I love New York

Times of India, August 8, 2005

Architect Pushpendra N Sharma has been running his own company since 2003. He will be joining Columbia University, New York, for a Master’s in Real Estate Development. Pushpendra talks to Education Times about his decision to take a mid-career break to study further.

I studied Architecture from Nagpur and have been working in the fields of interior design and real estate since 1999. I worked with real estate multi-nationals such as CB Richard Ellis, Jones Lang LaSalle and Chesterton, for five years but I wanted to launch my own company. In 2003, I launched Mantra Consultants. Real Estate industry in India is fairly young and has traditionally been disorganised. With the emergence of international players, I felt a specialised degree in real estate development would be useful. I always wanted to study further and had planned to do an MBA.

However, I realised that an MBA would be a more general degree while my background and future plans made me consider a more specialised field of study. I have worked for several American clients and both my siblings have settled in the US. So, I decided to visit the country and the universities that I was planning to apply to. I have always loved New York and its fast pace of life. When I found out that Columbia offered a Master’s in Real Estate Develop-ment, it seemed perfect. I was determined to make it to Columbia University. I visited the campus and met the professors and admission counsellors. This gave me the opportunity to find out what they were looking for in a prospective student. I returned to India and took the GMAT exam.

Given my interest and background, I was able to clearly establish the reasons why I wanted to study the programme. In March, I was notified by the university that my application had been accepted. They had the highest number of applicants seeking admission, since the launch of the course at Columbia. I was the only Indian student selected in the Fall 2005 batch out of a class size of 85. I immediately sent the application for on-campus residence. It helped to apply early — for both admission and accommodation. I have my own studio apartment on campus. Columbia University owns a lot of property around the campus and if you apply on time, the concerned authorities are able to help out with accommodation.

Columbia does not offer scholarships at the time of admission, but some are available, based on merit and need. I am often asked if I am anxious about taking time-out of a well-established business to study. I had always planned to study further and organised my business accordingly. I did not expand my team and out-sourced the work. I worked closely with clients, who have been very supportive of my decision to study further. I am open to exploring work possibilities in the US but eventually I want to come back to India. The real estate industry in India will be booming for the next few years and it would be a good time to work here.

As told to Pallavi Bali