Ask Prep MBA

Thank you so much Alex.
Got you this time completely and if any further concern arises, I'd definitely revert to you...

On some other font- could you please let me know the followings:
1.Like LBS, is there any US school in top 20(US news ranking) that provides initial profile feedback on the basis of Resume review and academics prior to submitting the application?

2.What is the US GPA equivalent of an aggregate of 83/100 (top 10% of the class/department) in Engineering undergrad from an Indian university (tier 2, non-IIT) ? Any thoughts?

I'd much appreciate your feedback on these.

Kindly evaluate my profile - GMAT score 670

Hi,

It would be very helpful if someone could please help me in making the list of Business Schools to Apply for Fall, 2014 Full-Time MBA Program.

Profile:
Gender - Female
Age - 26
Nationality - Indian

Educational Qualification:
Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology.
Year of Graduation: 2013
GPA - 3.7

Work Experience:
Duration - Sep 2010 till date

I got selected in Infosys Ltd. on campus. As a Graduate Engineer working for a company of high repute, I was expected to perform from day 1.
My responsibilities included the following:

1. Resolving technical difficulties that comes up for Finance critical applications.
2. Acting as lead to a team of 5 while extracting high productivity from them.
3. Directly interacting with client and business to understand their requirements.

Extra-Curricular Activities:
Involved in street plays and theater.
Involved in various charity events organised at school and college level.

GMAT Score:
Total: 670 V: 34 Q:48

Post MBA Plans/MBA expectations:
I am interested in applying to US colleges for 2 year full time course.
I can continue in Information Technology field (inclined towards IT sale or IT business expansions), so MIS can be an option, but open to other fields like International Business, Marketing.

Thanks...

Saint,

Thanks for your patience. To be quite frank, this time of year I am so dedicated to servicing my R2 clients that I can't step away to the forums as much as I would like.

I work with the Haas Part Time Program every year and they are quite friendly to Indian engineers. Your gmat is going to be low for that segment so retake if you have the time and perhaps alter your strategy--consider a private tutor or class if you have been going at it alone. And be careful with your career goals. Given your background I would not be talking too much about i banking and vc firms. Stick to a corporate finance story within a sector you have previously worked in. Product management/technical product management may be an easier sell:)

Hello. Below is my brief profile and please suggest me what b-schools are good for me and if I have any chance at any of the preferred schools for MBA.

Age: 24
Sex:Male
Nationality: Pakistan

Qualifications: HDA, BSc, ACCA, CFA, FRM, PRM

Achievements:
1) Three year bachelor's degree awarded in First Class Honours by Oxford Brookes University, one of the leading universities in UK. GPA is equivalent to 3.6(As per iGPA calculator of World Education Services)

2) 790 GMAT score(2nd attempt. 750 score in first attempt)

3) Simpson Scholarship awarded by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. Out of 6000 applicants, 20 were short listed and among the 5 winners, I was one. It was awarded on the basis of brilliantly written essays and strong academic history.

4) Was awarded Certificates of Merit for obtaining highest score in the world in two of the ACCA exams.

5) Was awarded Candidate of the Year award by Professional Risk Management International Associations for obtaining highest score in PRM exams in the world.

6) Completed Higher Diploma in Accounting in shortest possible time in my school.

7)Devoted to Continuing Professional Education and have several Coursera Verified Certificates with distinction.

Extra-Curricular Activities:

1) Volunteered with Community Rural Development Program which is a non profit organization and was founded by my brother. We worked for developing the lifestyle of the people in the troubled tribal areas of Pakistan and established more than 10 mobile schools and put more than 2000 children in schools. Mobile schools were established on temporary basis until we raise enough money to build a proper permanent building for school.

2) Have played cricket for my college and represented my school on international level.

Work Experience:

3 years of work experience in Investment Advisory at Consulting Dept of Deloitte Pakistan and 1 year of Human Capital Consulting Experience at PwC, Saudi Arabia.

Post MBA Goals.
Be a Finance leader and also work for the betterment of the Pakistani troubled community.

Preferred Schools.
Harvard
Stanford
Wharton
Kellogg
Darden
Ross
Haas
Carnell
UCLA
McCombs
Stern &
Columbia



I hope to hear from you.

Kind Regard

Hi Guys,

Which bschools should i apply to? I am targeting US bschools beyond top 30.

Age/location- 26 Male/India

Education- Graduate in commerce. (Grade below average 44 on a scale of 100 but the topper got 62%)from University of delhi(Top ranked university)

Work experience- 24 months(Official)

1 year- In a fitness clinic (Sales)
6 months- WNS(Cutomer service)
6 months- Cabin crew in a leading airline.

Work ex- 36 months (Un official)

2 years- Did some Theater stage performances
1 year- Faamily garment store.

Certificates-

Gallileo from Edexcel
Fideleo from edexcel
English from BBC UK
First Aider
Theater Acting
Certified Cabin crew

Target program- MBA Finance or a Dual degree focus on Finance. Fall 2014 Round 2.

Gmat Date taken - 12/05/2013

Gmat practice score- Gmat prep2 (580) if i take my highest quant and verbal score from other gmat prep exams then i do cross 600.

Doing every possible bit to cross 600 atleast. With a gmat score between 580-600 what all universities should i target? I have shortlisted some universities, kindly advice.

Univ of Arizona
Purdue univ krannert
Univ of california,irvine
Babson college
Univ of pittsburg
Univ of okhlahoma
Univ of tennesse
Iowa state univ
Univ of buffalo,suny
Fordham univ
Univ of colorado,boulder
North carolina state univ
Univ of Tampa
Univ of kansas
Penn state univ

Some strech schools

George washington
Wake forest
Tulane
Indiana kelly
Terry
Babson olin
Ohio fisher
Arizona state carey
Univ of texas austin
Univ of iowa tippie
Emory
Univ of wisconsin madison

Kindly help me shortlist 5-7 schools, i need to submit my scores on the exam day.Also you can suggest some other schools.

Thank you.

Hi Alex,

Can you please help me in identifying the schools that I should target based on my profile and career goals? I plan to start my MBA in Fall 2014 and will be applying in the second round for most schools.

Profile
Gender - Male
Age - 26
Nationality - Indian

Educational Qualification
Bachelor's of Commerce (Banking & Insurance), University of Mumbai
Year of Graduation: 2008
Results: 78.50% on 100 (Have not converted to GPA because India does not have a standardized result format)

CFA Charter holder
CFA Institute, USA
Was awarded the charter in September 2013

Work Experience
Total Work Experience: 5 years 11 months
Full time: 4 years 6 months
Part time: 1 year 5 months

Overview
• Over 4 years of full-time experience in equities & interest rates trading and investment banking
• Focused on trading assets & derivatives with an inclination towards technical analysis
• Efficient in trade execution, tracking economic data and risk management

My first two and half years (part-time + full-time) were with a boutique investment banking firm focused on Private Equity and debt syndication and placement of funds. My job involved preparation of information memorandums & financial models for clients and presentation of these opportunities to investors. After that I moved to mid-sized broking firm to pursue security trading. I worked as a Trader in their capital markets division focusing on intra-day jobbing and arbitrage. My last job was with a multinational bank as an Assistant Trader on their Interest Rate Derivatives trading desk for two and half years.

Extra-curricular Activities
• Long distance runner. Ran Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon (21 kms) 2007-2013
• Elected class representative for a year during my undergraduate degree
• Participated in a number of debates and entrepreneurship related inter-college events
• Motorbike enthusiast. Been a part of motorbiking expeditions to the mountainous terrains of North India
• Trekking, travelling, reading, yoga & music

GMAT
Total Score: 700 (89%ile)
Quant: 49 (81%ile)
Verbal: 36 (80%ile)

Post MBA goals
Short term: Consulting (Financial Services division of a top tier firm)
Long term: Entrepreneurial

I have already applied to INSEAD (France / Singapore) and ISB (India) and believe that my applications are strong. Please suggest other schools in Asia and United States that I could apply to. Are schools like INSEAD, LBS, Harvard and Stanford within my reach?

Do let me know if you need any further information to evaluate my profile.

Thank you for your support.

Hi,


Sorry this took a while for me to respond. At this time of the year, the work with my private clients is the most intense, given the upcoming R2 deadlines.

The adcoms are quite familiar with the Indian grading system and will be most focused on class rank. Your score suggests your class ranking will be fairly high. For the top schools you are asking about, I do feel your GMAT will be "lowish", given your male Indian segment. That said, I think you will also get some questions around your professional trajectory. Traders don't get into the top MBA programs with the same frequency as other financial professionals like i bankers. And that said, going from i banking to trading is not all that typical.

Clearly I would have to get to know you much better to give you thoughtful advice, but I would say that you are over reaching with your targeted schools.

Alex

hi,

i am a b.tech graduate. Having 25 month work experience. I am planning to do my MBA in 2015.I did quit my job.
can you please suggest me some affordable business schools abroad? (30-40 lakh INR)

Hi Alex,

I am wondering if you can give me some thoughts on my profile. I will apply in Fall 2014, and plan on matriculating in Fall 2015. Below are my details:

Male, African-American, 26 years old

Education:
GPA: 3.17 at Howard University
Major: Chemical Engineering
GMAT: 730 (Q46 and V44)

Work Experience:
I graduated in 05/2010 and started working in 07/2010 for a top multinational oil company (think Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron). After going through training I became a downstream business analyst in 02/2011. While in this role I have continued to gain responsibility while leading improvements in reporting and analysis for my group. At the moment, I am up for a promotion, and would expect to have this position secured prior to round 1 applications.

Hence, I will have about 4 years of working experience by the time I apply and 5 years when I start the program in Fall 2015

Extra-curricular Activities:
Few Clubs and Intramural Sports in undergrad. Since graduating, I have been an active member of my company's recruiting team for my alma mater. Additionally, I have served as Special Events coordinator for a company affinity group, and am an active member of my company's Toastmasters Club. Outside of work, I am heavily involved with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, where I currently serve as a board member, focusing primarily on club fundraising as well as programming and events for the children. Lastly, I am now an MLT Fellow after gaining admission to Management Leadership for Tomorrow's most recent MBA Prep class.

Career Goals:
After the MBA, I would like to go into Management Consulting with a speciality in Energy, and gain exposure to the innovation within this sector.(Renewables, Fracking, etc)

I do understand that my GPA is on the low side, and I plan on taking a quantitative course or two to help mitigate that. Additionally, I hope that my GMAT score/work experience/extracurriculars can help offset my GPA. As of now I plan on applying to HBS, Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, Tuck(consortium), Ross(consortium), and Fuqua. In your opinion, does my GPA put these programs out of reach? Also are there any other programs that you recommend that I consider?

I really appreciate the feedback, and look forward to hearing from you soon!

Hi,
First thing first, Thanks for this wonderful thread!

I need help in understanding my chances at Top 10 B-Schools (Sept 2015 entry). Below are details of my profile:

Academics
B.Tech 2005 (Electrical Eng) : 71 % (Gold Medalist)
M.tech 2008 (IIT Delhi, India) : 8.44 (GATE exam All India Rank 46 out of ~30,000 candidates)
GMAT : Planned, July 2014; based on GMAT PREP +ve about 720

Work Ex
• Years: 7 years (As on Sept 2014), Research and Development, Tata Motors Ltd., India
• Designation: Manager (Development)
• Profile: Working on product development area, mainly on the new generation of Hybrid and Electric Vehicle development
• Achievement: Few publications in the conference/magazine which are very well acknowledged in the respective field (E.g. SAE, IEEE, ATZ etc). I am a Talent Pool employee in the present company (~15 out of 40,000 employee every year get into talent pool) and got to attend Executive Management Training program at one of the premium Indian B School (That’s where started realizing importance of doing MBA to complete my skill + knowledge set for future endeavor and in the career progress)

Extra Curricular
• I worked as a full time "SBI Youth For India” fellow (2011-2012) in the rural development space. It’s a 1 year fellowship, with a focus on rural development. I took a sabbatical from my present employer and worked on livelihood project. 28 fellows were selected from all across India. I could publish one paper on the work done under this fellowship in STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT FORUM of IIM Kozhikode (Under Top 8 B school from India); titled “Rural Local Retail: An innovative, self sustainable Social Business Model in Vegetable Business”
• Completed Paragliding pre-pilot level
• Completed French Level 1 certification

Certification
No international level certification; however Level 2 patent specialist Under TATA GROUP IP Management Program.

Target Program
Harvard……………………………… Stanford, MIT, LBS, INSEAD; As my school research is not extensive I would also like to know which are other schools where my profile and career goal would match

When you plan to apply
R1 Oct 2014

Your post-MBA goal
My long term goal is to start up a company in the area of Product Development ( To give a perspective, product development company like 3M)
With my work experience and Technical Education background I have developed the knowledge set required for such a venture however I am looking at following aspect to be covered by attending B-School:
1. Present and past student Network and prospective business partner
2. School name and the creditability with that to start new venture
3. Skill set to manage the business and required exposure
4. Peer Learning and divers thinking

If this doesn’t happen in immediate future (Post MBA) then I would like to join a Management Consultancy firm or a corporate position in Strategy and Planning vertical; which in long term would help me in setting up my firm.

I would like to understand how fair are my chances in Ivy-8 or above mentioned schools?
And which other schools you find would suitable for my profile?

I guess that’s all !!!

I sincerely thanks for all your time and efforts and waiting for your reply. (Moderator + Consultant)

HarryIITD

Background
• Rich experience in Design, Innovation and Competitive Product Development.
• Due to keen interest in Design in general and Transportation Design in particular, pursued Engineering education to earn Masters in Design (Product Design &Engg.) from I.I.Sc. Bangalore (Indian Institute of Science) and also pursued professional career in Vehicle Design with two Top Automotive Companies in the World and India respectively.
• Experience evolved working through corporate design gates/processes & interaction with various stakeholders and vendors; close participation through cross functional teams in business processes like product definition, product planning, market positioning & innovation activities.
• In-depth understanding of design tools & methodologies; System/Process Design & IPR landscaping.
• Undertook initiatives in multidisciplinary/multicultural environments & in navigating uncertainty/handling ambiguity, championing customer focus & multidimensional problem solving with full confidence.
• Worked as a design lead and design jury member on various professional assignments.
• Wish to integrate formal knowledge in design with a penchant for enterprise creation to start an organization devoted to creating next generation mobility solutions. An MBA education in this regard would go a long way in helping me realize this objective.

Academics
• BE (Mechanical Engineering) 2003: 70%
• Masters in Design (IISc, Bangalore) 2008: 6.9/8.0 (10 students accepted into the prestigious design program every year from a pool of 10,000+ applicants)
• GMAT: 730

Professional Experience
• Years: 6 years (as on August 2014) in the Design Studio and R&D Centre and prior 2 years (2004-2006) at General Motors.
• Designation: Manager (ADVANCED DESIGN)
• Profile: Responsible for Exterior Design of Next-Generation Passenger Vehicles. Several projects are in production and have been displayed in International Auto Shows.

Achievements
• Responsible for exterior design of next gen vehicles (3); responsible for design of concept vehicles (2) showcasing the future vision of the company.
• Lead the future vision activities of the department through the design function.
• Exposed to vision/pre-concept research/positioning/branding/conceptual development/production design/systems development/integration and marketing aspects of full scale product (vehicle) development.
• I have completed one full ‘level 6’ (new platform) production vehicle program with exterior and interior design.
• Lead team in simulated enterprise creation & management workshops with spectacular results.
• I also mentor junior members of the team.

Extra-Curricular
• One of the top 50 innovators selected in India Innovation Growth Program in 2014 (Partners: Department of Science and Technology Govt of India; Lockheed Martin Corporation USA; Stanford Business School; University of Austin Texas)
• I am also an active member of the design team working on CSR activities of my organization in rural school development and modernization.
• Design Jury for one of the most prestigious design competitions in India for the year 2013.

Certification:
Several relevant to Product Development and Business Development through Design, several in core competencies and allied fields.
For example:
Interpretation by Design (BMW Germany); Customer Centric Workshop by RoadsAhead Consulting India; Trend & Design by Style-Vision Asia (France); Design Thinking Action Lab (Stanfordx); Innovation & Commercialization (MITx); several core design domain courses from MITx including the X-Series Certification in Air Vehicle Design; Courses from Harvardx; etc..

Target Program:
Harvard or any one of the top 5 B Schools in the world

Planned Entry
R1 October 2014

Post MBA Goal
Vision is to start a mobility solutions company.


I wish to understand my chances to be accepted in an HBS type of program (Ivy League) and look forward to your most realistic assessment of my profile.
Sincere thanks in advance for your time and effort! And many thanks for offering such a platform for aspirants like us!
Warm Regards
JSW

Harry,

Thanks for your patience. I have been on a mini holiday before things start to heat up for MBA applications.

Your academic record is a great foundation and Tata is one of the most renowned firms. If you are shooting as high as HBS, Stanford and MIT, you may need an even higher gmat vs your target. I say that given the fierce competition in your demographic segment. And I would suggest that you think a lot about career objectives in the applications. Saying you want to start a product development company and then talking about m consulting or strategy may be a disconnect, or at least not a deepening of your story with specific direction. For example, IDEO is a consulting firm as well, but they specialize in new product development, prototyping and design. Using them as a post MBA targeted firm may enrich your story vs leaving your plans more generic. Remember, you are trying to stand out!

MIT is certainly a great choice for your profile. But I would also encourage you to look at some safer schools as well. A school like Tepper may give you some scholarship money and they have a great tradition of product development. Keep your mind open in your search!

Best of Luck,

Alex

Hi Chem,

Thanks for your patience; I was on a vacation with my family before the MBA season really heats up. Well done on your GMAT! That certainly puts to rest any doubts about your intellectual firepower. And this will help offset your GPA, though that gpa is well below the mean of most of your target schools as your research has uncovered. It helps that your major was a tough one, and perhaps there is an upward trend to point to?

You have some solid experience in oil and gas and your career goals are appropriately aligned. Duke has a great energy program so I was glad to see them on your list. You may also want to consider Haas and MIT. The problem is that these are not safety schools, and you may want to apply to one other school like Ross in terms of level of difficulty.

Remember that this is also not a purely algorithmic process—it’s not just about your scores and grades. So work hard on those subjective essays and interview prep. The emotional energy you create is critical.

Best of Luck,


Alex

JSW,

You clearly have a lot of passion for and subject matter expertise in automotive design and design technology. That kind of focus could make you an attractive “elder statesman” type at a great MBA program. The problem is that I am guessing your age will also put you in a diminished pool at some of the top schools that tend to take younger candidates (HBS and Stanford). Of course there are always exceptions but this age issue may have you look more broadly in your targeting--MIT can be age friendly for example and they might love your technical background and firepower. Be careful to develop career plans that are specific--I am not sure I follow the one you have listed.

Your demographic of male Indian (I may be wrong) is also a challenge, as there seem to be so many talented applicants and of course limited spots, but that cannot deter you!

Look broadly at schools and perhaps an eMBA might even be a possibility now or down the road. Not certain of your age.

Alex

Hey Alex,

Thanks a lot, that makes much more sense now; specifically IDEO and the link with the career goal.

Keep your mind open in your search, Yup got the message

Now the work ahead is nailing GMAT; will update you once I get the score in my hand.


Thanks again for your time and help, really appreciate that.

HarryIITD

My pleasure Harry!!