PERSONAL STATEMENT – LUMS MBA Applicant Name: Muhammad Sohaib Niazi

The first time I heard about LUMS was during 9th Class when NOP team came to my school. Unfortunately, I
was not able to join then, mainly because of severe financial hardships which limited the ability to see beyond
food and shelter. 10 years have passed and I still aspire to be a LUMINITE and aim to study as a LUMS MBA
student. Many applicants would say the same but I have a story to tell before you decide if I deserve a seat.

Currently, I am in the final semester of ‘Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Work, Organizational and
Personnel Psychology (EMJMD WOP-P)” and working as a “Project Intern HR” at Nestlé Pakistan Ltd. for a
mandatory 3 months internship under this graduate program. I stood amongst less than 2% successful students out
of more than two and a half thousand applicants from Pakistan who have won this highly competitive Scholarship
in 2017. Previously, I offer a meritorious academic background in Business and Psychology which is evident from
my resume. Moreover, training gained during internships at some of the leading corporate organizations is
testament to my steadfast commitment to the field of management. During the course of my studies, I have taken
a versatile set of major courses such as HRM, Corporate Strategy, Work Psychology, Organizational Psychology,
Personnel Psychology, Labor Law, Marketing, Quantitative Methods, Financial Accounting, IT, Economics etc.

My objective is to become a well-rounded business professional and leader. In future, however, my main aim is
to work in HR specific functions such as recruitment and selection, talent acquisition, training and development
etc. Moreover, one of my long term objective is to establish a consultancy in Pakistan in the aforementioned
domains for which LUMS MBA is an ideal choice.

I always believed that no barrier could beat perseverance, which motivated me to work hard despite severe
financial hardships. I stood 9th in the Matric Board Examinations (RBISE) scoring 94% marks and was awarded
a Gold Medal. After F.Sc. (Pre-Engineering), I started CA mainly because it seemed to have the “scope”.
However, I did quite well to pass 7 exams (including AFC Certificate) in decent amount of time but my quest for
meaningful life pushed me to find out answers to questions like what I am best doing at? What I am interested to
do? I was extremely good in Quantitative Methods and Financial Accounting but lacked interest in the field of
Accounting. I deem it pertinent to mention that a small NGO from my father’s village used to fund for my CA
study through a generous loan.

After a year-long effort, I finally found out that my areas of competence are Business Psychology and HRM.
Having a reasonable background in Business from CA, I chose Psychology to complement it later with an MBA.
Nonetheless, it was a transformational decision but I outshone in it and graduated with a perfect 4.00 CGPA and
a Gold Medal. I got “HEC need based scholarship” to fund my undergraduate degree and while I was in 8th
semester, I got accepted to my current European Master Scholarship. This master is highly relevant to my future
professional goals therefore I pursued it, but at the same time quest for LUMS MBA program was in my heart.

My current Joint Master degree is based on the scientist-practitioner approach and it is a competency development
program in the area of Industrial-Organizational Psychology. It is divided into theory and interventions related
courses in the first and second year respectively. This program gave me the necessary knowledge and skills to
become a specialist practitioner in the field of workplace and personnel management. The interventions based
courses added great value to my professional learning by imparting key practical skills, such as implementation
of intelligent practices and decision making competencies in organizations. Furthermore, during the Winter School
(Joint Intensive Learning Unit) in Gandia, Spain, I was taught by some of the eminent industry practitioners and
professors from leading countries such as USA, Canada and other European countries. It further enhanced my
skills as how to design and implement new interventions for real problems faced by the global companies. I studied
the Chinese market and this consulting role helped me to learn about solving open ended real cases where we
created new and contemporary interventions. Apart from this, working in cross cultural teams gave me the
opportunity to work with diverse teams which is a one of its kind advantage in modern time. This International
MS inculcated in me the mental maturity and resilience to have the confidence and ability to contribute to the
LUMS MBA class experience and to thrive through the challenges that come along such a rigorous program.

My entrepreneurial passion and love for counseling and coaching resulted in my brain child; “Sohaib Online –
Psychologist and Counselor”. It is an online Facebook based startup which commenced operations in May, 2018
and provides psychological counseling to clients from all parts of Pakistan and sometimes even to people from
around the globe. It has emerged as the most popular and credible platform in Pakistan, which is evident from
more than hundred 5 star reviews. I have taken many courses on counseling during my education and professional
trainings and therefore, I provide effective psychological coaching for day-to-day general problems of masses
especially for youth in Pakistan. This platform ensures that mental health stigma doesn’t stop anyone to seek
confidential and professional counseling, and quality help is not limited due to geographical boundaries. Besides
all this, I am highly keen to contribute to “Mental Health Counseling” and “Psychology at LUMS” forums. I am
already in contact with concerned personnel regarding a few proposals to conduct counseling sessions for students.

I have solved hundreds of cases in my interventions related courses during my MS, but I am highly motivated to
learn from the indigenous cases taught at LUMS, so that I can enhance my understanding of the local perspective.
I have got the practical insight to contribute effectively to class discussions owing to the diversity of my learning
and exposure. Moreover, I have the practical insight to effectively lead the LUMS HR Executive Club. Apart from
all this, two great reasons for me to love LUMS are its Gym and Cricket Ground. I work out regularly and would
also want to swing the ball on LUMS pitch as part of its cricket team.

I expect the MBA program at LUMS to enhance my business acumen and skills that are vital for success in the
corporate sector especially in the context of Pakistan. I want to strengthen my knowledge and skills in the realm
of HR but at the same time, I would also want to groom my skills in the other areas of management such as
operations, marketing, finance etc. to be able to become a thorough manager and business leader. Considering all
these factors, LUMS MBA complements well with my personality, interests and future career aspirations.

My passion is to serve people in their personal as well as professional lives. Therefore, I want to keep up both
goals; personal counseling and coaching as well as working in corporate HR. In Pakistan, there are very few
Business Psychologists and most of them are working in academia, whereas MBAs are mainly running the
management cadre of the industry. Therefore, there is a lack of evidence based practices in our industry due to
this huge imbalance in the ratio of these professionals. I want to set the trend of bridging this gap by being a
scientist-practitioner who has the scientific skills of an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist and professional
approach of an MBA.

Up until now, it has been a good start but this is just a beginning which I want to convert into something substantial.
I chose the path of excellence and in the pursuit of it, I thus far have achieved whatever best was possible for me
in my limited available resources and challenging circumstances. I believe that I have got all what it takes to get
selected for this highly competitive and meritorious program. This MBA program is a stepping stone to serve with
impact and excellence. LUMS MBA is the platform that has converted many dreams in to reality and I am really
passionate about being one more success story as a LUMS alumnus. Success is incomplete without legacy and
therefore, I would always want to give back to LUMS community by all possible means. I look forward to a
thrilling experience.

Thank you for your time and consideration.