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Student Spotlight: Gabelli School of Business, Samyukta Pareek

Student Spotlight: Gabelli School of Business, Samyukta Pareek
 Learn how Samyukta Pareek, President of the Fordham Women in Business, balances her time as an MBA student at the Gabelli School of Business.
Q: How did you choose your MBA program? What are your program’s greatest assets?

A: From the beginning of my search, I knew I wanted to study in New York. As the financial capital of the world and next-big tech hub, NYC offers many opportunities for professionals across industries. I began my research by conducting informational interviews with alumni and attending informational sessions for various schools. The Gabelli School stood out immediately as they offered one of the best learning experiences with a small class size, access to amazing alumni, their business with purpose approach, all of this while in the best location possible: Midtown, Manhattan.

One of the program’s greatest assets are its faculty members, the curriculum design, and the numerous opportunities to learn through practice. Our first exposure to this was during our global immersion week in Gabelli Launch.

Gabelli Launch is a 1 month pre-term starting in early august, where as a cohort, we had the opportunity to travel together to Buenos Aires, Argentina to work as consultants for non-for profits. It was a challenge given the language and cultural barriers, however it prepared us for the rigorous curriculum and experience we were about to embark on. This was a tremendous and unique opportunity that no other MBA program I was looking at offered.

 
Q: What activities are you involved in outside of class? How did you balance your time? 
A: I am currently the President of the Fordham Women in Business (FWiB), one of the largest and most sought-after graduate student organizations at The Gabelli School. As an organization, we plan diverse events and activities throughout the year to serve students and give them a platform to connect with influential people and alumni across industries. Our Annual FWiB Conference, which happens every spring semester on campus, is a major event that brings over 120 attendees every year. It is our largest and most important event, and as president, I have had the privilege to work with, network and learn from many influential women and leaders in today’s business world.
 

Q: What have been the biggest challenges of pursuing your MBA?
A: Time-management has been the biggest challenge while pursuing my MBA. The ability to balance both my academics along with the internship search process was particularly time consuming. Thankfully, with the support of both the Academic and Career Advising teams at Gabelli, I was able to tackle it day by day. Within first 6 months of late night study sessions along with networking and interviewing, I was able to successfully land an internship at Verizon Wireless for a 10-week summer internship in the B2B Marketing Operations team. This has been one of the best experiences of my professional career thus far.
 
 
Q: How did you decide that an MBA was the next step for you?
A: I was working as a Senior Account Executive in Public Relations in India. My next goal was to work with organizations in their marketing and strategy roles. I wanted to shift my focus from being just an executer to becoming a decision maker. Once I decided what my focus was going to be, I realized there is no program other than an MBA that could help me prepare and shape me to become a leader.
 
 
Q: How do you fund your MBA? Can you offer any advice to students looking to finance their MBA?

A: Studying in the US is expensive. When applying to Gabelli, I prepared my application to be as competitive as possible in the hopes that the Admissions Committee would find me worthy of merit scholarship. I am glad to say I succeeded. I was awarded a Dean’s Scholarship at the beginning of MBA that helped me get off the ground. Once a student, I sought out additional forms of funding and I applied for a Graduate Assistant position at the office of Academic Advising. This has helped me ease the burden of tuition.

Going into this process, I knew that an MBA would be an investment in my future. My advice to others would to talk to the Admissions officers and ask questions. Learn about the scholarship opportunities they have to offer. The more information you have the better.

 
Q: Do you have an internship during your MBA experience? How does this internship relate to your future career goals?

A: Given my background in Public Relations as a communications consultant for technology companies in India, I was focused on getting an internship in Technology-Media-Telecom (TMT) sector.

I worked with the Career Development Center team to shortlist specific companies I should apply to. It took me about 4-6 months of networking, resume building and preparation for interviews. All the hard work paid off as I was able to land my dream internship at Verizon Wireless for a 10-week summer internship program in the B2B Marketing Operations team.

It was an incredible experience, and I learned a lot. After my internship, I was offered and accepted a full-time position with their Leader Development Program (LDP). I am excited to begin this new chapter in my career post completion of my MBA.

Interested in receiving an MBA or Business Master’s Degree? Check out Gabelli’s website to learn more about their graduate business opportunities!

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