Divya Gambhir, Washington Foster’s MBA Class of 2024
Age: 26
Hometown: Panchkula, India
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Pursued Bachelor of Engineering in Information Technology from UIET, Panjab University.
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): 4 years, Management Consulting at McKinsey & Company
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
It was during my undergraduate years that I realized my deep-rooted interest to pursue a business degree. I was an active participant in different communities and clubs such as hosting foreign exchange program students at AIESEC–an international not-for-profit and leading University’s Entrepreneurship Club. I even got the opportunity to operate in a dynamic and fast-paced startup ecosystem. Through these eclectic experiences, I ended up developing an affinity for problem-solving, business strategy, collaboration, and leadership.
Fortunately, I started my career in a field that aligned with my interests. While working alongside Management Consultants at McKinsey, I observed how intently and strategically they approached clients’ critical business issues. After working there for a few years, I knew it was time to accelerate my career growth through an MBA and that it would help provide a holistic business perspective to drive strategies and more impactful outcomes forward.
Why did you choose Washington Foster? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
There were multiple factors that influenced my decision to pursue an MBA at Foster. Seattle has a flourishing tech ecosystem that is being strategically used by many of the big firms I have always dreamt of working with. In addition, Foster had done a great job in maintaining strong ties with these companies, giving students the chance to get their foot in the door. So, I understood post-MBA career prospects were great in terms of ROI. In addition, Foster has a small class size that plays a pivotal role in better learning, greater accessibility to career management and faculty, and building meaningful relationships with your cohort.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Foster MBA Class of 2024?
I was born and brought up in an Indian joint family and have lived with four different generations. My experience in a tight-knit community has empowered me to understand different viewpoints, get along with people really well and build trusting relationships with them. Later, my perspective broadened when I started working in more diverse teams at my workplace – McKinsey. I realized that while people come from different backgrounds, everyone is looking for some common ground in terms of happiness, trust and growth. I will continue to build inclusive communities and bring people together so that everyone feels safe and comfortable to bring their authentic selves in different group settings at Foster.
Secondly, I will leverage my experience of working in many challenging client engagements at McKinsey to the school’s in-house casing pipelines, further improving the experience for my peers and juniors alike. All in all, my experiences prior to my MBA have uniquely positioned me to contribute a unique voice and perspective and create the impact that I am aiming for.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I sometimes express myself through poems.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
I connected with several current students and alumni from my shortlisted list of schools, and this process gave me a sneak peek to understand their MBA programs better and most importantly, know more about the school’s culture. Some factors, such as collaborative and inclusive community, post-MBA placements, and experiential learning opportunities, were very important for me while deciding my choice of B-School and investing my time in this process helped me find my best fit.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
To start the application process early. I took a lot of time to reach my desired GMAT score range and it left me with less time to focus on improving my essays and stories. I believe I had a lot of good experiences/stories to share but writing my application in the last few days before the deadline somewhere added to the pressure.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
I would have skipped GMAT because I realized I am not great at taking standardized tests. Because of the second wave of the pandemic in India, I decided to take GMAT Online but had to reattempt twice because of technical glitches during the test. It became a long, challenging journey before I finally gave a GMAT test-center exam. Support from my family and partner really helped me sail through this phase successfully.
What is your initial impression of the Foster students/culture/community?
The community at Foster is diverse in terms of backgrounds, life experiences and interests, but one trait that brings us together is our focus on collaboration and shared success. Everyone wants you to succeed and will help in any and every way possible. The faculty, second years, career management coaches, and alumni are all very approachable and will take time off their schedules to overcome any obstacles in your learning/career path ahead.
What is one thing you have learned about Foster that has surprised you?
Foster really takes pride in what its students have to say. The MBA program is extremely committed to bettering itself year on year based on the feedback given by students. For example: after just one month, every student team was invited to share their experience at the school so far and any feedback/suggestions that we had. I was really surprised that the feedback was not only accepted but implemented quickly as well. I believe this is truly a great asset for students here to shape their best MBA experience.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
With academics, recruiting, student club leadership positions, and other experiential learning activities thrown in the mix, MBA life has become a journey of prioritizing. Sometimes, we can not get involved with every opportunity that comes our way and I fear losing out on some amazing ones because the plate always remains full when it comes to deliverables and milestones for the MBA program.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I am keen to know my classmates better and learn about their experiences. Every student here has gone through their own incredible and unique journey to get to where they are now. Getting to know about their outlook would help add different shades to my perspective on life in general. I am really looking forward to not just networking but building lasting relationships and friendships with many of them.
