Misha Faraz

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

“Fun-loving, deeply caring, approachable and unapologetically myself.”

Hometown: Karachi, Pakistan

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have a twin sister who happens to be attending Wharton at the same time as me! (don’t forget to check out her student profile on P&Q)

Undergraduate School and Major: Economics and Management at King’s College London

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Lead Associate at Strategy& Middle East

What has been your first impression of the Wharton MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far. Tell us your best Wharton story so far. Wharton places a lot of emphasis on being your “authentic self”. So far, most of the people I’ve met really do try and emulate that. My best Wharton story would have to be with my learning team. A learning team is a group of 5-6 individuals who are your team members for all group projects during your first semester. My learning team members and I decided to skip the small talk and went straight into sharing personal stories with one another. Just by being our authentic selves, we were able to establish strong bonds as a team and I am genuinely looking forward to spending my first semester with them!

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the Wharton School’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? One thing that really drew me to Wharton is the incredible alumni network. I hope to find my future mentors and coaches within this network.

What course, club, or activity excites you the most at the Wharton School? The COVID-19 pandemic really made it difficult to travel for the last few years and that is why I am really looking forward to all the travel opportunities within the next two years – starting with the Colombia trek in November!

When you think of the Wharton School, what is the first word that comes to mind? Why? Supportive. With a class of nearly 900 students, it is easy to feel lost and overwhelmed. Wharton does an incredible job of making sure no one feels alone. Whether this happens by breaking down the class into clusters (~200 person group), cohorts (~70 person group) and learning teams (~6 person group) or by assigning us second year mentors in the form of leadership fellows and student life fellows to help us navigate our first year, every MBA student has a built in support system at Wharton. There are also ample resources to help students who may be struggling.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: As part of my consulting work in Strategy&, I developed and implemented a mental health plan in the Gulf Cooperation Council. This was a massive engagement that spanned 6 months and involved several government entities. There was a lot of resistance and obstacles that my team faced along the way but through persistence and hard work, the mental health plan, the first of its kind in the region, was approved. This project is bound to change the landscape for how mental health is accessed, practiced, and perceived for years to come in the region.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? After spending 3 years working in consulting in the Middle East, I am looking to pivot into big tech in the US and I believe that an MBA is the right platform to help me make that transition.

What is one thing you have recently read, watched, or listened to that you would highly recommend to prospective MBAs? Why? I highly recommend all prospective MBA candidates to watch Angela Duckworth’s ted talk on Grit. Angela Duckworth is a professor at Wharton who describes grit as passion and perseverance for achieving long term goals. By watching this Ted Talk, not only will MBA students be inspired to attend Wharton just to take her class “Leading with Grit,” but they will also learn valuable lessons to help them in their MBA journey. Applying to business school is an incredibly stressful time for any prospective candidate; taking the GRE/GMAT, writing essays, selecting recommenders on top of a full-time job is not easy. I think this talk will help students realize that it isn’t necessarily the smartest people that succeed in life (or MBA apps), but it is the ones that work hard and are consistent in their efforts.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Columbia Business School

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into the Wharton School’s MBA program? It is important to convey to the admissions committee that Wharton is your top choice. Prospective candidates should take the time to research the school and speak to current and former students – any insights gained can be highlighted in essays and during the interview. But most importantly, try not to get overwhelmed by the entire process and know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel so just hang in there!

DON’T MISS: MEET THE WHARTON SCHOOL’S MBA CLASS OF 2024