Ask Paul Lanzillotti

Hi Paul,

I was so happy to find you here. This is a great platform for a lot of us to reach out to you. I would also like to get some professional help from you and will contact you to talk to you in detail.

I am aiming to do my MBA in the Fall session next year and am in the process of filling applications. This is a brief background of my profile:

Nationality: Indian
Gender: Female
Age: 23
GMAT score: 680 (maths:48, verbal:35)

Undergrad GPA: I did my undergrad in Finance from one of the coveted Indian colleges in Delhi University. The course comprised of subjects such as Futures and Options, Corporate Finance, Investment Banking, Corporate and Banking law. I obtained an average of 81% in this 3-year course.

Work experience: I have worked for 2 years with a small-sized research and consulting firm in Delhi. The small-size of the firm has given me a lot of leadership opportunities and exposure to challenging, open-ended projects.
I received Outstanding Achievement Award twice during this period. I worked on various kinds of projects ranging from developing pricing models, cost structures and best procurement practices for various industries, studying the value chain, various sourcing models for manufacturing companies, analyzing the demand and supply trends and growth indicators for various industries.
I got promoted to a senor analyst position within a year and have gotten an opportunity to handle various heavy-loaded projects all on my own and have also worked in teams where I have assisted and supported my juniors.

Extra-Curricular Activities: I was one of the organizers for a lot of events during undergrad, such as the finance seminar, the annual festival. I was also responsible for getting scholarships for the events. Being a part of the organizing committee has given me a great experience in team working and coordination. I have also been an active part of the society for social service in college. I really enjoy sharing my views and communicating with the larger audience. I made various business presentations in college and have been a part of several debating and extempore competitions in high school.

Objective: I am aiming at top 20-30 US schools - is the work ex or the GMAT too low for them (although I am meeting the 25 point rule of yours in some of them with a 680 score )?
I am also aiming at National University of Singapore and Nanyang, Singapore and LBS and Insead in Europe. According to my profile, what colleges do you think are suitable for me? And what improvement can I make in my profile? Also do you think retaking the GMAT would make my case stronger (I was expecting a higher score since I was getting about 730 -740 in mocks).

All your suggestions will really be helpful for me. Awaiting your response!

Best Regards!

I am 40 years of age with 20 years of work experience working in government department. I am an Electronics & Telecom Engineer.

I have a GMAT score of 640 (Q 44, V 34, AWA 4.5). I am interested in pursuing exec MBA in Indian/Asian schools.

I have decent academic profile in school and college level. I am active in sports and other extra curricular activities.

I would request a profile evaluation.

hi

For a particular school which doesn't have any section for extracurricular activities, etc, is it a good idea to enlist them in my optional essay? I've nothing to explain in my optional essay

Hi Paul, Can you Pl evalute my profile. want to apply for LBS, Said and Cass in UK

age : 32
MBA : from top 20 B school in India - Marketing
GMAT : 620
Exp ; 10 years by spt 2011( 4 years in sales and product mngmt in consumer products & rest 6 years in Product and Portfolio mangnt of retail banking product with top Multinational and Indian banks)
- managing book size worth 0.4 B USD.


IELTs : 8

EC :

Associated with and NGO for last 11 years ; contributed significantly to brough slum kids in mainstream of country by initiated financial inclusion, my initiative was implemented pan india.

Got MD's award ( to increase business from 0.9 m $ per month to 90 crs per months in 6 months : when world was in deep recession and retail banks was worst impacted) , only second person to get this award in the retail business of the bank.

won 1st proze in the bank's marketing fest...

I really donot have any time for study , travelling more than 15 days in month.

want to join investment banking post international MBA ( of 1 yr duration).

Thanks

Hi Experts,
I"ll appreciate any suggestions on my choice of universities with the kind of profile I have.

GMAT: 640 (Q-47, V-32, AWA-5.5)
Job Exp: 4.5yrs
GPA: 3.5
Indian Female, 25yrs
Extra Curriculars: Nothing impressive
Awards received: Mostly technical during my Engineering days.. not sure if they are worth mentioning.

My industry experience has been in IT (ERP-SAP) for about 3 yrs and Sales & Marketing for SAP for another 1.5yrs. I have handled various US assignments from the client's location and my major area of expertise is in Oil & Gas sector and Supply Chain Management.
I intend to pursue my MBA in the Operations & Logistics and/or Sales and Marketing. My choice of universities are the ones which offer both the courses or in someway offer electives for each of these. I am planning to send my MBA application packets latest by Nov 15th to each of the following univs:
1. University of Toronto - Rotman School of Management
2. Texas A&M University - Mays School of Business
3. UBC - Sauder School of Business
4. Rice University - Jesse Jones SOM
5. UT Dallas - SOM
6. Arizona State University - Carrey
Please advise on my choice of schools and some others which I can consider. I am apprehensive about my low score.. Please suggest

Hi Iceprincess:
Just to follow up, I answered this question by responding to your other identical post.
Respectfully,
Paul

Dear Sir,

Kindly advise me on my choices:

I am male 25years from India
GMAT: 750 Q51 V40
An Engineer, majoring in Mechanical, 2005 batch
Work-ex:6 years, mostly manufacturing, in various roles from production to engineering to consulting now
Started business consulting company in Jan 2009
Chief placement co-ordinator, represented college in various business meets
Looking to build-upon my entrepreneurial journey, lead success through innovation and ultimately build an international innovation power-house
I am looking at INSEAD France, IMD Switzerland, MIT Sloan, Kellogg, ESADE Spain and ISB India
Kindly support me, I am an entrepreneur, consultant, good engineer and a thorough thinker. Getting Recommendations shouldn't be a big problem for me.

Hi Paul,

I'd be delighted if you can evaluate my profile and help me with a few pointers

A few things about my profile:

- GMAT 680/6.0 (50/31 - Q/V) - Indian Applicant

- 4 yrs work-ex by mid of 2011

- About workex

-- have been working in the same company for about 3 yrs now. Presently leading the Product Management Team in an EDA company (EDA companies make softwares for semiconductor companies)
-- international workex - two short stints of 1 month each - at company headquarters in the US and at a client site in China

-- twice recognised for exceptional work by the company

-- I am confident of getting good recos from my manager/ex-manager

- Educational - pretty decent - 91% in 10th - 81% in 12th - 81% in UG (Communication & Computers major) - 1 international internship for 1.5 months in Kazakhstan in steel industry

- have good extra currics - participation in debates/extempories/skits at school/college level; founder of a few clubs in college etc
- NGO exp - void


I was hopeful of getting a good GMAT score(700+) which could have put me in an okay position to try for some top B schools (given I belong to the Indian IT applicant category). But given this score, I'm not very sure about my chances.

Post MBA - have an inclination towards Marketing, but would prefer a school where I can explore different options (specially if I opt for a 2 yr program).

I'm thinking of applying to these schools:
ISB India
NUS Singapore
Said (Oxford)
CMU, Duke, Kellogg (the list seems too long here but i'm not sure considering the score)

Please suggest to which other bschools can i apply in the US - as per stretch/reach/safe criteria - it'll be very helpful.

Any other comments on the profile? - All duly appreciated Sir!

Please let me know if more info is needed.

Thanks a lot!

Hi Paul,

Great job with this useful thread. I would appreciate your input on my non-traditional candidacy.
Academic: GPA 3.3, GMAT 690
Professional: Male, international, aged 31, 12 years "work" as professional athlete (unfortunately not in cash rich sports). Strong career/athletic development from junior, reserve to first team and called to national squad ranked top 5 in the world. Competed internationally representing my country, won titles and Olympic medals (admittedly not gold). Received recognition awards from federation and national sports media. Commercially, I supplemented earnings from federation stipend and competition money by picking up a few sponsorship deals, some modelling & teambuilding work.

Extracurriculars: Elected to represent athletes’ interests in Sports Council, volunteered outreach programme to coach children in after school activities, media relations work to promote participation and mentored junior athletes. Mix of teamwork, negotiation, leadership and mentoring skills.

Post MBA career goal: move from brand ambassador to product management with sports apparel/equipment company. Volunteer as business adviser to sports community and evaluate personal investment opportunities. Preferred programmes with strong general management & marketing courses and active sports business student clubs.
Michigan, Duke, Cornell, Kellogg, Wharton, LBS. Any other suggestions?

Am I realistic as I am not consultant/banker/Blue Chip engineer. Does the adcom see a sports pro’s experience as valuable in the MBA programme.

1) There is a catch, I turned pro at a young age. Completed BA degree (Econ and Mod. Languages) through distance learning programme and private tutors at a lower ranked university. Training camps and constant travel to competitions did not allow formal full time study. I wonder if adcoms would count my less formal academic background against me. On the other hand, should I spin challenge of earning degree while working full-time?
2) Any idea in which pool I will be allocated: a) non-traditional pool by profession with military and non-profit folks or b) simply all other internationals

Unique story, solid ECs and strong professional accomplishment. But mature age, softish Gmat and total lack of corporate work. I need to make a strong case to adcoms that I am not a dumb jock stereotype. Is my new coach suitable as referee? He knows my athletic abilities, not so much commercial skills and is a weak writer. A sports federation executive and another manager with sponsor offered to be referees.

Thanks.
Confused Jock

Confused Jock,

There is plenty to be optimistic about. Did you play beach volleyball, by chance? That is my guess based on your descriptions, though I suppose there are several viable possibilities.

The best way to think about yourself in the context of the MBA admissions process is as being similar to a military applicant. Now, this is not to compare sports to active duty, so please, nobody confuse what I am saying here. But playing sports at that level is similar to military service in the way that you develop really great skill sets (leadership, teamwork, maturity, discipline, focus, mental toughness, resiliency, the list goes on and on) and you have fantastic stories and a certain amount of narrative cache, yet you lack the "test run" of working in a traditional professional environment.

The trick is to pull out all those transferable skills and put them on full displays in the essays. Build around who you are and what your experiences have made you, rather than a chronology of what you've done.

I hope these initial thoughts are helpful. If you want to get deeper into this, feel free to PM me or send an email to consult@amerasiall.com. We have an expert here who specializes in non-traditional applicants (especially athletes) - could be a huge help.

Thanks for reaching out.

Respectfully,

Paul Lanzillotti

Paul,

Thanks for your prompt reply. Interestingly, your military comparison is spot on though I have not the honour to serve my country. I had a formidable junior coach who was a former Army drill sergeant. He explained to junior athletes the responsibilities similar to military training, one needs to follow shared principles to succeed long term (discipline, teamwork, focus, fair play and preparation). He managed us like cadets (travel logistics, curfew, drills, checks, penalties) and juniors learned valuable lessons for life from him.

A chronology of career wouldn't work here with my application as I need to relate acquired skills in application and show how soft skills would fit to programme. Either a development arc or descriptive profile + goals would work. I need to avoid narrative anecdotes or battle stories for normal reader (same challenge as military applicants) as it puts off people.

I am not a beach volleyball player though I enjoyed watching matches in the Olympics. The closest I got to beach volleyball was in a holiday resort for a pick up game. A top 5 team with titles would make decent money from stipend, competition earning and great sponsorship opportunities (vizor, shades, apparel, energy drinks, lifestyle articles). True: Some US beach volleyball player actually got into Stanford GSB a few years ago.

Hi Paul,
I am amazed by the level of detail in your response and I am so glad that I joined this forum. I am sure this forum is going to be of great help to me.
Here is a bit about myself.
Nationality- Indian but currently living & working in Canada on a work visa.
Age-23
Gender – F

GMAT –Planning to take it by Feb 2011
Degree: BBA (Accounting major) from an Indian University & a Post secondary Diploma from Centennial College – Canada( This was a twinning program between the Canadian and Indian business school).
GPA: 3.57
Designation: Final stages of Certified Management Accountants (CMA – Canada) graduating in summer 2011. Just started with Certified Public Accountant (CPA - US).
Languages: Learning French, fluent in English, Tamil and Hindi
Work experience:
Over 3 years of progressive experience working as a Finance officer, Financial analyst and Finance specialist in private, public and non-profit sectors. Performed budgeting & costing, financial reporting & analysis and accounts payables and receivables.
Achievements:
Selected as a Toronto Young Ambassador at the G20 My Summit 2010 . Participated at the G20 My Summit events alongside 200 International Youth Leaders. Received Certificate of Appreciation from the Mayor and Forgien Affairs Minister.
Community service:
Volunteering with a Canadian Non-for-profit Organization as a Membership Database Analyst.
EC:
Arts & Crafts (have won inter-school competitions) and Cooking.
In short, I am working full-time, learning French, actively pursuing two Accounting designations, Volunteering and taking care of my 10 month old.

Desired Schools Ranking: 1) Harvard 2) Booth 3) IIM (India) 4) Wharton 5) Kellog

Waiting eagerly (biting my nails right now) for your valuable feedback.

Thanks,
Ragavi

Hi Paul,

Please give a profile evaluation for a 28 year old Asian male.
- 640 GMAT (q45, v34). Took it 3 times already. Is taking it 4 times in a span of 7 months a bad thing?
- 3.48 GPA, Econ major from a top public university

Work Experience:
- 1 year work as marketing/project management in Hawaii for a travel service startup
- 6 months work in Vietnam as project management for a VN internet startup
- Last 2.5 years at a US startup for local community businesses and mobile devices. Worked very closely with CEO and CTO on this. Official title is "Project Manager" but I do much more, which I can clarify in the essays.

Extracurricular:
- 3 months teaching English in Vietnam
- Some volunteer sessions at local charities such as Harvest Food, Senior Center

Looking to apply to Haas R3 and both UCLA, USC for R2. I know my GMAT is well off each school's 80% range but I feel my unique work experience could offset the low GMAT. Do I have a realistic shot at the 3 CA schools, i.e. >40% chance?

Thanks so much.

Ragavi,

Happy to help. Can you tell me a little bit more about your goals, short-term and long-term? That will play a critical role in evaluating your prospects. Also, when do you plan to apply? I can tell you already that you have some very cool things to draw upon and ways to elevate yourself as an applicant. Looking forward to sharing more.

Respectfully,

Paul Lanzillotti

Hi! Do you long to do it?

Hi Paul,

Would really appreciate to have your comments on my profile.

Thanks a lot!

Thanks for your prompt response.

My long term goal, say about 7 years from now I see my self as a CFO or V.P Finance for a US or Canadian company. My short term goal is to find a challenging position in a large corporation that would support and value my MBA. Iam also planning to participate in international youth leadership conferences and events.

I could apply in round 3 to some of the schools (HBS deadline is Mar 2011) for 2013 intake, but I think 2014 would be a more realistic timeframe.

I would like to get some inputs from you on how good my current profile is to be considered for the top 5 bschools and things I could do to better it.

Thanks,
Ragavi