Thank you for your inquiry. For the schools that you are targeting, you will need to highlight your international experience and show global awareness. Do you have professional/personal/extra-curricular international experiences that might be relevant for your applications?
Your GMAT score of 680 should be in line with the average GMAT (or better) for the schools that you are targeting. I noticed that your verbal score was significantly lower than your quant score. Did you have a bad test day? Do you think you can do better? The substantial difference may cause admissions committees to question your verbal and written communication skills. If you can do better, it might be best to retake the exam.
You didn't mention any involvement with the community outside of work. This is an important aspect of your profile that should not be overlooked!
Hi, I have questions about my general profile and how should I take up from here for admission to my dream colleges- > BTech from IIT (average acads- CGPA 7/10) > GMAT 680 (QA-50, VA-31) >schooling- ClassX-88% and Class XII- 84% >Won Maths olympiad twice, won science talent search scholarship, NTSE scholar >organised various events in IIT > Work ex of 3 years (1 year in outsourcing (KPO) industry as an analyst and 2 years as a manager in operations consulting team of a leading private Insurance company)- Non IT work experience > Very good in quizzes and debates > schools aiming-Oxford, cambridge and IMD Should I give GMAT again? My score is around the average score of GMAT in these schools and cgpa is bit on the lower side (though I was in top 30% of the my deptt in IIT) Please let me know in case you require any more information from my side Thanks a lot in advance
Thank you for your inquiry. I'm sorry that your undergraduate performance is causing sleepless nights! The good news is that although your performance was not ideal, you did improve every year. It might be best to use the optional essay to explain what happened (if appropriate). The goal is to avoid making an excuse, but to take responsibility for your academic performance and detail the actions you took to improve. There is no magic GMAT score that is going to guarantee that the admissions committee will overlook your grades. However, the admissions committees generally take a holistic approach to reviewing applications. Candidates are generally allowed one weakness, so if your work experience/leadership/extra-curriculars are strong, and you achieve at least an 80th percentile on both sections of the GMAT, you should be able to put yourself in a good position to show that you can handle the rigor of business school. Here is a link to a blog posting that is relevant to your question: Monday Morning Essay Tip: Taking Responsibility
I am prospective MBA candidate. I would like to have your candid opinion on my academic background.
I graduated in B.E. Production from Pune University, India.
First Year: 55% Second Class Second Year: 58 % Higher Second class Third Year: 60 % First class:grin: Fourth Year: 68% First Class with Distinction :grin:
My degree certificate states Graduated with First class with Distinction i.e. Based on Final years marks.
Took Electives like Operation Research and Financial Management in the final year and performed relatively well. If one looks the class, it looks reasonably good with First class and Distinction but in percentage system it looks lackluster performance.
My current job, As an Industrial Engg. My work involves lot of number crunching and analytical work which includes manpower estimation. I am certified applicator for MOST (Maynard operation sequence tech. which is one of the most advanced work measurement techniques in the world. My work involves calculating the work done in minutes by each of the 180 operators on the production line.:
I have also worked in Operation consulting field that shows lot of examples of analytical work. As a consultant, I have written 5 case studies based on my work at different clients, one of them is published on the company website. These are used for internal brainstorming sessions.:
I have been always involved in practical applications of the things learned in my engineering. I have some examples on this front which supports this thing.
In pithy, apart from the first two years performance, I have really managed myself well personally and professionally. But this lackluster performance is giving me sleepless nights. I am so committed and passionate about the MBA that I have written all the draft essays though I am planning apply in Oct.10.
Questions: 1.How do you evaluate this academic performance in context with Indian percentage performance? I mean upward trend and Distinction would have an edge? Pls suggest.
2.How much GMAT should I target which would clear any doubts about my academics considering I would be applying with 5+ years of experience?
3. Rest of my application is really good with all the qualities including Teamwork, Leadership, community services, Extracurricular, offbeat hobbies, 5 + years of quality exp in operations, good progression, good research of the schools and I can go on but can the Adcom forgive this mistake that I committed almost 6 years back?
Thanks for your inquiry. I like the fact that you have international exposure and that you can differentiate your work experience with your accounting/consulting background. Based on the information you detailed in your post, I think you'll have a shot at a top tier program. However, HBS seems unlikely because you are missing some wow accomplishments and community involvement. Is there more about your personal story that might be relevant? You are also on the older end of the spectrum for HBS given the fact that they are trending younger (average age is 26). You can consider adding schools like Tuck, Ross and Sloan to your list.
Hi Jeremy/Monica, Thank you for your time and insights. I am planning to apply to B-Schools for FY-2010. Am planning to be quite selective and to be quite honest the only school I would like to apply to is HBS. I am not however not very sure if my background is a good fit as far as getting admitted into HBS is concerned. Could you please comment on my background and provide me with your opinion. Could you also recommend any other schools that I should perhaps consider based on my profile? I will turn 29 at the time of matriculation and should have around 6 yrs of work ex. 4 of these 6 Years are in the US in the field of consulting (a US based consulting firm publicly listed). All the consulting is to different State Governments as clients (so heavy focus on US public sector). Career progression so far has been good, have not had a change in job title yet but have received 2 raises and bonus. Work responsibility has expanded. I have had the opportunity to manage the work of a state employee and have him report directly to me during the course of a project, other than that I was also was paired up with a new hire and worked as a mentor to him. The other 2 years of my WE(prior to my Masters) was in India in Marketing/Sales for a FMCG product with a UK based firm.
My academic background is Bachelor in Commerce and the Master's in Accountancy from Indiana University, Kelley School of Business. Acad's other than being in good schools is nothing more to boast about.
I have also recently successfully cleared the CPA exams (Certified Public Accountant) in my first attempt (Thats perhaps the biggest plus in my acads).
I have not yet given the GMAT, but based on my scores in the mock Kaplan tests, I should be around the 750 mark.
Interests include playing Golf and traveling. Dont have any community service experience of any sorts.
How does my profile look in the pool of applicants? My background is in pretty hardcore accounting, however my work is in ERP (oracle Products) implementations and Operational Consulting, though my focus area within this is on Accounting modules.
Again I am not sure how many Indian or International students are admitted who are CPAs. I feel my background is pretty unique in the sense that I am using my accounting background in IT enables Services field (ERP), and possess a prior Masters in Accounting from a Big-10 school. Also dealing with only State/Local governments as clients does make my work-ex a bit more different. However like most I guess I might be over-estimating my profile. I am planning to do an MBA primarily to move into more of a strategic/management consulting role. Not so sure if I should apply to other schools since I make as much as the post-MBA salary of most of the schools anyways, and they do not fascinate me as much as HBS. However please do mention any other schools that you feel I should consider and have a strong likelihood to get into. Would highly appreciate your comments and a response to my lengthy message. Best regards,
Hello, I would like to know what would be the best schools for a non-profit career. And looking at my profile below, what would be the range of schools you would recommend for me? Profile: Name: Arun Male/Indian/IT/24 GPA: 3.8/4.0 - Top 10 Engineering College in India Extra Curriculars in College: Publicity Convenor for the institute's technical and Cultural festivals - Led teams of 6/7 in both cases to produce record results. Work: Sr. S/w Engr.
Highlights: - Instituted a process of innovation within my team by training my team mates with ideation techniques. Result: 14 patents from a team that had produced only 4 from the previous 3 years. - Proposed an idea, developed it from scratch by co -ordinating with multple teams in India and Korea - Developed some key applications that were showcased at the Mobile World Congress 2008. - 8 months Intl Experience in South Korea Volunteer Work: - Ran an outreach campaign across Bangalore's Software companies and colleges by leading a team of approx 12 other volunteers to encourage people to register themselves on their electoral rolls. Produced 70000 registrations across the city. Spanned 5-6 months. This effort was profiled positively in a leading national newspaper. I am basically inspired by the volunteer efforts and the results they produced. I dream of making it a pan-India effort and produce much bigger results.
Can you provide me some details on the scholarship details offered to International students by B-Schools and the criteria for getting those scholarships. If you could provide details of scholarship offered by the following collees it would be helpful:
# Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business # Cornell Johnson School of Business # Harvard Business School # Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business # Boston College # Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) # University of Notre Dame
Thanks for initiating this discussion. I am a BE in Information technology; who realized in college that coding isnt my forte. Hence have 3 years of wrk exp now in business research & consulting.
I am now keen on doing a 1 year MBA from UK. My specific queries are:
1. Which would be the best university in UK for specializing in business management
2. How feasible it is go for a foreign degree considering ill be completely funded by a bank
3. Couldnt find out the placement record of Kingston univ..
4. Total cost of living, education for a 1 year MBA in UK?
I still have to take IELTS and other exams. Please guide..
Hi , i have a doubt which hardly any1 has been able to answer me correctly .. I am an IT engineer working for a Top IT company in India and have average Acads ( 2008 pass out in engg frm Mumbai Univ. ) .. I am also an entrepreneur and run a sort of popular company .. How will my two roles be viewed by B schools ? coz i am simultaneously working and using my salary as a capital to build my company ... please comment on this ...
Hi Jeremy/Monica I am an IT professional from India, with the following background Educational 10th 88% , 12th 76%, B.Engineering 73 % ( all in 1st class) , Gmat 750 (v-41, q-50) Professional I am into IT product implementation for last 4.6 years. By the time I will be ready to join it will be 6 years (2010 august). Have very less international experience, but had a very impactful one. My clients have been all round the globe. Also my responsibilities have been on rise year after year, though I was promoted only once. Have formed an entire strategic course of action for the unit, where the plan affects nearly 40% of revenues of each deals that our unit gets. Have been giving lectures to the lateral joiners and also making training schedules for freshers in our unit. Extracurricular activity was instrumental in 2 groups that I have formed in college, apart from being an important member of organizing committee in college. Also during my job, I am involved in 2 other activities, one in which I give presentation to various college kids. In the second activity, I am a part of committee that is running an orphanage. I am also mentoring a couple of guys for gmat. Have represented my unit in chess and cricket tournaments. Post MBA looking for strategic consulting or Business development position in IT. In this year (200, I had applied to a couple of top 5 US colleges and judge(all 2nd round) where I was dinged without interview. Did have a call from one top 15 US university but with no schol, so not joining it. Though I feel either I have not presented myself well in few essays. This time, I am looking for Kellogg, Wharton, Lbs, Insead, Judge and Said. (All listed on my dream ones). Would highly appreciate your comments and a response on the choice of the colleges and in case I can select any more. Also I am in a fix over safe/reach college list, (Yale, Rotterdam, Ucla), could you suggest a few school that I should target to. Thanks a ton for your time n insight.
Hi Jeremy, I am planning to apply this year. Can you please go through my profile and advice me if I have a good chance or not in Top indian schools like IIMA, ISB and will it be worth applying to top US schools.
I am IIT Kanpur Btech passout and have around 7.5 years experience which includes 2.5 years in europe(Germany)(worked for Largest steel industry in their simulation software department- Started as an Asscociate and then individually handled the work including interaction with client, requirement analysis and was involved in all Tech discussions with client)-- Mainly non- IT work but also got a good exposure of IT so planned to move back to India in indian IT industry. Worked for 3 years in India in IT industry with all CMM level 5 companies and held positions of Tech Lead and Project Lead.Frequently visited US during this 3 years on B1 visa to client locations for requirement discussions. My last company in india was a startup company in finance domain where i worked as Development head and was involved in all aspects of the company which included client interaction, requirement gathering, Mentoring the team , preparing project plans.Currently working in US since last 2 years as Tech Lead as a full time employee of a midsize US wireless company.
GMAT- 730 Xth- 88% XIIth- 91% Btech(IIT) -6.0/10
I was proactive in extracurricular actives during my college days, held seceratery position of engineers society for 2 years and cutural seceratery position in IIT cultural festival.
I also worked for a non profit organisation called "Shiksha Sopan" which educates poor children in nearby villages during my IIT days.
I have worked in my 8 year career in Europe, India and currently in US. My main reason to do an executive MBA is to move up the ladder and would like to view things from a business perspective. Till Now I have been working mainly on Technical aspects of a product( which includes leading a team ) but now I would like to look at that product from a business perspective. It will be great if you can spend a few minutes and weigh my chances for this year in worlds top B schools. Thanks in advance for your help. Thanks, Sumit Jain
Thaks for the reply. Don't think there is any WOW factor in my resume. Just steady/continuous appreciation of my profile. I will certainly consider Sloan and Tuck. Am also now thinking of Yale and Booth...Will come up with a definite list of schools over the next one month...I appreciate your comments. Thank you for your time. Cheers!
Quoting: Thanks for your inquiry. I like the fact that you have international exposure and that you can differentiate your work experience with your accounting/consulting background. Based on the information you detailed in your post, I think you'll have a shot at a top tier program. However, HBS seems unlikely because you are missing some wow accomplishments and community involvement. Is there more about your personal story that might be relevant? You are also on the older end of the spectrum for HBS given the fact that they are trending younger (average age is 26). You can consider adding schools like Tuck, Ross and Sloan to your list.
Hi monica, I am planning to apply this year. Can you please go through my profile and advice me if I have a good chance or not in Top indian schools like IIMA, ISB and will it be worth applying to top US schools.
I am IIT Kanpur Btech passout and have around 7.5 years experience which includes 2.5 years in europe(Germany)(worked for Largest steel industry in their simulation software department- Started as an Asscociate and then individually handled the work including interaction with client, requirement analysis and was involved in all Tech discussions with client)-- Mainly non- IT work but also got a good exposure of IT so planned to move back to India in indian IT industry. Worked for 3 years in India in IT industry with all CMM level 5 companies and held positions of Tech Lead and Project Lead.Frequently visited US during this 3 years on B1 visa to client locations for requirement discussions. My last company in india was a startup company in finance domain where i worked as Development head and was involved in all aspects of the company which included client interaction, requirement gathering, Mentoring the team , preparing project plans.Currently working in US since last 2 years as Tech Lead as a full time employee of a midsize US wireless company.
GMAT- 730 Xth- 88% XIIth- 91% Btech(IIT) -6.0/10
I was proactive in extracurricular actives during my college days, held seceratery position of engineers society for 2 years and cutural seceratery position in IIT cultural festival.
I also worked for a non profit organisation called "Shiksha Sopan" which educates poor children in nearby villages during my IIT days.
I have worked in my 8 year career in Europe, India and currently in US. My main reason to do an executive MBA is to move up the ladder and would like to view things from a business perspective. Till Now I have been working mainly on Technical aspects of a product( which includes leading a team ) but now I would like to look at that product from a business perspective. It will be great if you can spend a few minutes and weigh my chances for this year in worlds top B schools. Thanks in advance for your help. Thanks,
Hi Arun - Thank you for your inquiry. You have a strong background that makes you a compelling candidate - solid grades and (if you achieve 700) a good GMAT score, some international and leadership experience and some innovation with tangible results. Your story about being inspired by your volunteer work to go into non profit sets you apart from many other candidates; you'll want to tell that story in your essays in a way that shows your growing passion and demonstrates continuity and credibility. For specific schools, there are a number of ways to go. Most top schools have courses in non-profit management and/or a loan forgiveness program for students who go in to non-profit work after graduation. You may also find that schools with an entrepreneurial focus, which teach skills and concepts that you can apply to starting a non-profit venture, will be a good fit as well. The schools that are considered the top ones for non-profit management are Stanford, Kellogg, Columbia, Haas (Berkeley) and Ross (Michigan). Stanford, Kellogg and Columbia, because of their competitive nature, will be stretches for you but I would still encourage you to apply. You should be competitive at Haas and Ross. Best of luck, Jessica Shklar Senior Consultant MBA Mission
Hello, I would like to know what would be the best schools for a non-profit career. And looking at my profile below, what would be the range of schools you would recommend for me? Profile: Name: Arun Male/Indian/IT/24 GPA: 3.8/4.0 - Top 10 Engineering College in India Extra Curriculars in College: Publicity Convenor for the institute's technical and Cultural festivals - Led teams of 6/7 in both cases to produce record results. Work: Sr. S/w Engr.
Highlights: - Instituted a process of innovation within my team by training my team mates with ideation techniques. Result: 14 patents from a team that had produced only 4 from the previous 3 years. - Proposed an idea, developed it from scratch by co -ordinating with multple teams in India and Korea - Developed some key applications that were showcased at the Mobile World Congress 2008. - 8 months Intl Experience in South Korea Volunteer Work: - Ran an outreach campaign across Bangalore's Software companies and colleges by leading a team of approx 12 other volunteers to encourage people to register themselves on their electoral rolls. Produced 70000 registrations across the city. Spanned 5-6 months. This effort was profiled positively in a leading national newspaper. I am basically inspired by the volunteer efforts and the results they produced. I dream of making it a pan-India effort and produce much bigger results.
Thank you for your inquiry. Unfortunately, since the universe of schools and scholarships is quite vast, youll get better information by contacting the schools directly.
Best of luck, Jessica Shklar Senior Consultant MBA Mission
Can you provide me some details on the scholarship details offered to International students by B-Schools and the criteria for getting those scholarships. If you could provide details of scholarship offered by the following collees it would be helpful:
# Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business # Cornell Johnson School of Business # Harvard Business School # Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business # Boston College # Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) # University of Notre Dame
Thank you for your inquiry. There are a number of good one-year programs in the UK in addition to Kingston, like The Judge Institute of Management, University of Cambridge, Said Business School, University of Oxford, Edinburgh University Management School, or Cranfield School of Management. Your being fully funded by the bank - which presumably means that you have a job waiting for you upon graduation - will generally be seen as a positive by the school. Im not familiar with Kingston's ranking. I cannot really comment on the total cost of living, as that varies widely based on your own personal situation, but tuition tends to range between 8,850 and 12,500 per year. Jessica Shklar Senior Consultant MBA Mission
Thanks for initiating this discussion. I am a BE in Information technology; who realized in college that coding isnt my forte. Hence have 3 years of wrk exp now in business research & consulting.
I am now keen on doing a 1 year MBA from UK. My specific queries are:
1. Which would be the best university in UK for specializing in business management
2. How feasible it is go for a foreign degree considering ill be completely funded by a bank
3. Couldnt find out the placement record of Kingston univ..
4. Total cost of living, education for a 1 year MBA in UK?
I still have to take IELTS and other exams. Please guide..
Thank you for your inquiry. I hope I can give you a more satisfactory answer. Without knowing specifics about your accomplishments either at work or at your company, I can say that your being able to juggle a demanding job while building your own company will generally be viewed quite positively. You'll be able to demonstrate your entrepreneurial talents, ability to work efficiently and effectively with different groups, and your success in different fields. Your varied experience will enable you to draw on stories from different settings to highlight multiple elements of your background and personality.
Hi , i have a doubt which hardly any1 has been able to answer me correctly .. I am an IT engineer working for a Top IT company in India and have average Acads ( 2008 pass out in engg frm Mumbai Univ. ) .. I am also an entrepreneur and run a sort of popular company .. How will my two roles be viewed by B schools ? coz i am simultaneously working and using my salary as a capital to build my company ... please comment on this ...
Thank you for your inquiry. You have strong academics and GMAT, work experience that shows a steady development and increase in responsibilities, and some interesting extracurriculars and community activities that show continuity with the theme of mentoring and developing others. All of those make your profile quite strong. At the same time, however, you are part of an extremely competitive demographic and your application last year just might not have stood out sufficiently. Without having seen your essays I can't comment specifically on whether you presented yourself and told your story in a way that highlighted all of your strengths and diversity. I think your list of schools is a reasonable one. Kellogg and Wharton will be stretches but still worth applying to, and I think you'll be competitive at the other schools you mention. Yale, Rotterdam and UCLA are all reasonable choices as well. Other schools you might consider are Haas, Darden, Tuck, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNKF). Sincerely, Jessica Shklar Senior Consultant MBA Mission
Hi Jeremy/Monica I am an IT professional from India, with the following background Educational 10th 88% , 12th 76%, B.Engineering 73 % ( all in 1st class) , Gmat 750 (v-41, q-50) Professional I am into IT product implementation for last 4.6 years. By the time I will be ready to join it will be 6 years (2010 august). Have very less international experience, but had a very impactful one. My clients have been all round the globe. Also my responsibilities have been on rise year after year, though I was promoted only once. Have formed an entire strategic course of action for the unit, where the plan affects nearly 40% of revenues of each deals that our unit gets. Have been giving lectures to the lateral joiners and also making training schedules for freshers in our unit. Extracurricular activity was instrumental in 2 groups that I have formed in college, apart from being an important member of organizing committee in college. Also during my job, I am involved in 2 other activities, one in which I give presentation to various college kids. In the second activity, I am a part of committee that is running an orphanage. I am also mentoring a couple of guys for gmat. Have represented my unit in chess and cricket tournaments. Post MBA looking for strategic consulting or Business development position in IT. In this year (200, I had applied to a couple of top 5 US colleges and judge(all 2nd round) where I was dinged without interview. Did have a call from one top 15 US university but with no schol, so not joining it. Though I feel either I have not presented myself well in few essays. This time, I am looking for Kellogg, Wharton, Lbs, Insead, Judge and Said. (All listed on my dream ones). Would highly appreciate your comments and a response on the choice of the colleges and in case I can select any more. Also I am in a fix over safe/reach college list, (Yale, Rotterdam, Ucla), could you suggest a few school that I should target to. Thanks a ton for your time n insight.
Thank you for your inquiry. Can you clarify for me - are you interested in an executive MBA or a regular full-time MBA? Either way, you have a strong profile - good grades and scores, a steady history of increasing responsibility at work, diverse experience, international and leadership exposure and community involvement. In particular for US schools, the fact that you have non-IT experience will make you stand out from your competitive demographic. From what you are saying, I believe that you would be competitive at a top 20 US school. Sincerely, Jessica Shklar Senior Consultant MBA Mission
Hi Jeremy, I am planning to apply this year. Can you please go through my profile and advice me if I have a good chance or not in Top indian schools like IIMA, ISB and will it be worth applying to top US schools.
I am IIT Kanpur Btech passout and have around 7.5 years experience which includes 2.5 years in europe(Germany)(worked for Largest steel industry in their simulation software department- Started as an Asscociate and then individually handled the work including interaction with client, requirement analysis and was involved in all Tech discussions with client)-- Mainly non- IT work but also got a good exposure of IT so planned to move back to India in indian IT industry. Worked for 3 years in India in IT industry with all CMM level 5 companies and held positions of Tech Lead and Project Lead.Frequently visited US during this 3 years on B1 visa to client locations for requirement discussions. My last company in india was a startup company in finance domain where i worked as Development head and was involved in all aspects of the company which included client interaction, requirement gathering, Mentoring the team , preparing project plans.Currently working in US since last 2 years as Tech Lead as a full time employee of a midsize US wireless company.
GMAT- 730 Xth- 88% XIIth- 91% Btech(IIT) -6.0/10
I was proactive in extracurricular actives during my college days, held seceratery position of engineers society for 2 years and cutural seceratery position in IIT cultural festival.
I also worked for a non profit organisation called "Shiksha Sopan" which educates poor children in nearby villages during my IIT days.
I have worked in my 8 year career in Europe, India and currently in US. My main reason to do an executive MBA is to move up the ladder and would like to view things from a business perspective. Till Now I have been working mainly on Technical aspects of a product( which includes leading a team ) but now I would like to look at that product from a business perspective. It will be great if you can spend a few minutes and weigh my chances for this year in worlds top B schools. Thanks in advance for your help. Thanks, Sumit Jain
Thank you, Monica Okrah. I will be in touch. Best regards, Luis R. Villegas H., Mexico.
Thanks for your inquiry. This is a common question and one that is featured on our blog. Many applicants ask: What type of candidate is (HBS, Stanford, Wharton, etc.) looking for? Truthfully, there is no way to guarantee success. Some of the best candidates dont always gain admission since the schools are looking for diversity academic, professional, and cultural diversity. Instead, I recommend that you focus on your unique story and highlight your professional achievements, leadership within your community, personal accomplishments and personal interests. Sharing your distinct qualities with the admissions committee in a personal and authentic matter will put you in the best position for success.
The admissions process is holistic, so you also need to ensure that you have a solid academic background, strong and balanced GMAT score, compelling recommendations, and extracurricular involvement, among other things. If there are any weaknesses in your profile, you will need to mitigate those risks as well. For example, if you have a below average GMAT score, then you will need to prove your academic capabilities through other means, such as a high GPA from undergrad or the quantitative nature of work projects.
, I had applied to a couple of top 5 US colleges and judge(all 2nd round) where I was dinged without interview. Did have a call from one top 15 US university but with no schol, so not joining it. Though I feel either I have not presented myself well in few essays.