Aditi Sharma 

Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business

“A fun-loving extrovert inside the body of a nerd.”

Hometown: Chandigarh, India

Fun Fact About Yourself:  I am a bibliophile, a dog lover and I love making friends. In an ideal world, if paying bills wasn’t a concern, I would have opted for dog walking as a profession.

Undergraduate School and Major: Bachelor of Computer Engineering, Panjab University, India.

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: I held the role of a Technology Consultant at Ernst and Young.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I started my career as a technology analyst for Deloitte. There, I demonstrated exemplary performances while working on the development, test case creation, and support for user-acceptance testing and deployment for the initial phase of a project. As an acknowledgment, I was entrusted to work on the request for proposal for the second phase with the same client. The client was impressed by our work to an extent that he signed for another phase worth a whopping $14 million. As a matter of fact, it turned out to be the firm’s biggest cyber engagement. Our team’s endeavors and competence were duly recognized and I won accolades such as outstanding contribution awards, applause awards, and client appreciation awards and was promoted to the next level in a short span of time. On a lighter note, getting into Kelley with a full-ride tops it all so far.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Everyone I have come across has been helpful and supportive. They are highly self-motivated, dependable, and would go out of their way to help you. Considering how demanding and competitive an MBA is, having a supportive bunch around would make this journey smooth and memorable.

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? What sets Kelley apart for me is its community. While going through the admission process, I had the time to connect to a lot of B-school students but no other school gave me the same vibe as Kelley did. The current students I talked to were so warm, welcoming and patient. Kelley surely has a boast-worthy culture.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am looking forward to rediscovering myself through the Me, Inc. program that Kelley offers. What makes the program so special is how it is tailored to fit each individual differently; everyone would have a different takeaway from the program. It breaks you down to build you again. Such a rediscovery would prepare me well for the course ahead and help me make the most of our time at Kelley.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? The most difficult question for me was, “Tell me about a tough decision you made at work that caused harm to someone.”

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I have three years of experience in the consulting world, starting with Deloitte (for close to 3 years) and now E&Y. My experience with these two firms has given me the required push for an MBA. I believe an MBA is an asset and a necessity to grow beyond a certain point in the consulting business. I have worked for three years in IT consulting for Deloitte providing Cyber Security solutions to our clients. The knowledge I gained through my bachelor’s degree in engineering has helped me in tackling technical issues and in coming up with quick automated solutions to the problems encountered. However, I am missing a holistic view of the day-to-day business and an MBA would help me bridge the gap between my knowledge about technology and Business.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Tepper School of Business, UNC Kenan-Flagler

How did you determine your fit at various schools? First, I went through all the MBA school rankings online and decided to stick with looking at the top 30 MBA schools. I maintained an Excel sheet to make it easier to compare different schools and help me make a more informed decision. Next, I went to the official websites to determine what the school has to offer and kept an open eye for the unique features. Then I reached out to the current students and alumni to get to know more about the school and got to know their perspective on those “key features.” Talking to people was an important factor because it also gave me an insight into the culture at the school. I looked for schools that had higher placement stats for consulting firms since my goal is to go back to consulting. I checked prospective employers and matched them to my dream jobs. The last – and the most important – factor was the scholarships offered by the program. Kelley turned out to be the perfect fit. It has a highly-ranked program, one of the best career services, a culture to boast about and gave me a solid scholarship that sealed the deal for me.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? Back in high school, I was highly competitive and mean. I wanted to ace on the academic front and I never lent a helping hand to any of my classmates if they struggled with studies. I made it my goal to ace my pre-university exams. I worked as hard as I could and I left no stone unturned in my preparation for the exam. However, the result fell short of my expectations. I knew I did everything I could academically; it was the behavioral front where I was lacking. Disappointed in myself, I decided to be introspective and make corrections. I learned to alter my ways with the course of time. I became a helpful, good-spirited student who no longer believed that the only way up the ladder of success was by stepping on other people. There is enough success for everyone in this world. And, oh, I went on to ace those pre-university exams!

Where do you see yourself in ten years? I want to make it to the list of most powerful women in business. On the personal front, I see myself having a great family life and being a proud dog mama.