My best career move: UNC Kenan-Flagler

Bhushan Thakar (MBA ’14)

Selecting to attend UNC Kenan-Flagler to obtain my MBA was one of the best decisions in my professional career – and I am elated that every single expectation I had set before I arrived in Chapel Hill has been fulfilled.

My goals were pretty clear: I sought a comprehensive development program that balanced classroom teaching with the development of practical, action-oriented leadership and organizational skills in a diverse, moderately-sized student body.

Needless to say, like all aspiring MBA students, I also sought to rejoin the workforce in my desired industry, function and geographical location. I chose UNC Kenan-Flagler because it offers a diverse student body, a vast array of experiences, supportive and excellent faculty, the right balance of business and social skills, and a sincere, deep focus on leadership development through both experiential learning and feedback-based coaching.

On the first day of orientation, MBA associate dean Sridhar Balasubramanian (or “Dr. B.” as he’s known to students) told us that our professional career is a marathon and not a sprint. Keeping this mantra in mind and having an awareness of my strengths and goals, my MBA journey was both thrilling, educational and filled with a wealth of rich, intriguing experiences.

Throughout my two years at UNC Kenan-Flagler, I witnessed an energized and diverse student body showcase their commitment to our core values – excellence, teamwork, community, integrity and leadership – in every aspect – from academic performance to delivering on leadership roles, from raising funds for charity to winning case competitions, and from organizing club events to preparing for career development.

The gamut of leadership development opportunities offered is a truly distinctive strength of the school. Through various courses and business simulations, as well as leading the General Management Club and participating in the Leadership Immersion capstone (that no other top 20 school dedicates an entire module to), the leadership skills I developed are by far the broadest in scope and deepest in skills developed. The leadership opportunities offered by UNC Kenan-Flagler are also the most tailored to individual development that I have experienced.

To echo Warren Buffett’s words, “price is what you pay and value is what you get.” By any measure of scale, the value I received from UNC Kenan-Flagler has far exceeded the price I paid.

By Bhushan Thakar (MBA ’14)