Very few people are able to seamlessly switch from Architecture to Brand Management and our student Krishna Arcot is one of them. She worked with our Study Abroad Expert, Tanmay Singh, applied to 3 schools and received offer letters from all of them. She would be ultimately headed to TIAS, a premier business school in the Netherlands, from where she has received EUR 15,500 scholarship.
In addition to TIAS Business School, Krishna received offer letters from ESADE Business School (Spain) and the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM, the Netherlands). Read on to find out more.
#1) Krishna, can you please briefly describe your profile?
I’m a Digital Marketing Manager and Strategist, currently consulting with brands across Healthcare, Fitness & Sports on their digital, social media, and brand mandates. I have had over 6 years experience working in a digital marketing agency, a multinational corporation in the Alcobev industry, and as an independent digital consultant.
#2) Why did you decide to pursue an MBA?
My role was restricted to digital, I want to increase my career scope to brand management and own the entirety of the brand and business in my mandate. This would require having conversations and building holistic strategy with trade marketing, supply chain, manufacturing, finance, and sales teams to name a few.
I was hired and grew in organizations I was part of on the basis of my creative thinking, inherent analytical skills, problem solving capabilities, and my understanding of branding on digital, but in my pursuit of being an effective brand manager and marketer, I want a deeper understanding of other business verticals, and such work experience is missing from my current role for obvious reasons.
I also want to hone my leadership and management skills to be able to lead functions I am part of, and based on my conversations with alumni and working professionals in similar career paths, I have reinforced my belief that an MBA is the right step at this juncture of my professional journey.
#3) What were your top 3 reasons for selecting Tanmay Singh to be your mentor for your MBA application?
A) Good initial conversation about my profile and how Tanmay understood my uniqueness and idiosyncrasies early on, and could map them to my goals.
B) Guidance on what would help me communicate my spike factor best and how best pitch my “fit” to a particular B-school.
C) Open, patient and involved conversation and openness to discuss things around the clock if needed.
#4) What 3 tips would you like to share with an aspirant working on their study abroad application?
A) Research helps eliminate options.
B) Opportunity cost calculation is personal, but perspectives help weigh options based on your risk appetite, career ambitions, and trade-offs that can come along the way.
C) Stay agile and be open to change. Things can happen at any time (admission status, scholarships, information about the target geography) and it's a test for how you approach such decision making, a key characteristic that is eventually measured and bolstered in B-school.
#5) How did you prepare for the interview after submitting the TIAS MBA application? What all steps did you take to prepare for the interview?
I read up on the school, about the TIAS MBA program, my target companies in and around that geography, and brushed up on theory in case of any live case questions.
I thought through my Plan A and Plan B post-MBA, my values and what mark I want to make in the world.
The toughest part is knowing yourself. Once you are aligned with who you are, answers are spontaneous, honest, and don’t need memorizing. And the interview becomes enjoyable.
#6) What questions did Dr. Eric Dooms ask you during the TIAS MBA interview?
My interview with Dr. Eric Dooms went on for about 50 minutes
He asked me the following questions:
Introduce yourself and explain your journey.
What are your MBA goals?
You’ve done volunteer work with the community, describe it and what its impact is on you.
Why TIAS, as against other schools you’re applying to?
Describe your strengths and weaknesses (using examples if needed)
Any questions for me?
We talked about geopolitics for 15 minutes.
#7) How do you think you performed in the interview with Dr. Dooms?
My TIAS MBA interview went well. Dr. Dooms resonated with what I had to say and wanted to understand my views on the workplace, politics, and business. None of the questions threw me off guard.
#8) How was Tanmay’s mentorship important while working on the TIAS MBA application?
The application was extensive and it helped to have a mentor and sounding board in Tanmay to ensure the most important aspects of me consistently came through in my application and interview.
#9) Congratulations for receiving a scholarship of EUR 15,500! How did that happen? What did you do to bag that scholarship?
I submitted an essay in pursuit of a scholarship and put a lot of effort into writing it. I guess the research I did and thought I put into the application helped convince them that I was deserving of a scholarship.
#10) What are your final ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’ for a study abroad aspirant?
Do:
Research extensively
Have conversations with alumni & students
Budgeting
Don’t:
Go only by what others say
Get swayed by big brand names and rankings alone
Go unprepared for living in a different country/disillusion yourself for the sake of an education abroad. Prepare to the best of your ability to reduce the number of surprises you have to grapple with.