Ask HKUST Admissions

Hi Towni,

Thanks for the advice. Aside from my undergraduate grades, my current position is in banking so it involves a lot of quantitative work. I am also a licensed Stock Broker (series 7), which entails a rigorous 6-hour math intensive exam. Hopefully, this will help my application and boost my quantitative credentials. I also plan on taking the GMAT again to improve my quantitative score but I am not sure if I will be able to before the Round 1 Deadline.

Thanks again.

Hi blueram,

Yes, if your job already involves a lot of quantitative work, then it will be much better.

If you plan to retake GMAT again, you can still try to submit the application by the first deadline and send us the score within 30 days after the deadline. You can note in the additional information section that you will improve your quantitative score in the second test, and also inform our admissions team about your intention at applymba@ust.hk so that we will be aware of it.


Towni
Marketing & Admissions, MBA Programs
HKUST Business School

Hi Sir,

I read that for HKUST low gmat score can be compensated by good UG score. Can you please suggest if my following combination of gmat and UG score is good enough to apply ?

GMAT: 660 (Q 50, V 29)
UG (Engineering) : 8.4/10 (Rank 4th)

I would also like to ask that whether its only UG scores that is calculated under Academic Performance or if any certifications or marks in class X & XII or anything else is also counted under Academic Performance.

Snapshot of my Profile

Male, Indian, 27 Yrs
Exp: 5.5+ Yrs
Class X: 90%
Class XII : 80%
FRM (GARP) (Level I + Level II)
CFA Level I


Regards
svnitparas

Hi svnitparas,

When we say a higher GMAT score can help with a weaker undergraduate performance or vice versa, it is more in a relative term. FYR, the typical range of our current class is 610-730 so a score of 660 is around the middle. You can always apply with these scores but it is difficult for us to tell whether they are good enough to apply as academic performance is just one of the areas the adcom looks into. Your work experience, previous exposure, career plans, essays, work references, etc. will all be taken into account when we do the shortlisting. Even for those who have great academic performance, they can still be rejected if the other areas are not impressive.

For academic performance, we only looks at GMAT and your undergraduate performance (scores and the reputation of your university). You can also put in professional qualifications e.g. CFA or postgraduate degree for our reference.

If there is any question, just let us know.

Towni
Marketing & Admissions, MBA Programs
HKUST Business School

Hi Towni,

I am looking for a consulting career in the Financial services space post an MBA. Can you please throw some light on career prospects in this domain post an HKUST MBA?

Thanks.

Hi amritd,

Many consulting firms have a division which offers consulting services to financial services providers. Some of them such as Deloitte, Accenture, Monitor Group, ZS Associates, Value Partners Management and even McKinsey have been recruiting our graduates in recent years.

Towni
Marketing & Admissions, MBA Programs
HKUST Business School

Hello Sir,

Can you please throw some light upon career prospects in Business Analyst Pofiles in Investment Banking post MBA from HKUST ? Does leading financial services companies recruit from HKUST mainly for core finance profile ?

Regards
OM

Hi OM,

Financial services companies recruit graduates from HKUST MBA into all kinds of positions. Purely finance roles are of course a major part of them. But our graduates are also recruited as business analysts, or into sales & accounts management, general management, marketing, operations, etc.

Financial institutions who have employed our graduates for business analyst positions include JP Morgan, HSBC, DBS, Bank of China, Merrill Lynch, Standard Chartered, etc.

Let me know if there is any other question.

Towni
Marketing & Admissions
MBA Programs
HKUST Business School

hi

i am in Merchant navy
INDIAN
work ex-4 years(including 1 year of paid internship)
CGPA- 4.0

GMAT -620(3rd attempt) (quant:49,verbal:25)

every semester scholarship holder in college.
Many professional achievements.
Decent extra curricular.

what are my chances in HKUST for selection.
i am thinking of applying in 1st round for class of 2013.

please suggest

Hi 700mirage,

Thanks for your interest in our program. I am afraid it is difficult for us to comment on your chances based on several facts since we take into consideration a range of criteria when we make the admissions decision, including your international exposure, leadership/teamwork experience, soft skills, work references, career aspiration and readiness, etc.

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

Your GMAT of 620 is near the lower end of our typical GMAT range so it may be quite competitive for you to apply with that score unless you shine in other areas.

Any questions, just let us know.

Towni
Marketing & Admissions
MBA Programs
HKUST Business School

Hi HKUST MBA ,
I work in venture debt and i am interested in the 16month MBA program . I plan to apply to R1
I looked at your electives and there are a lot of courses in VC and PE that interest me .
Can you talk about the placements in PE and VC . I see that there is no breakdown of the finance jobs into PE/ VC etc.
Also can you talk about the intership opportunities in PE , VC and related experential learning opportunities at HKUST

Thanks
Kapil

hi

thanks for the reply

10th :86%(science)
12th:80%(science)
CGPA:4.0/4.0

i was scholarship holder in every semester for academic performance.
i was nominated for the GOLD medal in college for academic performance.
i have an international exposure and work experience in international market.
i have worked with several nationalities(about 10 nationalities).
i have worked always with a team of 3 members in every work on ship and i being the leader and the members of my team used to be changing every week.
i have also worked in NGO for 2 years.
i have good letter of recommendations.
i have my own plans to start my own venture.

i also have decent extra curricular .

can you please tell me whether my low gmat score can be compensated by my CGPA ??
whether should i apply with this score or not ?

thanks in advance

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 !!

Hi mvikred,

Here are the major scholarships (and available for Indian candidates/students):

1. Merit scholarship (top 10-20% of admitted candidates): HKD60,000-125,000
2. Need based grant (candidates with financial need): HKD60,000-150,000
3. Scholarship for Asians with international exposure (Asian candidates with 2+ years of work experience/studies overseas): HKD125,000
4. Outstanding Leadership Award (students with exceptional leadership potential and contribution to the program during MBA): HKD300,000

For the full list, you can visit our website here: https://mba.ust.hk/ftmba/admissions/financialaid.htm

FYI, our tuition fee for intake 2013 is HKD545,000.

We help students get into consulting industry through several ways:
1. Consulting track electives taught by actual consultants e.g. a current Director at Bain or a former Manager at McKinsey - teach students how to think and work like a consultant
2. Consulting Club run by students - provide skill training workshops delivered by students who are consultants or external consultants invited to school
3. Enhancing Professional Skills training - an intensive program which aims to boost students' presentation, case analysis, teamwork and problem solving skills. After finishing the training, students can form teams to participate in overseas case competitions and compete against other schools in front of global judge panel formed by top business leaders. This can help them to build up their competence and confidence when they work with clients in the future as a consultant
4. Our career office organizes corporate events/recruitment talks/executives meetings with consulting firms e.g. Deloitte Consulting, Gallup Consulting, Siemens Management Consulting - get students connected with industry people and introduce job opportunities to students
4. 12% of our graduates last year are recruited into consulting roles. The management consulting firms recruiting in these two years include: McKinsey, IBM Consulting, Value Partners Management Consulting, ZS Associates, Deloitte Consulting, Boston Consulting Group, etc.

Any questions, just let us know.

Towni
Marketing & Admissions, MBA Programs
HKUST Business School

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

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