Profile

Humayun Arif
Space Initiatives Manager for Global Government Solutions Group, Cisco Systems

Arif also shared his plans with his mentors within the company.

“These mentors not only provided advice and counsel, but they also ended up writing my letters of support for the admission application,” he says.

Fortunately for Arif, his employer promotes a learning-based culture. He says that Cisco Systems offers a liberal financial policy for employees who want to continue their education, and he is leveraging this support to earn his EMBA. He says his peers at Cisco taught him most everything he learned about MBA programs while doing his research.

“Since many of our employees worldwide work virtually and remotely, there are internal processes for communicating with ‘communities of interest,’” Arif explains. “As soon as I started my survey of EMBA programs, I subscribed to several of Cisco’s email listservs that were MBA specific. They talked about how to write essays, the school application process and who to approach for recommendation letters.

 “I believe being a part of discussions among people with a common interest gave me an increased advantage,” he continues. “So, my first advice for prospective MBA applicants would be to find a larger community to get support, engender personal drive and commitment and form a sense of direction.”

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