Poonam, CEO and founder of myEssayReview, is publishing interviews of her successful students. This is the latest in the series. Here is a chat with Sriram, first year student at the evening MBA program of the prestigious Kellogg.
Poonam: Can you tell us a little about yourself? Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? What do you do now?
Sriram: I was born and raised in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. I did my Bachelors in Computer Science and Engineering at Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. I have a Masters in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Currently, I’m the Product Manager at Mediaocean, an advertising technology company.
Poonam: When did you start thinking about MBA? Why now? What are your career goals?
Sriram: I wanted to do an MBA to make the career transition from technology to product management, which is more aligned with the company’s core business. I managed to make this transition before my MBA, so the goal has now shifted to leverage the MBA to move up into a senior management role. Ultimately, I would like to become an entrepreneur.
Poonam: You applied to both Kellogg and Booth and you were accepted by both. You finally chose Kellogg. How is Kellogg the best school for you?
Sriram: Choosing between Kellogg and Booth was one of the toughest decisions I have made in my life. Ultimately, it came down to fit. Booth is ranked higher and has a great curriculum. Kellogg had a more diverse and outgoing student community (building a network was key) and being one of the best marketing schools, it aligned better with the industry I work in (advertising/marketing).
Poonam: How challenging it is to manage school, full time job and family at the same time? Do you have any time management tips for the prospective students?
Sriram: To manage all these is daunting at first. It comes down to more efficient time management. After the first quarter, school just becomes a part of life.
Poonam: Looking back, what was the most challenging aspect of the school admissions process? How did you approach that challenge and overcome it? What would you advise other MBA applicants who are facing similar challenges?
Sriram: The most challenging part was to convince yourself that you are good enough to get admitted to a top school. Once you are past that and get the process started, you just need hard work to get everything else to fall in place.
Poonam: Do you have any admissions tips for applicants for Kellogg part time program (essays, résumé, recommendation letters, interview) etc.?
Sriram: It might sound preachy, but the one thing that applicants should do is to be truthful about who they are. Each person is different,, and all of us have done great things. It’s important to bring out their individuality in the essays, resume and interview. It’s easy to stand out when you are just yourself, because you are unique. For essays, Poonam, your service suited me well because you truly stuck to the task of editing the essays and not rewriting it, which many of the other competing essay editing services do. Your suggestions and comments played a very important role in shaping my essays.
Poonam What is your favorite thing about Kellogg so far? And if you could change one thing about the program, what would it be?
Sriram: The students at Kellogg are the best and I have made so many friends. It’s impossible not to make friends at Kellogg. I would say Kellogg should increase the number of social events, we have 1 or 2 big events a year, one a quarter will be better. The social events are not just for fun but it is also where you will probably meet your next friend.
Poonam :What are your favorite non-school books? What are you hobbies?
Sriram: It’s sad, but I don’t have a reading habit. When I do pick a book, its mostly a tech magazine, like Popular mechanics. I play racquetball and love running. In the summer, I like to go on long rides on my motorcycle.
Poonam: Thank you, Sriram for sharing your story with us. Good luck on your Kellogg experience and your future career.
Note: You can connect with Sriram via
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sriramramanujamWeb /Blog/ Free resources/LinkedIn/ Facebook/ Email :poonam@myessayreview.com