Coming from an immigrant family that had been through hardship, Nitish’s parents always prioritized education. Nitish found success in his undergraduate years as an engineer interested in computer graphics and animation. After graduation, he pursued a variety of internships—including a stint at DreamWorks Animations—until he finally landed at the nonprofit People’s Action for National Integration. PANI focused on underprivileged and marginalized women, and Nitish realized he had found his calling. He also realized that in order to fulfill his goal of making a social impact through investing and consulting, he would need an MBA.
When Nitish recalls the first time he spoke to his consultant David, he remembers above all else the warmth. “For a person who comes from the kind of place that I do, it’s very daunting to talk to people in an environment where you’re desperately wanting to belong but you don’t know whether or not at the end of it, you’ll actually make it. But then the warmth that I got from that very first call was something that I took to heart. And I realized that no matter how daunting the process, it will be quite comfortable.”
Not familiar (or comfortable) with public speaking, Nitish was apprehensive about the MBA interview process. Nonetheless, he doubted whether Menlo Coaching’s professional communications training would make a difference. But after his session, he realized how valuable it was. Not only did he learn about subtle things about his communication style that he would never have picked up on his own but he also felt that it was a lot of fun! “And actually, it broke the tension!”
Nitish won acceptance to Wharton, Kellogg, Columbia and Yale. For anyone applying to these schools—and indeed, for anyone applying to business school in general—Nitish thinks that honesty and self-reflection should be top priorities. “You have to believe in yourself and focus on bringing the best self forward.” Nitish went on to say that while most people applying to top programs have stellar backgrounds, it is the unique and personal aspects of their profile that will set them apart—bringing out what is best about your story is the only thing worth focusing on.
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