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Interview with a Richard Ivey Alumna
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07 Jun 2018, 23:33
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Interview with a Richard Ivey Alumna
We got a chance to connect with Avani Shah, an MBA from Ivey Business School in Canada. Avani works as a commercial banker with Royal Bank of Canada. Before her MBA in 2017, she worked for 6.5 years as a Chartered Accountant in India, in business strategy, M&A and corporate finance teams of companies in CPG and Oil & Gas industry. Here we present an excerpt of an insightful discussion we had with Avani on her Ivey MBA, the application process and her advice to future applicants:
MBA Decoder: Tell us about your decision to do an MBA. Avani Shah: I was born and brought up in Mumbai. I studied commerce in college and then pursued CA (Chartered accountancy). Although I had a great stint working as a CA for 7 years, I always felt I lacked a holistic understanding of business. I realized that if I were to continue doing what I was doing, I would end up becoming a CFO, not a CEO. This is one of the reasons I decided to get an MBA. I wanted to learn all aspects of a business, over and above the finance function. I wanted to see how things are actually embedded on the ground level, whether it’s in operations, supply chain, or sales.
MBA Decoder: Were you only looking at Canada? Avani Shah: Yes. Canada seemed very warm and welcoming through the students blogs I had read. I experienced this warmth once I got here. Among all the Canadian programs, Ivey appealed to me most for its case based mode of instruction and because it’s a one-year program.
MBA Decoder: As an older applicant, what kind of challenges did you face? How did you overcome those? Avani Shah: About 80-90% of my class was younger than me. I did have a few challenges as an older applicant. I realized the only way to overcome that is to be yourself and to be authentic Try to bring your own personal angle in everything you do. Don’t undervalue your personal insight. Your experience will let you shine.
MBA Decoder: What are the most important things to do in the application process? Avani Shah: Be yourself. Write the story in you believe in. Research your b-school well by talking to current students and alumni. Mention in your applications how they influenced your decision to apply. Also, communicate your purpose in life. Make sure you don’t come off as someone who is doing an MBA for the sake of doing an MBA.
MBA Decoder: What does Ivey look for? Avani Shah: They are looking for all kinds of diversity. I had classmates from an Army background and a medical background. Do not fear rejection if your background is unconventional, People from different backgrounds can provide diverse opinions. As a student, I learned equally from my professors and my classmates.
MBA Decoder: How was your experience? What were the highlights of the MBA program? Avani Shah: The surprising highlight of my experience was, Ivey taught me not just to be a great business professional but also a good human being. We had a course called Transformational Leadership dedicated to that. For a finance person like me, Value Investing was a really good course. Another course I loved was Decision Making with Analytics. I got an understanding of how analytics is used in Big Data which is a big thing here in Canada.
MBA Decoder: What did you learn from your international exposure? Avani Shah: I learned not to be afraid to ask for help. This was a challenge for me personally as I am a shy person. I learned that people are always willing to help and they do not perceive you negatively if you ask them for help. When you are exposing your vulnerability, it will help others to connect with you too. These connections are very helpful as a student and even as a business professional.
MBA Decoder: How easy or difficult was it for Indian students to find jobs in Canada? Avani Shah: It is challenging. Many Canadian employers are not well versed with Indian experiences. It is for you to translate your experience into relevant business work. Another challenge is that Canadian Immigration has opened up to skilled labour, as a result there is a huge influx of Indians and you are also competing against them. In effect, you are competing with PR holders as well as your own classmates.
MBA Decoder: How did you get your job? Avani Shah: I got my job through networking. I networked with my seniors working at Royal Bank of Canada. I understood their roles, assessed whether I would be a good fit and then went for the kill.
MBA Decoder: What were your best experiences at Ivey beyond the classroom? Avani Shah:The parties and networking events, because that’s where you meet new people and get to form really valuable networks and friendships.
MBA Decoder: Do you have any specific suggestions for Indian applicants? Avani Shah: If possible, try to get a PR before coming to Canada and applying to Ivey. That way, you can get a fee waiver.
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