Hello,
I am looking at pursuing MBA (course commencing July 2008) at a good USA B-school. Below I am outlining my goals, profile and would be grateful if you could give me your suggestions/opinion regarding the course and which schools I'd be competetive at.
Cultural Background: Asian Indian Male. Practising Buddhist. Currently 24 years old. Born, brought up and educated in India.
Academic Background: Throughout my academic career have been in the top 10% of the class. Consistently with over 80% scores (We didnt have the CGPA system). Graduated in 2002 with an Engineering Degree in Information Science from VTU, India (not a top tier university, but could be considered as a tier 2 university. It is the university to which _all_ Engineering colleges of my state are affiliated). I secured the 2nd rank for the university (not just college) during graduation.
Where I am today: I was campus recruited by Cognizant (NYSE: CTS) and was with them for 7 months before I moved to Oracle (NYSE: ORCL). As a developer in the Order Management team of Oracle, I learnt not just technology but also the domain of Order Mgmt and related areas in SCM. It was here that I realised that I didnt enjoy technology as much as I enjoyed the functional/business aspects that go into making a product successful. After 2 years with Oracle, I am now working as a Solution Management Specialist with SAP (NYSE: SAP) where I am into presales support and also the Global Topline Demo Owner. My job role involves prioritising and coordinating between field requests for demos of existing features and showcasing upcoming features. As a part of my job, I regularly interact with colleagues from Germany, USA and India.
Total Current Work Experience: Approx 3 years (37 months)
Expected work-ex by course start (July 2008): Approx 6 years (70 months).
Where I want to be (post MBA): After MBA, I'd like to be part of a team that is into marketing products - devising strategies, positioning the product, analysing the market environment and formulating a medium-long term vision.
Why MBA: With my current profile, I am able to understand customer's/sales needs and (to a limited extent) compare our product vis-a-vis our competitors. However, I do not get any exposure to the way in which strategies are formulated for product positioning and pricing; market dynamics that influence our internal decisions etc. I expect an MBA that will help bridge this gap by giving a theoretical overview of subjects such as marketing so that I am closer to my goals.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Strength is my strong academic background coupled with quality work experience which is different from those of the regular Indian Male applicants (most of who are programmers). Weakness is a lack of international (onsite) work experience although my role requires me to interact with people from around the world.
Other Interests: Throughout school/college, I have been involved in extra curriculars notably quizzing and debating. I have a CTM Award from Toastmaster's International and am the current Secretary of the local mensa chapter (
https://www.mensabangalore.org). In addition, I have dabbled with Martial Arts and am interested in Zen philosophy. I love animals and was awarded the "Volunteer of the Year" (2004) by the Blue Cross of Hyderabad - an animal welfare and rescue home.
Which MBA and school?: I think that an MBA with focus on systems and marketing would be the best choice. I am looking at a school that has a strong course coupled with a reasonably good brand name. I would also require some form of Financial Aid. I am not restricting myself geographically and am open to looking at good schools anywhere in the USA and also other countries. Which schools would you suggest?
GMAT: So far have not taken the GMAT, but taken 3 practise tests with an average score of 720. For my above question, please assume that I score between 710-740 on the real GMAT.
Your suggestions (towards improving my profile further) and opinion (about the course and school) would be of immense help to me. I look forward to your reply. Thank you.
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Best Regards,
Pradyot
You have an impressive profile. I am sure you must have a good reason for wanting to wait an additional two years to apply, but I don't see why you are doing so from your post.
To improve your profile, I suggest you continue doing what you have been doing: increasing your level of responsibility, contribution, and impact at work. If you can, seek a posting outside of Indian to acquire greater int'l exposure. Continue your volunteer work.
Use the next several years to acqure a deeper understanding of the schools and how they would support your goals.
directly addresses what a candidate who is planning ahead can do to prepare for an MBA application months before he actually applies.
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Updated on: 11 Nov 2019, 20:08
