History to Consulting: Samir Husain ’18

Were you involved in any extracurricular activities as a student?

I was an officer and captain of the Oberlin Tennis Club for three years. Besides that, I was the president of the Muslim Students Association and also was involved in the Kosher Halal Co-op.

Why did you decide to apply for graduate school in commerce?

I didn’t want to pursue academia or a job in history or politics. I was interested in working with data as an analyst, and the Master of Science in Commerce program at the University of Virginia seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to build on my history degree. It also let me pivot into something different and pursue a career path.

What was your experience like?

The experience was good! I graduated recently, since it was a one-year program. It was very rigorous and difficult but worthwhile in the end.

Do you feel like any of your experiences at Oberlin prepared you for your work in graduate school now?

Oberlin’s academic rigor really helped me gain a lot of great time management skills which were really essential in this program. I also think the liberal arts system and my extracurricular activities improved my communication and collaboration skills, which were also essential for this program and for business overall. My experience working at the Career Development Center also boosted my professionalism and knowledge of various industries and the job market. Most of my hard skills came from business school, but critical thinking and communication skills—which I think are the most important ones—came from Oberlin.

What are your future career plans?

I very recently started a job at a boutique consulting firm called Maryville Consulting Group, so this is where I’m starting out my career. Consulting is a great place to start in terms of personal and professional growth, so I’m very excited to be here. The company culture and work is great, even though expectations are very high.

Long-term, Husain hopes to work in the video game industry as an analyst or a project manager. “However,” he says, “I’d like to get as much as I can out of this job before I try anything else out!”