Meet The Top First-Year MBAs From India

Ashima Goyal

Warwick Business School

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Passionate, insatiable and inquisitive. Striving for challenges, solving problems and opportunities to create a difference.

Hometown: Jaipur, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am a professional dance choreographer and a Zumba trainer. I regularly write newspaper articles and blogs and recently sang for the first time in front of 500 people.

Undergraduate School and Major: Bachelors of Technology, Computer Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology (NIT), India.

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Consultant, Deloitte US-India

Business Analyst, Deloitte US-India

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The biggest achievement for me was the inception of my own CSR program within Deloitte with the name “Mighty Angels” targeted at the betterment of harassed, uneducated and homeless women and girls in the National Capital Region of India. I led over 150 professionals from Deloitte to design, develop and deliver the year-round activity plan including Self Defence trainings, motivational and hygiene sessions and fun activities. Over 1000 women and girls have benefitted from the program and even when I am not present, my team is continuing with “Mighty Angels.”

As an analyst, in my first project in Deloitte, I was working with one of the US-based pharma clients on SAP ERP Implementation. I was designated as defect and configuration manager in the first project within six months of joining the firm, a designation usually held by very experienced professionals. My efforts throughout the project were appreciated and awarded by senior management and the client.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? Aim for the bull’s eye! Where do you picture yourself in next five years? Shortlist the business schools that align with your goals, not only in terms of what they can offer but also what you want to achieve once you graduate.

Remember that the GMAT is only a stepping stone in your MBA journey. However, a high score does not ensure admission and a low score does not deny one. However, keeping an eye on the average GMAT score and admission deadlines of target business schools is always advisable. While preparing for GMAT, it is quite necessary to get the concepts right and then practice the exam before the exam. It is of utmost important to give more mock exams before the actual GMAT. In the last week before the actual exam, I took more than five mock tests and it helped me to manage my time effectively.

Essay writing and resume building are two important tasks that require utter patience. Choose the right format for your resume and make sure you understand the essay statement. Try to think how the essay can bring out certain elements of your personality that you find important for your application. Remember the essay carries the essence of your personality on what makes you different from the pool of applicants.

Once you have received an invite for interview, it’s your responsibility to not give them a reason to reject. Just be yourself. Rehearse questions in front of a mirror or with a friend, relax (easier said than done), and dress smartly. Trust me, at the end, you will find the right school for you. Last but not the least, don’t forget to thank friends and family who gave you the strength to endure the whole process.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I was looking for a business school with a fairly medium cohort size and significant global representation and reputation. I contemplated applying to Warwick Business School in 2014 and 2015. But I did not start my application as I was not sure what exactly I wanted to do after the MBA. In 2016, I started applying for my MBA and Warwick was an obvious choice. The structure of the program appealed to me the most. The non-typical and fast-paced one-year full time MBA is what I was looking for. Learning from the other 79 members of the class is an enriching experience not only on professional terms but also on cultural and behavioral terms. Every day I learn something new from someone and that is really empowering.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? After completing my engineering in computers degree, I was working in the consulting sector. It was then that I realised how passionate I am about not only understanding and solving problems but also creating solutions aided by technology to completely thwart problems.

I have worked in the pharmaceutical/healthcare, energy and oil and retail industries with clients from all over the US, Ireland, Belgium, Germany and Canada. Working with people from such diverse backgrounds was an enriching experience and I want to embark on that journey again after my MBA. While working full-time as a Consultant, I have led and conceptualised many initiatives voluntarily and it gave me a sneak-peek of strategy and operations even before I could fully understand what they were all about. In the long term, I want to be a future leader in a management consulting firm and be an inspiration to women all over the world.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program?   Not only she was there when we needed her but also when she thought she was needed. A versatile, funny and natural person to work with.