Sneha Battula, Cambridge Judge MBA Class of 2023
Age: 27
Hometown: Hyderabad, India
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Chemical Engineering, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): 6.5 years of experience in early and last stage technology start-ups in Hospitality, transport, and finance; 3 years of Entrepreneurial experience in Edu-tech and event planning service industry
Why did you decide to attend business school? Why now?
I have always wanted to attend business school after obtaining five years of work experience experimenting in my career and also be able to fund myself for attaining a degree in a prestigious school.
I want to utilise my career as a springboard to add value to others’ lives. My goals require me to solve my corporate strategy deficiencies and be equipped intellectually in a healthy competitive environment opening my mind to new horizons, thus setting me on my desired career trajectory.
The decision to attend a business school is to learn from veteran professors more than textbooks, collaborate with peers to learn about their life experiences than just be interested in their professional journey, inculcate fresh perspectives towards life, and ultimately unlock the potential of networking.
Why did you choose Cambridge Judge? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I shortlisted Business schools with a fantastic location to build my life and career, have a one-year tenure of the course, receive robust education through cultural ethos, embrace my entrepreneurial spirit and drive my ability to be a great leader.
Cambridge Judges’ small and specially curated class allows room for interpersonal communication between classmates and professors, fostering a personal, curated business school experience. The Cambridge community thrives on diversity driving dynamic and collaborative learning styles. The one-year MBA doesn’t just provide the full range of business disciplines and operations but includes entrepreneurship courses, covering business planning, innovation management and funding. Cambridge MBA provides access to a vast network of successful entrepreneurs operating in Cambridge and Silicon Fen.
What are your most valuable or differentiating contributions to the Judge MBA Class of 2023?
I grew up in a conventional middle-class South Indian family, and it has been an enthralling journey to become a first-generation student. Through this process, I was able to shape myself into a strong, independent individual who doesn’t conform to patriarchal ideologies and illogical social constructs. I am open to sharing stories and learnings on mental health, setting up a business in India, volunteering for non-profits, teaching underprivileged and disabled children, life in a pandemic, food and travel, theatre and poetry, and everything under the sun.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I have been an actor for over four years and worked in over ten regional short films and movies. I love writing and capturing emotions and thoughts in words. I travelled solo to the United States amidst a pandemic for five months, working remotely and exploring the country.
Post-MBA career interests:
I desire to join an early-stage start-up as a product manager and utilise the experience I gained from my background in launching start-ups in India at scale to manage growth by setting a vision for the company. I will empower the start-up founders with strategy, build product marketing objectives, create product lines and test ideas for market viability.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would do again as part of your application process?
I would love to spend time reflecting on what I want to do next and plan to build an impactful career and life I would like to lead. The application process helped me understand the value to think, plan and reassess. 
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I am an R2 applicant and I was considerably late in the application process. If given a chance, I would start early and give myself more time to prepare to apply for R1.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
Imposter syndrome – When connecting with alumni and current students during the application process, I experienced self-doubt and felt incompetent. It has been an interesting journey to accept, be kind to myself, share feelings with a professional or a friend and receive guidance.
What is your initial impression of the Cambridge Judge students/culture/community?
As Rodney Atkins in his song says –
‘We’re givin’ this life everything we got and then some
It ain’t always pretty, but it’s real
It’s the way we were made, wouldn’t have it any other way
These are my people’
Students, AdCom, Professors and everyone I have spoken to so far have been extremely nice, helpful, supportive and patient – they are ‘my people’ indeed. I have already made brilliant relationships with my peers even before getting to school and I am only excited to see how their friendships develop over time.
What is one thing you have learned about Cambridge Judge that has surprised you?
Cambridge could be called the birthplace of football as we know it was the place of the first official game using the ‘Cambridge Rules’, played on Parker’s Piece in 1848. This formed the basis of the Football Association’s rules drawn up in 1863.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
Saying ‘NO’ to networking events, formal dinners or parties. It can super intimidating and can often be too much to constantly network and attend events or dinners. I want to be mindful of this and check in with my emotions and would like to learn to pass something on if I don’t have the mental and physical capacity for it rather than fit into uncomfortable situations. I want to embrace my insecurities and present my brutally honest self to my peers and friends.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I am excited to build friendships with the super awesome people of my class, meet my class pets (Houston and Waikiki), hopefully attend (or, be invited to) formal dinners of all the colleges, spend weekends punting away, explore Cambridgeshire and watch a football match at Old Trafford witnessing Liverpool beat Man United.
