Brandeis International Business School

Nimisha Shinday, Accelerated MA’18: A global perspective and real-world experience

NImisha Shinday
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Nimisha Shinday shares her experience at the International Business School.

Nimisha Shinday ’17, MA’18, has packed more international and high-level business experience into the Brandeis International Business School Accelerated MA (AMA) program than most students acquire in years of schooling.

Why Brandeis International Business School?

Shinday, one of the first 19 students to graduate from the new program, will start work as a consulting analyst at Accenture in New York this summer. Only a year ago, she was a Brandeis senior majoring in economics with a minor in business who was looking into job opportunities starting right after graduation. Taking upper-level economics classes convinced her to stay another year for the accelerated master’s degree. “The caliber of the teaching here and the way they engaged students really clicked with me,” she says.

“At Brandeis International Business School, not only do you have the diversity of demographics, but also a diversity of thought and background.”

Hassenfeld Overseas Immersion Program

Before starting at Accenture, Shinday will take advantage of one of the most prestigious international opportunities for which the International Business School is famous: traveling to Hong Kong for 10 days as part of the Hassenfeld Overseas Immersion Program. The experience will enable her to get an inside view of one of the world’s most dynamic business climates.

Field Consulting Projects

The AMA program lets students earn a master’s degree in economics and finance in three semesters beginning with the summer after college graduation. The summer offers something unique among Brandeis programs: while taking two classes on campus, students also do an on-site consulting field project.

Shinday worked with area startups, performing industry and company analysis and making recommendations. She enjoyed it so much that she did another optional consulting project for the full 2017-18 academic year, sitting on the board of directors of the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of Waltham and doing data analytics as well as data management for the organization as an independent consultant.

Shinday was already thinking about a management consulting career before starting the AMA program, “but doing both of those things made it clear to me that I really enjoy the work—delving into a project and having ownership. It’s the full consulting life cycle you can’t get from just an internship or class,” she says.

Life Before the International Business School

Though she wasn’t sure of her major or career before going to college, she did know that she wanted an international education, and both her undergraduate and graduate education at Brandeis fulfilled her expectations. As an undergrad, she studied abroad at the Shanghai University of Economics and Finance. Though she knew no Mandarin when she arrived there, she learned enough to now participate in a group where Chinese and American students speak Mandarin and English with each other to improve their skills. The Santa Barbara, California native also speaks Spanish and a bit of Hindi.

The language exchange and Hassenfeld program are just two examples of the international flavor Shinday was looking for in a business school.

Advice for Future Accelerated MA Students

“At Brandeis International Business School, not only do you have the diversity of demographics, but also a diversity of thought and background. Working with faculty and students from all over the world who have experience across a bunch of different sectors really enhances the learning experience,” she says.

Her advice for others considering the AMA program? “It goes by very quickly, so be ready to take advantage of all the opportunities here. The school has so much to offer students, but when you’re in a program for one year, it’s easy to miss out. Be hungry for that extra experience you can get out of it—not just a degree, but the cool little perks of being an International Business School student.”

— Alice Waugh

Accelerated MA
Class of 2018

Job
Corporate Development and Strategy, TuSimple

Home Country
United States

Undergraduate Institution & Major
Brandeis University, Economics

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