Anahi Mittal- IE Business School

Name: Anadi Mittal

Age: 31

Hometown: Delhi, India

Education: Computer Engineering; McMaster University, Canada

Current MBA program: International MBA; IE Business School, Spain

Describe a typical day as a MBA student

The college time usually lasts for 6 hours with the day starting at 9am with a lecture that lasts for 1.5 hours.

At 10.20am, we are given with a 10mins break to grab a coffee or a snack or natures call.

From 10.30am, another 1.5 hours lecture on a core subject that culminates at 11.50am with about 30mins break to grab a quick bite

At 12.30pm, we have group meetings (at the beginning of each term, the whole section is divided into groups of 6-7 individuals representing varied diversity). We ponder on various group assignments along with the teachings of the day and jot down the next steps to achieve our objectives.

From 13.30 – 14.50, we have the third lecture on a core subject.

Post 15.00, we grab a lunch (Spanish lunch starts at 14.00 till about 16.00). In the evening, we break out into groups or individual studying on subjects. The night usually starts at 21.00 with the beers that usually last till the wee hours of the morning. 

Where did you work before enrolling in business school?

I was working full time as a Private Equity Associate at a Real Estate Private Equity firm based in Kuwait. This Private Equity firm was a subsidiary formed out of a prominent real estate firm in Kuwait; primarily involved in real estate development in Kuwait and largely in the GCC region. They had recently sold their stake in a major KSA project and were looking to invest the profits in developed projects mainly in Europe and North America. I was responsible for developing investment strategy and analyzing potential investments that are in line with the strategy vision of the year 2020.

Why did you choose this business school?

Diversity, entrepreneurial spirit, program length and global rankings/acceptability are the key factors that appealed to me about IE Business School. Being fortunate to share the classroom with individuals hailing from varied backgrounds provides a spice to the learning process and moreover the location of the school in the heart of the vibrant city of Madrid provides an experience of living in one of the hubs of Europe. In the short term, even though I am inclined in pursuing the corporate path but the entrepreneurial spirit embedded in the program curriculum provides a platform to understand and assess the potential next steps that I can possibly explore in the near future.

What’s your best advice to an applicant to your school?

Draw your short term and midterm goals – professionally and personally. It is important to have an understanding of your ambitions in order to align your expectations. These key characteristics should be the theme of your admissions application. The school allows ample room for exploring an individual’s creativity during application process wherein along with the traditional essay’s; an individual can provide a short video displaying one’s creativity in any field of life. The school places high emphasis on individuality wherein along with academics; talent in any aspect of life is provided equal weight while assessing the applicant.

What is/was the most enjoyable part about business school?

Interacting with individuals from varied backgrounds and living through their diverse experience is a business school moment that is thoroughly enjoyable. As days inches closer to graduation, a sense of reminiscence dawns upon each of us wherein we will sail on different journeys soon but the memories will forever be etched in our mind and soul.

What is/was the hardest part of business school?

Adaptation is the single most challenging aspect of the MBA program. On our convocation, we were told that we would have to choose two of the three S- Sleep, Socialize, Study; as doing all three simultaneously would be impossible. At times, the challenge is choosing the two of the three; however, this adds to the excitement of the MBA life.

Where will you be working after graduation?

Currently, I am in the process of completing the Term 2 of the course and would step up the job application process this June. That being said, I would ideally like to pursue positions in the Private Equity/Asset Management sector in Europe preferably in Germany or Switzerland. I am also going to keenly explore options in the Middle East – Dubai or Qatar.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career or at your school?

Having the honor of living on three different continents till date and relating to those experiences in everyday school teachings is one of the achievements I am proud of. Kick-starting my career in Canada in a hedge fund (while I graduated from Computer engineering with minimal understanding of business field) and progressing my knowledge and career path into Private Equity is a journey that has its share of fun and obstacles. However, the enriching journey has been rewarding both professionally and personally.

Favorite MBA Courses?

Marketing – Our Professor made the course an interesting class while deviating from the traditional teaching methodology that is solely through powerpoint slides by providing anecdotes from his over 20 years of professional experience. He would pick on individuals irrespective of color or religion and pick a comedy aspect of theirs to relate to a key marketing concept. It kept the class lively and made the 1.5 hrs worth every bit of it.

Managerial Decision Making – An esteemed scholar in his field, the professor would keep jumping from one corner to the other and played games as if he was in his 20s. The child in him allowed us to relate the complex concepts through the eye of our experience and childhood.

Fun fact about yourself:

Can do numerous yoga poses that sometimes raises eyeballs

Eat like never tomorrow, but somehow fortunate of not gaining weight 😉

Love adrenaline sports such as bungee jumping, sky diving; but scared as hell to take the first step

Started collecting coins as a child on hopes of becoming a millionaire at age of 18 (based on a documentary which stated that ‘antique coins/notes fetch a fortune’ – childhood innocence)