My question is about career goal. : In this context, is it safe for me to mention my long term goal of entrepreneurship, even though my immediate short term goal would be to work in the consulting field? : Does the adcom expect an aspiring entrepreneur to have already made sufficient investment, in terms of effort, in that direction? : Will this turn out to be conflicting?
Mamup,
Entrepreneurship per se isn't good or bad. Like any other post-MBA goals that Adcoms look at, it's more about how practical your plans are.
Most candidates who've got some concrete evidence to demonstrate their seriousness about the area that they are targetting will sound much more convincing when they talk about (say) a failed venture than someone who wants to get into entrepreneuship after all the tick-marks (education, financing, alignment of stars) are in place.
If you are serious about entrepreneurship as a long-term goal, focus on what you have currently (experience, skills, roadmap) that'll make you successful in launching your own business.
As I see it you've got some more thinking to do at a more macro level. From what you have described, I see that you are planning on a double whammy - consulting and entrepreneurship. How you will manage that combo deal, my friend, is a bigger question to address.
I have done MBA from one of the top 15 colleges from India.Currently I have work-ex of 4 years.Out of 4,2 years of work ex is prior to MBA in IT and rest 2 are in foreign trade(in my company it is in finance domain).I am planning to do some higher study in India or abroad.My interest include Finance,Statistics,Strategy Consulting and International Trade.
Do help me with the course which might be useful to me.
I recently gave my GMAT and got a score of 680 and 5. I am a pass out of NIT, Surat. By April 2012, I will be having experience of 3 Years and 9 Months. Have worked in MNC for 1.5 years, and later in startups. Have worked as Software engineer for about 2 years and later in product management function.
I had been selected for some good programs at IISc, Bangalore during my engineering. Also have some credentials like event manager and chief for a national level event conducted in college. Hold NCC A and B certs.
10th and 12th CBSE - 88% and 83%, But my acads in engg are not great, 6.2 CGPA
I would like to know my chances at getting into 1. ISB, 2. INSEAD, Singapore, 3. Duke Univ
Also, please suggest me the colleges that are worth pursuing. I would like to know if it is better to get consultants' help during my admission process or should I do it on my own.
I'm applying for Fall 2012 for an MBA program and am looking for some advice.
Acads:
XII - 91% from one of the best schools in Delhi CGPA: 9.27 GMAT: 710 - Quant 93%, Verbal 78%, AWA 5.0
Work Ex:
I've been working for an IBM business partner for the past three years, in project implementation (hardware/infrastructure side) in servers, storage and virtualization systems. Started off in support, and now hold a dedicated of 50+ accounts in the UAE for whom I manage all the technical requirements/solutions and support.
I have a had a bit of international exposure, namely going on training to the UK, Germany and South Africa.
Extra-curriculars involve being the president for the IEEE branch at college and organizing the college national quizzing competition a couple of times.
What I am looking for is some feedback on my profile,as well as some help in shortlisting schools. I plan to go in for a career with tech products and brand management and have decided to go in for an MBA in marketing. I am targeting the following schools:
Dream: 1. Chicago Booth 2. New York Stern 3. Cambridge Judge
Competitive: 1. Oxford Said 2. ISB 3. Cornell Johnson
How would my chances stand at these schools? I prefer going to schools in the UK/Europe as I feel I have a had much more exposure to the European and Middle East markets, but am at a loss to select safe schools for that region.
I am looking at a career in technology related fields preferably consulting assignments that can leverage my experience. I have shortlisted ISB, INSEAD, MIT Sloan and Kellogs. : Nature of work : Software solutioning (more into architecting, designing etc apart from team management and client management)
Welcome to the forums, fellow-IBMer!
Eight and a half years of work-ex would put you in the 'mature' candidate bracket for many top schools. If you can ensure that your professional and business maturity comes across in your apps, you'd be competitive at the schools you've listed. Most of these could be in the Stretch to Ambitious category. So also have a few Practical options in hand.
I am only interested in applying to the following schools. I know its extremely ambitious. Upenn: Wharton, Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Tuck : Martian on Earth awaiting your reply anxiously 😃 :)
Before i put my queries a brief intro of my profile: 10/12: 82/79% resp. B.Tech-CGPA 8.2 from National Engg College PG dip from IIT-CGPA 7.4 Extra curricular:Nothing impressive..and none worth mentioning after college Total work ex: 2yrs approx GMAT: Planed to give by this yr end,ie,2011
Had a short stint with Siemens right out of college -in the Telecom sector.The job profile was mostly sales and marketing.
currently working with a top PSU in the capacity of an Asst. Manager looking after Operations and Maintenace(Telecommunications) (In between i also dropped out of an Mtech prog at IITK after 1 sem because I realized i really wasnt interested in it )
I am interested to go for a 1 yr MBA prog from abroad.I am targeting 2013 jan or sept.(coz by then i'll have a respectable amount of work ex under my belt!).Hope to switch my job function and go into consulting(Telecom related)
My dream school is INSEAD .Though i would like you to recommend other equally good schools.
Considering my profile, i need your inputs as to how i can go about improving my chances of success in my application to INSEAD. What needs to be done to make my application stand out.
I am an Indian studying in the US and have finished my sophomore year at a top-ranked US public school as a double major (Electrical Engineering with Finance) and have a 3.65 GPA. I've been shadowing the forums for a while now and though I still have a while before MBA applications, I felt it's never to early to start working in the right direction - so I'm on here for advice! Again, I'm not looking for a "recipe" on how to get into HBS (dream: to get into the 2+2 program) or any other top program (after working a few years i.e.) - but more of a "you're completely off-track/you're on the right track but doing this or focusing on this would be good" been-there-done-that advice!
So here's my current profile (after two years of college):
GPA: Slightly over 3.65 (average for the engg school is sub-3.0 but I still think it's low for 2+2) GMAT: Haven't taken it yet - but if it's an indicator of anything, I had a 2290 on the SAT School: Large, Public (consistently top 2-3 in the US)
Other factoids:
* Interned at a major entertainment company (Fortune 500) last summer in their new technologies department. Did a project on my own and was called back this year. It was a great summer and got a good recommendation letter out of it too!
* Interning at the research lab of a Fortune 500: Top 50 company (technology) this summer.
* Started and currently president of an on-campus business student organization. Club grew from nothing to over 60 members in less than 6 months. Is now a prominent business club on campus.
* Vice-President of an engineering society on campus and treasurer of another one
* Been on two major engineering research teams and contributed significantly. Might get a great recommendation out of one of them! Continuing one of the projects and taking a role as a research assistant on a public economics project this coming year.
* Taking the CFA Level 1 either this December or next summer (I don't know if this affects anything)
* Won a bunch of national olympiads at high school level and am currently learning French as a fourth language. (Again, I don't know if this affects anything)
* Am an international student and spent four years in another country (other than India) before coming to the US
* Heavily involved with a community service group for autistic children and we're planning an international community service trip for this December.
Since I'm doing a double major, I will probably take 4.5 years to graduate - so I have two years before I apply for the 2+2 and several more before I apply for regular admissions. I would really appreciate any advice, suggestions, comments - anything, really!
In terms of what I want to do in the future, I am very interested in management consulting and large public enterprises. More than that, I want to do something that makes a difference (but then again, who doesn't!) Thanks for reading this long post and for your comments!
PS: Right now, my focus is HBS 2+2, but other schools I am interested in (after working for a few years) are Stanford, Wharton, Chicago, Kellogg, Duke, UVA. Though this is probably going to change considering I have a few years left!
I have completed my graduation in commerce and have around 3-4 years of work ex in a research firm. I plan to apply in a US B-school, sometime during fall of 2012. I plan to write my G-MAT, sometime during October 2011, since i haven't had the time to study due to long work hours Is October a good time to give it, for applying in fall 2012, or am i a little late?
Any help with regards to the exam, or other GMAT related stuff, would be appreciated
Thank you very much!!
PS: Also can someone help me out with some of the better US B-school that i can consider applying to..
Profile ...10th -89prcnt 12th-88prcnt. I have completed my graduation from NIT Surathkal in Electrical and electronics branch with a cgpa of 8.3 . I am currently working in Oracle as application developer . I am planning to give Gmat Next year and then apply for stern ,columbia bussiness school or any other top 20 univ in US . By that time i will have arnd 2 yrs of exp . ... Can you please tell . What basic GMAT score I should have . What is min no of work exp i should have ? ..... Can I do anything to improve my application so that it stands apart like work in a NGO or anything ? ....Basically what else can i do to improve my resume and other dos and donts that i should keep in mind thank you. Also how to start my gmat prep as i would hav time after 6 pm in d evening ... thnx ... 😁
I am planning to apply for MBA(USA) in Spring 2012 and would be giving GMAT on 19th August.Based on the scores I got in various practice tests ,I estimate my GMAT score would fall in the range of 580-620.
Could you please suggest me a few decent B-schools which would suit my profile and also let me know the dates for application deadlines.
It would be great if you can also let me know about the career in MBA-Information systems.
Profile:
10th- 83%
12th-87%
B.Tech(CSE)-62%
Work Experince: Have been working with an IT firm(TCS) as an Information Security analyst Since 3 years.
P.S:Please suggest me the B-schools with the Tution fee not more than $30000 per annum.
Can I expect to be placed in any of the top 20 b-schools? I will prefer European colleges over American colleges because of the difference in their course duration. Some of the colleges which I want to try for are: : Please help me select realistic options. Also help me if there are better B-schools which will be realistic for my profile.
Dinesh,
Identifying a fit with schools would depend on more than just your estimated GMAT score. So it's tough to give you a simple answer to that question (though I'm sure many folks on on other threads and websites would be more than happy to give these quick fix answers).
But I would like to mention that European schools attract a differnt category of applicants. Check out the average profiles that these schools publish on their websites - specifically the years of work-experience. Read up on some of their MBA student blog posts. With 1.5 yrs work-ex you may find it tough to convenience Adcoms of the 1-yr programs (and a large number of 2 yr programs as well) that you are ready to fit into their class.
So a little more research on individual schools (look beyond the averages) would go a long way in indentifying schools that may be compatible for your profile. And if you find many to be on the Stretch to Ambitious side, you could also think about defering the application process till you have gained some more solid work-ex that'll make you competitive at these programs.
I would like to know if it is better to get consultants' help during my admission process or should I do it on my own.
Short answer - Don't sign up with a consultant. You'd be better off managing the applications by yourself.
Rationale - I'm guessing you are at a very preliminary stage of research about what consultants can and cannot do. When there's an expectation disconnect, there's a higher probability that you'll be taken for a ride.
So in your specific case, my vote goes for independently tackling the apps.
- Sameer Founder | MBA Crystal Ball P.S. And for the others who are wondering after reading this response - No, this isn't reverse psychology at work.
Considering my profile, i need your inputs as to how i can go about improving my chances of success in my application to INSEAD. What needs to be done to make my application stand out.
Looking forward to your responses. Sayem
Hi Sayem,
Considering you have just 2 years experience (about 3 till the time you apply) and that you don't have international workexp, INSEAD might be a stretch.
There is really nothing much to improve your profile except getting a kicka$$ GMAT score and trying to get some international exposure.
Arun - CrackVerbal
PS: Also consider spreading your net beyond INSEAD to other great schools in Europe.
Firstly, is there a reason why Stern is "dream" and ISB is "competitive"? I am assuming that dream > competitive. I am also assuming this is what you think are your chances of acceptance and NOT your personal performance. Same applies to Judge > Said etc.
Given your profile a lot of good points - strong acads, solid workexp, international exposure, clear career goals etc. However the fact that you are in the dreaded Indian IT Male category will definitely tend to pull you down a bit. Nothing much but to focus on your differentiated attributes.
Also if you are looking at marketing then getting into any top ranking school should be fine - why did you pick on Stern and Booth? I can understand Tepper and Marshall - perhaps you liked the location and their tech focus.
PS: Right now, my focus is HBS 2+2, but other schools I am interested in (after working for a few years) are Stanford, Wharton, Chicago, Kellogg, Duke, UVA. Though this is probably going to change considering I have a few years left!
I am impressed. Not only do you have the focus but you are also very good at articulating your position. I don't know many who would have written the way you did - and you are what in the second year of graduation? Wow!
Some pearls of advice:
Rule #1: Do only stuff that interests you. Don't do stuff that will look good on your profile. If you do the former you will enjoy what you do - and most probably excel at it. If you do the latter you will not only hate it but also end up looking shallow doing so!
Rule #2: Research more about the career of your choice? Can you intern with those companies? Schools love people who have worked in that sector before they come in for the MBA. So if you work for a management consulting firm as an analyst (pre-MBA role) or with a large public enterprise then it will give you a good idea of what to expect.
Rule #3: Talk to MBAs from these schools and understand stuff you cannot get from the website/brochure. If you can - do travel and make a visit. You can even sit through some of the classes. This will give you a good feel of what to expect from the school.
Rule #4: Having a long-term focus is a double-edged sword. Remember that an MBA is just a means to an end and not the end itself. So don't become paranoid about it (some people do become - hence the warning).
HBS 2+2 would be ideal for you since you are very clear what you want to do with your life. Some other top schools encourage you to apply even if you don't have significant workexperience. Do consider those as well. Now the only thing stopping you is a great GMAT score.
HI Is October a good time to give it, for applying in fall 2012, or am i a little late?
Any help with regards to the exam, or other GMAT related stuff, would be appreciated
PS: Also can someone help me out with some of the better US B-school that i can consider applying to..
Hi Ashwin,
Many questions but they are too vague for me or anyone to respond. I will pick 3 broad areas that I was able to zone in.
1. Schools have deadlines around October and around December. You will miss the 1st round but can apply in the 2nd round.
2. GMAT would require a significant amount of preparation time - around 2-3 months atleast (if you are starting from scratch!). There are plenty of threads for you to start researching from.
3. Alongside also do some research on the MBA programs, what they look for etc. This will help you shortlist to the last 5-10 schools.
Could you please suggest me a few decent B-schools which would suit my profile and also let me know the dates for application deadlines. + It would be great if you can also let me know about the career in MBA-Information systems. + P.S:Please suggest me the B-schools with the Tution fee not more than $30000 per annum.
I am planning to appear for GMAT in September and targeting 720+. I didnt send scores to Broad, CMU, USC Marshall etc as I think with some scholarship also (which is difficult to get) I may have to spend more than 30 lacs. I am confused . Am i under estimating my profile or colleges like texas Mays are also beyond my reach in terms of profile. I am not sure how to select colleges.
Any advice???
Thanks & Regards
Here are some points:
1. If you think you can improve your GMAT scores then do consider taking it again (I think I gave you some advice there as well).
2. Your work experience is stellar and certainly puts you in reach for most of the schools you have mentioned. GMAT being the only sore point.
3. 30L is a decent amount and you should be able to get partial loans from US schools towards funding it. Avoid cities such as NYC and LA to avoid living costs. Apart from that you should be able to get some scholarships in lower ranked schools with a slightly higher GMAT.
)
.Though i would like you to recommend other equally good schools.