Meet the MBA Class of 2022: Nayantara Eashwar, Dartmouth College (Tuck)

Nayantara Eashwar

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College

“Here to soak in everything I possibly can and have the most fun doing it!”

Hometown: Bangalore, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: I love food and will try everything once. I once mustered up the courage to try balut while on holiday in the Philippines – although eating a semi-fertilised duck embryo is probably not something I’m going to do again!

Undergraduate School and Major: St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Strategy and Fundraising Advisor, Catalyst for Women Entrepreneurship

What aspect of the school’s culture or values resonates most with you and why? Everyone – from fellow students, to the amazing faculty, to the administrative and support staff – is incredibly approachable and willing to go out of their way for you. It’s clearly woven into the fabric of Tuck. I saw this as a clear differentiator through the application process as well.

Aside from your classmates and culture, what was the key part of the school’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? There were three main reasons Tuck felt right to me:

The first time I sat up and seriously considered Tuck was very early on in my school search process, when I received an email from a current student that said something like, “I believe Tuck is absolutely the best MBA program for women right now.” That piqued my interest and I did a lot of research on all the initiatives Tuck runs for women specifically. It really showed their commitment to creating strong, effective women business leaders. This was a huge deciding factor for me

I really liked the fact that the program had a global outlook – not only is the class significantly international, but there are multiple opportunities for exposure to global business and culture

The last reason I was drawn to Tuck was its small class size and small-town setting. I’ve always lived in big cities, so I felt this would be the best way to bond with classmates and stay immersed in the whole MBA experience in a new country.

What quality best describes your MBA classmates and why? Ask a Tuckie what they like about their classmates and you know you’re going to hear ‘nice’! In this crazy year of uncertainty and instability, the one thing that’s really kept me going while sitting through late-night Zoom classes in India is how committed and supportive everyone has been. We’re all aware that it’s a tough time and definitely feeling the stress of the situation individually, but determined to make it work for each other (even remotely)!

What club or activity excites you most at this school? Tuck Women in Business, the Marketing and Tech Clubs, Literati and the Wine Club!

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Being part of the team that set up Karnataka’s first incubator for women-led tech startups is definitely up there!

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? Working in hands-on fields like digital marketing and entrepreneurship meant that I really learned everything on the job, until I got to a point where I felt like I really would benefit from acquiring certain skills in a formal education setting and applying them for more effective results. I think being guided by intuition is great, but to make guided, informed business decisions you need a solid theoretical understanding of business.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Duke Fuqua, London School of Business, HEC Paris, Cornell Johnson, NYU Stern

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? The entire admissions process was a huge challenge! I hadn’t realized just how much introspection and personal reflection it would entail until I actually started. It’s important to understand yourself, your motivations, and your goals. It’s really an exercise in self-awareness! I worked with people around me to uncover things I hadn’t realized about myself. It’s not easy to challenge your own self-perceptions; be prepared to dig deep.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? The best way to gauge your fit at a school is to talk to as many current students and alumni as you possibly can (especially those in the industry you eventually want to work in). Connect with them through the school’s ambassador program, put out feelers in your personal networks for alumni contacts, and work LinkedIn. Ask lots of questions about both curricular and extracurricular aspects that interest you, and don’t worry about sounding silly or overeager.

What was your defining moment and how did it prepare you for business school? I can be reluctant to push out of my comfort zone. Being on the other side of decisions like moving to a new, unfamiliar city or just being in work situations where I’m not a hundred percent comfortable or confident remind me that I can tackle them (and that’s where the magic happens!). Those breakthrough moments definitely gave me the confidence to dream big when it came to business school, and eventually see that dream materialize.

What is your favorite company and what could business students learn from them? I worked in digital marketing and advertising for most of my pre-MBA career and Nike was one of my key clients. Every day spent working with them was a learning experience: their attention to detail, understanding of their audience and commitment to creating the best possible output no matter the product is unparalleled.

DON’T MISS: MEET DARTMOUTH TUCK’S MBA CLASS OF 2022