After working as a product consultant in the Software Industry in India, Prashanthi Shankar (Foster, ‘21) decided to pursue an MBA to round out her business acumen and gain product management experience. She selected the University of Washington Foster MBA Program for its ties to the Tech Community in Seattle, as well as its small class size and diverse culture. In this interview, Shankar speaks about the aspects of Foster’s MBA program that cemented her decision; her adjustment to school in the United States; and her advice for selecting the right MBA Program.
MBASchooled: What did you do before business school, and why did you choose to come to business school?
Prior to Foster, I worked as a Product Consultant at a Software-as-a-Service startup called Freshworks Inc. before transitioning to a Business Consultant. Throughout my experience, I worked alongside customers and solved diverse challenges for them. Though I really enjoyed both the technology and the consulting aspect of my work, I was very intrigued about understanding what it takes to make product-level and organization-level decisions. Therefore, I decided to pursue my MBA to bridge the gap and enhance my business acumen while continuing my professional development.
MBASchooled: What were your big questions when making your decision on which school to attend?
I evaluated business schools based on four criteria. The first was location. I wanted to pursue my MBA in an enterprising business environment.The Puget Sound region is one of the best and most diverse job markets in the world and has emerged as a global hub of tech entrepreneurship. This is a major factor that drew me to Seattle.
The second was community. I wanted a diverse culture where I could learn and contribute to my cohort.
The third was class size. I wanted an intimate class size so I could get to know all my classmates well and form authentic relationships
The fourth was the return on my investment. An MBA is a huge financial investment; hence, I wanted a program that ranked well in terms of ROI and placement rate.
MBASchooled: Why did you choose to attend Foster?
I had the opportunity to visit Foster on a couple of occasions. I attended an informational session hosted by the Dean, and I was able to learn about various aspects of the program. After that, I was hosted by a first-year student on a class visit. Once I got admitted into the program, I visited the campus for the Welcome Weekend. During my visits, I interacted with numerous students, admissions staff, and professors. Through my interactions, I was able to experience the tight-knit community and the welcoming nature of Foster. My experience, along with other factors — such as the intimate class size; technology-driven Puget Sound location; and ROI — helped me cement my decision to pursue an MBA at Foster.
MBASchooled: What about the culture and classmates stood out to you about Foster?
I attended the Welcome Weekend, which Foster organized for all the admitted students. The weekend was filled with ample opportunities to better get to know my classmates and the culture. The first thing that intrigued me was the diversity among my classmates in terms of their cultures and backgrounds. Second, my classmates were ambitious, welcoming, and genuine. I immediately felt a sense of belonging. My interaction with the first-years and my class visit only further cemented my decision to choose Foster. At the end of the weekend, I was very confident that Foster was the right fit for me, and the culture was the most endearing aspect in my decision.
MBASchooled: As an International Student, what was your experience like coming to attend business school in the United States? What were some of the adjustments you had to make?
Foster had organized a two-day event in India last year to give us a first-hand perspective of recruitment and life at Foster. This helped me discern a lot of myths about pursuing an MBA in the U.S. Furthermore, I spoke to a lot of international students who had been in my shoes to hear their experiences. This helped me gain diverse perspectives and confidence in my decision.
After coming to Foster, I felt very comfortable with the supportive community. There were a lot of resources for international students, from recruiting to visa. My favourite experiences were the Applied Strategy project, where we practiced what we learned in the classroom to solve problems for Seattle-based organizations, collaborative-aspect of the program where you can learn from diverse teams and the tech treks. We visited different companies and interacted with the alums. This has given me the global perspective I looked for and helped me fill my time at Foster with new learnings and experiences.
MBASchooled: How has Foster helped you work toward your own career goals and aspirations?
I decided to pursue my MBA to transition to product roles. Foster’s resources and the community helped me in different aspects to help achieve my goal. First, Foster has very strong relationships with major technology organizations in Seattle. I was able to learn more about these organizations through tech treks, company visits, and events.
Second, the Foster alumni network is very powerful and helped me further strengthen my engagement with the industry.
Third, the career management helped me navigate through the process with ease.
Fourth, various clubs and peers provided me with resources and support during the entire process. Foster emphasizes on cohort learning, and I experienced the power of it throughout my recruitment. My classmates and the second years spent numerous hours with me to refine my stories and my application, helping me achieve my goal.
MBASchooled: What’s something you wish you knew more about before starting your MBA at Foster?
One thing I would advise those considering an MBA in the U.S. is to start networking early. This will help better shape post-MBA goals; learn about different companies and roles; and help prepare for the recruitment that starts in the second quarter.
MBASchooled: What has been a surprise, or an unexpected element of your experience at Foster?
In my last six months at Foster, I have witnessed how each student looks at ways to give back to the community. From forming clubs to conducting events, they always look at avenues to enhance peer learning. For instance, peer coaches are very popular at Foster, and I used them extensively to prepare for my interviews.
Second, an unfortunate circumstance we are currently facing is the Covid19 situation. However, I am very proud of how both the school and my peers are supportive through this. The instruction swiftly moved to an online medium, and the school constantly communicated with us.
Further, peers find ways to cheer each other on and support other classmates during the recruitment process. The community aspect has come out even stronger during these testing times.
MBASchooled: What advice do you have for those who are evaluating where they want to attend business school? What about for international students?
An MBA in the U.S. was a major decision for me. What helped me during this phase was talking with as many people as possible. I spoke to students, admissions teams, and even alumni to better understand various aspects of the program. Being an international student, and, given the current COVID-19 circumstances, it could be difficult visiting campuses. Therefore, I suggest constantly talking with people and participating in the virtual events the schools organize. This could help assess the ‘fit’, and it’ll help you make a well-rounded decision.