
• I explored the waiver route, which was quite unconventional, and applied to a set of schools which were good fit from a career point of view.
• By the time I appeared for the GMAT the third time, I had gotten an admit from a good college like Simon Business School. So that actually removed a lot of exam anxiety and the performance pressure because I had a good backup plan by now.
• So I think the backup was definitely a game changer for me, which made me perform and give my best in my final and third attempt, where I was able to get my target score.

Q4. Any advice for those struggling with their GMAT prep?

• I think the perfect GMAT score is not the end of the world. 
• I believe about the GMAT exam itself, like it’s purely a logical exam. 

My approach initially towards the exam was just solving the toughest questions that exist in the question banks. But it’s really important to understand all the concepts and the question itself in a very layman terms, so that you are able to identify that what question is testing

• Something that I struggled a lot with was just decoding the question itself, because problems are very tricky. So yeah, understanding the question in very layman, basic terms.

I think the anxiety factor is one that gets to most of the candidates because even though the GMAT is not a very academic exam, the aptitude and the strategy matters the most. 

Q5. What was the application process like for you? 

• The first and the most important step in my application process was the long questionnaire that asked about my background and my goals, even my childhood.
• Post that we got into discussion about if MBA made sense for my career, then which colleges would be good fit for my profile and what could possibly be my career plan. This was an important foundational step that gave me confidence in my story.
• Post that, getting to know the college better, like attending the webinars, which are conducted by the adcoms, getting in touch with the students is critical to understanding the culture 
• Thereafter, getting down to drafting your resume, your application essays – which can be tedious and time consuming process are critical steps in the application process.
• Finally, once I started getting invited, it was about forming the entire interview script, practicing that through mock interviews and practicing your pitch.

Q6. Could you tell us what your final outcome was within the application process through this entire journey?

• I believe that I did apply for around six to seven colleges.
• My top preference was Cornell Johnson. And apart from that, I also applied to a few other top colleges, top programs like Georgetown or like Carnegie Mellon.
• I was focused on colleges that are feeders into the technology industry
• I was fortunately able to get through Cornell and that is where I am heading this Fall.

Q7. Why Cornell Johnson? How does it tie into your career plans?

• One of the most important reasons for doing an MBA was to network and connect with the right set of people. I believe that an MBA like Cornell has an excellent alumni network.
• You become part of the Ivy League network, the best of the best. So that was, you know, the first and foremost thing for me.
• Also its location, you know, it’s literally in the heart of NYC. So you get a lot of advantage in your recruitment, just networking as well.
• Third and last, I would say just the program structure and the curriculum itself. A huge part of the curriculum was practical experience, you know, working with the top companies like Microsoft and Google’s being MBA consultants for them.

Q8: Any advice for those planning for their MBA? 3 main takeaways 

• So I believe that first and foremost, like learning from my own journey would be to understand why MBA makes sense for you to form that whole story.
• especially when talking about programs in US or maybe even Europe, cultural fit is really important
• Rather than trying to make your essay sound impactful by putting all those quotes, it’s important to make it highly personalized, highly authentic. I think a lot of people tend to overlook this important factor.