Meet Wharton’s MBA Class Of 2019

Suyog Karnawat 

The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania 

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Fiercely optimistic in the pursuit of continuous self-improvement and the ultimate betterment of society. 

Hometown: Maharashtra, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: Although I come from an engineering and analytics background, I have a knack for performing arts. I have performed ‘Nukkad Natak’ (street theatre) for social awareness on busy streets, army schools, national performing arts institutes, and competitively all over India. I have also been part of college theatre and dance group. A Quant AND a Poet!

Undergraduate School and Major:  Pune India, College of Engineering, Bachelor of Technology

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:  Credit Suisse – Data Analyst

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:  With only two years of professional experience, I established and started leading a team of Data Analysts with projects encompassing several divisions (Global Credit, Macro, FX, Cash Equities) and functions (Trading, Sales, Compliance, and Controls). One of the key opportunities, then a learning experience, and ultimately an accomplishment was the true startup mentality of our work. We followed an intrapreneurial approach, pitched innovative ideas that challenged the cognitive biases, and delivered incredibly fast time to market. This made us one of the very few growth areas at a time of significant corporate restructuring.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants?  Invest in researching your dream school. Figure out early what you are looking to get out of the MBA experience, the factors that matter to you and the school that provides for those. Invest time to understand the school culture, unique opportunities it offers, and how you can contribute to the community. Talk to current students, alumni and school administration for their perspective. All this effort will reflect in your essays and application. And furthermore it will help you solidify things that matter the most to you!

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?  While researching schools I had a set of parameters I was looking for: strength in my field of interest, diverse cohort, analytically rigorous curriculum, etc. Wharton checked all the boxes. However, what made Wharton go from ONE of the schools to THE ONLY school I wanted to study at, is my interaction with the Wharton community that followed.

From current students to alumni to school administration, everyone went out of their way to help me better understand the opportunities at Wharton, provided guidance on the application process and helped me get a true sense of Wharton culture. I could easily discern the collective passion, respect and admiration everyone shared for the Wharton community. For me, learning from a diverse class of accomplished individuals was one of the key reasons to pursue an MBA. And there is no better place to be than with the collaborative Wharton community! Now, having interacted with my fellow classmates here in ‘The City of Brotherly Love,’ I know I have made the right decision!

What would success look like to you after your first year of business school?  Professionally, I would want to supplement my strong passion for finance, analytics, and economics with deep subject matter expertise, knowledge about industry opportunities and a plan of action to make my mark.

On a personal level, success for me would be seeing myself push the boundaries of what I think I am capable of by stepping out of the comfort zone. To learn about new cultures and be further inspired to do good in the world. And finally, have fun and make friends for life along the way!