During his time in the Full-Time MBA Program at USC Marshall, Nilay Ajbani has built his self confidence and landed his dream job post-grad. In this interview, he shares the challenges he faced, favorite memories from school and the benefits of an MBA from USC Marshall
The responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.
MBASchooled: What’s it like to graduate right now?
COVID has certainly put a damper on the 2nd year of business school and on the fact that I’m graduating. The positive news is that graduation will be in person. While it’s been a unique and challenging year in many ways, I’m quite blessed to have gone to a great school and landed my dream job. From this perspective, I’m ecstatic to be graduating and starting the next chapter of my life.
MBASchooled: What’s your favorite memory from business school that you are going to take with you?
Oh man, just one?! There are so many things from being President of MCSC, Halloween Party, tailgates, and post-first semester celebration. One of the best memories I have is from a C4C (Challenge for Charity) event. Over 100 USC MBA students volunteered for a day at local, underserved LA elementary schools. I was paired with one other student and we taught a 3rd grade class about financial literacy. The lessons ranged from entrepreneurship, games with fake money, and stories about different types of local businesses. During the lunch and recess break many of the students wanted to play handball with me because I’m so tall. It was such a blast playing with them even though I was in a suit.
I loved playing handball at their age and this took me back to my childhood. We then had lunch and I spoke with the students about everything from basketball to the latest TikTok dances. I didn’t bring anything to eat and a number of students offered me some of their food which was quite touching. We left shortly after lunch and as I was walking out one of the students handed me a note that read “Thank you for coming to our class today. We are really glad you came.”
MBASchooled: What’s a challenge you’ve faced, how did you overcome it and what did you learn from it?
My biggest challenge was recruiting. Coming into school, I felt very comfortable with the academics because I studied business for undergrad and worked in a corporate business role. I came into USC with a below average GPA and GMAT and didn’t attend a top undergrad. Because of this, I thought I would have a harder time recruiting for consulting roles. With this in my head, I really tried to put in 110% with anything recruiting related: casing, networking, and consulting knowledge. I become both a great caser and networker to give myself the best shot at landing a role. Because of the time commitment, I saw other aspects of my life get impacted. That was the biggest lesson for me. I can do anything I put my mind to, but I need to be acutely aware of other impacts to my life and need to determine if it’s worth it.
MBASchooled: Since you started your MBA, what part of you has undergone the most transformation or change?
I believe my self-confidence has really undergone the most change. I’ve always wanted to put myself in a position to have a successful career, but for a number of reasons that didn’t really manifest until I came to USC. Academically, I went to a community college and then transferred to an average 4-year school. My prior work experience was not as impressive, so I always had this feeling that I was punching below my weight. Coming to USC, which I’ve always considered a top school growing up in Southern California, and landing in one of the most sought after roles and firms has really boosted my self-confidence. I have finally felt that I am starting to achieve what I’ve believed I was capable of. While I view my post-MBA job as just a starting point, I am quite proud.
MBASchooled: Is an MBA worth it? Why or why not?
For individuals who are looking to significantly increase their income and/or land in a coveted role/firm that they otherwise would have great difficulty achieving, obtaining an MBA from a top 20-ish school is absolutely worth it! There are certainly other reasons, such as developing a business acumen or launching an entrepreneurial venture, but I think those two are the most common ones. They certainly were the key reasons for me. I didn’t have a line of sight of how I would supercharge my total compensation and/or land a coveted role from my prior role. While I loved the atmosphere I worked in during my previous role, I just didn’t see how I would significantly increase my income or quickly move up the corporate ladder. But, attending business school allowed me to. I believe I am on a significantly different financial path because of attending USC. I highly recommend a top MBA program to someone looking for similar changes, even if they received little to no scholarship money. While the opportunity cost seems high, the impact on both an individual’s short-term and long-term career will be fundamentally changed for the better.
MBASchooled: Any parting words?
While I haven’t fully reaped the benefits of attending USC (this will come in the coming years), I firmly believe that attending Marshall is one of the best decisions I made in my life. Everything from being plugged into the Trojan family and going through a journey of self growth to fundamentally changing my income trajectory and landing a dream role, the MBA experience is something I will always look back on with admiration. It’s quite a bittersweet feeling, because I would love to do another couple years (without the costs), but I’m also ready to move into the next phase of my personal and professional life. I can’t thank USC, the Program Office, Graduate Career Services, and my classmates enough. Fight On!
Written by, Julia Kryzan