From Software to Finance... -

Shreya Gupta a student of the 2013 batch at Symbiosis Institute of Business Management Bangalore made the big decision to pursue a career in finance with an MBA.  A native of Kanpur Shreya pursued an engineering degree from Pune University after which she accepted a position at SunGard Technology Services. Shreya comes with two years of work experience at this fortune 500 company which deals with financial software services. Her post MBA ambition is to enter investment banking or equity research. Shreya Gupta in an interview with Serena Kallian...

How was the admission process at SIBM? Is there anything unique about the selection procedure that aspirants need to be prepared for?
The selection process at SIBM Bangalore was an awesome experience. Everything was managed very effectively and was synchronised.
As is the case with Symbiosis colleges the selection process involved a group exercise and a personal interview. In the group exercise I was asked to organise an event for SIBM Bangalore, it was a very well thought of topic. The group exercise did turn out to be successful. The panel for both the group activity and the personal interview was the same. In the personal interview the questions that were asked referred to my academic and personal background, general awareness, my work experience, the decision to do the MBA etc. I was able to give good and honest answers. At SIBM, applicants are expected to be good at many things and not just academically inclined, this seemed evident from the interview.

Tell us about your MBA decision.
In my 23 months at SunGard I had a lot of exposure to finance as they catered to a lot of financial software. That is when I realised my keen interest in the field. I came to understand that MBA was the best platform to launch myself in the pursuit of these goals. I heard a lot of good reports about SIBM Bangalore from my peers who had completed their management degrees from the institute. It is a developing institute and I believed that here I would get the opportunity to grow with the institute.

How did you manage your test preparations along with work schedules?
It was indeed hectic. I had to find time everyday for my preparations after an 8-7 work shift. Weekends were the only time when one could devote lot more hours into practice and problem solving. I had to make a few sacrifices but in the end the effort paid off. I had joined the IMS test series at the time and previously during college days I had attended their classroom sessions as well. The organisation where I worked was also flexible with timings sometimes so it really helped.

How do you plan to make the most of the two years that you would spend at SIBM? Your first impressions...
After having worked for two years and then coming back to college is not all that easy at first. It does need a little getting used to. There are many activities to do but very little time.
So far the classroom experience, campus, the faculty, night outs etc have been really good and exciting. I really hope to learn a lot and grow. I appreciate the fact that the campus is not all about books and theory; we are encouraged to explore many fun and practical methods.

Your parting words to all MBA aspirants...
There is a lot more to an MBA than entrance tests and GD/PIs, so focus on matters beyond the immediate goal as well. Understand your strengths and work hard.