Meet The Texas McCombs MBA Class of 2019

Mohit Maheshwari 

The University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business 

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: An individual who believes in the process of continual learning and embraces change.

Hometown: New Delhi, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: In the last couple of years, I have developed an interest in adventure activities. It started when I went skydiving in the UK. After I took my GMAT, I went for a paragliding course and completed two levels. A couple of months before joining McCombs, I went trekking and climbed 15,000 ft. Each of these experiences has motivated me to challenge myself further. I hope to complete a course in skydiving after graduating from McCombs. 

Undergraduate School and Major: National Institute of Engineering, MYSORE. Bachelor in Engineering, Computer Science

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

1. J.P. Morgan (Mumbai, India) – Associate
2. Tata Consultancy Services (Mumbai, India) – Systems Engineer to Assistant Consultant

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In 2012, while working for a technology services and consulting firm, I took an opportunity to work on a global business and IT transformation program for a global leader in logistics domain. It is the most challenging project that I have done as I had to manage the account from the UK office with my team working from offshore location in India. As it was a global program, I had to manage multiple complexities while coordinating the projects with internal as well as external stakeholders spread out geographically. I had to manage conflicts between different teams and ensure the delivery of projects in stringent timelines. As the domain and the systems were completely new to me, I had to acquire knowledge from the scratch. While I was working on multiple projects, I identified opportunity to grow the account and worked on a proposal to provide test management services to the client that generated additional revenue of $1M for the parent organization. The experience of working on such a large-scale program with diverse teams helped me improve my time and people management skills. I forged lifelong relationships with some of the people I worked with and thrived in a completely new environment.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? As an international student, it can be difficult to visit the schools, which I believe is an important part of the application process as it allows the applicant to get to know the program and the school better. Therefore, it becomes essential to reach out to the admissions team, current students and the alumni and ask questions that would help the applicant understand the program better and get deeper insights into the culture of the school. The process not only helps the applicant make a well-informed decision while applying, but also allows the school to know the applicant better. A lot of people may have gone through the same journey and had the same doubts that you might be having. Therefore, it is important to network with alumni and current students. Be assured that people will be very helpful. Just make sure you respect their time and acknowledge their help.

What was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? Before I started working on my applications, I reached out to current students and alumni. I was surprised by the level of help I received from the people I connected with. Everyone from McCombs family I connected with not only answered my questions with lot of patience but also provided me insights and suggestions that helped me in my application and interview. I would like to give a small example, while I was talking to a current student I asked him if he could connect me to someone in my geography. Within few minutes, he shared the contact details of an alum in my region and the alum was kind enough to meet me before I submitted my application as well as before the interview. The help I received was priceless and I was further convinced that the MBA program at McCombs will help me grow both professionally and personally in its collaborative environment.

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? While navigating through the rigors of the program, I want to build strong bonds with my study group, my cohort, and peers across the program. Besides building a strong foundation in academic intensives, I want to explore experiential learning opportunities and secure an internship that will help me build a strong foundation for my post MBA goal. I hope to acquire new skills and learn from the mistakes that I will make (I hope there won’t be many). I would like to maintain balance between my personal and professional life by socializing with friends and exploring the vibrant city of Austin. Before starting the MBA journey at McCombs, I have made some lifelong relationships in personal as well as professional life. I want to forge strong ties with McCombs family while maintaining the old ones. At the end of first year I want to be a more confident and a stronger individual than I was before entering business school.