Vishi Gupta

University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business

“Data analytics professional with 5+ years of experience in management consulting and professional services.”

Hometown: Agra, Uttar Pradesh

Fun Fact About Yourself: Love singing, passionate about sustainability and climate change.

Undergraduate School and Major: Symbiosis School of Economics, Pune, Degree: BSc. Economics (Hons).

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Bain & Company, Emerging Project Leader

What has been your first impression of the Marshall MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far. Tell us your best Marshall story so far. The Marshall community is everything I had heard about and more. All my peers and second-year students are welcoming and have helped me during admissions, academics, and now recruiting. They create a safe space to share fears and achievements both, and that is the best part of this journey.

What makes Los Angeles such a great place to earn an MBA? From museums, amusement parks, beaches and a great nightlife, LA has a little bit of everything. I dreamt of living in this city all my life. Now that I am finally here, the experience is exhilarating. The summers make a great time to go to the beach in Santa Monica or enjoy good food in Hollywood.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of USC Marshall’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Marshall’s focus on experiential learning drew me most towards it. I got a sense from the curriculum that it is not just about learning concepts. It is about learning through real life cases and applying concepts to get a holistic understanding of the content. PRIME is one of the unique features of the Marshall MBA program and I cannot wait to live the experience.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at USC Marshall? The module ‘Leading People, Teams and Organizations’ is one of the best courses I have studied so far. I came to this MBA looking to hone my leadership skills and this course helps you do exactly that. We draw on each other’s experiences and enhance our learning to learn all about leading successful teams and transform into future leaders. Apart from this, the High-Tech Association and the Consulting Club are the other two aspects of Marshall that I enjoy the most.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Developing a pricing strategy for a Fortune 100 retailer in the US.

What is one thing you have recently read, watched, or listened to that you would highly recommend to prospective MBAs? Why? I have recently read an article on “Understanding and Nurturing Your Network”, which has highly impacted me. I came to the MBA looking to grow my network and have potential strategies to do the same. This reading had useful insights to help you do that

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into USC Marshall’s MBA program? I would recommend that all applicants carry out a self-reflection exercise to answer their “WHY MBA”. It is important to know how you plan to leverage this MBA in your future and what skills are you planning to gain. Once you know the answer to this question, I am certain that you will ace your applications. Additionally, reach out to current Trojans and alumni: We are always willing to help and guide you in the process.

DON’T MISS: Meet USC Marshall’s MBA Class Of 2024