I often tell candidates: I am not saying that you should have a weakness, but if you are going to have a weakness, hopefully, it is your grades. Of course, I am being a bit drole, because of course, you cant control your weaknesses after the fact, but I want to simply assure you that unless your grades are catastrophic, you should have a chance to make up for them.
Your GMAT is of course a good place to start, as it supposedly measures you innate intelligence, as oppose to your GPA which is a measure of intelligence, endurance and maturity at a young age. Your GPA is backward looking while your GMAT is more of a snapshot in time. Beyond your GMAT, you should do your best to ensure that you have no other weaknesses. Strong professional experience and recommendations (which you seem to have) and community leadership will help you strengthen your others. Your athletics are a nice supplemental piece, but they are from long ago. What can you do in terms of leadership going forward? You need to carve out an image of yourself as an initiator, who constantly strives for greatness and then accomplishes your goals. Not an easy task, but if you busy yourself with targeted activities, it is achievable
I'm a lawyer from India's premier law school and have about 4.5 years of experience working in tech and IT MNCs. Presently I am a contracts manager for a fortune 100 concern and am handling all sales contracts for India by myself. I have some experience in the Analytics field with the same concern and have germinated a couple of business impact/change the business projects that used six sigma and lean methodologies.
I want to know what factors can mitigate a very poor academic record in a B-school application.
I have a very consistent record as far as sports is concerned (soccer, basketball, field hockey, volleyball and atheletics teams in my university and captained 3 of them, pretty much the same at school, am captain of my company soccer team as well) and my work responsibility and exposure have been very good. What else can I put forward so that my acads won't drag me down.
I'm yet to give my GMAT: what sort of a score would be a good demonstrator of my ability at academics? I'm at 690 on practice tests without any prep whatsoever.
Thank you for your patience. My response to your question is above, Sorry for my error in my post yesterday. I think that I have answered your questions. Feel free to post anytime...
I'm a lawyer from India's premier law school and have about 4.5 years of experience working in tech and IT MNCs. Presently I am a contracts manager for a fortune 100 concern and am handling all sales contracts for India by myself. I have some experience in the Analytics field with the same concern and have germinated a couple of business impact/change the business projects that used six sigma and lean methodologies.
I want to know what factors can mitigate a very poor academic record in a B-school application.
I have a very consistent record as far as sports is concerned (soccer, basketball, field hockey, volleyball and atheletics teams in my university and captained 3 of them, pretty much the same at school, am captain of my company soccer team as well) and my work responsibility and exposure have been very good. What else can I put forward so that my acads won't drag me down.
I'm yet to give my GMAT: what sort of a score would be a good demonstrator of my ability at academics? I'm at 690 on practice tests without any prep whatsoever.
I'm Indian, 27 / Male / engineer. I have an experience of 4 years in the IT sector including 1 year in US and 3 years in India (with a fortune 200 company). I took GMAT in August 2007 and scored 750. Gave TOEFL n scored 113 out of 120. I have received admission offers from HEC, Paris and IIM (Indian Institute of Management), Lucknow.
My short-term goal is to work in business consulting. I would be targetting firms such as McKinsey n BCG post-MBA.
Keeping in mind my preferred field of work, which one out of the two b-schools would be a better fit for me?
Hi Jeremy...I am a BE from NSIT Delhi, have 1 year (pre-MBA) work experience and hold an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur. I have a specialization in Human Resource Management.
I am currently working in the middle east in a large conglomerate and handle the Talent Management initiatives in the organization.
I plan to start pursuing my CFA very soon. At a later stage in my career, I wish to do a 1 or 2 year MBA from a top rated US B School. I understand that it is very difficult to secure admission if you hold an MBA...My MBA is rated amongst the finest in India ...What can I do to build a profile that would help my cause? To what extent is having a prior MBA a deterrant?
The 2008-2009 MBA application season is now officially underway! (Did you heart rate just increase). As you will see below, HBS has just released its essay questions, the first of the top-schools to do so. Oddly, we received notification via Google Alerts and their RSS feed, stating that they were up on May 12, but it seems that they have just been revealed. We will be posting our essay analysis shortly; so stay tuned to our blog.
1. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600-word limit) 2. What have you learned from a mistake? (400-word limit) 3. Please respond to two of the following (400-word limit each): A) What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience? B) Discuss how you have engaged with a community or organization. C) What area of the world are you most curious about and why? D) What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?
The query I want to ask concerns about the eligibility criterion.
I am a student of Masters in Business Administration at University Business School, Panjab University, which has been imparting quality management education since 1968 and is consistently rated among top B-schools in India.
But because of lack of global exposure available at our institute accompanied with my keen interest in exploring avenues abroad, has made me ex cogitate of doing an MBA from a B-School which should be of global repute and which can provide me the right platform to catapult my career in challenging arenas of the corporate.
That is why I want to sit for GMAT as early as possible and start with the application process.But before that I want to know if having an MBA degree would be a deterrent in getting me admission to a prestigious institute like yours.Would it be seen positively or would it make me stand ineligible to apply for the MBA course?
To mention here I had a percentile of 99.37 in CAT (Common Admission Test) conducted by IIMs, a work experience of One Year and my background is Mechanical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College,Chandigarh (considered among Top-10 Engineering Institutes in India).
In hope of a positive and wise reply from your side.
Hi Jeremy, Thanks a lot for helping us out with your valuable insights.I have recenly given my GMAT and am confused about how high I could aim.Could you please give me your opinion as to where I stand a chance?
I am a 24 year old Indian female, planning on applying for Fall 09.I have decent to good grades and GMAT score Xth - 86% XIIth - 96% Engg - 80% GMAT - 750/5 I have always been in the top 5 of my Dept in college.In Std XII, I was school second.I won a number of prizes in school and college (including 'Best outgoing student").I am a trained dancer(Learnt classical dance for more than 12years) and have given a few performances(including a debut performance a month before my STD XII exams ).I have also learnt Indian classical music for about 5 years.I was my house Vics Capt.in std XI and the Assitant school pupil leader in std XII. I also represented my school at badminton.In college, I was EEE dept's Joint secretary and placement co-ordinator. I have an avid interest in dramatics..I have acted in plays both in school/college as well as outside.I was part of a group which put up a few plays(mainly musicals) to aid charitible organisations. I have even done some choreography as part of this.My favourite memory of this is the time I had choreographed a routine for children (part of a disney musical).I took part in a number of dance competitions in school, college and at work. I enjoyed coreographing these as well and I feel that I have learnt a lot through this,especially tact and how to co-ordinate a diverse group of people. I also learnt how to manage a budget(strtch it to cover costumes, props, lighting...) and more importantly , how to delegate, to get people to listen and believe in what you see, without ruffling too many feathers.This was especially true at work,when you might have your manager or your manager's manager in your group/team.While I already had a lot of experience co-ordinating people in school and college, there were many more things to consider at work. I also sung in a choir for 9 years.I am editor of my account newsletter at work and enjoy collecting ,editing as well as writing articles for it. As a I junior to the other people on the editorial board, i have had to be careful not to step on anyone's toes, while still being assertive and pushing forth my views. I have always taken part in whatever activity I could (I dont believe in single-mindedly working/hitting the books the whole day). I would like to describe myself as a well rounded person. Coming to my profession, I am (unfortunately, in view of wanting an MBA) an IT professional.WHile I do have a lot of responsibility at work , I do not officially manage a team. I should get a promotion before fall 09,but will not having one right now affect my chances of an admit greatly? I have recieved an award at work and am considered one of the best performers.My job includes mentoring new joinees too.Being involved with the newsletter has given me 'visibility' at work. Outside school and college, I have been involved in community service only for the past 3 years.I volunteer(not just donate) at a local charity hospital.I am even involved in helping with their administrative work to a small extent.I am confident of get a good, well written recos from the hospital society president and from my manager. I could get recos from senior people at work, but I felt that my manager would probably be able to paint a more detailed picture of me. I am interested in pursuing a degree in general management with a specialization in Ops.I initially considered waiting for a few years and building my profile, but have decided against it.I am very confused about where I should apply. While I could say that I wanted to apply only to a highly ranked school,it wouldn't be realistic.Should I consider applying to the top 10, or should I concentrate only on 10-25?The only school I am definately applying to(so far) is Rochester...that too because they have sent me an application fee waiver. Thank you for taking the time to evaluate my (somewhat lengthy) profile.
At MBA Mission, we really specialize in the top-American and European programs. I just dont know enough about IIM to offer you any advice. I apologize.
I'm Indian, 27 / Male / engineer. I have an experience of 4 years in the IT sector including 1 year in US and 3 years in India (with a fortune 200 company). I took GMAT in August 2007 and scored 750. Gave TOEFL n scored 113 out of 120. I have received admission offers from HEC, Paris and IIM (Indian Institute of Management), Lucknow.
My short-term goal is to work in business consulting. I would be targetting firms such as McKinsey n BCG post-MBA.
Keeping in mind my preferred field of work, which one out of the two b-schools would be a better fit for me?
I am julia and want to get some information to enter into MBA course; now I already have about 5 years assistant and management experience and be interested to promote myself, so could i get some detail information for SIMT, such as qualification to enter, how to contact proffessor, tuition fee and so on?
I have secured an admission to Instituto de Empresa, Spain. Though the rankings rank it very high, I am unable to find sufficient information regarding the school. Can you please provide answers for the following questions:
1. Can you please tell me how well-reputed is IE in Europe and outside Europe, preferably in Asia n Middle-east 2. How good are placements at IE, especially for non-EU students 3. I plan to pursue managment consulting in the short-term and entrepreneurship in the long-term. Can you please tell me how good IE ranks in these domains. 4. How does it fare when compared to top US B-schools and top European B-schools i.e LBS, INSEAD, H/B/S etc.
I will really appreciate if you could help me out.
want a clear picture as to where i stand in terms of getting admissions in top notch business school.
Here is my profile :-
1. B.Tech - mech Engg. - 7.05/10.0 (2001 passout) 2. GMAT - 690 3. Work Ex: - 6.5 years.
3.5 years in mktg deptt - HOnda motorcycles.
2 years in mktg deptt - Toyota motors , India
1 year approx In Tata motors.
I have a good experience in Automobiles been working with big names in the industry. Extra curricular activities - Average Lettle philantrophy work done
I am aiming for this year end , dec-2008 and want to do MBA in Finance.
I want to apply only to top colleges - Harvard , stanford , insead ,LBS as you suggest.
Could you give your opinion about what these institutes look for and whether my profile is in synch with that?
I have heard that you dont get any scholarship in MBA programs??Is it True???If not , how much can i get in these institutes?? Are there any other good schools for finance?
Apu, Thank you for your inquiry, If your grades are poor, you can mitigate them by taking additional courses in finance, accounting, economics, statistics or calculus. Usually, candidates take two classes and earn As in order to create a break from their respective pasts. Further, you could do something like taking the CFA a challenge that shows that you have a base level of knowledge applicable to the MBA and that you have the maturity and self-discipline to study for three years. This is, of course, a major undertaking and should be considered carefully. Sincerely, Jeremy Shinewald MBA Mission www.mbamission.com 646-485-8844 Skype: MBAMission
Dear Jeremy,
my grades are catastrophic. Only the fact that I graduated from my college got me a job during campus recruitment.
Should I do a short term course to demonstrate academic ability? What would be considered mitigating factors for bad grades. What can I do now?
I am a fresher planning to do MBA after gaining some experience... I have some queries..
1- Since GMAT is valid for 5 yrs., Does it make any difference if I take it now and apply after say a gap of 3 yrs.?? Do universities consider this in selection?If yes then why?
2- Which will count more..an experience in IT (which I'll get) or experience in Finance?
3- Which is the best book to start your preparation with??
Thank you for taking the time to answer questions. I'd appreciate if you can please give me some advice. I want to remedy my GPA by taking some undergraduate (UG) accounting, economics, and marketing classes before I apply. I scored 750 in my GMAT but my GPA is a pathetic 2.65 (lot of reasons, but it is in the past - no excuses). I graduated 11 years ago and work as a Program Manager currently, in the IT sector for the Federal Government. My goal is to get in to a part-time MBA program at Georgetown, George Washington, U of MD or do the online MBA program at Purdue. Due to the cost of college, I was planning on taking the UG classes at a Community College which will be a third in tuition compared to taking the UG courses at a university. My questions are:
1. Do I even have a chance at these schools? 2. Are admission folks OK with community college courses? 3. I am 34, am I too old for this?
I am working in software industry right now and currently have about 3.5 years of experience. I want to attend B school around may 2008. I have couple of questions for you.
1. I want to do 1 year course so my target is narrowed down to B Schools in Europe and Singapore. What are the key elements for an impressive application in addition to academics and GMAT score?
2. I also need some help in filtering my B-schools list? Can you give some directions for selecting B-Schools or name the good schools in Europe and singapore?
Would sending a document detailing the plans for fulfilling my vision along with my application, enhance my chances of admission? Assuming that the quality of the plan is pretty good, of course! Inevitably, the document would contain details of a big hole where the mba program would fit in!
Also, the following is my profile:
GMAT: 700/4.5 U.G: B.E - 3.8 GPA - NIT Surathkal (Top 10 college in India) Indian/IT/Male 8 Months International Experience Extra Curriculars: In College: Multiple instances of managing about 7-10 people to organize certain events. Learning French. Work Experience: 2 years (now); Trying for 2009.
At Work: No Managerial experience. But I have conducted motivated and trained my team mates to improve their creativity, which is starting to show results. I expect the manager to vouch for the quality of this initiative.
What would be my chances at Europe's Top 10-15 if i am trying for programs starting in Fall '09? What are the kind of things I should consider to improve my chances?
Thanks for your help in this forum - i have read your earlier posts with great interest.. Could you pls give me advice based on my profile below.. thanks..
I am an indian applicant and am aiming for Harvard, Stanford, Tuck, Chicago, Cambridge, IMD and INSEAD. I plan to make a career switch - post my MBA i plan to start my second career as a consultant and later would like to come back to India to work in a general management role. I have done a MBA earlier and have 5 years of post MBA work-experience in an Indian blue-chip company and a global healthcare major.
I have been fortunate enough (due to my earlier MBA) to lead large teams from day one of my professional career and my work-ex has been in rural business (a very innovative business model followed by an indian company) and in sales of medical products. In both the above companies i have been a part of start-up divisions and hence have gathered varied functional exposure (recruitment, training, sales, marketing, business development) and had loads of fun
I have won several awards at work and have enough leadership experience and successes (no awards during school and undergrad, though I have secured an "A" grade throughout my academic career). I was recently promoted and made a few mistakes that would be worth writing about in some of the essays :smile:
Currently I am working in India for a healthcare major in a middle management sales position. I intend to apply this year. I have following extracurriculars: Community development - worked with NGOs to build check dams, adult literacy program and adopted 2 rural schools (raised money from my current company and ran the mumbai marathon to raise pledges in support of my initiative). I captain my company cricket team and am also one of the founder members of the sports club. Besides the above, I have found a youth forum in college and am an alumnus of AIESEC (an international youth forum)
Why a second MBA: a) to get an intl outlook - an opportunity to interact with people from different parts of the world and learn from diversity. b)For career switch to consulting. c) To convert my weakness - lack of international exposure - to strength
My GMAT score is 690 (AWA - 5.5). I have negligible international work ex, though my current company has given me adequate exposure to work in a very diverse and challenging environment
I am aspiring for a MBA from a top notch international B School. I would appreciate your advice on where i stand in the crowd. My profile is briefed below: 1) GMAT - 710 (V:35,M:50,AWA:5) taken sept'07 2) TOEFL - 106 taken oct'07 3) UG GPA - 9/10 in B.Tech computer science & engg from top 25 institution in India. 4) PG GPA - Expecting in few month. Completed the part time MS Software Engg from Top 7 institution in India- Corporate sponsorship. 5) Extracurricular: Decent with few Philanthrpic activities. 6) International Ex: Since last 2 month. 7) Total Work Ex: 36 month as of June 2008 in IT industry - Cognizant
I am planning to apply in the coming season for Aug 09 intake.
Please criticise/comment my profile and advise what schools I should aim at. My interest are in Management Consulting.
