A Good B-school Builds Credibility

More than just a toolkit, it provides an experience that shapes your thinking and values that, in turn, define who you become and what impact you have

I WAS A dreamy-eyed 23-year-old when I stepped into my first class at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Why did I choose an international business school? Quite honestly, I came from a conservative Gujarati family, wanted to explore the world, live on my own, and have ‘foreign-returned’ on my résumé! Also, I was always very driven, tags and brands mattered to me, and so I wanted to have one more degree after chartered accountancy. Twenty-two years later, as I write this, it’s truly incredible to grasp how those two years changed my life in so many ways.

Let us discuss why I chose Fuqua over three other schools that I got accepted into. Firstly, I was interested in the health sector and Fuqua had a strong focus with several electives in this area. This not only helped me understand the sector and its nuances better but also gave me a fabulous internship with GlaxoSmithklineBeecham, and my first job out of business school at Guidant (now Abbott). Secondly, the size of the class was half of that in most business schools. After speaking to several alumni, I realised the merits of having a smaller community and stronger bonds as a result—it fit my mindset and personality type.