Mehr Grewal, Cambridge Judge MBA Class of 2022
Age: 31
Hometown: Tustin, CA
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Media Studies Major at UC Berkeley
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): I’ve worked at Google for the last nine years, focused specifically on growing our advertising business through the entire Google suite of digital products. Most recently before leaving, I was on a six-month rotation working as a Partner Marketing Manager for the Google Education team.
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
Pre-COVID, business school had been a consideration at some point in my career journey, but not a priority. When the lockdown happened, I was given the space to assess what I enjoyed most about my current role and what I wanted the next 5 to 10 years to look like, and ultimately realized that now was the best time for me to apply for a multitude of reasons. Business school offered the opportunity to develop more robust leadership skills and business acumen, two areas that I wanted to grow to take on future roles of interest. I also realized that I wanted to move into a technology space that would have community impact, such as climate technology or education technology, and the school environment would give me the opportunity to explore these arenas more. Lastly, I was ready to meet and learn from a group of people who would have very different backgrounds and experiences than myself.
Why did you choose Cambridge Judge? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
The Cambridge program spoke to me in many ways. The two capstone projects that we work on during the year are an exciting and novel way to apply classroom learnings to real-world business problems. The class composition and size were also a big factor: not only is it relatively small, allowing one the opportunity to really get to know each and every classmate in some way, but also so diverse that one is constantly learning, both in and out of the classroom. The collaborative nature of our class and community at large shows itself in different ways every day. In addition, as someone interested in entrepreneurship and technology, the program’s curriculum focused on these areas and relationship with the Silicon Fen was also a huge draw. Lastly, having spent my entire career working in the US, the opportunity to immerse myself in a program focused more on the global business lens was very enticing.
Applying during COVID took many of the standard application opportunities off the table, such as visiting the campus or meeting alumnae and staff in person, but the Cambridge admissions team made sure that we as candidates felt supported throughout the process. This from the beginning exemplified the values of the program, and it was something I remembered very clearly as I was making my final decision.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2022?
My career has been built on problem solving in a scaled way for clients of all sizes and verticals. Managing complex stakeholders and communicating solutions in their language are two skills that I can coach my classmates in.
Tell us a fun fact that didn’t get included on your application:
My newest hobby that I picked up during quarantine was learning how to DJ. It is still very much a work in progress, but lots of fun!
Post-MBA career interests:
Working in product marketing at a small- to mid-size technology start up focused on global impact.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Talk to alumni from different backgrounds. Hearing from people who have attended a program you are interested in immediately gives you a taste of what you may like or not like about the school, and also offers a glimpse of how the program has helped them since graduating.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
Because of COVID, I was unable to visit Cambridge before making my final decision. I would have loved the opportunity to get a feel of the program and campus live before that stage (although it all worked out in the end!).
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
Continuing to study for the GMAT instead of taking the GRE. I worked at improving my GMAT score for a year, but still was not getting to the level I needed. On a lark I decided to take the GRE to see if I scored better before submitting applications, and I did. I wish I’d made that switch sooner.
What is your initial impression of the Cambridge Judge students/culture/
How impressive yet approachable everyone is. Whether it be a classmate or a professor, the community here has accomplished so much, but is always willing to offer a helping hand or share their experiences.
What is one thing you have learned about Cambridge Judge that has surprised you?
How much there is to be involved with both at Judge and Cambridge at large. I heard from alumni how quickly a year here goes and based on how many exciting opportunities one can get involved with both inside and outside of the classroom, I’m not surprised.
Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your personal application or admissions process in any way? If so, how?
The only area I felt was different due to COVID was the ability to not interview live or visit the campus in-person before making a decision.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
Doing everything I want to do! There is so much I want to be involved with, but only so many hours in the day.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
Learning – both in the classroom and from my peers. The opportunity to take a year away from working and to really focus on developing oneself is not one that everyone has, and I feel very lucky that I have the next year to do just that.
