ISB aspirants - Ask Apphelp

Work ex - 30 months ,as a Software Engineering Analyst with Accenture. Worked with a variety of clients ranging from Global giants to the State Govt of Nagaland(E-governance). Luckily, my role exposed me to client-facing business analysis apart from my usual techie work.

GMAT Score -700 (QA 50,VA 35)
Engineering in ECE - JUIT Solan, 79%
X (CBSE) - 91.2%
XII (CSBE)-91 %

Average extra curricular record, part time volunteer with IRF-IC.Also involved in sporadic freelance sketching and content writing stuff,mostly for leisure.

Hello,

I intend to apply to ISB in R2 this year. Please evaluate my profile for the same. The details are as mentioned below.

I have taken the GMAT thrice, last in Dec’15 when I scored 680 [Q 47, V 37, IR 6, AWA 5.5]. In my previous two attempts in Sep’15 and Nov’14 I had scored 600 [Q 49, V 23, IR 5, AWA 5] and 610 [Q 45, V 28, IR 5, AWA 5] respectively.

I will have completed 7 years [2009 – 16] of work experience in Mar’16. Throughout these 7 yrs I have worked in two infrastructure development companies in a project management role for construction projects. For the first two years I was in a hydro electric power plant construction project in Sikkim and for the remaining period I worked in a metro railway viaduct & stations construction project in Kolkata.

My academic qualifications are briefly mentioned below

Class X - ICSE 2000 - 89.83%

Class XII - ISC 2002 - 81.33%

B. Tech (Civil Engg.) – NIT Surat [2003 – 07]– CGPA 8.16 / 10

PGPACM – NICMAR, Pune [2007 – 09] – CPI 8.16 / 10

Right after my graduation, I have done post graduation in Advanced Construction Management, which is a course especially designed for project management in the construction industry and is not comparable to any other MBA course.

Also, I was the lead author (there were 2 co-authors) of an article regarding application of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in construction project selection that was published in ‘DECISION’ the IIMC Journal (Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta) in 2011.

I presented technical papers in some Technical Festivals during at IIT Roorkee, NIT Trichy, and in my own college NIT Surat.

Also I was event coordinator in one of the events during our college Techfest.

During my tenure in my first company, I had taken up a few CSR initiatives for the company.

Apart from this I was enthusiastic in playing cricket and football and represented my hostel / class / company in some small tournaments.

As is obvious from the above, I don’t have much ECA to speak of. Also, there is a one year gap after my Class XII boards, when I prepared for competitive examinations. Will these two factors be a major drawback in my application? Will the article that I published work as an advantage ?

Also, please give your views on my overall profile.

Also, please suggest which other B-schools may be targeted with this GMAT score and profile.

Hi,

Your overall candidature is decent. Work ex is strong and diverse given the sector you have worked in and the roles you have taken. GMAT score ( 680) is average though. But surely ISB is a possibility.

Major focus of your essays should be your experience. Ensure that you do good research on while kind of role you can get into post MBA. Dont write consulting.

You can highlight your experience of paper presentations etc but apart from that college level fest activities and CSR activities wont add much. See if you can use sports to highlight teamwork/ leadership etc.

Pls fill this form so that we understand your preferences better and can suggest one or two schools ( given that you have 15-20 days before Jan deadline of schools)

https://www.apphelp.co.in/Bschool-selection.htm

Apphelp Team

Hello,

I intend to apply to ISB in R2 this year. Please evaluate my profile for the same. The details are as mentioned below.

25, Male from India
1) 3+ (45 months at matriculation) years in oil & gas (worked as Senior Engineer Production in a Fertilizer Plant for about 21 months with responsibility to lead group of operators to oversee plant operations; Moved to Process Safety and Risk Consulting in Oil & Gas Sector with experience of working with major players in more than 10 countries including Korea, japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brazil, UAE etc in past 21 months),
2) 690, 38V , 46Q, 5 IR
3) National Institute of Technology (Tier 1 collage), Rourkela, India with GPA of 9.0/10 (among top 5 in class), Chemical Engineering, 2012
4) High School- 90.8%; 10+2 - 90.2%
5) Member of Robotics club in collage, lead team of 6 to arrange funds and managed the progress of a project on UGV (Unmanned ground vehicle) funded by Defense Research Organization of India (DRDO), team won many national and international competitions in robotics as well; member of collage robotics and automation club; member of NSS during 1st year at collage
6) Best all rounder of branch Alumni award recipient; Award for 3rd position in branch
7) Certified Functional Safety Practitioner (CFSP)
8) Transition to strategy consulting with focus on Oil & Gas sector; In long term plan to open a niche consultancy serving all aspects of Oil & Gas Business.

I have a good knowledge of oil & gas sector in terms of process, but I would like to gain alternatives exposure and business acumen. I have worked internationally for several months as well.

Also if you can suggest me which B schools I should target with my profile.

Thank you!

Your score is bit average but given diversity of sector and your international experience you can get an interview call. Your acads are also good.

I dont think you have much time left before Jan deadlines of schools. But still, pls fill this form and we will work on a shortlist for you.

https://www.apphelp.co.in/Bschool-selection.htm

Thanks
Apphelp Team

Hi,

While your work ex is diverse and UK experience will help, we recommend not applying this year. Your work ex duration is less and that may weaken the chances.

Take your time and focus on getting a good GMAT score ( 710+) . Also, a good storyline blending your current experience with post MBA goals will play an important role. Do some research on companies like Practo, Coverfox etc which can be good potential opportunities.

Feel free to contact us for any queries.

Apphelp Team

We would recommend waiting for an year to add more experience. Also, try improving the GMAT score. At current work ex and score the chances are weak.

Feel free to contact us for any queries.

Apphelp Team

Hi,

I am Madhav Malhotra and I am planning to apply for ISB PGP program for 2017 class.
My GMAT score is:

Quant:50
Verbal:34
Overall:700

Educational Qualifications:

10th : 84.8
12th : 77
Graduation: Thapar University, Electronics and Communication
CGPA: 8.05

This August I will complete 4 years in IT industry.
Work Experience:

Aricent Technologies:

2.5yrs as a software Engineer in Telecom Tehcnologies.

Currently, working in Oracle as an IT consultant2

Extra Curricular :

1. Part of a small team Involved in Organizing Major Sports tournaments in my college also major technical fests in my college.
2. Organizing tournaments involved getting sponsors, managing budgets and publicizing it.
3. Participation in badminton tournaments in both companies for which i worked.
4. Part of Oracle Volunteers who organize regular events to teach underprivileged students, taking them out for picnics etc.

Could you please tell me if this profile is good enough for admission in PGP program in ISB, 2017 batch.

Regards,
Madhav Malhotra

Hi Madhav,

When you say 2017 batch we assume you mean class entering in 2016. So, you have 5 more days to apply. Applicants from telecom background and 700 on GMAT have got admits to ISB in R1. Oracle brand will help. So, we dont see a challenge if you do a good job with your essays.

Try to carve out something from your sports related stuff to add another dimension.

Feel free to contact us if you have any queries or need help with essays.

Apphelp Team

Hi Apphelp,

Actually by 2017 batch I meant, I will start applying for R1 in September 2016 for admissions in 2017.
I wanted to use the time till September 2016 to enhance my profile, so what should I do to better my chances of selection?
Also, PGP is for executive MBA, is my profile good enough for this?

Could you also please let me know which all colleges can I target with this score and profile?

Hi,

Hope this mail finds you in good health and spirits. I am looking forward to the class entering 2017. (class of 2018)

My profile debrief is as follows:

XII - 69%
B.Tech in Electronics and Communication - 81.2% (Vellore Institute of Technology, VIT)
GMAT - 650

Work Experience:

Here's the interesting part, as usual got placed in the campus recruitment and joined TCS in 2009.
But, my propensity towards entrepreneurship always has been a constant motivating factor. Though I gave my best in the job - in Business Intelligence vertical (youngest subject matter expert for data warehousing in the team) and recieved several accolades and laurels from the UK based banking client and TCS including " Star of the month and quarter".

After 2.5 years in the job, I took a great calculative risk and opened a trading firm in Odisha which deals in Public Address system and electronic spare spares. After taking a capital loan of 10 lacs and my savings, I started trading and selling it to the market. I opened my firm in Jan, 2011 and the first year itself saw a annual turn over of 1.5 crores. Over the period of close to 5 years, my turn over rose to 35 crores.

I have relevant IT returns to prove the above.

Total work exp (7 years till now): 2.5 years in TCS
4.5 years in my own business.

Major Achievement:
Created jobs for 25 people in my trading firm.
Massive growth in volume.

Why MBA?
Want to expand my network and knowledge so that I can achieve my ambition to transform from a regional trading firm to a national one. Want to diversify my business into Carrying and forwarding agencies of other brands.

Extra Curricular:
Member and volunteer of Youth Red Cross Society.
President and main organizer for college level festival s.

Does my profile eligible for ISB - PGP?

Thanks in advance for your support.

Hi there,

It'll be great if you could help me with my application for ISB.

I have GMAT score of 660 q50 v28 - first attempt and 630 in second attempt . I am working for a B2B commerce startup as Product Manager and previously worked at ZS Associates, sales & marketing consulting firm, as Technology Associate. I will have 3 years and 8 months of experience by the time i join ISB next year.

Acads -

Graduated from IIIT Allahabad with CGPA 8.08/10.
XII - 85%
X - 90%

Extracurricular -

Most innovative employee for the year
Treasurer Music Club - Best club for that year
Member of placement committee
Won inter college Rock Band competitions
Member of basketball team and winning team of football tournament
Best swimmer in school

Question -

1. I have tried writing GMAT again but not able to score. Should i attempt an application this year?

Really appreciate you guys helping. Thanks!

Pranav