Saumya Gupta is a MBA Candidate (Class of 2022) at Arizona State University. After starting his career as a process engineer, Saumya chose to pursue an MBA to build a career at the intersection of science and business. During our conversation, Saumya spoke about his journey to choosing an MBA, why he chose the W.P Carey School of Business, and his advice for prospective MBA students.
MBASchooled: What did you do before business school, and why did you choose to apply?
Before starting my MBA at the W. P. Carey School of Business, I was a process engineer at Intel Corp in Chandler, AZ. I worked at Intel for 3.5 years after earning my undergraduate degree in chemical engineering. I chose to pursue an MBA at Arizona State University because I had the opportunity to understand the engineering spectrum of running a business and wanted to take a step back and learn the business administration aspects too. I believe there are many people who are great at science, and many who are great at business, but few that are capable of bridging the gap between the two functions.
MBASchooled: When did you find out when you got admitted? How did you navigate your decision process if you were evaluating multiple schools?
My application to the MBA program at Arizona State University was not standard. I found out about the program through my employer on the last day of the application season. I acquired my letters of recommendation, wrote my essay responses, and completed the application in 7 hours. Since I applied on the last day, my interview occurred within the next 2 business days, and I was informed I was accepted into the program the day after. My methodology on evaluating the W. P. Carey School of Business focuses on three aspects: investment, global recognition, and opportunity. The W. P. Carey School of Business runs one of the very few full-time MBA programs where the majority of admitted students get a full ride, a semester stipend, and a biweekly salary.
The W. P. Carey School of Business is also well-ranked with a top 30 full-time MBA and is #1 in operations, the field I am pursuing. Lastly, I found the Career Management and Employer Engagement team at the W. P. Carey School of Business to focus on upscaling students to be incredibly competitive for internship and post-graduate offers, and the alumni network is vast.
MBASchooled: What were the most important questions you asked in order to help make your admissions decision?
My interviewers were assistant directors at the W. P. Carey School of Business. I wanted to know what they perceived as their highest priorities for improving the FT MBA program, and their responses were genuine and revealed they were aware of possible blind spots for the program. Their honesty and transparency are representative and reflective of the W. P. Carey community culture.
MBASchooled: What sources of information (ex: people, resources, websites, students) did you evaluate when making your admissions decision?
I pursued my undergraduate degree at Arizona State University in chemical engineering from 2013 to 2017. During this time, I had set my eyes on the MBA program and was impressed by the STEM-focused MBA curriculum, business school culture, and the faculty in the program. The ASU community supported me in my undergraduate academic and personal pursuits better than I could have imagined, and this weighed heavily on my decision to apply solely to the W. P. Carey School of Business Full-Time MBA program.
For prospective students, I recommend evaluating every aspect of your options. I find there are very few schools that will commit as much work into supporting you as ASU has for me and my classmates.
MBASchooled: After spending a year at Carey, what’s something that you now know about Carey that you wish you knew when you applied?
There really haven’t been any blind spots. On the other hand, one thing that really surprised me was that there is a team of professionals specifically dedicated to the FT MBA program; this team is referred to as the Program Operations team. This team works day and night to ensure that the experience of every student is as perfect as possible. This was a very pleasant surprise.
MBASchooled: Who did you talk to that was most helpful in learning information to help you make a decision? What questions did you ask?
The admissions team at the school was fantastic and was able to answer all my questions regarding the onboarding process. My questions were based around the forward-looking placement and the perspective of the interviewers on their opinion of what the W. P. Carey School of Business does well and where there is room for improvement.
MBASchooled: Oftentimes, the word “culture” gets thrown around when talking about MBA programs. Can you characterize the culture at Carey? Can you share an example of an experience that you think personifies what this means?
Culture at W. P. Carey is paramount. The classes are small – about 65 students per class. This small class size is important because it gives everyone an opportunity to get to know people in the first and second-year programs very well. This tightly knit community fosters a culture of giving back to the community – at W. P. Carey, we refer to people who exhibit these qualities as Net Investors – people who give back to the community and culture as much as W. P. Carey invests in them. This culture of supporting those in the community is indicative of a healthy culture and is exactly what you will find at W. P. Carey.
MBASchooled: Now that you’ve been at Carey for a year, is there a specific moment or highlight where you felt confident that you made the right decision?
Every day has been a constant reminder of me making the right decision. My classmates are a big part of my daily interactions and having had an opportunity to get to become friends with a tightly-knit community is a daily reminder of my opportunity to learn more every day.
MBASchooled: What advice do you have for admitted students on how they can make the best decision?
Pick a school that you will thrive in. This decision will impact you for the rest of your life, your education, classmates, curriculum, and community culture will shape who you become.
MBASchooled: What advice do you have for admitted students on how they can prepare for their MBA experience?
Be willing to learn from everyone around you, and be ready to hit the ground running!