Meet Rochester Simon’s MBA Class Of 2020

Lohit Korrapati       

University of Rochester, Simon Business School       

A perpetual learner who challenges himself to better every single day.”

Hometown: Mumbai, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: Never lived in any city or town for more than 5 years; Simon is the 12th school I am attending

Undergraduate School and Major: National Institute of Technology (NIT), Bhopal; Electronics & Communication Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Consultant, ZS Associates

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Before coming to Simon, I was responsible for delivery of a post-merger integration project spanning across four countries – USA, Canada, Australia, and Japan. Beyond the cross-geographical and cross-functional scope, the international distribution of the client and ZS teams rendered the assignment challenging, yet truly special. Overcoming the logistical, cultural, and communication barriers that would impede smooth functioning of most teams, we delivered compelling recommendations, of impeccable quality, that were readily implemented.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? My fellow Simon classmates are driven and collaborative. They have clarity of what they want to do after MBA and how to get there. More importantly, they are willing to help their fellow classmates.

Aside from your classmates, 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? I have chosen Simon for its smaller class size. It is important to me because of three reasons –

  1. It offers greater learning opportunities through better access to faculty and career advisors.
  2. I get to know my fellow classmates better.
  3. I can meaningfully contribute to the program.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Simon Consulting Club

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? An engineer by education, I worked in Sales & Marketing Consulting for 5 years after engineering – unconventional career path for engineers. In my consulting experience, I thoroughly enjoyed generating actionable recommendations and measurable impact for my clients. Building on that experience, an MBA would enrich my skillset with holistic business knowledge in disciplines such as finance and strategy. Furthermore, I would gain exposure to different perspectives and could benefit immensely from classmates coming from different backgrounds and countries. Combining both, I can deliver work that is even more impactful.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? The readily measurable aspect of MBA is to compute ROI based on post-MBA and pre-MBA salaries. However, speaking with my managers and friends who have done their MBAs, I realized that the most important aspect of the MBA program is the unquantifiable benefit of gaining holistic business knowledge and developing a well-rounded mindset from peer learning.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I applied to MBA programs with smaller class sizes such as Olin (WashU), Goizueta (Emory) and Cambridge, UK.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I started my b-schools search by outlining the factors that matter to me the most. The factors that are important in the order of priority are –

  1. Smaller Class Size
  2. Quality of & Access to faculty
  3. Percent employment post-graduation
  4. ROI

I applied to business schools that ranked high on these four parameters. I used a combination of online research and informational interviews with current students to learn more about the program and assess how the program fits with my career and personal goals.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? In the final year of engineering, I co-founded and ran an NGO for a year. This is a defining moment for me as it instilled in me the confidence to take risks and it taught me how conviction when coupled with courage can help you overcome barriers.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? After graduating, I see myself working in a role that is at the intersection of strategy and marketing. By concentrating in strategy, marketing, and pricing, I intend to leverage the synergies among the three to contribute to the top-line growth of companies in a cost-effective way.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, I would like to see myself in the corporate strategy or strategic marketing vertical wherein I am responsible for driving the growth of a product-line.

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