Appreciate the help provided. My question is related to achievement essay of ISB. Please let me know whether helping and mentoring a colleague who is not part of my team which made a change in that person can be mentioned as one of the achievements.
One way to look at it is that you were able to help/mentor/inspire him to do something. The other way to look at it is - it is your friend's achievement that he was able to overcome (whatever it was). So it might look as if you are trying to take credit for it. I had someone with whom I had worked who put the troubles he went through to get his father back on his feet after a major accident. My response was - you are his son and that is your duty. It is your father's courage that should be commended here. Get the drift?
Dear Puys, My profile is: Xth: 92% XIIth: 90% B.Tech: 78% GMAT (unofficial): 710 ( Quant 49 & Verbal 39) Extracarricular: Decent Work Ex: 37 months (currently) with a foremost FMCG company as Project Engineer (part of the project team that oversees the entire lifecycle of a facility like factory/lab complex, etc)
With the above profile, what are the overseas schools that I should be targeting?
thanks buddy..i do understand in todays world most significant achievements are mostly revolving around "ME" than helping others. that applies to MBA as well i guess. Again it depends on person to person what is achievement - Improving oneself, improving an organisation by getting more $$ or helping another soul...again no offense taken or given ;)
Psychodementia Says
My response was - you are his son and that is your duty.
What Arun has said is exactly my point. It is not about ME that you have to potray. You have 8 years of experience... If you would not mentor then who would? Not a 2 year experience guy, right? As you gain experience somethings are expected from you. In my opinion, mentoring is one of them.
Edit: But then if you can present story well then there is nothing stopping you. 😃
I had managed to get an admit from ASU(WP Carey) for this fall session. I was offered a GA and the total estimated expenditure was well within my budget.
Where i got stuck was..the VISA Process.. I was put on some admin processing...its been more than 60 days now...and the thing is still under processing...(the embassy officials have not confirmed any definite period of time for this to get cleared) Because of the delay in visa have missed the univ deadline and have now deferred my admission to next year.:-(
Can u suggest some colleges where I apply for the Winter session? I am not keen on working for another year (i dont even have a job in hand as of now)
I am considering options like Canada and Australia for an MBA, but cant really convince myself. would u advise me to go for an MBA from either Canada Or Australia? or maybe some other country.
I am also considering an Mengg program from canada? how advisable wud that be?
My profile: gmat-690, toefl-116, Btech(mechanical engg)- 72% (from an avg univ), 3 years of work exp
Hi Crux of the matter- Opened a business venture (tution institute) - inc in profits 300% in last year, am also a teacher there GMAT - 720 (Q51, V35) AWA- 5
I wasnt sure of applying to international B-skools before but now I want to. So, any guidance (feasible uni., profile evals) would be hugely appreciated.
I have 4 years of work experience growing a startup, within which I have handled cross functional profiles across operations, finance, strategy, marketing and sales. At the time of quitting I was head of Marketing and sales.
The circumstances under which I left have left me in a spot as far as my bschool apps go. I had disagreements with new management (ceo) in terms of strategy decisions and business ethics.. I therefore quit/ was politely 'requested' to quit. (Though I still have a good equation with the original founder ( and my boss for 3.8 of the 4 years)
My question is- how would it be viewed if I honestly put down my quitting the company on "ethical differences" in my apps (since I am worried that my situation could also somehow compromise my recommendations) and explain the gap between jobs... or should I simple skim over this and try to fit it in like a normal career transition ?
Just FYI - GMAT : 780, undergrad cgpa (pure sciences) : 3.1 work ex : 4 years Target schools : Stanford/Wharton/Booth/Columbia/sloan/LBS
I have decided I'll appear for GRE. Just checked the websites ...... HEC Paris, IE business school, Spain and Oxford Said business school.... they are now accepting both GRE and GMAT scores for their finance programs ..... and moreover GRE would be a definite advantage when applying in US.... I have to start preparations now... Already its late since I'm planning for Fall 2012 session.
Arun could you please give some suggestions on shortlisting universities based on my profile:-
My Profile:
10th (CBSE) - 83% 12th (CBSE) - 79% BE Electronics - Nagpur University - 73% aggregate
Working with TCS for 1 year 7 months in Insurance domain(UK Client). Programming in PL/SQL and VB.
I have heard that for Math Finance programs, universities will look for your scores in Mathematics from high school , engineering and GRE quant score. I have scored in 90's throughout from 10th, 12th and engg.
But the major drawback is that I dont have Finance related work-ex and neither I have any certification in Finance like the CFA.
Initially I thought of applying in top schools like HAAS, CMU, NYU COURANT, HEC PARIS, RUTGERS etc..... but now I'm a bit skeptical. The competition is very high and these schools have a very low acceptance rate.
I'm going for top schools because of the obvious reasons.... huge investment is involved and if I do the course from an average school it'll be difficult to find jobs considering the present economic scenario.
Should I go for 2012 intake or should I wait till 2013, so that I have enough time to improve my profile.... like if I manage to clear CFA level 1 and some other significant finance certifications, which will add weight to my profile.
What would you suggest? I would be glad to know your thoughts.
I have been working as a backdoor guy for finance guys till now. Would like to move into forefrunt. So, looking for Finance as a major and Financial Consultancy as a potential career option.
Tough, but not impossible. There'd be a ton of folks trying to do the same. Apart from getting into a strong brand school, you'd have to excel at the art of networking. The choice of firms you approach will also matter.
Tough, but not impossible. There'd be a ton of folks trying to do the same. Apart from getting into a strong brand school, you'd have to excel at the art of networking. The choice of firms you approach will also matter.
- Sameer Lekhak | Beyond The MBA Hype
"Tough but not impossible" 😁 Boss as an Indian living with a billion people we are used to this line. Am looking for finance programs due to: 1. am genuinely interested in finance 2. the career growth 3. freedom of consultancy
Would love to know which international programs can i get into given my work ex is on the lower side (38 months as of next fall)..
I am applying to ISB in Round 1 and I have following queries
I have a concern about my essay. One of my essay is pretty short (Just 272 words/300 words). Should I look to increase the word count to 290+ by some means?
Also, I passed CFA Level 1 last June and this is part of my objective to pursue investment manager profession. Now this becomes a major ingredient of the essay "Where do you see yourself three years after you graduate from the ISB?". I see a chance to show how focussed I am about my dream. Then in the 4th essay for re applicant, wherein I am supposed to mention the changes in my profile, CFA Level 1 becomes a point to throw some light on.
Can you help me on this? will ISB form negative opinion about this repetition?
I have 4 years of work experience growing a startup, within which I have handled cross functional profiles across operations, finance, strategy, marketing and sales. At the time of quitting I was head of Marketing and sales.
The circumstances under which I left have left me in a spot as far as my bschool apps go. I had disagreements with new management (ceo) in terms of strategy decisions and business ethics.. I therefore quit/ was politely 'requested' to quit. (Though I still have a good equation with the original founder ( and my boss for 3.8 of the 4 years)
My question is- how would it be viewed if I honestly put down my quitting the company on "ethical differences" in my apps (since I am worried that my situation could also somehow compromise my recommendations) and explain the gap between jobs... or should I simple skim over this and try to fit it in like a normal career transition ?
Just FYI - GMAT : 780, undergrad cgpa (pure sciences) : 3.1 work ex : 4 years Target schools : Stanford/Wharton/Booth/Columbia/sloan/LBS
Thanks
The problem is there is a wafer thin line between sounding politically correct and sounding like you were handed sour grapes. If you are able to do the former then wonderful else DON'T RISK IT!
Just get a reco from your earlier boss and make it sound you took the new role for greater challenges. No point in delving into the details on this. Another problem is if you say your current CEO is unethical it might sound very negative in your application.
You will, however, have to explain why you quit so close to applying to a Bschool. That is a challenge.
Am looking for finance programs due to: 1. am genuinely interested in finance 2. the career growth 3. freedom of consultancy
Would love to know which international programs can i get into given my work ex is on the lower side (38 months as of next fall)..
Try to choose bschools that are closer to (or in) the commercial hubs. Better networking opportunities, and more relevant openings.
asimpleguy Says
"Tough but not impossible" 😁 Boss as an Indian living with a billion people we are used to this line.
You are right. But let me give you another perspective from my own story - (read my intro post first for a little background).
Moving from a regular IT role to mainstream finance would also fall in the 'tough not impossible' category. But knowing that odds are going to be against me, I still planned for it, created a personalised strategy and then executed it. I know I was damn lucky as well to have managed the transition. Now I'm focusing full time on helping others do the same.
So here's the deal, my friend. You have two options:
Option 1 - Go with the billion people analogy and stay content where you are Option 2 - Say 'God bless the other billion guys, but I'll carve out my own future'.
Cracking the CAT, getting into IIMs, moving into Ibanking are all 'tough but not impossible' options. But most crazy (and I'm saying this in a positive way) guys on this forum are willing to fight against the odds and take up option 2 anyway.
I have heard that for Math Finance programs, universities will look for your scores in Mathematics from high school , engineering and GRE quant score. I have scored in 90's throughout from 10th, 12th and engg.
That is true. Such programs require you to be very good at math. Don't bother about 10th and 12th. What were your grades in the quant courses at College? What about your College pedigree? i.e. how hard is it to get in? All these things do matter.
But the major drawback is that I dont have Finance related work-ex and neither I have any certification in Finance like the CFA.
This will pinch you. You can always spin a story that you want to do it because you are interested, and have the potential for it. However showing some interest in Finance by taking courses/working in that domain will be a huge advantage.
Initially I thought of applying in top schools like HAAS, CMU, NYU COURANT, HEC PARIS, RUTGERS etc..... but now I'm a bit skeptical. The competition is very high and these schools have a very low acceptance rate.
Correct - no doubts there
I'm going for top schools because of the obvious reasons.... huge investment is involved and if I do the course from an average school it'll be difficult to find jobs considering the present economic scenario.
If you don't get into a top school are you okay NOT doing an MBA/MFE/MS? If so, then be very clear about it. Each year droves of very successful, accomplished candidates applied. Not everyone gets selected.
Should I go for 2012 intake or should I wait till 2013, so that I have enough time to improve my profile.... like if I manage to clear CFA level 1 and some other significant finance certifications, which will add weight to my profile.
I won't give a GO-NOGO answer like a 3rd umpire but just suggest that you introspect. Having more knowledge of something before you decided to spend the rest of your life doing it is not a bad idea.
I have a concern about my essay. One of my essay is pretty short (Just 272 words/300 words). Should I look to increase the word count to 290+ by some means?
Yes.
Since you are applying with 1000s of other applicants who have 1 more sentence to speak then why let it go? Don't write something for the heck of it but if you feel any point can be better articulated with more words then don't shy away.
Can you help me on this? will ISB form negative opinion about this repetition?
Don't repeat like a poppat (i.e. parrot) but spin a different angle. Since you have already spoken about CFA in your CV don't get into the gory details in your post MBA goals. But stick to the question (as if you are a 1st time applicant). For the reapplicant question say that you have started looking at things differently are now interested in Finance and hence CFA blah blah.
I am applying to ISB in Round 1 and I have following queries
I have a concern about my essay. One of my essay is pretty short (Just 272 words/300 words). Should I look to increase the word count to 290+ by some means?
Also, I passed CFA Level 1 last June and this is part of my objective to pursue investment manager profession. Now this becomes a major ingredient of the essay "Where do you see yourself three years after you graduate from the ISB?". I see a chance to show how focussed I am about my dream. Then in the 4th essay for re applicant, wherein I am supposed to mention the changes in my profile, CFA Level 1 becomes a point to throw some light on.
Can you help me on this? will ISB form negative opinion about this repetition?
If you are able to communicate your message in less words than more, thats a great skill to have. Concise and crisp communication is less than common in our business environment. There is No need to 'try' to fill words to meet the limit, but at some 900 words, the ISB applications are short already, so having essays that are significantly short can be a sign of danger .
Reiterating important information is okay so long as the context in both answers is different. Avoid cutting and pasting your words though.
An additional piece of advice here: please make sure that your objectives of pursuing CFA and your objectives of pursuing ISB education are aligned to each other and converge towards your medium to long term goals.
currently working in IT, have cleared 2 levels of CFA, planning an MBA after 2 years Getting a chance to move into finance now. Considering my MBA plans, which do you think is a better option of the 2 I have: IFC or a startup boutique IB
