Ask MBA Crystal Ball

Hi,

Please evaluate my profile.
Below are my profile details.

Age: 24 years
Nationality/Gender: Indian female.
Work Ex: 2 years with Accenture India as a software analyst since the last 2 years.
Work Experience: Mostly into Data Analytics and Data Mining.
Also working with my elder brother in our own start up firm. We basically manufacture furniture samples for leading retail stores in the malls. We also undertake contracts for building a complete retail store in a mall.
I work with the marketing team and I also look into administration.

GMAT: 700
Quant:49 Verbal:35
AWA:6 IR:7
College: Jaypee University Of Information Technology
Major: Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science
Aggregate: 81℅
Year of graduation: 2012

Academics:
High School: 90%
Intermediate: 89%
B.tech : 81%
Gold medalist at school for academic excellence for continuous 6 years.
2 internships completed while in college
1 seminar attended and organized.

Extra-curricular:
National level swimmer
Participated and won many singing/dance/acting competitions throughout school and college.
Heading the Fun At Work team for my project to host team building activities and morale boosting activities for the employees.
Member of cultural committee at college.

Social worker with an NGO for helping the under priveleged and uneducated kids.
Active participant in blood donation camps.
Member of Rotaract club in college.
Learnt French for 4 years.

Organised a seminar in college.

Target Programs:
MBA, MIS

Plan to Apply in 2014 for admission in 2015.

Post MBA goal: To work in consulting.

P.S.- I will not be able to retake the GMAT.
I want to know what are my chances at the below schools.
I have prepared list of schools
For MBA:
1.Kellogg
2.Ross
3.Kelley
4.UT Austin-McCombs
5.Duke- Fuqua
6.UCLA

For MIS:
1.Texas A&M
2.Northwestern University
3.Carnegie Mellon
4. MIT

Pls suggest some other schools also, where I stand a good chance.

Thanks,
Pooja

Posted from my mobile device

EDMlover wrote:

Hi,

Please evaluate my profile.
Below are my profile details.

Age: 24 years
Nationality/Gender: Indian female.

<<snip>>

Pls suggest some other schools also, where I stand a good chance.

Thanks,
Pooja

Dear Pooja,

Here are a few points for you to ponder:

1. It is not clear when you say Data Analytics whether you work on the software side of it or business. If former, the years of experience is likely to be a hurdle for top schools. If latter, and depending on the impact you've created, it may be good.
2. The entrepreneurship experience sounds interesting. But given your goal of consulting, that is unlikely to win major brownie points for you. Think hard about how you can connect your pre-MBA experience with what you want to do after.
3. The ECs will be a definite asset. But do not only count on them. You need a solid goals story first and everything else is a support to the story. But make sure you explain those well and link them to experiences/changes that they've brought about in you
4. Finally, for reasons mentioned here, I will refrain from going into school specific suggestions or chances. But the school list is definitely pretty aggressive given the GMAT and lower than average work-ex hurdles. You may have a better shot at MIS programs though. So select wisely.

Hope this helps,

Carlson School of Management Interview with MBA Admissions Director

When it comes to post MBA salaries, it’s not just the absolute number that’s important, it’s the salary jump that matters too.

The full-time MBA program offered by the Carlson School of Management is ranked 3rd for average salary increase.

Located in the twin cities of Minneapolis & St. Paul (ranked by Forbes as the best city for finding employment), the Carlson MBA program has had a spike in international applicants (including Indians).

We thought it would be good to go behind the scenes to find out more about the program, the admissions team, the students and the opportunities.

Manish Gupta, from the MBA Crystal Ball team interviewed Linh Gilles, from the Carlson School of Managment.

Read on to understand more about how the Carlson MBA admissions process works, how GMAT scores (and IR scores) are evaluated, and how many students get MBA scholarships & fellowships, the possibility of getting post MBA jobs and how you can be part of the student group that manages a $35 million investment fund...Read More

Hi Sir,

My Brief Stats are as follows:

UG: Btech NIT Calicut( Tier 2 Engineering College India ), GPA: 6.95/10, Highest GPA was 8.8/10, Class rank: 17/42, No of Distinctions in class( GPA 8 and above): 8

GMAT, GRE: Yet to give I am contemplating something around 700 or 720.

Actually my story goes as follows..

Before entering college I had to drop a year during my 11th grade because my dad got a transfer to a different part of the country & after completing my 12th grade I again took a year off for the purpose of coaching myself for the prestigious IITJEE exam.Thus as you can seen I was about 20 years old when I entered college.


I graduated from a tier 2 Engineering college in India ( NIT), however I had serious health issues during my first year of college and hence i couldn't attend classes for half of the semester..( I received 6 F grades because of this..).My dad who happens to be a doctor of course treated me, hence I can provide some reasoning for this in my Essays as well as in some recommendation letters from some of my professors who know me quite well. Towards the end of my college I had began to do a bit of financial modelling and with sufficient interest I had taken up my final year thesis with a professor of my college for a financial modelling and optimization project.

I became interested in this field and again took up another 2 finance project under the same professor, all based on higher degrees of financial modelling and optmization ( He is now an Assistant Professor at IIM Indore). Since I needed time to put myself into this track I had to devote near to around 8 months solely for making out these thesis and subsequently publishing them into an International Finance Journal. These 3 projects have now been published.. I have plans also to present them in a national or an international conference.

After 8 months of research in finance i decided to spend some time in doing social cause work and for around another 7 months was actively working for 3 to 4 NGOs in the field of Child rights, Environment protection etc..helping them with fundraising and campaigning. I was also subsequently offered to become a campus ambassador for a micro finance NGO in helping them find investors for the firms operations.( I am presently doing this apart from my full time work)

Thus after 1.5 years after graduation I joined for a job in Dubai at a reputed I bank. My plan further down the lane is to take a one year MS in finance preferably in US course by applying for a sabbatical at my firm. ( partly because it will help me understanding more about finance and also it would help me in offsetting my GPA in UG).

Along the way I have taken CFA level 1 and 2 and FRM level 1 and 2 as well. Also I am planning to take up GRE Math ( apart from GRE and GMAT) as well some UC Berkeley extension courses to help rectify my academics ( prior to my MS In Finance).

My dillema here is take a trade off between taking up an MS in Finance and gaining a substantial boost to my profile in term of academic and other prospects or to use those precious 1 to 1.5 years for work experience since I am already aging quite fast with respect to an MBA application.



Now the point is that i would be around 31 or 32 by the time I have 4 to 5 years of experience. What kind of MBA program should I target for in your opinion? ie to say should I opt for an E MBA or a part time MBA program. Or Can I still make it into top 10 full time programs programs..?

Or can you provide me some guidance in stating what would the ideal thing to do in my case if I am aiming for top 10 MBA programs..?

Hope you can help me out.

jayaramgokul wrote:

Hi Sir,

My Brief Stats are as follows:

UG: Btech NIT Calicut( Tier 2 Engineering College India ), GPA: 6.95/10, Highest GPA was 8.8/10, Class rank: 17/42, No of Distinctions in class( GPA 8 and above): 8

<<snip>>

Or can you provide me some guidance in stating what would the ideal thing to do in my case if I am aiming for top 10 MBA programs..?

Hope you can help me out.

Dear Jayaramgokul,

Thanks for posting your query here. A few thoughts for you:

1. The start of your career is a bit disconnected and hence would need an explanation irrespective of whether you do an MBA or MS. So make sure you know how to present that correctly
2. If I understand this right, you will apply for MS next year? Which means by the time you actually start the program, you will already have 3 years of experience? That may make MS a bit of a non-starter. The age factor too will play in there. Given that you are already in the i-banking space, it may be worthwhile applying directly for an MBA next year!
3. For reasons mentioned here, we refrain from providing school specific recommendations. Suffice it to say however that the top 10 is likely to be a tough battle. We will be starting a new service for profile building in Jan'15. Get in touch with us then and we may be able to help.

Cheers,

Thank you Sir four thoughts and opinions on my profile.

A few rectifications:

-Actually I have just started my work.. And I am intending on going for my MS after 2 years of good work experience abroad.

Pending Query:

What do you think would make my profile better for a top 10 program?

Do you think it's impossible to get into a top 10 school or just there needs to be some more credentials for the same. ( higher GMAT.. Promotion history..etc)Please do give me at least a line of your opinion on this.( I am feeling a little uneasy)

I have to give my MS finance for obvious reasons( low gpa in undergrad).. Do you think this is a bad idea?

Hello MBACrystalBall,

Could you please evaluate my profile? Thanks!

profile-evaluation-187381.html#p1432610

Hi Sameer / MG,
Thanks for helping us out.
I gave my GMAT last eek and have scored 700 (Q50 V34 IR8).
Profile
WE – 3 yrs till Aug 2014 in a prominent automobile manufacturer looking after ‘after-sales support’.
GPA – 3.68 / 4 (Automobile Engineering) – 2011
12th – 95 % (2007)
10th – 92%
Work desc:
I am working in the customer support sector of an automobile company. My profile focusses on customer satisfaction, complaint handling, technical support, dealer profitability and implementation of manufacturer's SOPs in dealer network.
Post – MBA
My main objective is to shift industry. I wanted to venture into banking sector.. But still I haven't made clear of what exactly to do post-MBA..

I want to get into one of the best universities and I want scholarship too. Is it too late to apply for class that starts in Aug 2015? Please suggest me universities in US, EU. I understand I am running out of time and I have too much to do within R2 deadline. I haven’t given my TOEFL yet but I gave it in 2010 and scored 99 so I can give again with minimal preparation at the earliest.

One year MBA in India

Though we’ve written extensively about one year MBA programs in India, it’s been more of individual success stories of folks who’ve got into these colleges. We also published one on the best one year MBA in USA.

However, we didn’t have a single motherhood post on the one year MBA in India, collating all the marquee names to consider. So, if you’ve just joined the party and wondering if a one year MBA in India will help you, read on.

Hi, I have 10+ years of experience and planning to apply to 1 year program in schools in India. Can someone share views about IIM I EPGP?

Profile Eval MBA 2015 - India, Female, Consulting, Pianist, CFA Lvl 2

Hi,

I would greatly appreciate an evaluation of my profile for ISB (I've already put in my application, but would like to know what you think). Also, what do you think about my profile in terms of Columbia, Duke, Yale and Stern?

ACADEMICS:
-I'm a 26 year old female from India.
-GMAT - 710/92% (V: 40/91% | Q: 48/74% | AWA: 6/92% | IR: 2/12%)
-Computer Engineering degree from a State University 69% (we don't have a GPA system, but it comes to 3.5, top 10% of class)

WORK EXPERIENCE:
-Senior Consultant with a niche management consulting company (HQ in US, ~500 employees) leading a team of 17 across India, Romania and the US (2 promotions in 4 years, very quick growth, youngest Senior Consultant in the company), total work experience of 4 years.
-Managing Incentive Compensation / Sales Performance Management project of a large Fortune 10 conglomerate across 70 countries, total portfolio of USD 20 MM, manage daily operations of 15 verticals across Energy, Oil & Gas, Appliances & Transportation.
-The India manager resigned and I am working towards the Project Manager role
-Successfully led the Incentive Compensation plans of 6 global Verticals of the company
-Trained, built India/Romania team from 5 to 15 in 18 months resulting in higher task turnaround time
-Conduct regular sessions with senior sales directors across the globe to effectively engage them in the Sales Compensation and Performance process for the client.
-Mentor 5 Associates/Consultants, responsible for their professional growth, promotions, annual reviews/appraisals
-Recruiting and Staffing, taking interviews for Associate/Consultant positions
-Strong client recommendations

PERSONAL:
-Cleared CFA Level I, June 2015 Level II Candidate,
-Classical Pianist (training for the last 18 years, preparing for Licentiate of Trinity College of Music, London's Diploma in Solo Piano; cleared Trinity's Grade examinations from 2-8 as well as Advanced Certificate in Solo Piano in 2010)
-Take piano lessons for children at no charge.

POST MBA GOALS:
-Continue in the Consulting domain but develop a broader understanding of different consulting industries.
-Want to solve bigger, challenging socio-economic problems

Thank you very much for your time in advance!

artemisfowl wrote:

Profile Eval MBA 2015 - India, Female, Consulting, Pianist, CFA Lvl 2

Hi,

I would greatly appreciate an evaluation of my profile for ISB (I've already put in my application, but would like to know what you think). Also, what do you think about my profile in terms of Columbia, Duke, Yale and Stern?

ACADEMICS:

<<snip>>

Thank you very much for your time in advance!

Dear Artemisfowl (love that series btw ),

Here are a few reflections on your profile:

1. Your experience looks top-rate and something that'll gather immediate attention. It is not clear however as to whether you've worked outside India or not? International experience will certainly elevate the quality and value of your experience
2. For reasons mentioned here, we refrain from providing gut-based school recommendations. That said, I think your profile is pretty competitive. So unless you've botched up the essays, you should have a fair shot
3. On your question of further applications, the obvious handicap could be the GMAT. But given your profile and the interesting ECs, it might still be worth a shot. Pick the lower ones in your list rather than the higher ones if you have to optimize the time left at hand for R2

Hope this helps,

info123talk wrote:

Hi, I have 10+ years of experience and planning to apply to 1 year program in schools in India. Can someone share views about IIM I EPGP?

Cryptic response to a cryptic question. It is definitely not in the same league as the 1 year programs at the A, B and C. If you have better options, or can wait another year to apply to these, do that would be the 'very high level' advice.

Cheers,

Thanks for the input. Waiting another year is a challenge for me. That is why, contemplating whether to target this course or not. I understand, in terms of branding it is not at par with the rest. Don't have idea about the prospects post this course. In terms of investment, its as much as what it will take if applying to others.

My profile is:
-10+ years of work ex in IT Data center services. Have won few awards and appreciation from my company as well as client for taking initiatives to improve service efficiency and reduce costs. Currently, responsible for BU wide implementation of one of the critical enterprise application, helping in automation. It is a challenging role considering I need to co-ordinate with 20 project teams ,which account for millions of pounds in revenues, find and understand improvement areas, and making sure there is a progress.
-Qualification: B.E.(Electronics & Telecomm.) 65% Mumbai university, 10th 76%, 12th 79%.
-Extra curricular- Have participated in few of the initiatives in my current organization for fund raising. Nothing stellar apart from this.
-GMAT: 620. Planning to retake by this month end.

So, GMAT is something I can work on but extra curricular is something I don't think I can change much in that area. Expecting a promotion in next month and role change as well. I do feel that applying next year will be a better thing to do but time is a constraint. So, will apply but will take decision later depending on the circumstances.

Can you advice what else can be done to improve my application, if planning to target A,B,C?

[quote="info123talk"]Thanks for the input. Waiting another year is a challenge for me. That is why, contemplating whether to target this course or not. I understand, in terms of branding it is not at par with the rest. Don't have idea about the prospects post this course. In terms of investment, its as much as what it will take if applying to others.

<<snip>>

Can you advice what else can be done to improve my application, if planning to target A,B,C?

Info123talk,

I dont see any major issues in your profile apart from of course the GMAT that you are already correcting for. It might be worthwhile cultivating a hobby on the side since that adds a certain richness to your overall personality - not just for the heck of writing a bschool application. That will help. Other than that, assuming you can present your experience well, and with a good GMAT score, there should still be a finite chance at the top 3. Any international experience can further help.

All the best

Cheers,

Hi,

I retook GMAT and got 660 (QA 47, VA 34). not sure abt A but do B\C accept this score? Meanwhile, have applied to I.. I am still trying to figure about value gain from I.


Thanks-

1) Brief description of full-time work experience. - Market Research & Consulting- Sr Research Associate with 2.5 year of work (Background Engg)
Have ample experience on Govt Projects and Corporate research projects...Need the MBA tag for further growth in consulting industry
Wanted to get a head start in the marketing profile so started with this industry..Its a 5-6 year old startup by an IIM-A guy
2) GMAT- 730/8/5.5
3) College info: State University (India) , CGPA of 7.52, Civil Engg -2012
4) ECCA: Nothing to boast about..won many technical competitions at National level and IIT fests..
5) Important certifications- None besides Courses in Data analytics and a few others on course era
6) Target program- Top 20-30
7) Plan to apply- 16-18 Intake
8) Your post-MBA goal- Marketing or
What are my chances at Stern,Ross,Columbia..similar..??..
Are there any other good colleges that I should focus on specifically..Will a better score make it possible
_________________