Smashing it Out of the Park – Ashish Prashant’s Success Story!

Ashish Prashant had always been interested in sports. He started out as a swimmer and was part of his college, Jamia Millia Islamia‘s basketball team for the All India University Basketball Tournaments while pursuing an Economics and Mathematics degree for his graduation.

During one of the matches, he realized that he wanted to stay connected and work closely with sports. His fancy was caught by a sports management company that organized the event and he decided he wanted to know more about it. But his parents wanted him to pursue an MBA.

Ashish’s journey with Leverage Edu began as unconventionally as his career choice, “One day I was working out at the gym and I bumped into a Leverage Edu employee and it so happened that we started conversing and he told me about what Leverage Edu did. It was very intriguing and I wanted to discover how these consultancies work. I went with Leverage Edu because they definitely were not like any of the conventional counsellors in the market. So, I wanted to start off with someone new, someone very fresh.”

When Ashish first came to our Leverage Edu office we evaluated his profile which involved self-introspection analysis wherein he listed out his strengths, weaknesses, interests, and experiences that helped him see everything in a more structured manner. We helped him get to the fitment analysis for sports management by evaluating the many attributes he possessed so that it comes down to an amalgam of what he really wanted to do and how he would be placed professionally after the course. This in-depth analysis about who he is, how he sees himself and where he would like to see himself in the future with the help of Leverage Edu experts was pivotal in him processing the decision.

“I come from a family of high achievers where for them sports is leisure and it is not a career. So, for me to get to this decision, where I have to do, what I want to, has taken a lot of time and Leverage Edu played a vital role in that.” Like most parents, Ashish’s parents were not convinced when he decided to pursue a career in sports. Sports was considered as a leisure activity and not a career choice. But Ashish felt that a career in sports was his true calling and he couldn’t wait to explore the opportunities in that field. So, he decided to get his parents to speak with the experts at Leverage Edu, who made his parents understand the scope of sports management in India as well as abroad. Leverage Edu experts also made sure that they understand that a career in sports management can be extremely lucrative. “Coming from a highly academic family and having that background, my journey towards Master’s in Sports Management and choosing it as a career had been really conflicted. It took me 3 years to get to this stage where I am with an admit and I am ready to go.” 

Once his parents were fairly convinced about the course, he started targeting the application processes for all the universities he wanted to apply to.. He mentions that the journey was extremely interesting, especially the application process for Emlyon Business School where he will now be pursuing a Masters in Sports Industry Management. The admission process for Emlyon required him to complete a video activity along with his SOP and essays. “This was very exciting when I was writing the essays myself, I would give my first draft and the Leverage Edu expert would give me the corrections and it would be this back and forth. That is how I knew the difference between how I would put things and how the business school would prefer it. So, at this point Leverage Edu has been very firm and straight to the point, very concise as to what an essay should like for a professional school.”  The preparation for his interview wherein he was given 10 questions with a 30 second preparation time for 1 minute of speaking made him aware of the fact that he can indeed work well under pressure. Leverage Edu helped Ashish with all three steps of the admission process, which were integral to not just his admissions but also gave him a lot of insight about himself as a person. “Leverage Edu has been there for me till date, they have been my guide and mentor, they’ve been very professional in their approach but at the same time been very personal. I could talk to my mentor any time of the day and more than anything that was something that I required at that point of time.”

Post his admission process Ashish was very apprehensive and nervous about his results, he never expected or even thought that he could make it to a top business school. But when he did receive his letter of acceptance he was overwhelmed. “I got back from the gym and had a mail from Emlyon showing up on my screen which read out congratulations, I did not even open the mail. For 10 minutes straight I flipped out. I tried to breathe and absorb all the information. The feeling of okay this is for real, I even pinched myself that is how unreal it felt. Then I called my parents to tell them. After which I called my mentors at Leverage Edu to tell them we don’t need to worry about anything now.” The decision to pursue a degree in a field he wanted made Ashish’s life much easier, he was able to have better clarity about his career trajectory and also helped his parents realize that a career in sports might actually be the best option for him.

Ashish’s journey with Leverage Edu has been a testament to the fact that even if you are uncertain about how to reach your dreams, a push in the right direction can help you soar. Ashish will now be pursuing a Masters in Sports Industry Management from Emlyon Business School in Paris. He is extremely excited about the opportunity of studying at one of the most beautiful places on earth, which will give him the chance to discover the major sporting hubs of Europe.