Engineers: Ask Vocaz

Thank you for the advice you are giving to engineers.

You’re welcome. Glad to be able to assist fellow engineers.

Here is my profile. Would appreciate your candid inputs on my chances into part-time or full-time programs.
UG from IIT (top engineering programs in India) GPA 9.1/10 (3.6/4 depends on the formula you use). Class rank 2. 1st rank gpa = 9.2/10
Grad from U of Illinois GPA 4.0 with one conference and one journal publication.
(class rank not available for grad school)
Both in mechanical engg.
GMAT 700/90% overall (Q49, V35) and AWA 5.5

Seven years of experience as mechanical engg in a fortune 500 company. The experience has been of increasing responsibility. Project leadership and management experience; people management experience in the last two years. Several patents granted and many pending applications. Volunteering and leadership experience in organizing multiple employee engagement events for the last 3 years.

As I have proven my thought leadership, I need to enhance my skills in finance and strategy. After MBA, I would like to move into product management and business strategy. (possibly within my current company, but not necessarily).

Target schools: kellogg, booth, ross,
(only focused on PT).

Questions:
1) are the target schools realistic for me (if you could, please suggest others in mi\il\in)

At Vocaz, we specialize in providing guidance on full-time programs. If considering full-time MBA courses at the mentioned universities, here are some thoughts:
- With an assumption of strong essays & recommendations, and keeping in view your GMAT score, our experience shows that you may be a competitive candidate at Ross and a competitive-to-stretch candidate at Kellogg and Booth.
- We believe location is only one of the considerations for selecting a school. However, if it is the most important one for you, you may want to consider Notre Dame (Mendoza), Indiana (Kelley), and Purdue (Krannert) too.

2) am I short changing myself by focusing on PT

It really depends on your reasons for focusing on part-time programs. If it helps for me to say, your academic and professional track record is good and should leave you well placed at some of the top full-time programs.

3) please point out other areas of weakness

Some community work and further illustration of leadership in non-work settings would certainly help strengthen your candidacy. Also, while your academics may make up for the slightly lower GMAT score (relative to other Indian applicants), it may be worth improving it for applications to the top full-time programs.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

Manish

Manish Agarwal
Vocaz

Thank you for the response. It helps clarify things a lot.

Here are my thoughts about why prefer PT.
Having work exp of 7 years, if I were to enroll FT, after mba, I can only aspire for a position as a sr analyst\manager. By going PT in the meantime, I can progress to manager in the meantime. (for both these, I consider fortune 500 companies as employers). My age of 30+ and finances are the other reasons for going PT. At the same time, based on your and others input about strong prof background, I was wondering if I should consider FT. Are my assumptions regarding my post-MBA (FT scenario) employment prospects accurate?

In my preference for PT also lie my rationale for my location preference.

My approach to my ECs is quality not quantity, will this hurt me? I really think its stupid when people do things JUST to put them on their resume. I plan to apply to the top tier schools and intend to start my MBA in the Fall of 2013. Any comments and suggestions are welcome.

Do I have a good shot at a top tier? I plan on building my resume and EC in the next couple of years. Also does not finishing my Masters in Engineering Management hurt me?

Education:
Masters: Some credits completed for Engineering Management, 1 dropped class, 3.67 GPA. Leaning towards not finishing the degree because I don't want to take the engineering route in my career and also due to financial reasons.

Bachelors: Computer Engineering, 2009 3.38 GPA at regionally known engineering school

GMAT: TBD, shooting for 700+

Extracurriculars:
President and founding member of IEEE Chapter during college, ~200 members of which ~20-50 showed up for events. During my tenure, I helped shape the Electrical and Computer Engineering curriculum for today's job market by networking with a certain company that will need a specialized and in demand skill set. They ended up sending one of their employees to teach a night class at my suggestion.

Youth group leader at an inner city church since 2008. Involved with church around ~23 hours a month total. I mentor and counsel around 23 teens academically and spiritually. I've had to try to convince teenagers that they don't have to join the military to pay for college.

I also do things like help clergy with immigration concerns and act as an intermediary for them with lawyers.

Medical missions trip next year in a far off land

Work Experience:
Current Industry: Energy

Post Bachelors: I worked in the financial industry doing IT project management for 9 months, and then switched into the energy industry where I now do engineering economics type of work.

Pre Bachelors: Participated in the co-op program at my school where I worked in 5 full time, 4-5 month engineering and IT jobs

Thank you for the response. It helps clarify things a lot.

Here are my thoughts about why prefer PT.
Having work exp of 7 years, if I were to enroll FT, after mba, I can only aspire for a position as a sr analyst\manager. By going PT in the meantime, I can progress to manager in the meantime. (for both these, I consider fortune 500 companies as employers). My age of 30+ and finances are the other reasons for going PT. At the same time, based on your and others input about strong prof background, I was wondering if I should consider FT. Are my assumptions regarding my post-MBA (FT scenario) employment prospects accurate?

Hi,

Your assumptions regarding post-MBA career opportunities are reasonable and justify the PT approach. However, I must highlight that some Fortune 500 companies recruit from top-FT programs into their rotational leadership programs or internal strategy departments. This is done with the intent of fast-tracking some promising candidates through to leadership positions i.e. if selected, you will probably enjoy a much quicker career path than an existing high-performing employee would.

In my preference for PT also lie my rationale for my location preference.

Hope this provides you a complete picture. Good Luck!
Manish

Manish Agarwal
Vocaz

My approach to my ECs is quality not quantity, will this hurt me? I really think its stupid when people do things JUST to put them on their resume. I plan to apply to the top tier schools and intend to start my MBA in the Fall of 2013. Any comments and suggestions are welcome.

Hi,

You obviously really enjoy your extra-curriculars and are approaching them wisely. Do make sure your passion and enthusiasm come across clearly in your applications.

Do I have a good shot at a top tier?
Based on your academics (completed Masters), deep involvement in extra-curriculars, assumptions of a GMAT score of ~720, demonstrated career progression, strong essays and recommendations, you should be a competitive candidate at some of the top tier schools.

I plan on building my resume and EC in the next couple of years.
It is always a good idea to strengthen the resume. Career progression, leadership at/outside work, community work and extra-curriculars (e.g., sports etc.) are all good focus areas.

Also does not finishing my Masters in Engineering Management hurt me?
Well, it is never ideal to list an incomplete degree on your resume. The admission committees will be keen to evaluate your reasons for not pursuing it to completion. In your case, financial constraints may make a little more acceptable than the realisation that engineering is not a career for you. The question you will be faced with will be – if not engineering, then what?


Education:
Masters: Some credits completed for Engineering Management, 1 dropped class, 3.67 GPA. Leaning towards not finishing the degree because I don't want to take the engineering route in my career and also due to financial reasons.

Bachelors: Computer Engineering, 2009 3.38 GPA at regionally known engineering school

GMAT: TBD, shooting for 700+

Extracurriculars:
President and founding member of IEEE Chapter during college, ~200 members of which ~20-50 showed up for events. During my tenure, I helped shape the Electrical and Computer Engineering curriculum for today's job market by networking with a certain company that will need a specialized and in demand skill set. They ended up sending one of their employees to teach a night class at my suggestion.

Youth group leader at an inner city church since 2008. Involved with church around ~23 hours a month total. I mentor and counsel around 23 teens academically and spiritually. I've had to try to convince teenagers that they don't have to join the military to pay for college.

I also do things like help clergy with immigration concerns and act as an intermediary for them with lawyers.

Medical missions trip next year in a far off land

Work Experience:
Current Industry: Energy

Post Bachelors: I worked in the financial industry doing IT project management for 9 months, and then switched into the energy industry where I now do engineering economics type of work.

Pre Bachelors: Participated in the co-op program at my school where I worked in 5 full time, 4-5 month engineering and IT jobs

Hope this helps. Good Luck!
Manish

Manish Agarwal
Vocaz

This is perhaps the first encouraging news abt second MBA after going through a few forums! Even I have the same question about second MBA. If for genuine reasons, one completes an mba from europe's top 10 school but needs to work and live in US, then it is an issue coz many top european schools perhaps are not that well viewed by US firms (strangely! I don't understand why this is so! They are supposed to be global schools!) as top 10 US schools are. So, in order one is forced to go for an US MBA, is it a big sin and no top 5 US bschool takes you?

Hi ,
first up thanks guys for the service ur providing! kudos to u...

My Profile is :
Indian/Male/IT Engineer
Work-Ex- 4 yrs currenlt, will be 5 by the time of joining in next year
Grades: Pune University Eng - 62.5% (First Class) Top 10 in college, Topper in one sem
GMAT: 770 (V51,Q42)
ECs: I have won a college programming contest, been actively involved with an NGO for the past 2 yrs

Work-Ex Detailed
1: 3 yrs with An Indian Software company with 1000 employees - Worked as a developer, but also had a lot of client interaction, and was soon working as more of a consultant
2: and one of the Top 3 security firm (1 yr curently): Working as a developer

Career Goal:
I want to pursue consulting (MC/IT)

Targets:
Wat are my chances at the M7? or shud I target anything lower?

Hi ,
first up thanks guys for the service ur providing! kudos to u...

My Profile is :
Indian/Male/IT Engineer
Work-Ex- 4 yrs currenlt, will be 5 by the time of joining in next year
Grades: Pune University Eng - 62.5% (First Class) Top 10 in college, Topper in one sem
GMAT: 770 (V51,Q42)
ECs: I have won a college programming contest, been actively involved with an NGO for the past 2 yrs

Work-Ex Detailed
1: 3 yrs with An Indian Software company with 1000 employees - Worked as a developer, but also had a lot of client interaction, and was soon working as more of a consultant
2: and one of the Top 3 security firm (1 yr curently): Working as a developer

Career Goal:
I want to pursue consulting (MC/IT)

Targets:
Wat are my chances at the M7? or shud I target anything lower?

Hi,

Could you please clarify the acronym M7? Would allow me to provide an clearer answer.

Thanks,
Manish

Manish Agarwal
Vocaz

Hi Manish,

Sorry for using the obscure abbreviation. By M7 i meant the top 7 MBA schools like HBS, Stanford, MIT Sloan,Wharton and the likes.

Thanks


My Profile is :
Indian/Male/IT Engineer
Work-Ex- 4 yrs currenlt, will be 5 by the time of joining in next year
Grades: Pune University Eng - 62.5% (First Class) Top 10 in college, Topper in one sem
GMAT: 770 (V51,Q42)
ECs: I have won a college programming contest, been actively involved with an NGO for the past 2 yrs

Work-Ex Detailed
1: 3 yrs with An Indian Software company with 1000 employees - Worked as a developer, but also had a lot of client interaction, and was soon working as more of a consultant
2: and one of the Top 3 security firm (1 yr curently): Working as a developer

Career Goal:
I want to pursue consulting (MC/IT)

Targets:
Wat are my chances at the M7? or shud I target anything lower?

Hi,

Could you please clarify the acronym M7? Would allow me to provide an clearer answer.

Thanks,
Manish

Manish Agarwal
Vocaz

My Profile is :
Indian/Male/IT Engineer
Work-Ex- 4 yrs currenlt, will be 5 by the time of joining in next year
Grades: Pune University Eng - 62.5% (First Class) Top 10 in college, Topper in one sem
GMAT: 770 (V51,Q42)
ECs: I have won a college programming contest, been actively involved with an NGO for the past 2 yrs

Work-Ex Detailed
1: 3 yrs with An Indian Software company with 1000 employees - Worked as a developer, but also had a lot of client interaction, and was soon working as more of a consultant
2: and one of the Top 3 security firm (1 yr curently): Working as a developer

Career Goal:
I want to pursue consulting (MC/IT)

Targets:
Wat are my chances at the M7? or shud I target anything lower?

Hi,

Congratulations for that impressive GMAT score! For the undergraduate scores, I would recommend moving away from the 62.5% and highlighting your percentile score and rank instead, as these better reflect your relative standing. Also, consult your University on conversion of your grades/scores to a GPA scale. It is noteworthy that you have been involved in some community work.

Based on the information you have provided, and an assumption of good career progression, strong essays and recommendations, our experience shows that you will be a stretch at the top 10 B-schools. Therefore, apply to 2-3 carefully selected top-10 schools but hedge your bets with a few top-20 schools too.

Regards
Manish

Manish Agarwal
Vocaz

This post has been deleted.

Hi Manish,
thanks for the prompt reply. Just one more query, is there anything that I can do to enhance my profile to make it more suitable for the Top 10 schools. Anything work-related or extra curricular?

Hi Manish,
thanks for the prompt reply. Just one more query, is there anything that I can do to enhance my profile to make it more suitable for the Top 10 schools. Anything work-related or extra curricular?

Hi

In terms of enhancing your profile, please consider the following:

Professional: A developer position confirms your analytical capabilities. To complete the profile you need to focus on continued career progression with increasing responsibilities (as well as titles) e.g., budget and people management, business development, thought leadership etc. If all of these are done within a big brand-name company, even better.

Extra curriculars: Build further and deeper your role in the NGO. If your NGO has a public profile on the net, great - otherwise you may want to put some effort in providing it that exposure. It also allows the Ad-coms to evaluate the NGO's profile first-hand. Taking on leadership positions within the NGO would also help. Apart from this, are you able to draw attention to any sports/games that you excel in and have perhaps represented your school/university/city/state?

Hope this helps.

Regards
Manish

Manish Agarwal
Vocaz

Hi,

I would appreciate if you could evaluate my profile:

Personal Details:
- 24/M/Indian, Singaporean
- B.Eng (Civil Eng), Minor in Management,National University of Singapore, Undergraduate Scholar
- GPA 3.3/5 (Possibly in top 20% of my class - no proof though!)
- GMAT 650 (Q-47, V-33, AWA-6) - only wish I am as lucky as Gill Levi

Hi,

Maintaining diversity in student population is a prime objective of the top schools these days. Therefore, applying as a Singapore citizen increases your admission chances. However, a GPA of 3.3/5.0 (I am assuming not 3.3/4.0) and a 650 GMAT score are sure obstacles.


Work Experience:
- 3 years experience as a Project Engineer in an international MNC (Fortune 500), Construction Industry (Consulting)
- Leadership role in a transportation infrastructure project (handling clients, liaising with contractors, preparing strategy reports, manage costs)
- Employee Engagement Executive for 2 years in my company (Liaising with senior management, prepare staff club budgets, community service initiatives)

Ad-coms study your professional career to confirm intellect, commercial/business savvy, ability to work in teams and thought leadership. You will need provide examples from your professional career that can help them with this evaluation. Also, if possible, show continuous career progression that was achieved faster than your peers


Other Achievements:
- National Swimmer (Won various awards at school, university, state and national level)
- Captain & Coach of Hall Swimming Team (Led team and won University Inter-Hall Games)
- Entrepreneur (working with colleagues towards patenting a new product - construction technology)
- Have led 2 major community service initiatives in last 2 years.

Your swimming achievements are commendable and should place you in a strong position. This may just be your trump card. Further, evidence of serving the community and your swimming fraternity will definitely please the admission committees.


Post Career Goals:
- General Management
- Entrepreneur

Target Universities (Top 10 Universities in US)
HBS, Stanford, Wharton, Yale, Kellogg, Columbia

Based on our experience, you would have been a stretch at the above universities. However, your swimming achievements may tilt that towards a competitive to stretch.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks!

Hope that helps. Good Luck!

Manish

Manish Agarwal
Vocaz

Hi Manish,

Its encouraging to see you guys helping people like me.

Could you please have a look at my profile and suggest:

-Male/29/Indian/IT(Embedded Domain)

GMAT: not yet. But targeting 740-750

Education:
1. PG diploma in Embedded systems
2. BTech in Electronics and Communcations(College Topper)
3. UG 3 & 1/2 Yrs Diploma in Electronics and Communcations(College Topper)

WorkEx:
6 yrs as of today.

Highlight:
1. Patent Holder.
2. Six Sigma Green Belt Holder for Quality.
3. Project Management and Lead 2 yrs experience
4. Award for another Six Sigma Project.
5. Quality Continued Education within Company( Level 1 and Level 2 Certified)
6. International Work experience
7. Direct Client interaction and good reputation with client.
8. Among Top performers in company ( Awarded certificate for Best performance)
9. Worked in different MNC culture (US/S.Korean/Spanish)
10. Member of Business council in Company.


Low points:
Social work

MBA Plans:
Inside india: ISB, IIM
Outside India: HBS, Stanford, MIT Sloan,Wharton

Anything I need to work on?? College target is OK or not?

Thanks

Hi Manish,

Its encouraging to see you guys helping people like me.


Hi,

Glad you are finding this useful.


Could you please have a look at my profile and suggest:

-Male/29/Indian/IT(Embedded Domain)

GMAT: not yet. But targeting 740-750

Education:
1. PG diploma in Embedded systems
2. BTech in Electronics and Communcations(College Topper)
3. UG 3 & 1/2 Yrs Diploma in Electronics and Communcations(College Topper)

Unfortunately, Diplomas don’t hold as much value as full fledged degree courses. Can you please clarify the UG 3.5 years and the B.Tech, which I am guessing should be close to 4 years. Were any of these part time courses? It is good that you were top ranked in college - perhaps best to state any awards, medals, scholarships you may have received as a result.


WorkEx:
6 yrs as of today.

Highlight:
1. Patent Holder.
2. Six Sigma Green Belt Holder for Quality.
3. Project Management and Lead 2 yrs experience
4. Award for another Six Sigma Project.
5. Quality Continued Education within Company( Level 1 and Level 2 Certified)
6. International Work experience
7. Direct Client interaction and good reputation with client.
8. Among Top performers in company ( Awarded certificate for Best performance)
9. Worked in different MNC culture (US/S.Korean/Spanish)
10. Member of Business council in Company.

You have a good engineering background. However, MBA schools are not excited about the traditional six sigma etc. Instead, you need to showcase your business and commercial savvy, thought leadership (through patents, white papers, conferences), career progression (project management, team leadership, promotions). Your international work experience is varied and valuable, so make sure you highlight it appropriately in your resume and essays.


Low points:
Social work

Social work is only one of the ways to illustrate your all-rounded personality to the Ad-Coms. Other possibilities include sports, music, excellence in hobbies (photo/art exhibitions) etc.


MBA Plans:
Inside india: ISB, IIM
Outside India: HBS, Stanford, MIT Sloan,Wharton

Assuming you have worked at some big brand name MNCs and that you have enjoyed good career progression, a strong set of essays/recommendations/GMAT should place you competitive to strong at the ISB, IIM and a competitive to stretch at the US schools you listed.

Anything I need to work on?? College target is OK or not?

Please see comments above. There is scope for all rounded development. College target is a little aggressive when it comes to the international top tier schools. If an overseas education is a strong preference, I would advise hedging your bets by looking at some other schools e.g., Darden, Texas etc.

Thanks

Hope this helps. Good Luck!
Manish