Interview with Arjun Nair, F1GMAT

Why did you choose SKOLKOVO MBA?

It is a school with a strong focus on entrepreneurship and at the same time the learning by doing approach gives  you the opportunity to understand how businesses in different geographies ( India, China, US and Russia) work. 

You gain a first hand knowledge on the business processes that define the company's daily operations, and get a chance to work on improving a particular processes or developing new strategic initiatives, etc depending on the scope of work defined by the client.

It is the program structure that really got me interested in the program.

How has been your experience till now (Class Experience, Curriculum and Value you received from the program)?

Class Experience - The class size is relatively small (20), which has its pro's and con's. But the caliber of the students representing 9-10 different nationalities is great.

Curriculum - The program structure as such is something very unique. Although, i would like to see some improvements in the academic support & project guidance provided during phases where we work with companies.

Value from the program - Working with different nationalities in different geographies in very different business environments and project requirements. I am sure i will be able to carry forward this gained experience and knowledge to help me in my professional life.

As an Indian student in SKOLKOVO, what has been some of the challenges and rewards of joining SKOLKOVO MBA?

A key personal challenge in the program, is to keep focus on your academics, as you can easily mistake the program for a nice long cross country vacation; maintaining a disciplined approach to your studies and your project performance will ensure that you would get the desired  results at the end.

The MBA team and my classmates have been excellent, and made me feel just like back home. 

Although, once you step out of the doors of campus, you would need to speak Russian, knowledge of English will not help you get around the city. Once you learn the language, get used to seeing a lot of snow and get introduced to Vodka, Moscow has a lot more to offer.

What advice would you give to MBA Aspirants and Indian students in particular about joining SKOLKOVO MBA program

Be clear on what your purpose is for joining a relatively new B-School in Russia,  have a clear goal.

If you are a risk taker, who is against most conventional MBA's, this is great.

The program is great for entrepreneurship and there is a lot of opportunity to network with leading entrepreneurs in Russia and quite a few in Boston and at MIT.

The program is very well suited if you want to work ahead in Russia (with knowledge of Russian), if you would like to work outside Russia after the program, as of now the Skolkovo Brand reach might be comparatively lower in the international market.