Meet the USC Marshall MBA Class of 2018

Niranjan Kasi

University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Highly motivated individual with a constant drive and willingness to learn.

Hometown: Mumbai, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: I once travelled across three countries for under $30.

Undergraduate School and Major:  University of Mumbai, B.E Electronics and Telecommunication

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Edelweiss Financial Services – Junior Associate, Mumbai, India

Wipro Institutional Financial Services (Barclays Investment Bank) – Analyst, Traded Credit Market Risk

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: At Edelweiss, I spearheaded market analysis and risk valuation for successful penetration into Middle Eastern and African agricultural commodities markets for our global expansion. I am most proud of this because I was not only able to showcase my skills beyond being an analyst, but also reinforce my ambition to become a global leader driving collaborative projects across diverse cultures and functions.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? Continuous practice is key to crack the GMAT, but how you approach questions and tactics is even more crucial to increase accuracy. If you feel that even after practicing for weeks you are not improving, then find someone to help you instead of wasting more time practicing. Also, when in it comes to recommendations, don’t be swayed by the title of the recommender. A CEO or CFO who is not able to communicate your true strengths will not help you go far in the application process. Find someone who has worked with you for long enough and knows you well enough to give a recommendation indicative of your fit and characteristics.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? Business school is not an investment for two years, but something which you carry for the rest of your professional career. The strong Trojan network in which you are permanent member once you join Marshall played a crucial factor in my decision.

Also, going into the process, I was cautious about choosing a place where I would fit in well and would provide me with enough opportunities to step outside my comfort zone and challenge myself. As I spoke to more people, I understood how invested the entire program at Marshall is in your success. The sheer number of leadership opportunities and experiential projects even within the first two months of the program were highly alluring.

Most importantly, the Marshall program felt like a place which would be would way more than a place where I would get tools to progress my career (of which they are plenty!). Community service, school spirit and collaboration were common themes of all my discussion with alums and students and made the decision process much easier.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? My dream job would be a part of a highly cross functional and collaborative team working on projects which are not only focused on increasing revenues for the organization but have a profound impact on the community at large.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? Marshall stands for collaboration, community and school spirit. At the end of two years I want to be known as someone who understood the true essence of the school and as someone who went out of his way to help his peers and gave back to the Marshall community.