An acccidental academic: Reflections on an exciting journey

• Main Author: REDDY, Karempudi Srinivas
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2022
• Subjects: Higher Education; Marketing
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/7609; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/8608/viewcontent/AccidentalAcademic_2022_av.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

My entry into academia was an accident—but what an exciting and rewarding experience it has been. I had applied for the MBA program at Columbia University Business School, but it did not admit me as they said that I already had an MBA degree from India. Instead, they admitted me into the Ph.D. program. To this day, I wonder why they gave me admission. My days as doctoral student were challenging but the most exciting days of life. My fellow Ph.D. students in Marketing, Terry Elrod, Dave Schmittlein and Chezy Ofir, along with those in other areas, Vikram Pandit, Brett Truman and Deborah Gladstein-Ancona, provided me with lifelong friendships. I was one of 24 Ph.D. students admitted that year in all disciplines (one of the four marketing Ph.D. students), and at the end of the first year, only 12 students remained. Fortunately, I was one of the survivors! What a wonderful and brilliant cohort they were. One of my classmates ended up as the Dean of MIT Sloan School, while another became the CEO of Citibank. Most became accomplished academics and are chaired professors at major universities. When I compare myself to their accomplishments, I would consider myself to be quite an underachiever