MBA Student Profile: Dhruv Sarda, University of Cambridge

Dhruv Sarda thinks the MBA program at the University of Cambridge is a great way to build additional skills. 

1. Tell us about yourself

I was born in India and brought up in the heart of Africa in Zambia. I completed my academic studies earlier than the norm and entered university at the age of 16. I studied Business Management at King's College London and following graduation returned to Zambia to work for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). After two years of consulting in the areas of strategy, HR and financial management, I decided to move to PwC's corporate finance & privatisation team to pursue my career interest in finance. In 2003, with close to four years experience under my belt, an MBA seemed like the next logical step.      

2. Why did you decide to pursue an MBA?

I primarily wanted to do an MBA because I had come to a point in my career where I needed to develop additional skills in order to take on larger roles on corporate finance assignments. The MBA was the route to not only further develop my business knowledge and obtain exposure to cutting edge research, but also hone my managerial skills. Furthermore, I was attracted to an MBA because of the opportunity to share experiences with students from diverse backgrounds and cultures.    

3. What attracted you to the Cambridge MBA?

I was attracted to the Cambridge MBA for a number of reasons:

(1) Programme Structure - I wanted to attend a 1-year intensive programme which provided practical, "hands-on" experience.
In addition to being a 1-year general management MBA, the Cambridge MBA provides several opportunities to apply theory into practice. Besides two consulting projects, students have the opportunity to undertake their individual research project as part of an internship or for a client company from mid-June to September.

(2) International - I wanted to do an MBA where I could share experiences with an international student population and learn from international faculty.

(3) Brand Recognition & Reputation - I wanted to attend a B-School with global brand recognition and a first-class reputation.
The University of Cambridge can boast having had over 60 Nobel Prize winners. Darwin, Newton and Keynes are just a few names from the long list of well-known individuals who have had an association with Cambridge. Cambridge's facilities, academic and extra-curricular, also mark it as a distinct institution of learning. Despite the fact that the first Cambridge MBA classes began just over a decade ago, the Cambridge MBA programme has already surpassed other longer established programmes to be ranked as one of Europe's leading MBA programmes today.

(4) Opportunity to Specialise - I wanted the opportunity to specialise in corporate finance and strategy.

(5) University Experience - I wanted the opportunity to interact with a variety of individuals during the course of my MBA and not only be restricted to people with an interest in the world of business.
In addition to a diverse mix of students on the MBA course, the collegiate system at Cambridge provides the opportunity to interact with students studying other disciplines at the University of Cambridge.

(6) Location - I wanted to work in Europe following the MBA and Cambridge's proximity to London was a key consideration when evaluating the choice of MBA programmes.      

4. Describe your experiences on the MBA

The MBA2003 class truly represents the diversity of the Cambridge MBA. There are 104 students representing 31 nationalities. The majority of students in my class have worked in more than one country and on average speak 2 languages. They have an average of 6 years of professional experience in a variety of sectors and functions. We have investment bankers, management consultants, engineers, accountants, doctors, architects, web developers.the list is endless!

I have had several memorable experiences on the MBA. from listening to CEOs of blue-chip companies (e.g. Saatchi & Saatchi, P&G and Boeing) talk about leadership to sitting in on a lecture on globalisation. The consultancy projects have been particularly invaluable, where I have found myself working with a bunch of bright students on advising a start-up in the micro-satellite sector to advising a well established bank on their strategy in Africa.

There is no doubt that a 1-year MBA is intensive. Unfortunately, like several other students, I underestimated the amount of workload on the MBA before I joined. Over the course of the MBA, there have been occasions when I have struggled to maintain a work-life balance. However, it doesn't take too long to adapt to this routine and in true "MBA" spirit, our class has managed to work around the hectic schedule. In addition to playing sports (whenever we get the chance), we have weekly pub nights where we visit a different pub every Thursday. Given the abundance of pubs in Cambridge, there's always something to look forward to every week.

The weekends can also get busy and I can specifically recount my experience of a particular weekend on the MBA since I wrote about it to a friend in India. An excerpt of the email is reproduced below: I visited the Unilever Ice Cream & Frozen Food factory on Friday. It was amazing to actually see the production and packaging of the beef burgers I see in the store around the corner. It was good fun, but when I came home at 6pm, I ended up working on a strategy paper. At 9pm, I went to play my first game of cricket in an attempt to test my skills and become the next Sachin Tendulkar on the MBA cricket team.

I woke up Saturday morning bright and early. Did a bit of reading and went to one of the parks for an ultimate frisbee game in preparation for the upcoming Cambridge-Oxford MBA Olympics. After practicing my bowling skills in cricket the previous night, running around the field playing frisbee wasn't easy! Last night (Sunday), I went to a Latino party organised by MBA students. Partied hard, and I'm now suffering the consequences of playing so much sport and dancing without any rest or regular physical exercise whatsoever. Here I am, typing an email to you while I have a sprained ankle, a painful back and another busy week ahead.

I have a couple of months left before I complete the MBA and am looking forward to crossing the ribbon at the finishing line.    

5. What will you do after the MBA?

I want to work in investment banking after the MBA and will be joining the M&A team at an international bank in London. I'm sure the experience of advising on a merger will be exciting but certainly not comparable to the MBA. If I were to answer the question of whether my MBA has been worth the investment, my answer would be a definite yes!