Ask HKUST Admissions

Hi Kapil,

In 2011, 12% of our graduates found a job in the private equity/investment management sector. Some of the firms include: Azure Partners, Riverside Asia Partners, CITIC Bank International, AEA Investors (Germany), CDIB Capital International Corporation, BEA Union Investment, UCF Capital, Alliance Development Group, etc.

For a list of internship recruiters, you can refer to our detailed career report here: https://mba.ust.hk/ftmba/career/highlight2011.html

Our career office has organized some industry sharing/networking sessions with seasoned professionals in PE/VC for students to learn more about the industry trends and market situation. The guests included the Head of Fund Administration Services at KCS which provides accounting and governance platforms on an outsourced basis for private equity firms and Managing Director with InvestorAB's Asian venture capital group based in Hong Kong, the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Apices Partners, a Private Equity Firm focusing on late-stage small to medium-sized enterprises in Asia with a focus on Greater China, etc.

The professor who teaches our students "Venture Capital and Private Equity" was the former GM - Investments of Hutchison Whampoa, working for the richest Chinese in the world. He has experience supervising a US$500 million venture capital fund, investing in China and U.S. and has raised more than $8 billion for investment projects in Asia. Students will be able to learn a lot about the skills, mindset and tricks required to handle the work in this business from his own industry experience.

Towni
Marketing & Admissions
MBA Programs
HKUST Business School

It is difficult to say exactly whether your undergraduate performance can compensate your GMAT score as the admissions decision is based on different areas, not just your academic performance. Since it is your third attempt already, you can try to apply with this score first and put more focus on other areas, e.g. the essays.

Towni
Marketing & Admissions
MBA Programs
HKUST Business School

Hey,

Good to see an active discussion here.

1. Scholarship @ HKUST: Can you please elaborate on the Scholarship options available at HKUST (if possible, specifically for Indian graduates)

2. HKUST being in HK is exposed to the Financial services industry. However, I'd like to understand the options for folks looking at Management consulting as a career option at HKUST. Is there an ecosystem to help the students secure jobs at the top management consulting firms. If you could, can you please provide the numbers hired in the recent years at the top management consulting firms.

Cheers !!

Thanks a lot for the response, it was helpful.

Can you shed some light on the most recent placement statistics. And is the placement any different for Indian applicants?

Regards

mvikred

Posted from my mobile device

The stats I shared previously are for 2011. The 2012 figures are not ready yet. You can go to our online career highlights for a full 2011 career report.

https://mba.ust.hk/ftmba/career/highlight2011.html

In 2011, 4 of our Indian graduates worked in Hong Kong after MBA, one went to India and another to Singapore. Their industry ranged from finance/banking (e.g. AVP Consumer Credit Bank, Manager in Corporate Finance & IB) to Management Associate at a global consumer products trading company and senior business manager for an IT company.

Towni

Hi Towni,

Quick question on the application form - can I enter my internship experiences under work experience as previous employments? since I do not see any space specifically for internships..

Thanks.

P.S. : There seems to be an issue with the character count and formatting in the form, my characters disappear automatically when I save.

Thanks for the prompt response Towni. I was able to work my way around the formatting bit on the application. Have submitted my app, fingers crossed!

Question : under document upload, for proof of employment there is a particular sample format given. Is it necessary to obtain such a letter from your previous employer or will a copy of the offer and relieving letter suffice? Also for current employment, will salary slip and offer letter be enough?

Thanks in advance.

Thanks Towni for the responses.


Just want to understand if the undergrad institution is taken into account while evaluating the academic performance in general, specifically GPA.

Apart from that, just a couple more questions:

1. How important would it be for somebody like me (with an interest in the M&A domain) to learn Cantonese? Would it be really a hindrance in terms of getting a job? I believe it should not be a problem in HK even if I don't know Cantonese, though if there are not enough jobs in the M&A domain in HK then I would have to focus on mainland China (Shanghai etc.). Let me know your thoughts.

2. How important is foreign work-ex in the admission criteria? I don't have any foreign work-ex, however I have been regularly working with European and American clients /colleagues and in multi-cultural environments during the past 4 years. Is it really a negative? If yes, how can I mitigate it?

Thanks a ton!

Cantonese is not really relevant as it is only a Chinese dialect mainly spoken by people in Hong Kong and Guangdong province. However, Mandarin, the national language, is important if you need to focus on Mainland China, in which case recruiters will prefer people with Mandarin proficiency.

Foreign work experience is not a must. But having some can distinguish you from other candidates who don't. Experience working with overseas clients and teams can help a bit. Good work exposure (leadership/teamwork/big responsibilities/caliber of people you are working/dealing with) and career progression are also advantages other than global experience.

Towni
Marketing & Admissions, MBA Programs
HKUST Business School

I thought you are coming for MBA tour in Bangkok

Hi waris1987,

Earlier this year we indeed planned to join the Bangkok MBA fair but later had to cancel it because of schedule conflicts. Sorry for not being able to meet you there in person.

If you want to know more about our program, we can arrange one of our MBA advisors to talk with you over the phone. You can register for a session at https://www.mba.ust.hk/asp/intake2013events/indconsult_cv.asp?at= if you are interested.

Marketing & Admissions, MBA Programs
HKUST Business School

Hi HKUST,

Many thanks for taking out time and helping out the applicants.

I have a query for you, which i think hasn't been asked yet in this thread. I am an engineer with a leading mining MNC. I am planning to pursue a career in management consulting in mining and metals sector post MBA.

Could you please let me know if MBA from HKUST will be able to help in achieving my career goal. Are there any particluar consulting firm whichtrecruits for this domain from HKUST?.

Regards,
Prayas.

Hi Prayas

Consulting in mining is a very niche field. Some of the bigger consulting firms our graduates join, e.g. Accenture, BCG, etc, may have a branch specialized in this field but it isn't very common in Hong Kong as mining is nonexistent here. You will have to look for opportunities in China and most likely need to speak Mandarin. Our program can help you to build up a well rounded understanding of business and the soft skills required for a consultant, as well as exposure and insights into the China market. But you will have to network a lot and always keep an eye out for opportunities in this field.

Towni
Marketing & Admissions, MBA Programs
HKUST Business School

Hi Towni,

I appreciate your prompt response. To add onto my query, is it just Hong Kong and Mainland China the major consulting companies recruit for?. What about the opportunities in the rest of Asia-Pacific region.

Do the Big 3 in startegy consulting (MBB), recruit keeping in mind the specialisations the candidates are interested in, or they recruit from a common pool and then allocate specific departments after their leadership programmes?

Thanks,
Prayas

Hi Prayas,

Our full-time MBA alumni who work in consulting are mostly located in Hong Kong and China. Singapore is the third most popular location especially in recent years. Some of our graduates also got a consulting job in North America and Europe.

For your second question, our graduates usually applied to generalist positions but they specialize in a particular field/industry after joining the company. However, we do not know whether the recruiting firms already have a preferred specialization in mind during the recruitment.

Towni
Marketing & Admissions, MBA Programs
HKUST Business School

I'm from the US where I graduated with a 3.7 in accounting from a state school. I am currently studying at a top university in China for a masters in Chinese accounting, but as the only westerner (white) I'm struggling with the language gap since I only had two years of language training to prepare.

All classes, tests, and papers are in Chinese, so my gpa is at a very low 2.0. I'm the only westerner to complete this program and possibly the only one in China. Yet, I'm afraid this low gpa will hurt my chances of a top 20 MBA program. Should I forget about applying or is there any way not to mention my Chinese gpa? I don't put it on my resume. Thanks!

Hi Beijinger,

Your undergraduate performance and also GMAT score can help balance your low GPA in the master program. In our application, there is a section for you to include additional information. You can explain the relatively poor performance during your master program there.

Given our program's Asia focus and location in Hong Kong, a westerner having prior China experience is definitely an advantage. It will probably do more good than harm for you to include your master in the application.

Towni
Marketing & Admissions, MBA Programs
HKUST Business School