Real Humans of the University of Georgia Terry College of Business
Kuhoo Shukla, UGA Terry MBA
Age: 27
Hometown: New Delhi, India.
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Prior to starting my MBA, I worked as a Business-IT consultant for Deutsche Bank in the portfolio management space. I was a part of the Credit Risk Division and managed customer acquisitions.
Why business school? Why now? While working as a business consultant for Deutsche Bank, I got the opportunity to work on a lot of challenging business problems. Although I learnt a lot in that role, I felt I needed formal business education to refine my skills and be successful in the future.
Why the University of Georgia’s MBA program? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend? University of Georgia’s MBA has one of the most sought-after Full-Time MBA programs. Its US news rankings had been rising steadily and it was offering me the perfect blend of courses that I needed to move my career forward. Flexibility to choose multiple concentrations, small class size, MBA rankings, and a liberal merit-based scholarship and assistantship played a very heavy role in my decision to join this program.
Kuhoo Shukla, UGA Terry MBA
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to your MBA class? A unique Asian perspective.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application? I am a trained Indian Classical Dancer.
Post-MBA career interests? Move into an Operations Management and Supply Chain Analytics.
Advice to Prospective MBA Applicants
One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process? I really enjoyed writing the application essays. It enabled me to communicate my motivation for an MBA to admission officers.
One thing you would change or do differently? Nothing
Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it? Before starting my MBA, I was not a very articulate speaker, so I was nervous about the video interview and would’ve skipped that if I could. I’m glad I didn’t because it forced me to work on my weakness and convert it into a strength.
Greatest highlight so far at Terry/Georgia? Personalized attention and support from the faculty and career management staff!
Their unrelenting guidance to help you network right, practice mock interviews and pitches, and career counseling really helped me realize my professional and personal value.
One thing about Terry/Georgia that you didn’t expect before arriving? As an international student, I had no idea what a big deal college football is. To come to the U.S. and witness our bulldog team storm into the finals was one of the most invigorating moments last year. I can finally say I understand the game and all the (justifiable) madness around it. Go dawgs!
Thing you were most anxious about in your first year? Courses I hadn’t taken in my undergrad such as accounting, finance, marketing. Most were new for me, so I really struggled in the first few months to establish a strong foothold. To top it off, we were also busy networking with prospective employers, applying to jobs and attending career expos to land the right internship. So, it was a very busy first year for all of us but all the and hard work and patience eventually paid off!
Thing you were most excited about in your first year? I was excited about meeting my new classmates who come from very diverse business cultures and work across multiple disciplines such as healthcare, real estate, and even B-Corp. I feel fortunate to share space with such an amazing bunch of people who not only exposed me to life in America, the culture and the corporate world, but also helped me grow personally and build a stronger network.
About the Author
Matthew Korman
Matthew Korman is a writer on MetroMBA. Since graduating from Rowan University with a degree in journalism and political science, Matthew has worked as a music industry writer and promoter, a data analyst, and with numerous academic institutions. His works have appeared in publications such as NPR and Sports Illustrated.
