Ask HKUST Admissions

@Macjas: the 11% of employment in consulting is for different fields including MC, IT consulting, healthcare consulting, etc. Some of the recruitment, e.g. McKinsey, happened in HK.

It is difficult to say how important Cantonese is for MC jobs in HK since it depends on the company and the job roles. If it mainly deals with HK clients, then most likely they will hire someone who speaks Cantonese. But Mandarin is definitely more important in the bigger long term and usually enough for a foreigner looking for a job in the Greater China region.

thanks for the insight, HKUST

Hi HKUST

I have 7 years of work ex in manufacturing sector (Textile) in sales and BD. I am planning to apply for 2013.
I am intrested in switching sector and go for Consulting or pick up strategy roles in retail/FMCG. However HKUST put together with HONGKONG seems to be more inclined towards finance. also I would like to go for an exchange programme at SDA Bocconi milan. As per my career plan would I be a right fit for this programme.

Thanks

Hi ratinarace,

While Hong Kong is the biggest financial center in Asia, there are still a lot of opportunities especially in the retail/FMCG industries because of the growing purchasing power of consumers from China/emerging markets in Asia.

It would be difficult to tell whether our program fits your goals without knowing more about your background. We would suggest you to arrange a consultation with one of our MBA advisers for a more in-depth discussion.

You can register for a session here: https://www.mba.ust.hk/asp/intake2012events/indconsult_cv.asp

SDA Bocconi is not among the 57 business schools available for exchange at HKUST MBA. Here is the complete list of exchange schools: https://mba.ust.hk/ftmba/program/exchange.htm


HKUST MBA Admissions Team

hi hkust,
i am 26 yr old IT male from india.
i have got close to 4 yrs work exp. and 670(q 44,v 38) in gmat.
i would like to know if my gmat score is competitive for applying or should i write the gmat again?

Hi vinzycoolfire,

It is difficult to say which GMAT score is competitive for somebody with your background just based on a few facts since we take into consideration a range of aspects when we evaluate your profile, e.g. undergraduate performance, quality of work experience, leadership experience, global exposure, career plan, etc.

That said, the mid-80% GMAT range for our newly admitted class is around 610 to 730. And we will look at your undergraduate performance together with your GMAT score. If the former is not that good, that you will need a higher GMAT score in this range. If you performed well in your UG, then you can try to apply with your current score first.

If there is any question, just let us know.

HKUST MBA Admissions Team

hi hkust,
thanks for replying.
i have some follow up questions.i want to work in thailand after completing my mba.
will hkust be a good fit for me??are many companies from thailand recruiting at hkust?
also my second choice would be HK. if i have to get job in hk will i need to learn mandarin?

Hi vinzycoolfire,

While we do have students working in Thailand after graduation, not many companies from Thailand will recruit directly in HK. Some of our students now working in Thailand usually join a multinational company e.g. General Motors, Citibank, Bayer, Standard Chartered. Most of the time, they apply for the jobs in Thailand directly or got relocated to Thailand after joining an MNC in Hong Kong.

Our program is very strong in equipping students with a good understanding of Asia business and leadership skills in a global setting, which are valued by recruiters not just in HK but other parts of Asia. The global reputation of our program will also boost recruiters' confidence in the quality of your MBA.

The necessity of Mandarin in HK depends largely on what kind of jobs you want to do. For example, marketing and management consulting jobs will most likely require a good knowledge of Mandarin to understand the local market and to communicate with Chinese clients/colleagues.

If you want to have a more in-depth discussion, we suggest you to sign up for an individual consultation session with one of our MBA advisers here: https://www.mba.ust.hk/asp/intake2012events/indconsult_cv.asp

HKUST MBA Admissions Team

hi hkust,
thanks for the reply. right now i am trying to get a picture of how things work in hkust.
will definitely sign up for a session when i am sure of applying.

Hi HKUST,

Could you please evaluate my profile below,
GMAT 680 (Q:46 V:37)
B Tech in Computer Science with 74%
12th 85%
10th 82%

My professional background
Currently working with Samsung Electronics
I have more than 5 years of experience in Mobile domain.
Have contributed extensively to bring in differentiation to Samsung mobile applications and other features.
Worked closely with the Business analysts and user experience team for betterment of Samsung products.
Am promoted 3 times in last 4 years.
Currently as a Lead Engineer in Samsung's Android Mobile division I am managing a team of 5 people by mentoring them technically, where in by default for anyone to lead a team it takes about 7 to 8 years of exp in Samsung.
Youngest Java and Android Trainer in Samsung Electronics India with best overall feedback score of 4.2 / 5.

Having experienced what it takes to make a product like Samsung Galaxy Series (Galaxy S, S2 and S3 ) I would like to further enhance my knowledge towards Business intelligence and Data analytics.
My short term goal is to join a major OEM or Service Provider or a consulting firm as a Business Intelligence Analyst (Ex: Samsung / Google / ComScore etc)

Coming to extra curricular activities, I was placement coordinator during my College days from year 2005 to 2007 and more than 150 offers were made for a class of 60 during my tenure as Placement Coordinator.

It will be of great help if you can provide some inputs on where my profile stands. I am interested in applying to HKUST MBA 2013 Batch.

Thanks,
Arjun

Hi Arjun,

You can take a look at our latest class profile to get a feel of the students we admitted this year: https://mba.ust.hk/ftmba/studentlife/profile.htm

Basically, we look into these areas when we review a candidate's profile:

1. Academic performance: GMAT score and undergraduate performance
2. Work experience: work references, years of work experience, quality of work experience, e.g. any leadership roles taken and any international exposure
3. Soft skills e.g. communication, team work, leadership potential, cultural sensitivity, etc.
4. Career plan: whether our program can help you achieve your goals, how much you understand about your target job/industry, etc.

Our admissions committee looks at the above as a whole. As you can see, some of them cannot be evaluated just based on the facts above. How you present/differentiate yourself from others in the application essays are also very important. So it is difficult for us to tell you where you stands here. Hope you would understand.


HKUST MBA Admissions Team

Thanks HKUST Team for your inputs.

Hello HKUST Team,

I am targeting the HKUST MBA program in 2013. By then, I would have 4 years of work experience in Manufacturing industry.
However, from my research, looks like 80% of the students have about 6 years of work experience. What is your advice on this? Do you think this factor will work against me?

Hi shar315,

While your work experience may be less than our average, we will still consider other areas in your application, e.g. the quality of your experience - whether there is any leadership or international exposure, your academic performance, career plan, work references, soft skills, etc. If your exposure in those 4 years are pretty good, then you don't need to worry too much about the number itself.

If you have good work exposure or career advancement within 4 years then it may also be a good thing since it shows that you have good potential. That said, it is always good to strengthen other areas in your profile, e.g. GMAT, essays, etc.


Towni Lao
HKUST MBA Admissions Team

Hi ,
Appreciate if you can advice me on my fitment and competitiveness for the program. I plan to apply to R1.

Current Age - 29 yrs old Nationality : Indian
Educational Background: Chartered Accountant( ACA/CPA)- First attempt , ICWAI ( CIMA) - First attempt, Chartered Valuation Analyst (NACVA) and Chartered Management Accountant( IMA,USA). GPA of 3.5-3.7. 10th -76%, 12th 73% B.com 78% GMAT dec 2008 -610 and sept 2011 - 600

Work ExperienceI have 8 years of experience( plus 3 years Articleship with big 4 - PWC)) in Investment banking, Valuations and M&A. Have around 3 years of international experience and have worked in 28 countries in last 8 years across 4 continents.

Currently working with a Big 4 firm in India as Assistant Director- M&A and Valuations. Leading a team of 200 . Have led End -to-end valuations/business plans and market study for companies > $ 200 Million USD.

Achievements:
-Was selected amongst 50 Employees out of 100,000 to undergo the prestigious GE Finance Leadership Program.
- Undergone the leadership program of Shell Oil& Gas Company.
- I am also a certified assesor by CII ( confederation of indian industries).- Wall Street training in Financial Modeling & Valuations.

Extra curricular: .
-Part of ‘Citizen Journalist’ program of BBC during the General Elections in '09.
-Founded and operated a small coffee shop/canteen (with around 10 employees) during the college days and subsequently sold it to a larger chain of canteen.Started with an Initial Investment of Rs 8000( USD 200) and sold it at Rs 1,60,000( USD 4000) and used my share of money to fund my further education.
- Founded an Indian Community in Oman - Muscat oasis Indian community . Current membership stands at 350.

Community service

-worked with an NGO in India during the Tsunami in India in 2004. Visited Nagapatanam and was there for a month and helped rebuild the houses and village.
-Stated a group in our locality to help people understand the effective and efficient usage of water and helped in putting thru a rain water harvesting plant in the locality.
- Worked with an NGO- for the education and rehablitation of poor Arab children in Sur, Oman.

Post MBA - Investment banking

Hello,

I am very interested in HKUST's MBA program but it seems to me that the program is mostly related to financial sector in terms of applicants evaluation, program curriculum and post-MBA placement. I work in Marketing as a Brand Manager and would like to know if I am right to think that it will be quite challenging not only to be accepted to the program with no work experience in finance (GMAT 620), but also to study there if accepted.

Can you please also advise if HKUST has a placement history in the marketing sector?

Thank you!

Hi sudhir18n,

It is difficult to say how competitive you are since the admissions committee review your profile, including your essays, interview performance and goals for an MBA as a whole. Below are the key areas they look into. Hope they can give you more insights.

1. Academic performance: GMAT score and undergraduate performance - your GMAT score of 610 is at the lower range of our class and may be quite risky

2. Work experience: work references, years of work experience, quality of work experience, e.g. any leadership roles taken and any international exposure - your international experience will be an advantage in your application, and you may also be eligible for our Asians with International Exposure scholarship. Your leadership experience will be appreciated as well.

3. Soft skills e.g. communication, team work, leadership potential, cultural sensitivity, etc. - can only be evaluated in your work references, interview performance, essays, etc.

4. Career plan: whether our program can help you achieve your goals, how much you understand about your target job/industry, etc. - why you want to study an MBA is very important for us since we want to admit students who know how our program can help them achieve their career objectives

If there is any question, just let us know.

Towni
Marketing & Admissions, MBA Programs
HKUST Business School