Rian Kimishima, IESE MBA Class of 2019
Age: 28
Hometown: Tokyo, Japan
Undergraduate Institution and Major: International Christian University, Japan; language education
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Sales and administrative professional for five and a half years in a global high-tech company
Why business school? Why now? My supervisor and mentor at the previous company, who are both female MBA holders, are my role models, and they influenced me strongly toward pursuing an MBA.
Although I was very happy with my job, I wanted to grow both professionally and personally by interacting with professionals with different backgrounds and personalities. With work experience of five years, I thought this would be the best option and timing for me to invest in myself.
Why IESE? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend? People and culture: When I talked with current students, alumni, staff, and professors of IESE, they were all genuinely supportive and warm, and I really wanted to be a part of this IESE community.
Case study method: IESE uses the case method in classes, and I believe this is the best way to learn and practice in order to make decisions in different business contexts.
Diversity: IESE is a melting pot of students from different parts of the world, and I thought the exposure could change my world views and develop me into a global leader.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2019? I came to the MBA from a non-traditional background. In a fast-paced, high-tech company, I worked as an account manager in sales, and as an administrative professional I closely worked with the leadership team of a company. I learned how to understand and embrace the differences in perspectives of any situation, and I believe this is the value add I bring to the class.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application? I have a professional qualification in teaching Japanese as a foreign language. Sharing Japanese culture and language is one of my passions. (I taught classmates how to make a turtle with origami!!!)
Post-MBA career interests? My main interest is to help organizations and people grow. I would like to try different alternatives during my MBA and summer internship to figure out what fits the best for me in the long term.
Advice to current prospective applicants:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process? I talked to my friends and coworkers to deepen my understanding about myself. I realized how little I knew about who I am. This helped me to develop my essay and prepare for the interviews.
–One thing you would change or do differently? Start preparing earlier. I had less than one year to work on TOEFL, GMAT, essays, and interview preparations. I wish I could have started them earlier to lessen the pressure.
–Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it? Preparing for MBA while working full-time was very tough, but I think all of the components were unskippable and very important.
One thing about IESE that you didn’t expect before arriving? I knew the teamwork is important at IESE, but I did not realize how big a part it would play in my academic and personal life.
Thing you were most anxious about in your first year at IESE? I was afraid of preparing for three cases every day and managing my time. As I expected, the school life has been very tough, but I enjoy all the learning experiences.
Thing you are most excited about in your first year? It is difficult to choose one—I am excited to learn about new people, new ideas, and new skills every day.
