The Touch MBA Admissions Podcast - #182 Inside the NUS MBA with Student Council President Safira Djati, NUS MBA '22

#182 Inside the NUS MBA with Student Council President Safira Djati, NUS MBA '22

09/21/21 • 57 min

Safira Djati shares her journey from private equity analyst in Indonesia to the NUS MBA, where she is President of the NUS MBA Student Council. How has Covid affected the program and what has most surprised her about the NUS MBA so far? Safira shares the importance of student clubs and her takeaways from leading the 38th NUS MBA Student Council as its first female and Indonesian president. Finally, Safira touches on being a mother and making the most of her MBA.

Questions

Safira's background, pre-MBA goals, and reasons for applying to NUS (3:20)
Safira's NUS MBA experience vs. expectations (8:30)
MBA recruiting during Covid (14:00)
What Safira has learned from the MBA (17:00)
Singapore job-seeking as an international student (20:05)
Building connections in VC/PE (24:20)
Safira's experience running for President and leading the 38th NUS MBA Student Council (30:10)
Safira's advice for mom MBAs (46:20)
Safira's last thoughts on making the most of your MBA (52:00)

About Safira

Safira Djati currently attends the NUS MBA. Prior to NUS, she worked as a Manager and Investment Analyst for PT PPA Capital in Jakarta, Indonesia. Safira graduated from Universitas Prasetiya Mulya with a Bachelors in Economics. Safira is President of the NUS MBA Student Council, runs her own jewelry business, XAVIA Jewelry, and is looking to pursue a private equity, venture capital or impact investing role after graduation.

Show Notes

Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/inside-the-nus-mba-student-council-president-safira-djati-nus-mba

Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Questions

Safira's background, pre-MBA goals, and reasons for applying to NUS (3:20)
Safira's NUS MBA experience vs. expectations (8:30)
MBA recruiting during Covid (14:00)
What Safira has learned from the MBA (17:00)
Singapore job-seeking as an international student (20:05)
Building connections in VC/PE (24:20)
Safira's experience running for President and leading the 38th NUS MBA Student Council (30:10)
Safira's advice for mom MBAs (46:20)
Safira's last thoughts on making the most of your MBA (52:00)

About Safira

Show Notes

Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/inside-the-nus-mba-student-council-president-safira-djati-nus-mba

Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Previous Episode

#181 Taking the Road Less Traveled with Tony DeGennaro, CUHK MBA '17

Most applicants get an MBA to step out of their comfort zones. But, what about pursuing your MBA and subsequent five-year marketing career in Hong Kong as an American?

Tony DeGennaro, who majored in Political Science and Philosophy at Rutgers, shares his winding journey to the CUHK MBA, one of the top-ranked business schools in Asia, to running a boutique marketing agency targeting Chinese consumers, to now working as a Digital Strategist for First Page Digital, an online marketing agency with offices in 9 countries. What has Tony learned from studying and working in Hong Kong?

Questions

Tony’s background, pre-MBA goals, and reasons for applying to CUHK (3:45)
Tony’s biggest challenge during the MBA (13:40)
The two things Tony took away from his MBA experience (17:10)
Can entrepreneurship be taught? (21:20)
How Tony ended up running his own boutique marketing agency (22:10)
Tony’s current role at First Page Digital (27:50)
Tony’s thoughts on the future of digital marketing and the marketing industry in Hong Kong (29:50)
Tony’s tips for landing a post-MBA job in a foreign country (33:30)
Leading the Marketing Club at CUHK (37:00)
What Tony would have done differently (43:20)
How Hong Kong has changed over the past 5 years (45:20)
Tony’s last tips to applicants (50:00)

About Tony DeGennaro

Tony DeGennaro is an Enterprise Digital Strategist at First Page Digital. Previously, he was Director of Marketing and Business Development for Dragon Social, a boutique marketing agency in Hong Kong. Tony graduated from Rutgers with a Bachelors in Political Science and Philosophy, and worked in sales and as an English teacher before attending the CUHK MBA.

Show Notes

Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/taking-the-road-less-traveled-tony-degennaro-cuhk-mba/

Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com

Next Episode

#183 SDA Bocconi MBA Program & Admissions Interview with Francesca Roveda

Francesca Roveda, a member of the recruiting and admissions team for SDA Bocconi’s MBA program, discusses what makes the SDA Bocconi MBA unique, the school’s admissions process, career opportunities and more.

Program Highlights (5:30) | Admissions (28:26) | Financing & Scholarships (48:00) | Careers (55:30)

About Our Guest

Francesca Roveda recruits candidates for the MBA, Executive MBA and Specialized Masters program for Bocconi University’s School of Management. Francesca has been with Bocconi for nearly 30 years, starting in the marketing office and then moving over to recruiting and admissions in 2008.

What is unique about the SDA Bocconi MBA? What are its key advantages?

Located in downtown Milan, which has the third largest economy among EU cities after Paris and Madrid and is recognized as one of the world’s finance and fashion capitals; Paris, London and Barcelona are a one-hour flight away
SDA Bocconi MBA starts in September and lasts 12 months
100 students per class from 30 countries; 75% of students are from outside Italy
Admissions is looking for applicants who truly listen and respect diversity and have strong interpersonal skills to work in groups
Students can specialize in Finance, Marketing & Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Luxury Business Management
SDA Bocconi is celebrating its 50th birthday in 2021

Episode write-up and show notes: https://touchmba.com/sda-bocconi-mba-program-admissions-interview-francesca-roveda

Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com