Master’s in Supply Chain Management: Shruti Singhal, Purdue University (Krannert)

“Having a diverse group of students enhanced my whole business school experience. It is always exciting to get to know people from around the world, hearing their stories and knowing how things work in their own countries.”

Student Name: Shruti Singhal

Graduate Business School: Purdue University Krannert School of Management

Describe Yourself In 15 Words:  A versatile, analytical, highly motivated and emotionally intelligent individual.

Master’s Graduation Class: 2019.

Undergraduate School and Major: Pantnagar University, India, Mechanical Engineering.

Current Employer and Job Title: MedStar Health, Supply Chain Operations Manager.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Being the youngest and newest member of MedStar family has show my ability to lead a systemwide program on a team of highly experienced professionals.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as a graduate student: The fact that my faculty, career coaches and program coordinators at Purdue consider me worthy enough to be the representative of MS-GSCM program is a huge achievement for me.

What was the key factor that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? First, the brand that Purdue is. Also, the fact that it has a very diverse group of students that you get to meet and interact with. It was the kind of business school experience that I was looking for.

What led you to choose a Master’s in Supply Chain Management over an MBA? I was looking for a blend of technical and management learning, but since I didn’t have a supply chain background or experience, I was a little more inclined toward honing my technical skills and developing more confidence in that area. 

What has been your favorite course and how has it helped you in your career? A course in operations management. It was one of the courses I studied as a part of the first semester curriculum and it laid the foundation of supply chain for me. It was a very mathematical course and covered the basics of supply chain operations, helping me understand and talk in supply chain jargons.

What role did your school play in helping you to land your first job out of the program? The role of my school and people associated with the school was monumental in landing me my first job. Having worked in India for almost five years, it was very daunting to understand the whole job search process here. However, my career coach, professors and friends helped me tremendously in building my confidence and guiding me through each step of the process. The whole environment of a business school was conducive for helping me grow as an individual.

How did your classmates enhance the value of your business school experience? Having a diverse group of students enhanced my whole business school experience. It is always exciting to get to know people from around the world, hearing their stories and knowing how things work in their own countries. Also, working with them in group assignments and several different projects helped me get a sense of working in a real professional environment, given the demographic diversity in the workplaces here.

Who was your favorite faculty member and how did this person enrich your learning? Professor Ananth Iyer. Doing a research project under his guidance in addition to the standard curriculum was highly enriching. There were times when it seemed overwhelming, but a constant support and encouragement from him kept me going. He always stressed on the fact that research could be intensive and requires a lot of patience. The project helped me strike conversations with people outside school as well. I would always find people interested in knowing more about the topic once I would start talking about it. 

What is your best advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s graduate Master’s program? Be confident in your abilities and think about all your achievements so far that have helped you land the school’s interview. Be genuine in expressing yourself. You can do it!   

What was your best memory from your Master’s program? Wednesday Socials – a weekly get-together organized for all Krannert students. It was a great opportunity for all of us to hang out together and enjoy some food and popcorn!

DON’T MISS: MEET THE MASTERS OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT