Hi MBA Mission Team,
I had posted on this thread more than 2 years ago, and now am back again with more to ask you!
PROFILE
GMAT : 760 (Quant - 51, verbal - 41, AWA - 4.5)
Work-experience :
About 2.5 years at an Oil & Gas Consultancy in the UAE with short stints in Paris and offshore platforms in the Persian Gulf !
I have been working predominantly as a Process Engineer on most assignments and Lead engineer and Project Coordinator on certain projects.
Academics :
Bachelors Degree in Chemical Engineering
GPA of 9.41 (On a 10 point scale) at National Institute of Technology, Trichy.
Good grades at high school as well (Although I believe that isnt a difference-maker)
Extra-curriculars :
Lots of awards won at scholastic events, olympiads & talent search exams.
Editor of my department's annual magazine while at college.
Won awards at debates, quizzes, case-study contests etc.
Certified First-Aider
Member of WWF Passport, participating in online campaigns for preservation of environment/wildlife
Volunteer for a website that posts inspirational videos aimed at inspiring people either for improving the lives of people around them or to participate in a noble cause
Hobbies
I am an avid gamer on the Xbox 360 & PC. Write reviews of games & participate in gaming forums on several websites.
Used to write blogs. Have taken a rather long break from writing blogs though !
Love travelling - Have been to places in Egypt, France, Oman, Bhutan apart from lots of destinations in India & the UAE. will be heading to Cyprus next month !
I am aiming for some darn good colleges - Insead, Harvard,Wharton,Stanford, ISB, & the likes.
I would like your views on the following :
1) Based on my profile, do you think I could consider applying for these schools for the class entering Fall 2010 (or equivalent ?) or should I wait one more year. To put my question in more specific terms, should I be applying with 3+ years of work-ex (Which would mean that I have about 4 years of work-exp at the time of admission) or I could give it a shot with my present work-experience ( ~ 2.5 years ) ?
2) How much of a difference does that additional year of work-experience make to my prospects of admission ?
3) Since I am considering some really tough/competitive B-schools, do you notice any weak links in my profile ? Or anything specific which you could advise that would add value to my candidature ?
4) Could the low AWA score of 4.5 prove to be a deal-breaker ?
Thanks for your time !
Cheers
Shubhankar
Hi MBA Mission Team,
Could you please evaluate and suggest me.
PROFILE
GMAT :710(49,38,4.0)
TOEFL:99(iBT)
Work Ex: 4 yrs IT consultancy(Telecom)
IT professional(Telecom Domain) with 4 years of exp with leading Indian MNC(Leadership in Telecom services segment). Have diverse experience in application development, System test and application support for our clients(Biggest telecom companies from US and UK). Have a leadership role in bringing up and managing a small team for the module. I feel biggest drawback could be lack of international experience and I somehow try to fill the gap by my experience of working in cross border team(US/EU/Indian).
Acad: 69% in BE(Electronics and communication) from a reputed Govt. College(non IIT/NIT)
EC: College captain position in college and founding member of a NGO group.Have long list of achievements and participation to speak about.
Please suggest the top rated programs with an emphasis on technology management. I want to go into technology/IT consulting post MBA. I have secured an admit for fall 2009 from Carlson(couldn't enroll owing insufficient funds) and looking for fall 2010 now.
My Q's:
1. From my preliminary research, I zeroed in upon below. Could you please rate my selected colleges in terms of reputation of the program and my competitive edge in each.
Competitive: Ross, Emory, UCLA(Anderson), Haas and Cornell.
Fair : Smith(Maryland), UNC-KF,McDonough, McComb.
2. If my TOEFL score (99) be a blocker/deterrent at any stage on my application.
Much appreciate early response.
Ashish
Hi Jeremy.
Fascinating thread with a ton of info.
Would like your take and opinion on my profile as well.
Acads
Xth-85% state board
XIIth-90% state board
Engineering- 70% from the best college in Mumbai University (but not an NIT/IIT)
GMAT-710 ( Q-51 V-34 AWA-6.0 ) ( do you think i should take the GMAT again? )
Work ex- 2 years and a month as of today with Microsoft India. No international experience but have worked extensively with Redmond counterparts. Have done extremely well in job and have tons of instances to demonstrate the same.
Extra curriculars- lots of stuff in college, was the chief event co-ordinator in my college festival which had a substantial budget. In addition can play the keyboard and guitar. Have lots of certificates in quizzing, other events etc.
Social front- Have taught under priviliged children and have posted creative solutions to many social problems on many forums however have not managed to get any of these implemented or do anything tangible yet. Am working hard on this front. Do you have any suggestions here?
Finance- Have taken 10 NSE(National stock exchange) exams on a variety of topics to bring out diversity in profile. Also am an active trader in the stock markets and do pretty well for myself.
Also have exhibited creativity by coming up with slogans, making posters, organizing fun events etc. in office as well as college although i dont know how to put these down.
I would say my biggest strength is coming up with new innovative ideas.
I have a lot of material to write about but am confused as to what to include and what to leave out.
Schools-
ISB
NUS
NTU
plus 3 other US schools ( this is the part im most confused about and need your help, do i stand a chance to make it to the top 15-20 Bschools? )
My aim is to get into a consulting job in the tech or financial sector.
Thanks in Advance,
Anirban
Thanks for your help here for everyone. I am having trouble figuring out some things and I am hoping that some objective response will help. Some data on my profile -
- In top 3 always in school
- First class in undergraduate.
- Maths olympiad silver medalist.
- GMAT 760 (50,41)
- An active sportsperson.
- A guitar player. Numerous intercollege events.
- Community service - Just couple (Feeding homeless, sponsoring a child) Should I even mention them in my app?
- In IT services. Progressed from software developer, team lead, onshore coordinator to project manager and technical consultant. Progression quicker than peers because of my skills and abilities displayed at work.
- I have been working in US for the last 3.5 years and a total of 5 years of work ex. I plan to go into consulting after B school.
Now some questions -
1. After looking at some stats I find that MIT, Kellogg and Tuck have some of the best percentage of consulting placements. Is this a known trend or these stats are very dynamic?
2. Do you know why Stanfords avg work experience is much lesser than others. I could not get Harvard's stats, but is it similar to Stanford?
3. Does Columbia's ED agreement stand true for Indian B schools as well?
4. Which schools are known for good scholarship grants?
5. Between Booth and Kellogg, If I had a choice that I could only apply for one of the school in R1 and the other in R2, which one would be better?
Hi Jeremy and the rest MBAMission team,
A big thankyou for helping the people here. Am posting my profile. Kindly provide ur inputs.
MALE 25yrs old, India
GMAT: 770 (Q50,V44, AWA 5)(Aug '09)
Education:
B.E. (Production Engineering) National Institute of Technology (NITs were formerly known as RECs and are the most reputed engineering colleges in INDIA after IITs)(60.11%, 2006)
Twelfth Standard (CBSE Board, 63.8%, )
Tenth Standard (CBSE Board, 78.2%, )
Work Ex: will be than 3.5 years by Fall 10.
Java/J2ee programmer, 2.5 Years, MNC (left in march '09)
No onsite, one team award, did not work in a specific domain. Worked for clients in Credit Card and Asset Management business.
shifted to non-profit sector. Currently employed with an NGO and teaching English language part-time at few places
Project at NGO: to establish a vocational rehabilitation centre for handicapped children. Budget Rs. 1 crore approx. Project will go on for the next two years.
EC:
During college:
1. Event Management for College National Level Events
2. Event Manager for a stock market simulation game
3. Editor and marketing manager for a bi-weekly campus magazine
4. Attended a 100 hrs programme in basic French
During work life:
1. Community Work: Alongside working in IT , for over an year i led the efforts of a team of 5-6 members as the Centre Lead of Thane Chapter of an NGO working for education of under-privileged children & general welfare of the poor. (the team comprised of other techies, housewives, senior bank managers and senior crew members of international airlines)
2. Teaching kids under the age of twelve for over a year.
3. Planned & organized a free general health check-up camp for 150+ construction workers (July 2008 ).
General:
Languages: English, Hindi, French (Basic)
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QUESTIONS:
I want to major in General Management and/or entrepreneurship.
Post MBA career goal is to get into top 4 consulting firms in strategy/mangement consulting
Questions:
1. Which are the best B-Schools i can target (US or non US)?i.e What schools would you recommend (STRETCH and REACH)?
2. Since i'm looking for what would be called a proper career switch, what is the most imp thing that i should keep in mind while selecting a B-School to apply to?
3. Please comment on my possibilities for these five: Ross/MIT/Wharton/Darden/Tuck
4. I'm especially interested in INSEAD/IE/ISB. How big a deterrent will lack of leadership in workplace be as far as these schools are concerned? What else do i lack in profile to crack INSEAD and how can i make up for it?
REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE HELP!! THANKS!
Thanks for your question. Your GMAT score and grades are strong, however, I will need to know more about your impact/leadership at work to evaluate your chances at your target schools. Can you share more (i.e. have you performed beyond your title, been appointed to special projects, started new initiatives or processes, earned early promotions,etc). Also, you didn't mention any current community leadership roles which is also an important aspect of the application process. Please share additional details if possible.
Hi Monica
Kudos to you for taking all the pains in reading and posting replies.
My Profile:
Xth-- 84.16%
XIIth-- 79.2%
B.Tech (I.C.T)- 76.8%
Participated in various sports/technical contests
member of organizing committee of cultural/sports events for 1 academic year.
A rural experience also exploring possible uses of I.C.T
GMAT- 740 (QA-50, VA-40, AWA 5)
Work-ex: 3yrs in IT-Software
Received accolades from customer (i-Phone) etc.
Won an on the speech-contest in the company
Post-MBA Focus: Consulting/Technology Leadership
Target schools:
USA
Tuck
Tepper
McCombs
Kelley
Kenan-Flagler
Ross
India
ISB
Canada
Rotman-Toronto
what do u feel are chances at these univ.??
am i being overly ambitious??
any additions/deletions u suggest??
Hi there, I apologize for misreading the GMAT score. Thanks for including the percentiles this time around. You should measure your grades and GMAT against the average marks for students admitted to your target schools to see where you stand. If you are below the average, you should be prepared to show that you have the quantitative skills to succeed in the program which you can do by highlighting grades in certain courses, your impact on certain projects at work, etc.
I am not as familiar with Cambridge, but your career progression is strong which should be positive factor in your application.
Thanks for taking time to comment...
However I think (and hoping) you have miss read my profile.. esp the GMAT part.. you mention my verbal scores are weak ? My verbal score was 41 (92%ile).. if anything I would say my quant score was weak.. i.e. 45 (74%tile).. please could you have re-read my profile and let me know if your comment on anythin change.. Also any idea about my chances in Cambridge or it too much of a 'reach' college for me ?
Thanks...
Thanks for your question. We recently blogged about this topic on our website. I'm including the post below. I hope this helps!
http://www.mbamission.com/blog/2009/08/18/mission-admission-round-1-vs-round-2/
At some point, each and every candidate takes a moment to think about when to submit his/her applications. Inevitably, we find that two common concerns tend to crop-up:
1) If I apply in round 1, will my application get lost among all of the uber-type-As?
2) If I apply in round 2, am I just too late?
In the past, MBA admissions officers have gone to great lengths to calm the jitters of applicants, telling them that rounds 1 and 2 are virtually equal. More recently, however, many admissions officers have shifted their tone and have started to tell candidates that all things being equal, you would have a slight edge in the first round. So, we have a simple maxim at MBA Mission: Quality before speed.
Still, we do encourage some candidates to do whatever they can to get those applications in early:
1) If you are part of a vastly over-represented group, Indian engineers for example, it can be wise to get your application in before your constituency is well-represented in the class.
2) If you are a truly unique candidate with a very low-GMAT score, you might consider a round one submission, as there are few places for such candidates later on. If several low GMAT candidates are accepted in the first round, your school of choice may be constrained by their need to drive their GMAT average higher and may not be mathematically able to send out another offer to a candidate with a very low score.
3) If the school blatantly confers an advantage on you because of an early decision system and you are certain that you want to attend this school, then there are certainly advantages to applying early.
In short, you should not fret if you cannot submit in round one, because the majority of the places are still given out in round two. Rest assured, there is always room for a strong applicant.
hi,
I have work experience of 2.3 yrs currently,good acads and have started preparing for GMAT. I will be ready for exams till December mid.
Yes I have heard 1st rounds are will get over till I give GMAT exams is it true that second rounds are of no use most of the seats are already filled.
Please give me some guidance about it .
Thanks in advance
Congrats on your recent promotion!
Your lack of community leadership is a weakness and I don't think you will be competitive at Queens. However, Emory might be a reasonable choice for you. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the other programs you have listed.
I hope this information helps!
Monica, Thanks a lot for your reply.
My leadership Exp.: I have lead a team of 7 members for around one and a half year and was responsible for training and mentoring activities. I organised a Technical festival in my college in my third year of studies.
I have been promoted to Senior Systems Engineer recently.
I plan to apply to the following colleges and target GM/Consulting positions post MBA:
Queens(Canada), Emory, Katz, Cambridge(UK), Cranfield(UK) and NUS.
So which ones from the above list do you think are Stretch/Safe schools for me?
Thanks for your question. We specialize in the top U.S. and European programs (i.e. INSEAD and LBS), so I am not familiar with the programs you've listed. I do think your grades and GMAT are fine. However, the community leadership is a weakness. Regarding your work experience, managerial experience isn't required. Leadership potential can be shown by highlighting any new ideas/initiatives that you brought to your company, performing beyond your title, earning early promotions, mentoring others, etc. You've led a team and mentored others which is a positive aspect of your profile.
Hope this helps!
Hi ,
Here is my profile.
Indian, Male, 28
GMAT : 720 - Q50,V38
Experience - 6 years in IT, Product Development. Lead a team of 3-4, mentored as well. No managerial Experience.
Acads : 70% - BE in Computer Science, NIT.
ECs - below average.
I am looking for a MBA program with a focus on Product Management/IT Consulting. Would like to move into a product management or a consulting role in IT post MBA. Also I am looking for a one year course (12-18 months, preferably in UK).
Could you please suggest a few stretch schools and a few other schools that I can apply this fall.
I am looking at Said, Judge, NUS as of now.
Please advice.
Thanks for your question. We specialize in the top U.S. and European programs so I am not familiar with many of the programs on you list. I will comment on your U.S. list. I think your 78% in undergrad is strong and your impact at work is strong as evidenced by the awards and promotions. Your community leadership is also good. The GMAT score is below average. Do you think you can do better? I believe Ross will be a reach, but Duke and Tepper are reasonable choices.
Regarding application rounds, we recently blogged about this topic on our site (http://www.mbamission.com/blog/2009/08/18/mission-admission-round-1-vs-round-2/). In your case, it might be best to wait until Round 2 if you decide to devote your time to retaking the GMAT.
Hope this helps!
Hi Monica
First of all hearty thanks to you for taking all the pains in reading and posting replies.
My Profile:
Xth91.73%
XIIth-- 87.3%
B.E (Biotechnology)- 78.0%
Founder student president of department Student council
Executive committee member and Editorial chief of IEEE student branch
College magazine, college cultural fests book fairs, debate club etc
GMAT- 680 (QA-47, VA-34, AWA 5)
Work-ex: 3yrs in IT-Software
Nominated for most promising fresher
Awarded On the spot award for outstanding contributions to the project
Awarded most valuable player for the development centre (approx 6000 employees work in this DC)
Short onsite stint ( 10 days at Switzerland for requirement gathering)
Doubly promoted as a Tehnology analyst from software engineer due to company re-organization.The promotion being based on my performance over past two and half years.
Currently lead a team of 8 resources to cater to the support for the corporate governance internal application having an user base of 100,000 users.
Also involved in design and development of code changes suggested by corporate governance, corporate planning and Finance team.
CSR: Notebook distribution drives, clothes collection for poor, facilitator for student visits to campus so as to seed early interests in IT sector among bright students.
Post-MBA Focus: General Management/Corporate Governance/Strategy/Operations
Target schools:
India
ISB
USA
Tepper
Ross
Duke university
Singapore:
Nanyang
NUS
UK
Said
Lancaster
Warwick
China
CIEBS
HongKong UST
Switz
IMD
Canada
Rotman-Toronto
Is my GMAT score good enough or do I need to improvise upon my score?
What do u feel are chances at these univ.?
Do you suggest any additions/deletions to this list?
Will it be better to apply in R1 or R2?
Thanks in advance.
Looking forward to hear from you.
Appreciate your help a lot
Hi Sourya,
Actually, Stanford is looking for a diverse applicant pool, so the technical profile is not an advantage. Yes, there are fewer seats and it's extremely competitive. If you decide to apply, you should consider it a reach.
Good luck with the process!
Thank you for replying to my second question on this thread. I just have one more:
Some people have advised me to apply to Stanford as well considering my Risk Analyst profile and Stanford's preference for technical profiles. However, I researched that the school has comparatively less number of seats. What would you advise considering my profile in its entirety?
Regards,
Sourya Biswas,
Manager - Risk Analytics,
Citigroup.
Yes, there are many different rankings with different methodologies. In general, I am referring to the BusinessWeek rankings.
Hope this helps!
MBA Mission team,
Have a very general question.
We all talk of top 10, 8-15, etc. I have seen ratings given by 5-6 publishers (avbl from wikipedia). Each of them differs and many cases differs by a huge margin like school no 4 in one rating would be school no 17 in another rating.
How does one read all these ratings?
I understand that each rating has a different methodology. They cud be based on placements, infrastructure, industry interface, etc. Yet without getting into such details if one wants to see which school is good taking into all major parameters, which rating would you recommend?
When you speak of top 10, 8-15, etc. which rating are you referring to? If you have a rating of your own, could you please share it for the benefit of everyone?
Many thanks
Thanks for your question. We specialize in the top U.S. and European programs so I am not familiar with many of the programs on you list. I will comment on your U.S. list. I think your 78% in undergrad is strong and your impact at work is strong as evidenced by the awards and promotions. Your community leadership is also good. The GMAT score is below average. Do you think you can do better? I believe Ross will be a reach, but Duke and Tepper are reasonable choices.
Regarding application rounds, we recently blogged about this topic on our site (http://www.mbamission.com/blog/2009/08/18/mission-admission-round-1-vs-round-2/). In your case, it might be best to wait until Round 2 if you decide to devote your time to retaking the GMAT.
Hope this helps!
Hi,
Thanks a ton for replying to my query.
I will go by your suggestion and give another try at GMAT.
What minimum score do you suggest I must aim at to make my profile healthier and sure shot profile so that I get into a comfort zone for the further processes.
admission processes.
Awaiting your candid reply,
Thanks & Regards,
Muddassir
Thanks for your question. While I am not familiar with the Business Analytics track specifically, I will comment on your profile. Given that you currently have only two years of work experience, the quality of your experience will be important. It is a positive sign that you are now handling projects independently and mentoring new joiners, but make sure you can show impact at work. You mentioned that you are working with Melbourne counterparts. Do you travel internationally as well for your job? You also didn't mention any community leadership roles, which is an important aspect of the your candidacy. If you don't have the career leadership stories to highlight in your application, I think that the US schools you've listed might be a reach right now, but with an additional year of work experience and community involvement, you could be in a better position to apply.
I hope this helps!
Hi,
Great work.. You guys have been of gr8 help to all of us..
I have the similar question and want to take your opinion on my selection of schools...
I am particulary interested in Business Analytics, so have been looking for the electives related to my concentration in different US colleges.
My GMAT score: 710
Quants: 50
Verbal: 35
AWA: 5
Acads:
Graduation: (7.56/10) National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli(Among top 10 Engg College)
AIEEE- All India Rank 730 (Top 0.5%)
10th - 89.6
12th - 83.3
Work exp will be 3 years by Fall 2010 in a Australian Bank as Test Analyst in its Software firm
I have been involved in quite a few Event Management activites at college like organising Technical Festival, Department Symposium etc etc.. Won in few technical and mathematical events...
My Hobbies include photography, dance, organising events etc..
At company, I have initiated few Process Improvement Initiatives for which I got awards as appreciation.. Have been closely working with my Melbourne counterparts... Lately, I have started handling independent projects where I have been guiding new joinees... Additionally getting few Test Lead opportunities too...
I was quite inclined towards those schools which have the electives I want and generally offer scholarship to students:
Thats how I have sent my score to following schools:
1. Virginia(Darden)
2. Emory
3. Indiana(Kelley)
4. Ohio(Fisher)
5. NUS Singapore(one Asian MBA)
I am inclined to return back to India after my MBA, so looking as much as possible for scholarship..
What do you suggest which other schools should I include as other schools which offer the electives for Analytics are:
MIT, Chicago, Duke, Michigan, Anderson, Warwick, Maryland, Rochestor, Katz, Mays, Hough, Foster, Purdue etc..
If you can help me out to finalise my list with any of the above colleges or any other which you think I have missed out, it will be great...
Thanks a lot..
Your community leadership is light and I recommend that you not only volunteer, but take on a leadership role in an organization or cause that you are passionate about. Also, continue to take on challenging projects at work. I think your four promotions are evidence of your progression, but you want to ensure that you continue on that trajectory. Lastly, completing the CFA Level 2 and achieving a stronger GMAT score should help your profile. Are you planning to pursue a finance role after business school? I assume that is why you are going for the CFA.
Keep in mind....HBS and Stanford are trending younger, so you will be on the older end of the spectrum for those programs. Schools like Haas and Tuck (among others) tend to have more experienced applicants.
Hope this helps!
Hello,
Appreciate your help in providing us with your valuable insights. Please evaluate my profile and answer some of the questions which I have on the same.
Academics: BE (IT) from a locally well known university - scored 76.9% (Honours i.e. 1st Class), which gets converted to a 3.5 GPA.
CFA Level 1 certificate holder(June 2009). Planning for CFA Level 2 in June 2010 (don't know whether I'll be able to prepare for it due to R1 application prep timelines and other professional commitments)
GMAT: 720 (Q50, V34)(Appeared 2 years back). Studying to appear again to crack 750+. Pretty sure I can do that.
Work experience: 5+ yrs (will be 7 by fall 2011) with one of the largest software companies companies in India. Got 4 promotions in 5 years. Current role business analyst (project execution in compensation management and data analysis) in an international assignment. Have worked with four different clients in four different continents in as many years with 2 international assignments in last 3 years. Awarded thrice for my work.
Extra curriculars: Pretty good in sports. Specially passionate about a single sport which I have represented successfully in school, college and company level (involved in this sport at my international assignment location also). Also into arts (painting and cinema).
Leadership skills: Good record in both professional and personal (setting up a local club for the same sport)domains.
Community Service: Volunteered foundation work in college and company level. Specially volunteering to educate economically depressed children (a small incident in my life changed my perspective to poor children). This community service is at present halted due to my international assignment, which is going to continue for another 1 year.
Post MBA, I'm targeting a strategy consultant / general management profile with a mix of finance. Planning to apply Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, Wharton, Tuck, Duke, Stern and Kellogg. All in round 1 2010. I have not thought of R2 till now.
Please let me know which part of my profile needs further improvement, which part I should concentrate to improve further and whether I'll be a fit for the schools I am looking for. Your opinion will be really worth for me.
Thanks
Thanks for your question. Your grades are strong, but yes, the GMAT is a bit below average. What has been your degree of impact at work? Have you earned promotions, been assigned to special projects, earned recognition for your leadership? These elements will better help me judge your competitiveness.
If your professional and community leadership experience is strong, you can consider targeting U.S. schools in the 7-15 range. A lot of this also depends on your personal story which is difficult to judge via the forum.
Hope this helps!
Hi
First of all I would like to thank you for helping & guiding us so much.Please evaluate my profile and suggest me which schools I can apply for fall 2010.
10th - 89%
12th - 96% ( Was a state topper)
Received few scholarships in school
College - Engineering (electronics) 83%
It is one of the best college in our state.
GMAT - 710 (QA-50, VA-36) AWA-4.5
I am working for one of the Big 4 consulting firms since last 3 years as a ERP consultant. Work includes technical and business consulting, continuous interaction with clients,leading small teams in many projects. Never travelled out of India for any assignment. But worked for a German client in a project.
Planning to start a recruitment consulting firm along with two other people.
Extra curricular activities:
Outside office I work for a community service organization. We are trying to help children of sex workers with better life and education. I donate money & sometimes go and spend time with them.
Hobbies: dancing (trained classical dancer), travelling, reading books, blogging
Post MBA I would like to continue in consulting & after few years want to start my own consulting firm.
With this poor GMAt score I am really confused which school to try. No chance of taking GMAT again due to hectic job schedules. Can you guide me about 5-7 US colleges where my chances of getting admission is quiet high.
Thanks in advance
Thanks for your question. While your GMAT is strong, your undertraduate grades are a bit below average. Your MS grades are fine however. I think your work experience is lacking the "wow" factor you need to be competitive at top programs. In addition, your community leadership experience is relatively light. I don't think you are comeptitive at the schools listed. You can either consider waiting a couple of years to apply or applying to schools in the 10-20 range.
Hope this helps!
Hello Monica and MBAMission Team,
Thanks for the wonderful job you are doing of guiding students like me. Here is my profile:
BE (Electronics) Mumbai University: 61%
MS (Computer Engr) (USC): 3.65/4.0
Gmat: 730 (Q 49, V 42)
Work exp. 3 yrs software engineer (developer)with Cisco, San Jose
At acads I have shown a steady upward curve all through the years. And really excelled during MS, choosing a diverse breadth of courses and performing well. And acads are not really my concern.
At work, I have had limited opportunities to lead a team or interact with a customer. Also, no promos till date to show, but promos are slow to come in my company. However worked and delivered on 3 different projects.
On the extra curricular front, however, I have been the captain of my soccer team consistently at school as well as at a local league in the bay area, with the team composing of players from different backgrounds and ethnicity. (Does that count towards leadership experience?)
Aim is to do marketing/entrepreneurship at top schools in US. Targeting HBS, Stanford, Wharton, Kellogg, MIT Sloan. How does this profile look for these schools? WHat are the gaps you see?
Thanks,
J.A.
Hi Shubhankar85,
Thanks for your questions. I think your grades and 760 GMAT score are strong. The 4.5 on the AWA isn't a deal breaker. It's pretty much the minimum score that doesn't raise a red flag! Regarding the amount of work experience - HBS and Stanford are trending younger so 3.5 or 4.5 years of experience upon matriculation is pretty average. However, INSEAD's class tends to be more experienced. I do think the quality of work experience is more important than the quantity of work experience for a lot of programs. Those that have a track record of initiative, impact and leadership, can gain admission to some top programs despite limited experience. I do think your international experience is a differentiator, however it is difficult to judge your impact based on the information provided. Can you provide more information about your career progression/impact? Also, are your extra-curricular and community activities current? Do you have a leadership role?
Hi MBA Mission Team,
I had posted on this thread more than 2 years ago, and now am back again with more to ask you!
PROFILE
GMAT : 760 (Quant - 51, verbal - 41, AWA - 4.5)
Work-experience :
About 2.5 years at an Oil & Gas Consultancy in the UAE with short stints in Paris and offshore platforms in the Persian Gulf !
I have been working predominantly as a Process Engineer on most assignments and Lead engineer and Project Coordinator on certain projects.
Academics :
Bachelors Degree in Chemical Engineering
GPA of 9.41 (On a 10 point scale) at National Institute of Technology, Trichy.
Good grades at high school as well (Although I believe that isnt a difference-maker)
Extra-curriculars :
Lots of awards won at scholastic events, olympiads & talent search exams.
Editor of my department's annual magazine while at college.
Won awards at debates, quizzes, case-study contests etc.
Certified First-Aider
Member of WWF Passport, participating in online campaigns for preservation of environment/wildlife
Volunteer for a website that posts inspirational videos aimed at inspiring people either for improving the lives of people around them or to participate in a noble cause
Hobbies
I am an avid gamer on the Xbox 360 & PC. Write reviews of games & participate in gaming forums on several websites.
Used to write blogs. Have taken a rather long break from writing blogs though !
Love travelling - Have been to places in Egypt, France, Oman, Bhutan apart from lots of destinations in India & the UAE. will be heading to Cyprus next month !
I am aiming for some darn good colleges - Insead, Harvard,Wharton,Stanford, ISB, & the likes.
I would like your views on the following :
1) Based on my profile, do you think I could consider applying for these schools for the class entering Fall 2010 (or equivalent ?) or should I wait one more year. To put my question in more specific terms, should I be applying with 3+ years of work-ex (Which would mean that I have about 4 years of work-exp at the time of admission) or I could give it a shot with my present work-experience ( ~ 2.5 years ) ?
2) How much of a difference does that additional year of work-experience make to my prospects of admission ?
3) Since I am considering some really tough/competitive B-schools, do you notice any weak links in my profile ? Or anything specific which you could advise that would add value to my candidature ?
4) Could the low AWA score of 4.5 prove to be a deal-breaker ?
Thanks for your time !
Cheers
Shubhankar
Thanks for your question. Your grades are fine and the overall GMAT score is fine. You should measure your score against the average score for your target schools to see where you stand. While your verbal score is low, I'm not sure what the percentile is. Is it below 80%? I do think its a positive sign that you earned a 6.0 on the AWA which can substantiate your verbal skills. Your story sounds interesting: Microsoft is a respected brand and you mentioned that you have done well. Your extra-curriculars, NSE exams, and community work also rounds out your profile. I do think you could have a shot at the 15-20 U.S. programs. Good luck with the application process!!
Hi Jeremy.
Fascinating thread with a ton of info.
Would like your take and opinion on my profile as well.
Acads
Xth-85% state board
XIIth-90% state board
Engineering- 70% from the best college in Mumbai University (but not an NIT/IIT)
GMAT-710 ( Q-51 V-34 AWA-6.0 ) ( do you think i should take the GMAT again? )
Work ex- 2 years and a month as of today with Microsoft India. No international experience but have worked extensively with Redmond counterparts. Have done extremely well in job and have tons of instances to demonstrate the same.
Extra curriculars- lots of stuff in college, was the chief event co-ordinator in my college festival which had a substantial budget. In addition can play the keyboard and guitar. Have lots of certificates in quizzing, other events etc.
Social front- Have taught under priviliged children and have posted creative solutions to many social problems on many forums however have not managed to get any of these implemented or do anything tangible yet. Am working hard on this front. Do you have any suggestions here?
Finance- Have taken 10 NSE(National stock exchange) exams on a variety of topics to bring out diversity in profile. Also am an active trader in the stock markets and do pretty well for myself.
Also have exhibited creativity by coming up with slogans, making posters, organizing fun events etc. in office as well as college although i dont know how to put these down.
I would say my biggest strength is coming up with new innovative ideas.
I have a lot of material to write about but am confused as to what to include and what to leave out.
Schools-
ISB
NUS
NTU
plus 3 other US schools ( this is the part im most confused about and need your help, do i stand a chance to make it to the top 15-20 Bschools? )
My aim is to get into a consulting job in the tech or financial sector.
Thanks in Advance,
Anirban