Ask Sameer Kamat | Author of 'Beyond The MBA Hype'

@abhinavt09 said:
hello sir,i am also very confused abt my future

I am also very confused Abhinav bhai...about my present...as I don't know what help I can give you.

I generally discourage people from going abroad if there hasn't been enough thought put into the process.

Kripa karke book padh lijiye sirji. Thodhe ideas and perspectives mil jayenge.

Sameer Kamat
Author | Beyond The MBA Hype

@VABSKP said:
@MartianOnEarth Hi Sir, I have read your replies above. I have 5.7 years of experience in Energy Sector after doing my B.tech and being involved in Project Management for the past 3.6yrs. I want to pursue a course in a regular Project Management Course so as to improve my profile and get new opportunities. I have been trained in a specific course by my organisation to work in PM . I would appreciate your help.

PMI provides the PMP certification. Check it out. You might find it useful.

Sameer
@MartianOnEarth Hello sameer, to add on to it. I have got an admit to ESADE,Spain recently and have to pay a non refundable fees of 6000 Euro.

My financial condition is not that much stable but am planning in the following way for my MBA. Please suggest, it will be really helpful.

Cost with living expense (Excluding exchange I am opting for 15 months span) - 60 lakh INR
Self funded - Provided I accumulate funds around 20-30 lakh INR
Remaining 30 lakh - Loan for Spanish banks

Am I on the right track.

Also worst case scenario, if I have to come to India for a job, is it the right choice. Please suggest as the deadline for me to confirm is 15th January,2013.
@MartianOnEarth I have read about PMP but frankly speaking, lot of companies are not interested in PMP's still in Energy Sector. Can you help me in a regular course in Project Management in India or abroad?
Hi Sameer,
I was curious as to how my profile fits in the scheme of things required to get an Interview call from ISB and the like?

X -ICSE- 86%
XII-Karnataka Board- 68.6%

B.Tech. Mechanical Engineering 2004-2008 - 62.2%

Work Experience:
2008-september 2010: Joined Mann Hummel Filters (A German Automotive Supplier) as a GET (graduate Engineer trainee) for Air intake systems of trucks. Worked on designing and developing Air intake systems for Ashok Leyland trucks (NGC) and Tata world Truck. Deadlines were an integral part. Frequent interaction with the customer for changes in design (almost daily) and co-ordination with the raw material supplier was Exhaustive. Got promoted to design engineer in a year.

Post promotion was made lead design engineer for the ashok Leyland project. (Managed to secure the business in June 2010!).
Resigned job in 2010 September to take a break from corporate life. (I am a musician - (Guitar).)
September 2010 - Jan 2011 (Travelled to ladakh, Performed in various stage shows - Indian rock festival, and mood indigo - iit Bombay are among the prominent ones)

Developed an interest in social service whilst on the trip to the Himalayas. (The condition of the villagers at ladakh had a lot to do with it.)
Feb 2010 - Wrote GATE.
May 2010 - Secured admission into IIT Bombay. My branch was technology and development, offered by the Centre of technology alternatives for rural areas. (The branch was aimed at using engineering expertise to develop low cost and relevant alternatives to aid the rural sector in the country.)
Developed a hand held well sensor (using sonar tech) in the second semester. (Patent pending). Worked on a technology to provide solar powered electricity to 15 households in Jogewadi district in Maharashtra. This was one of the first measures to provide renewable electricity to the district. No prior attempts had been done to achieve this. Work was hectic. Involved co-ordination with the villagers to a personal level and things had to be explained in lay man terms. Cost cutting was the biggest issue. Solar tech is relatively expensive and the cost had to be brought down to make it feasible for implementation in villages.
Currently in the final semester at IIT. Graduating in 2013 April.

Extra curricular: Professional musician. I have been playing the guitar since college and have participated (and won) fests throughout my college days. Have represented IIT-B.

GMAT: 740
Quant-50, Verbal-40
P.S €“ Does a relatively off-beat Branch at IIT Bombay hinder my chances of getting into a good B-school?
Hi Sameer

Firstly thanks a lot for helping us out.Your perspective will definately bring a lot of new things on the table.
Below I am describing my profile. I am looking to apply for 2014 fall. And I want a couple of answers from you :
1. Based on my profile Do I have a decent shot at the top 10 US schools / Top 3 European B schools(HEC Paris MBA specifically)/ Insead
2. My post MBA aim is to get into management consultancy (M.C) at the top 4 firms. Even if it seems like a far fetched idea ,I just want you guys to look at my profile and tell me whether it will be possible to break into M.C post MBA with my profile.

Profile:

10th: 82%
12th: 88%
Undergrad: B.E(Hons) Civil .BITS PILANI Passout of 2011(Amongst the top institutions in the country). G.P.A- 6.88 (3.2 on a scale of 4)
Work Experience - It will be 16 months this december.
GMAT : 730

Work Experience Details :
1. Campus Job in a retail analytics firm : 4 months(Full time)
2. Ion Exchange India Ltd.(India's biggest company in water management) - Working as a project Engineer in its project management department. Lots of client and vendor management.... 1 year(Full time)(Ongoing)
3. Moonlighting and working part time on weekends for my family buisness. We own a WATERPARK. And I have worked on diverse range of issues here in the past 1 year.Right from its Branding, Marketing , Process automation/forming teams to getting new buisness leads /sponsorship/ tie ups etc.Also started a loyalty scheme here based on my experience at the analytics firm at the start of my career.Its been a year now.Revenues have increased 300% and footfall(No of customers) by 200%.And by the end of next year(Apparently the time when I'll be sending the applications) figures will be much much better.

4. Going to launch a startup in Social media Marketing/Internet Marketing.Ground work has been done.But again ,this work will be part time.

Extra Curriculars:
1. Founder of an NGO on tiger conservation.Some ground breaking achievements to show in this regard.Achievements like successfully pressuring the government to convert Dara Sanctuary at Rajasthan into a National Park,Helping Relocation of villages in the vicinity,spreading awareness campaigns through street plays amongst the mogiya community(tiger hunting community living in the vicinity).

2. Huge amount of Extra Curriculars at college.Many leadership positions held.

Now a few loopholes I feel I have on my profile are as follows:
1. Low undergrad GPA. 6.88/10 . But on a scale of 4 ,based on BITS PILANI indices it will be ~ 3.2.But again I ave sufficient extra curricular experience to back it up.

2. Work experience shows no big brand names.Though the amount of learning and work done has been great but still it leaves the admission panel with some doubts on the credibility.

Please evaluate my profile now.It'll be a huge help.As I have to decide whether going for GMAT will be a good investment or not.What are my chances?
Thanks

Is this forum still active?????

@princess163 said:
Hi Sameer,Some basic acad info about me:Xth:95%XIIth: 95%Economics(H): DU: 70%No spectacular extra-curriculars, but decent participation.Joined the Data Analytics team of a consulting KPO a couple of months back.I am interested in pursuing an MBA in Finance. However, I am not too sure if this kinda profile is likely to make the cut at a top B-school abroad. Also, as far as I have heard funding for MBA is hard to come by. Is the high cost worthwhile? Or should I set my mind to CAT and go for an MBA from India instead.Waiting for your response.
ummm....seems like you missed this one :P
@VABSKP said:
@MartianOnEarth I have read about PMP but frankly speaking, lot of companies are not interested in PMP's still in Energy Sector. Can you help me in a regular course in Project Management in India or abroad?
Technically, PMP is a general certification for any kind of project mgmt. But IT firms seem to have taken a fancy to this option more than any other industry.

I'm not sure of any specific training programs that are available for the energy sector.

Sameer Kamat
Founder of yada yada
Author of yada yada
@prash264 said:
Is this forum still active?????
Prash bhai,

Peak admissions season. So trying to balance out the tete-a-tete sessions here with some wordly stuff that's important to feed my family.

Sameer something something
Founder of...er....Author of umm...hang on, let me check it up.
[Damn...old age]
@Arunabh.audi said:
Hi Sameer, I was curious as to how my profile fits in the scheme of things required to get an Interview call from ISB and the like?:P.S €“ Does a relatively off-beat Branch at IIT Bombay hinder my chances of getting into a good B-school?

To paraphrase what legends like Dr Ruth and Dr Prakash Kothari (if the names don't sound familiar, look them up) have said and make it more relevant for this discussion - It's not the size of the brand that matters...what's more important is how you use it.

Btw, you aren't hoping to jump from one degree to another, I hope.

- Crystal Kamat
Founder of Hyped Ball

[thank goodness for almonds, memory back as new!]
@prash264 said:
2. My post MBA aim is to get into management consultancy (M.C) at the top 4 firms. Even if it seems like a far fetched idea

Why do you think it's a far fetched idea, Prash sir?
@prash264 said:
Work Experience - It will be 16 months this december.GMAT : 730

That's a hypothetical score, right? On what basis have you come up with this number.

Till you get a real score, any forum discussions with a theoretical score will be, well, theoretical.

I can comment on your work experience though. Two concerns that I see as of now. The quantum (a little too less for now) and the connect (analytics to proj engineer to family business).

Round 1 applications for next season will start in about 9 months time, the proj engineer experience will still be less than 2 years whereas the general applicant will come in with at least 1-2 years more.

Depending on when and how you put together the ingredients, Adcoms could either see chavanprash (Amitabh Bachchan wala ad) or shakti-prash (Veena Malik doing the honours on late night teleshopping network). Of course, neither is good or bad in absolute terms.

All about how you position yourself. So build your gameplan accordingly, so you can wrap all that wonderful variety that you bring with you in the best possible manner.

Good luck.

MBA Crystal Ball
Written by Beyond the MBA Hype
Founder of Sameer Kamat
[Suspecting that the almonds were genetically modified]
@princess163 said:
Hi Sameer,Some basic acad info about me:Xth:95%XIIth: 95%Economics(H): DU: 70%No spectacular extra-curriculars, but decent participation.Joined the Data Analytics team of a consulting KPO a couple of months back.

If you have just begun your career, it'll be too early to think about an international MBA.
@princess163 said:
Or should I set my mind to CAT and go for an MBA from India instead.Waiting for your response.

Timing wise, yes, a CAT based MBA might make better sense.

But the bigger question still remains. Why do you want an MBA?

- Me

@MartianOnEarth Can you give me any suggestions on this?
@VABSKP said:
@MartianOnEarth Can you give me any suggestions on this?
Responded here buddy --> http://www.pagalguy.com/posts/4308202
@MartianOnEarth
@MartianOnEarth said:
For the schools you've listed, the quality of your work-ex is more important than how many months you spent abroad.

For instance, you might get a 1 year stint in the US to do something that someone 2-3 years junior to you might be able to do.

Is that really beneficial for somone with your background? I wouldn't think so. Try to grow within the current role and take on more responsibility, aim for a promotion etc.

If the international assignment happens along the way, take it up. But don't chase it blindly.

Hope that helps.

- Sameer
Kamat

Founder | MBA Crystal Ball
Author | Beyond The MBA Hype
Thanks Sameer for your valuable suggestion. 😃 I had already taken my decision by the time I saw your post. But my decision is pretty much in line with what You have suggested. I have joined a new organizatio nwith better designation and scope of growth and as you said I have preffered this over another organization where I had a good chance of international opportunity but the opportunity and role offered to me was not good enough
Regards,
Satya
@kimi.raj said:
@MartianOnEarth Thanks Sameer for your valuable suggestion. I had already taken my decision by the time I saw your post. But my decision is pretty much in line with what You have suggested. .....Satya

"Mumbai ka king kaun? Bhiku Mhatre" - Satya (1998)

Good for you Satya. Have fun in the new 'role'.

- Bollywood Fan
@MartianOnEarth

Hi Sir,

Before I ask you for any advice would like to give you a bit of my background..At present I am working at Accenture as a Software Engineer. As of now I have a work -ex of 18 months.
Have given thrice (2 genuine attempts, 1 for the sake of it)
The problem I am facing is with the career prospect and this is the main reason for me not taking admission into a B - school, after giving 3 attempts. I want to pursue a career in M&A.;
but before jumping right into it ,I wanted to start with smaller transaction type/role such as capital markets/syndication/PE advisory to get a grip on fundamentals before transitioning to M&A;.
Now in India there is , at present, very limited scope of getting into these fields. Only the top 5 probably can get you into the these roles.And getting into the top 5, in the current scenario is almost impossible for me.

I wanted your advice on the future course of action I should take to achieve what I have set out for.

Here is what i thought of, please let me know if this will work out or else your advice.

I am planning to appear for PSBs now( to change my sector and also to get a basic knowledge of the financial sector). I believe the longer I stay in my present role the harder its gonna get for me to switch sectors.(Let me know if this is true or not?)

After getting into a PSB( assuming that I make it into one of them), planning to go for GMAT(this I can probably give now as well, as I enough time). Then after working for a few years try for the B - Schools outside. (Will this help me ?) And how relevant the work-ex of working in a PSB be for me and my goals post-MBA.

Plan B can be working in a PSB for a few years and then trying for one year programs in India, through XAT/GMAT(XLRI - GMP, IIMs PGEX)

Plan C : take admission this year / next year(in India). try to get into the relevant field. Work for a few years and then apply outside after getting the relevant work-ex.(that is Dual MBA)

Plan C is definitely a longer and a more expensive route. But if it helps the cause, I am okay with it.
As far the money factor is concerned , as far as I am able to pay off my debt it does not matter. (may be I am naive at this , but at present what matters the most is being where I want to be, so this route as of now is acceptable to me.)

Please suggest , as I still have time on my side and can work my way towards my goal. A few months here and there , things will start looking bleak for me.

Thank you for your time..

Regards,
Saurav


@MartianOnEarth

Hello Sameer

Hope you doing well !

I read your story and I shall say that you have really followed what your heart has told you to do..!!

I would like to have an advice from you regarding my applications to some B- schools. I applied to Virginia Darden, CMU Tepper and Rotman (Toronto) more than a month back .. In some cases even 6-8 weeks ... I would like to know .. whether I shall approach them myself or wait out this period of uncertainity because there is complete radio silence right now..\

Also, Can you please let me know of prospects of Investment banking OR corporate finance IF I pursue my MBA from Sauder school of Business, University fo British Columbia

Thanks in advance for your advice

Regards

Aditya

@@MartianOnEarth

Hi,

I have just now received an admit from HKU MBA 2013 program with London Track. And I have to pay the deposit fee by March 11.

But I am also awaiting the interview results of Kelley, Smeal and S.P.Jain PGDM program. I am expecting the Kelley results by 10th March and I hope the results of other 2 schools will come by end of March. I believe I have done the interviews of all these 3 schools very well.

My expectations out of an MBA:

1. Interested Subjects/Specializations - Operations, Consulting, Marketing, Entrepreneurship

2. Good career prospects

3. The program should be strong and well recognized globally

4. Good global exposure would be a nice thing

Brief Profile:

GMAT : 700

TOEFL: 108

Work Exp: 3 Years (by July2013)

Good extra curriculars

Now I am in a dilemma of choosing the schools. I want to do a reputed program. Which school would be the best fit for me considering my expectations?.