We are delighted to introduce Surendar Singh, a Stanford GSB MBA, who recently joined the MBA Decoder team. Surender, brings his entrepreneurial energy, unending inquisitiveness, and yet a structured approach to application building. He asks a lot of questions that will make you think deeply about every aspect of your application. If you are working with him on your applications, expect to work hard, but at the same time, get mentored by one of the coolest guys around.
Read further to know more about Surender, in his own words:
A brief background about me
I come from a rural farmer family in Haryana. My father was in the Indian Army and that gave me an opportunity to travel the country with him. I have spent my school years in different states, learning and speaking over four languages.
I have a degree in Mechanical Engineering and I have worn multiple hats in my work life – I’ve been in technology sales, consulting in India and Bangladesh, an officer with the Government of India, and an advisor to several government officials. I believe in something I heard on a TV show once, “pick the job you like and become the person who does it”.
I’m a news junkie and also read a lot of non-fiction – mostly on economics and politics – I’m a keen observer of the games nations play with each other. On the fun side, I go on solo treks in mountains during the summers and I absolutely love snowboarding – a winter ritual for the past many years.
Why I decided to attend business school
Quite frankly I had no intention to apply to Stanford GSB. My colleague at that time pushed me to apply to a scholarship program that funds Indian students for the GSB. I got more serious about business school when I was shortlisted for that scholarship knowing that I won’t have a huge financial burden.
GSB is the top business school in the world and now I know why. The exposure studying at any good B-school is unparalleled in terms of how quickly your learning curve rises, how quickly you mature in dealing with people and the issues around you. It makes you more aware about yourself as well as others. You make friends from all over the world and spend two of the most exciting years of your life experiencing things you have not even imagined yet.
My experience at Stanford
The first couple of months at Stanford GSB can seem like drinking from a firehose. You will have student parties almost every evening, plus class introductions, faculty interactions and a lot more. GSB is a very ‘international’ place and you’ll get to meet people from all over the world. So one night you could be eating Mexican food with your Latino friends and the next night you could be eating ‘Oren’s Hummus’ with your Middle Eastern classmates. Students host small group dinners where you get to meet and interact with people who might not be in your section.
There are a ton of clubs at GSB – almost anything you are interested in. I joined the GSB Impact Fund – a student-run investment fund that acts like a venture capital fund for budding entrepreneurs in the Stanford ecosystem. The GSB Impact fund gives small amounts of money to a few startups every year.
For Indian students, there is Business in India Club that hosts prominent personalities from the business, academic, government of India.
My career after the GSB and why I chose entrepreneurship
Right after graduation, i joined a startup that was building speech analytics technology in San Francisco. I wanted to see the “Zero to One“ journey of a company and fortunately, the startup I joined was a ‘rocket ship’. I tried my hands at all aspects of running a tech company in the bay area and derived tremendous learning from it. I traveled to several countries for sales meetings, working with some of the top services companies in the world.
It was this experience that prompted me to start my own company – RootPie Labs. We are building a new-age software for educators. We are doing quite well and have a sustainable revenue model and investors who believe in what we are doing.
My passion for mentoring MBA applicants
When I was starting my career, I did not have many people around who could guide me with their experiences. I came from a family with very limited means but I never let anyone tell me I can’t do something. I got my hands dirty and kept chipping away at the task I wished to accomplish. My experiences have given me the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to explore their maximum potential.
My fundamental rule in life is to not reach a “plateau”, to always keep challenging myself and get out of my comfort zone – because that is where real learning happens.
Now, I wish to mentor like-minded MBA applicants because in my view they are already a ‘self-selected crowd’ – people who are willing to take a leap of faith. I wrote my GSB application by myself. Having been through this process, I know I can add tremendous value to MBA aspirants. Brainstorming with them and adding another layer to their perspective goes a long way in creating a successful application when applying to the world’s best MBA programs.
And, exactly how can I help MBA applicants
I’ve been told I’m good at storytelling. Well told essays are the most important component of any application. A good essay can dramatically improve your chances even if you are relatively lacking in other components of your application – like your GMAT score, your CGPA etc.
I love listening to people’s stories, what motivates them, what inspires them and in the process help them curate a story that convey their inner voice to the admissions committee. In my experience, honesty is the best policy. We all have different experiences in life, no two people are the same, and no personal story is “better” than the other – it’s all a matter of showing yourself as a human who is slightly extraordinary.