Shuchita Thapar

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

“An idealist, an aesthete, a practical dreamer. I want to create a more just world.”

Hometown: Delhi, Delhi

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’m a qualified Australian Rules Football umpire!

Undergraduate School and Major: Law, NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Program Manager, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of IIM Ahmedabad’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? It was the chance of being connected to the history of this institution. It has played such an important part in the development of India’s story, and I wanted to be at least a footnote to it.

What has been your favorite course or extracurricular activity at IIM Ahmedabad? What has been the most important lesson that you have learned from it? I really loved my microeconomics course. I’ve taken courses in it at both the high school and undergraduate levels, but the way it was taught here deepened my understanding and engagement with the subject in a way I did not expect. We had many reflection exercises, where we applied the concepts we were studying to our areas of expertise. I thought about my history as a lawyer in the non-profit space in entirely new ways, especially with reference to how incentives function and the ways in which they impact behavior.

What makes Ahmedabad such a great place to earn an MBA? It is an incredibly demanding experience – it needs you to show up as your best, hardest-and-smartest working self every single day. The satisfaction you gain from living up to these challenges gives you the confidence you need to succeed in the future.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I edited a book on the history of the right to privacy through the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of India for an audience of judges and senior bureaucrats. In a world where rights are more and more optional, it gave me great satisfaction to discuss this question with rigor and see the lives that are changed when institutions function as designed.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far: I’ve derived a lot of satisfaction from my role as a member of the student council, and other peer leadership roles. Juggling these responsibilities to my peers while also striving for personal excellence is something that has taught me many skills – ranging from accepting public accountability, to effective communication, to good time management.

What is your class’s favorite hangout away from school? Why do you gather there? Our favorite hangout is the local tea stall. We gather there because what’s a better break than a cup of chai?

What do you hope to do after graduation? I want to work in the impact consulting space. I am excited about creating social change in a sustainable way, and at scale, without relying on relatively fickle philanthropy.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into IIM Ahmedabad? Be authentic and be passionate. It’s not necessarily about your grades, your CV, or your references. The interview process is run by the university faculty and they are great at testing your ability to think through an issue critically and with balance. They are also quick to jump on any insincerity or planned platitudes – you should be ready to justify any point of view logically and holistically.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AHMEDABAD MBA CLASS OF 2024