Diya forged her own path to Columbia Business School, Realizing Ambitions She Didn’t Know She Had!
Raised in a business family, Diya grew up in an environment where entrepreneurial thinking was continually encouraged. Developing a mindset of identifying opportunities and solving problems led her to find her passion in Economics. Gunning for the best, she worked hard and secured a seat in the best Economics college in India, Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC). During her time at SRCC, she explored her love for dance and was actively involved in the Students’ Union, tabling student concerns to bring meaningful change on campus.
During her undergrad, Diya’s love for economics deepened, which prompted her to pursue a Master’s in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics (DSE), another leading college in the country. At that point of time, it was clear that an MBA wasn’t a part of Diya’s plan.
After completing her master’s, Diya landed an internship at American Express, where she was introduced to the world of data science. She loved the work so much that she joined full-time, spending two years refining her analytical and problem-solving skills as a part of their Fraud Team.
Eager to expand her business exposure, she moved into consulting with Kepler Cannon, focusing on financial services and fintech clients. This transition allowed Diya to develop a niche in payments and fintech, strengthening her expertise in the sector. After 1.5 years, she joined Revolut as a Strategy & Operations Manager. In this role, she worked with cross-functional teams across Europe to expand Revolut’s credit product suite.
It was during her time at Revolut that Diya started considering an MBA. Interacting with colleagues who had pursued business school degrees, she realized that an MBA could help her accelerate her career in fintech strategy. However, having already completed a master’s, she was determined to apply only to the top programs.
Applying to business schools while managing a demanding job was challenging; however, Diya found the right guidance with Aparna at Admissions Gateway. Aparna helped her structure her application process, refine her MBA narrative, and craft compelling essays that brought out her unique story. The essay-writing process, which Diya initially dreaded, turned into an introspective journey that helped her recognize her own achievements and ambitions.
With Aparna’s support, Diya developed strong applications and prepared thoroughly for interviews. The results spoke for themselves—she was admitted to Columbia Business School in Round 1.
Today, Diya is thriving at Columbia Business School. She recently secured a summer internship at McKinsey in San Francisco. She describes the MBA journey as transformational, pushing her to grow both personally and professionally.
Reflecting on her experience, she said: “The application process made me realize how ambitious I actually am. Working with Aparna was a game-changer, and Columbia has been everything I hoped for and more.”
With her MBA journey in full swing, Diya is excited to explore new opportunities in fintech and strategy consulting, confident that Columbia has set the stage for her next big leap.
To read more such stories of folks who got into their dream business schools to pursue their lifelong passion, check out our success stories.