Ask MBA Admit - Dr. Shel Watts

Dear GMAT Club Members,

I am excited to welcome Dr. Shel Watts from MBA Admit to be one of the resident experts on the GMAT Club forum. With over 20 years of experience in the admissions consulting space, MBA Admit brings a number of strengths including strategies for those who are reapplying, advice for the EMBA applicants, and has the right qualifications:

• Inside experience with Harvard admissions
• Top-notch writing skills developed at Harvard and Oxford
• A team of advisers who are MBA graduates of Harvard Business School, Wharton, Stanford Business School, Columbia Business School and the Yale School of Management.
• Top business experience, received at McKinsey & Company and Morgan Stanley
• Extensive experience working with U.S. and international students

Here is a quick overview of Dr Watts' qualifications:
Prior to launching her education company, Dr. Shel Watts served as a Morgan Stanley banker and a McKinsey & Company consultant. She also served for four years as a faculty member at Harvard University, where she taught classes that attracted graduate students from across the campus, including Harvard Business School, Harvard Law School, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her students ranked her teaching and mentoring “Superior” (the highest rating). Dr. Watts is happy to use all of this expertise as she brings excellent and comprehensive one-to-one admissions consulting services to MBA Admit.com clients...

Her record of success is exceptional. She has helped young professionals attain admission to all of the Top-15 business schools (and other prestigious MBA programs), including Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, INSEAD, The University of Chicago, Kellogg, MIT, Yale, Berkeley, Oxford, UCLA, USC, NYU, Duke, UVA and Cornell. Dr. Shel Watts has also helped young aspiring leaders to attain scholarships such as the Rhodes Scholarship, the Fulbright Scholarship and scholarships to top MBA programs. You can learn more about MBA Admit form their webiste.


Please join me in Welcoming Dr Shel Watts.

Visit the website for details about Round 1 "Early Bird" Specials - save up to 45% off regular pricing.
Website: http://www.mbaadmit.com
Email: mbaadmit@aol.com.

Dear Dr. Watts,
I would like to hear what you think about my profile, and what weaknesses I need to provide additional evidence to overcome any concerns. I would also like to know what aspects you consider especially strong, and that I should play up in my applications.

Education:
BSc in Electrical Engineering, Graduated 2005, GPA between 3.7 and 4.0, One of Harvard/Yale/Princeton/Stanford/MIT/Caltech
PhD in Electrical Engineering, Graduated 2009, GPA between 3.7 and 4.0, One of Harvard/Yale/Princeton/Stanford/MIT/Caltech

GMAT: 780 (Q: 49, V:51)

Work experience:
Junior professor in Electrical Engineering at one of Harvard/Yale/Princeton/Stanford/MIT/Caltech
Previous senior engineer roles in both startups and Fortune 100 companies

Target schools:
Harvard
Stanford
Wharton

I'm particularly interested in getting some form of scholarship, if possible.

Can you please let me know what you think are weaknesses I need to overcome, and what strengths I should play up on? What factors help scholarship decisions?

Thanks!

Paul

Hi Paul,

You sound like you have some great credentials to work with, but to give you a good assessment of your candidacy, I need more specifics. For how many companies have you worked since college, and how long at each company? Did you receive any promotions or top ratings for performance? What have been your main extracurricular activities during college and after? Have you held any leadership positions in extracurricular organizations? How old are you, where are you from (city and country) and what is your ethnicity?

This info can help me give more informed feedback!

Best wishes,
Dr. Shelly L. Watts
Email: mbaadmit@aol.com

If you would like assistance in your admissions process, feel free to contact Dr. Shel Watts at her website, http://www.mbaadmit.com, or at the email address mbaadmit@aol.com.

Dr. Shel Watts is a graduate of Harvard and Oxford who has Harvard admissions experience. She is dedicated to providing outstanding admissions assistance at fees that are nearly 50% less than some direct competitors, because she strives to help ensure access for a broad range of candidates to excellent admissions services. The work and insights of Dr. Shel Watts have been cited in The New York Times, The Wall St. Journal, and BusinessWeek.com. Dr. Shel Watts and her team provide excellent MBA essay editing services and comprehensive admissions consulting, including one-to-one strategizing, essay development, school selection, GMAT advice, interview preparation, and recommendation advice.

Hi Dr. Shel! Would you be so kind as to evaluate my profile?

26 years old at matriculation
White male from NY
GMAT: 700 (42Q/42V), 6.0 AWA
UG: Top 50 University with 3.27 GPA
EC: Campus leader in several clubs

Studied Abroad in Japan, Fluent in Japanese

WE1: Hotel Manager at Fortune 100 Corporation with 20 direct reports
WE2: Hotel Manager, later Night Manager, at re-opening of world famous luxury hotel with 20 direct reports
WE3: Property Manager, then promoted to Asset Manager, at Japanese Real Estate Firm. Proposed new division, which was executed and I was given responsibility for it. Speak Japanese on daily basis at work.

Goal
Get MBA to pursue career in hotel development. I have strong hospitality leadership background, international experience, and have delved into real estate, so I feel I possess a strong profile.


Schools:
Harvard
U. Penn
Northwestern
Yale
UCLA
Emory
Georgetown
USC

So, do I stand a chance?

Hi Dr. Shell,

I would be very grateful if you could evaluate my profile. I feel doomed.

I graduated in the Philippines this year with a degree in BS Industrial Engineering. My GPA is just 3.0. I worked as a Business Analyst for two months but had to quit my job to migrate to USA. I want to get an MBA here. I'm planning to take GMAT next month. Is it advisable for me to apply for MBA now? Or should I get work experience in the USA first? I know my chances to get to Bschool are pretty slim considering the fact that my GPA is not stellar and I didn't really took up any leadership roles in extracurricular activities during college although I'm the leader of our group when it comes to course projects and thesis. What can I do to improve my chances of getting to Bschool?

Thank you for your reply in advance

Hi tingaling,

It is usually possible to apply and get into some MBA program somewhere in the USA, but if you are seeking a top-20 MBA program, I would encourage you to get some quality work experience. Professional excellence is often the most important admissions factor for the top business schools, so you will not be well positioned without this.

Best wishes,
Dr. Shelly Watts

Hi briangtsmith,

You Wrote:

Hi Dr. Shel! Would you be so kind as to evaluate my profile?

26 years old at matriculation
White male from NY
GMAT: 700 (42Q/42V), 6.0 AWA
UG: Top 50 University with 3.27 GPA
EC: Campus leader in several clubs

Studied Abroad in Japan, Fluent in Japanese

WE1: Hotel Manager at Fortune 100 Corporation with 20 direct reports
WE2: Hotel Manager, later Night Manager, at re-opening of world famous luxury hotel with 20 direct reports
WE3: Property Manager, then promoted to Asset Manager, at Japanese Real Estate Firm. Proposed new division, which was executed and I was given responsibility for it. Speak Japanese on daily basis at work.

Goal
Get MBA to pursue career in hotel development. I have strong hospitality leadership background, international experience, and have delved into real estate, so I feel I possess a strong profile.


Schools:
Harvard
U. Penn
Northwestern
Yale
UCLA
Emory
Georgetown
USC

So, do I stand a chance?

My Response:

I think you could make a very interesting storyline with your work experience. Unlike some applicants, you have extensive experience managing others and leading teams. You can use that to your great advantage. You also have great experience to point to as you set forth a very strong vision for your long-term goal. The weakest part of your profile appears to be your GPA, but the 3.27 should still position you well for many top schools. I think it will all boil down to how well you write up your story in your essays. You should also make sure that your recommendations support your application excellently. Hopefully the content of your recommendations will be sterling.

As for your odds at the specific schools you set forth, I believe you can have a strong shot at all of them, and that Wharton and HBS will be your reach schools. Please note, Harvard and Wharton are reach schools for you, but not necessarily "out of reach", so make sure to put together a great application!

Best wishes,
Dr. Shelly Watts
http://www.mbaadmit.com
Email: mbaadmit@aol.com

Is there a comprehensive list of B-schools(in the US) based on specializations. For example, Chicago is known for Finance , HBS for general management etc. How do I find out which school is known for what? I know this thread is meant for evaluation questions, but I didn't know where else to ask this question.

Thanks.

Hello Dr. Watts,
Thank you for initiating this thread.

My profile in short
Male , Indian
GMAT 740 (49Q/44V), 6.0 AWA
UG : BAchelor of Computer Engineering , 3.4/4 GPA
Work experience:Will have 6 years of experience when I plan to start my MBA
IBM 3yrs - Technology consulting and Service in India
Rated among Top 5% in IBM for last 3 years
4 Patent applications,few publications and customer facing experience
TCS - 1 year
EC:Working for a NGO for community schools to help deploy computer labs

Goal : After MBA, plan to work in Management/Strategy Consulting.

Based on my research, schools such as Booth , Columbia , Kellogg seem a Stretch goal to get an Admit, but without a scholarship.

However, I am not in a position to generate $ 120k ,required for these schools.
So I am searching for mid-ranked schools, which are a good balance of Brand + Scholarship where I can complete the MBA in approx $60k.

Question 1. I have shortlisted Emory - Goizueta as one of the target schools, which has a good probability of scholarship.
Could you please suggest any other schools with the Brand+Scholarship balance, which are known for Consulting ?

Question 2.
I have still 1.5 years before I apply.Could you please suggest how I could strengthen my profile, to move my Career towards a Consulting path ?
in terms of changing profile @ work or taking up EC activities.

Thanks and best regards.

Hi,

You wrote:
Hello Dr. Watts,
Thank you for initiating this thread.

My profile in short
Male , Indian
GMAT 740 (49Q/44V), 6.0 AWA
UG : BAchelor of Computer Engineering , 3.4/4 GPA
Work experience:Will have 6 years of experience when I plan to start my MBA
IBM 3yrs - Technology consulting and Service in India
Rated among Top 5% in IBM for last 3 years
4 Patent applications,few publications and customer facing experience
TCS - 1 year
EC:Working for a NGO for community schools to help deploy computer labs

Goal : After MBA, plan to work in Management/Strategy Consulting.

Based on my research, schools such as Booth , Columbia , Kellogg seem a Stretch goal to get an Admit, but without a scholarship.

However, I am not in a position to generate $ 120k ,required for these schools.
So I am searching for mid-ranked schools, which are a good balance of Brand + Scholarship where I can complete the MBA in approx $60k.

Question 1. I have shortlisted Emory - Goizueta as one of the target schools, which has a good probability of scholarship.
Could you please suggest any other schools with the Brand+Scholarship balance, which are known for Consulting ?

Question 2.
I have still 1.5 years before I apply.Could you please suggest how I could strengthen my profile, to move my Career towards a Consulting path ?
in terms of changing profile @ work or taking up EC activities.

Thanks and best regards.


Reply from Shelly Watts
Sorry for the delay - we have been busy with Round 2 applications! Let me start my reply with a response to how you can strengthen your profile. You have fantastic credentials, particularly with your performance in the workplace and with your GMAT score. The soft spot appears to be your GPA. You cannot easily make up for that GPA (there are ways, but some of them take a long while)... so you need to shift the attention to the strength of your professional performance and your success as a leader in the community. To enhance your professional credentials, I would suggest that you join a professional organization associated with your industry and try to secure a leadership position on a committee of some sort. You need to be a leader not just in the workplace but also in the community. You also should deepen your leadership in your current work for that NGO that is deploying computer labs, assuming that you have some space to deepen it (your work could be very deep already, which is a plus).

I hope that helps.

Best wishes,
Shelly Watts

Thank you for your advice.
Would be great to hear more from you.

Hi,

Following is my profile.
Indian/Female/25
GMAT: 660 (Q48, V33, AWA5.5)
GPA: ~3.8
3+ yr work ex (counting till Aug'11) in Accenture (IT: 15 months) and Servigistics(ERP product based: rest).
Currently in Servigistics working in ERP domain - interaction with clients, onshore client visit, QA and design involvement in 3 products (SCM)
Experience in event management activities, both in college and corporate.
Academic: Always been consistent. 80% throughout school and engineering (B.tech in comp science)

I wish to go into Strategic Consulting and am mainly going for consulting/ operations/ SCM/ strategy specializations.

Progress till now:
Oxford -> Reject without interview
Kenan Flagler (UNC Chapel Hill) -> Interviewed and rejected
Kelley (Indiana) -> Interviewed, result awaited
McCombs (UT Austin), NUS, NTU, ISB -> Applied, result awaited

My application is certainly missing a 'Safety' school. And that is where I need your kind opinion.
Based on job opportunities, significant ROI avenues, my field of specialization, I have shortlisted these few schools.
It would be great if you can have a look and let me know
1. Considering i write quality essays, Which ones can be considered absolutely 'safe'?
2. Which ones can i apply to without compromising on a quality career that i see ahead for me?

I am including the available deadlines for your perusal as well.

Arizona State University (Carey) : R3-Feb13
Southern Methodist University (Cox) : R2-Jan12
Auburn University : R2-Mar1
University of Wisconsin--Madison : R2-Feb4
Michigan State University (Broad) : R2-Jan10, R3-Mar1
University of Maryland--College Park (Smith) : R3-Jan 15
University of Washington (Foster) : R3-Jan20 (final)
Washington University in St. Louis (Olin) : R3-Mar1
Purdue University--West Lafayette (Krannert) : R2-Feb 1

Many Thanks!!

Hello,

Could you please evaluate my profile based on the following information:

1.) Education

Bachelor of Engineering - Mechanical Engineering - 71% Aggregate - India
PG Diploma - Advanced Manufacturing Technology and Systems Management - Pass - University of Manchester - UK

2.) Work Experience

2.5 years by now - 4/5 years at the time of matriculation.
Family Business - Working as General Manager - started my stint in inventory management - took some good effective initiatives - implemented Inventory Management Techniques such as ABC Analysis, Economic Order Quantity estimation for about 5000 parts in the inventory - estimated the operation cost of the warehouse with these techniques - marginally reduced the operative costs to about 60% of before.
took charge as a plant manager to set up a building material (aggregate) manufacturing plant in a village with my team of 20 people and further hired contractors and labor on my own - successfully set up the plant which is now in a running condition already - formed a joint venture with a company from Malaysia to supply them the material on a consistent basis - liaison with the project manager of that company on a daily basis to resolve day to day issues (transportation, financial etc) - reported directly to the Chairman of my company.

Now, I am promoted as a General Manager of the company and into setting up of a sponge iron plant of 200 Tonnes per day capacity - the company has also proposed a 10 MW power plant in the future for which I will be the incharge again - I am right now looking after its civil construction and assisting the labor and the contractors hired by me few months ago - trying to handle the project professionally with the help of tools like Microsoft Project, ERP, Excel Spreadsheets.

Company's employee strength -- 400

Have formed a charity organization which funds the education of our employees' children - motivate them to perform good in their academics in order to avail these benefits - have provided 3 lacs INR till now - this helps our employees too - they feel quite secured and consequently they get motivated to work hard.

Can write good essays demonstrating my leadership and management potential.

GMAT - yet to take! will target 720+ !

Please evaluate my profile based on the information given above.

Thanks

Chaitanya Bhansali

Hi Doctor Watts,

I just finished my GMATs and wanted to get a jump start on Applications (still in the research phase) so excuse the lack of professionalism and silly hopes and dreams I may have. Could you help me evaluate my profile and see if my target schools are within target? I would also appreciate any advice you may have.

Profile:
Gender: Female
Nationality: Asian American (US Citizen)
Education: BSE in Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan
GPA: 3.35 - I foolishly let my grades slip late junior and senior year
GMAT: 770, 6.0
Work experience at time of Entrance: 4 years Tech-Strategy Consultant for a well known firm, entered straight out of undergrad. I have a wide range of interesting experiences that should be good for crafting essays.
Age at time of Entrance: 26
Languages: English (fluent), Chinese - Mandarin (fluent), Spanish - Conversational/was semi-fluent but have forgotten much of it
Extra curricular: In undergrad I was VERY active in leadership and community service - it's probably what landed my job despite my slipping GPA. I lived/volunteered in Mexico for 2 months before starting work but post undergrad work has kept me so busy I haven't been active at all - should I pick something up?

Goal - I want to work in something challenging involving American businesses expanding into China (hence my California school selections) or settle for a cushy job in Southern California - marketing and the entertainment industry sounds interesting.

Hobbies - Snow and water sports, dance, drinking, etc

Target Program: FullTime MBA

Target Schools:
Harvard (tied 1st choice)
Stanford (tied 1st choice)
Northwestern
Berkley
UCLA - Mixed feelings, I want to go but the rankings seem to be slipping
Michigan - almost a safety school because of company connections and it was my undergrad
List is growing as I research..

My biggest concerns are my poor GPA (I'm very mad at myself for letting it fall through the cracks), lack of volunteering and leadership after undergrad (I suppose I could play up my Mexico volunteering, but there is nothing else), approach to getting recommendation letters (I have one solid person but not sure who else to approach - it seems very imposing), and how well I can craft my essays (Should I hire an application consultant?).

Thanks

hey,

Could you help me evaluate my profile and see if my target schools are within target? I am planning on applying to several U.S. business schools for admission in the autumn of 2012. Vital info is as follows:

Nationality: British (born in Libya, raised in England)


Age: 24 (Will be 25 by matriculation in 2012)


Undergraduate Education: University of Leeds (One year exchange at University of Lund, Sweden)


Degree and Result: BSc (hons) Economics (international), Second Upper Class (2.1)


GMAT: 700


Work experience: Will have 2 years of experience by matriculation at Standard Chartered Bank (Dubai office), in the Wholesale Banking Graduate Rotation Program, where I have completed rotations in Financial Markets, Investment Banking, and Private Equity.
Entrepreneurial Experience: While at University co-established, opened a small Italian restaurant, Pizza Milano. Went on to open one more, and have subsequently sold both on.


Extracurricular Activities: Co-founded the International Literacy Foundation in 2010, an international not-for-profit organization focused on literacy promotion. Have completed projects in Canada, Pakistan, and Kenya (with a view to a few more in China, Nigeria and Lebanon) thus far which have revolved around refurbishing, renovating, and expanding libraries at orphanages and insufficiently funded schools. Additional extracurricular activities include volunteering for various causes, such as women’s foundations and the Dubai marathon.

An avid sportsman, I have also represented Liverpool and NW England at field hockey as well as representing my university and Leeds University Business school in addition to being active as an undergrad in the finance and business clubs.


Post-MBA Career Goals:

(Short-term): Private Equity

(Long-term): working for a medium sized to large NGO in Europe.



Essentially, I was wondering what my chances were of admission to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, and Columbia are?

Hello Dr. Watts , would really appreciate if you could give me some feedbacks regarding my profile:
Nationality : Indian , male
Age: 23 yrs
GMAT: 710( q 47 v 41)
GPA: top 10% of the graduating class , unknown school , engineering
Work ex: this is the most interesting part - I have been working with a Non profit for last 10 months. The organization I work for caters to widowed women from the backward society by providing them micro-finance and technical expertise . I am the financial coordinator and head of the events organizing committee, my team and I go to near by villages to organize events.
EXTRA-currics: lots of ...state level cricketer ( under 14, under 16, & and under 19 ) , trained in indian classical music , and I work with couple of schools teaching personal finance and mnemonics.
This might be a weird question to ask , but i am a but concerned that i do not earn a lot of money because of the nature of my work .

My target schools are - Cornell , UCLA , NYU
don't know if i have a realistic chance
i'll be applying for 2013 intake.
It would be great if you give me some pointer on how to improve my profile and give me a fair assessment of my chances.

Hello Dr Watts,

I need some advice from you regarding MBA schools. I am a 29 yr old Electrical Engineer. I am originally from india but a permanent resident in US now. I am thinking about MBA and needed some help in school selection. Due to family constraints I am looking for schools in the NE region. My profile is below:

BS in Electronics from an average school in India ( GPA 3.2)
MS from an average US university (GPA 3.9)
Work experience of 5 years at Intel, startup company, 3M and Philips. Been working in Manufacturing, Medical Devices, Semiconductor industry.
Extra curricular mostly in college with organizing different events, also started a non profit fund, voluntary services at work.
GMAT : 710

I am looking at full time programs at HBS, Sloan, Columbia, Stern, Tuck maybe Cornell/ Booth/ Kellogg( if i get into Booth/ kellogg i can move). Also looked at some part time or emba options at booth, kellogg.

I will be applying for 2012 fall...

Any suggestions?? I am not sure if I have the background or the score to get into a top tier school for a full time program..

Hi Dr. Shel,

My work experience, numbers, target schools, ECs and target schools for evaluation:

Work Experience: 5.5 years in the telecom industry in India in Pre-Sales Tech Consulting and Project Management. Leading a team of 10 consultants for a module for almost a year. Worked outside my home country for an assignment for two months to develop a netowrk infrastructure growth strategy for a consumer bank.

GMAT: 760 (99%tile)
(Q:49, 88%tile,V:44 97%tile)

Undergrad info: unknown engineering institute in India, Bachelor of Technology (Electrical Engineering), 2005
Aggregate score: 67/100 (no GPA/CGPA system followed)

ECs during college: President of a student body of 60; Co-founded basketball team to represent one branch of engineering students; co-founded English language study center

ECs after college: Squash player and coach, Co-Founded Squash club at my firm, Co-Chair of Organizing Committees of two tournaments held in my city to bring together amateurs and professionals; Finance Secretary of a non-profit centre which takes in HIV+ Children, Raised capital inflow by 18% by tapping new sources of funding (revenue brought in through ticket sales from stage shows and by raising funds from employees in corporate entities)

Target programs: I intend to apply to 5-6 schools in Round 1/ EA in 2011. I have come up with a preliminary list of schools I am targeting: Berkeley Haas, MIT Sloan, Tuck, Ross, Texas-Austin and IESE.

I applied in 2009 to a few schools and was interviewed by Tuck and Ross.So I will be a reapplicant at these schools. Since I applied, I have gained leadership experience at work and outside work.

Post MBA goals: I want to work in Strategy Consulting either as part of an internal consutling unit at a high-tech/telecom firm (Egs. Samsung Global Strategy Group, British Telecom, Siemens Management Consulting, etc..) or at an MC firm. I am interested in Oganizational Change Management, Process and Business Improvement practices and Market Entry/Diversification strategies since I have led and implemented small projects in these areas at work.

Your feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
fedexunledded

Hello Dr. Watts,

I would love to hear what you think of my profile. Thanks in advance!

I need your help! Please help evaluate my profile. I just took my GMAT today and received a 590 score, I'm frankly a little disappointed. I was hoping to get high enough score to apply to UCLA FEMBA, USC PM or any top 20 school, but unfortunately my score only allows for USC PM.

Thank you in advance for taking a look at my profile, if you have suggestions of other top tier schools that you think I would have a shot with or you have heard of admission success stories with low GPA please share. Any words of encouragement is greatly appreciated at this point.

Male
29 y/o
Asian
Southern California Local

10 years management experience in Health Care (7 years managing a Radiology Clinic/3 years in Health Care staffing/sales)

3 of those 10 years I owned a Import/export recycling company part-time.

I have 2 internet start ups in development this year. Projected launch date for both is summer of 2011.

I will definitely have a great letter or reference from the current President of my company, current clients and also a reference for a Physician at my previous company.

Extracurricular/Military/Volunteer work- active member of the State Military Reserve

California State University - BA in Management GPA 2.9

GMAT 590

MBA Goals: Entrepreneurship

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