Interview with ankurgupta03
Profile Link: ankurgupta03You have been a GMAT Club legend for so many years, so I will get to the beginning first. Tell us something about the first 3 GMAT attempts. Why are you so obsessed with the test?
I wanted to pursue and MBA from a long time and gave many Indian entrance tests such as CAT, XAT, FMS etc. I got interview calls from most of the schools and converted some good schools, but I was very greedy and always wanted more :D
Now let me take it one test at a time:
1st attempt – This was the time when I got introduced to the GMAT by my roommates who were preparing for the test and told me about what all can be done by giving the GMAT. I did not give much thought and started preparing by borrowing the materials from my friends and GMAT Club of course. The result was a decent 700. I went ahead and applied to ISB, but was rejected after the interview. I applied to NUS and NTU too, but never even got a call. I submitted my job resume, which was more than 3 pages and talked about .NET and JAVA at the schools
2nd Attempt – I was told in the feedback call that I need to improve my score from 700 to secure an admission at ISB owing to my low GPA. So I started again, I prepared for 1.5 months and did nothing new apart from solving questions from GMAT Club and sitting for some CATs. The result was the same – 700 again. It was bb’s helping hand at that point that he made me the moderator and thread master after this disaster
3rd Attempt – I bumped into one of my interviewers from ISB and was told the same again that I need to improve my GMAT score and take it to at least 740. I was left with no option but to appear again. This time I prepared hard (very hard) got the
Magoosh course (very helpful), veritas tests, stopped all my extracurricular activities and what not. The mock tests were all very high scores ranging from 740 – 770. Then comes the test day, I stumbled upon one RC in the first 10 questions and was unable to solve it. From there, it was a downward spiral. The result – a disappointing 710.
4th Attempt – I was not at all happy with my score because I had put in a lot of effort. I talked to bb about it and he said 3 attempts or 4 does not make a difference. Gave a mock CAT, scored very high and booked the GMAT after a month. The test day was wonderful. I ended up with a 760 and teary eyes and even told the administrator that I will not be coming back.
What in your opinion made all the difference in the last test?The biggest difference was the official questions. I made sure that I solved all the official questions I could get my hands on. The guides compiled by Souvik are gold. I was so sure of all the options that I could explain them to anyone. I knew why each option was correct and why the rest were wrong. I practiced 15 SC, 15 CR and 4 RC each day in a timed manner to prepare for the test and the hard work paid off.
Tell us something about yourself. Why MBA? (We will not suggest a word limit this one time )Hmmm, This is interesting, A why MBA question without a word limit. I am tempted to paste my response from KF application, but will not do so.
About myself - I am an Engineer and have been working in the IT industry from the past 6.5 years. I have always been inclined towards education and have taken up various roles in my extracurricular activities. I was associated with Teach for India and Make a Difference and have a startup of my own - GMATIFY.
Apart from this, I have been an active sports person and have played badminton at state level. I have run half marathon and a few 10k runs and the latest fad is biking. Recently completed a 50km ride. Next target 75, then 100 before moving to the US.
MBA started as the next logical step after B. Tech. But slowly as I gained exposure and experience, I came to know its real worth. I am interested in becoming a consultant in the education domain and improve the education processes for the providers and takers alike. After working in the IT industry and my latest stint as an IT consultant for a US university, I knew I had to do an MBA. It will not only help me in my profession, but also expose me to the realities of the world that are not just confined to my desk and computer at my work place. I might have learnt all this without an MBA too, but an MBA will accelerate my path by teaching me a lot of things and also through my interactions with people all across the world. This pace will eventually decide where I end up at the end of my career.
How did you decide with UNC and why?I want to make a career in the consulting domain and UNC is pretty strong in consulting. The STAR program at UNC is a highlight of the school and helps a lot to the hopeful consultants. This was the prime reason of applying to UNC. Once the results came, I was admitted to Tepper (I was admitted here last year too, but was unable to attend because of finances) and UNC – KF. KF showered me a with a full ride for 2 years and took away all my worries about finances. I could not have asked for more. After getting a full scholarship at a school which is strong in consulting, the decision was a pretty easy one and I politely thanked Tepper while declining their offer.
Tell us something about your interviewing experience.Can I skip this question?
My interview experiences have been bad – very bad. If I have to calculate, I have given close to 20 interviews and my success rate has not been good :D However my skills have improved a lot off late. After giving the GMAT, I gave the interviews for ISB – 2, NUS – 2, UNC – 2, Tepper – 2, Tuck -1
I was waitlisted at 2 places, accepted at 2 places and rejected at a lot of places :D. But in the end I am happy to have been accepted at UNC and I think I can say that I managed a decent interview after getting a full scholarship.
The initial interview at ISB was a disaster and I totally bombed it. I was suffering with fever and sweating profusely, both because of fever and nervousness. The next interview at ISB was strange, they asked me guesstimate questions and estimations and what not and as per me, I did decently. But the school thought differently
My experiences at NUS, UNC and Tepper were good. I was admitted twice at Tepper and waitlisted at others. Finally I converted UNC this year. Sigh! I hope to change this trend in recruitment.
I must mention Critical Square interview help. Josh helped a lot in my interview preparations and the two mock interviews that I had with him were very helpful.
Is it true that bb offered you the CEO of GMAT Club position?YES! I remember it explicitly. I got the phone call from bb somewhere in October 2014 and he offered me the position of CEO and I said an emphatic and loud YES too. But due to some disturbance in the phone call, bb heard it as a NO
The rest as they say, is history!
Was your ISB interviewer surprised that you knew more about ISB than he did?ISB has been an interesting part in my journey. Some of the alums have out rightly told me that I know more about ISB and its offerings than they do. I am sure the interviewers must have felt the same and hence they screwed me.
Another interesting thing happened while I was waiting for my interview. The other waiting candidates recognized me as ankurgupta03 from GMAT Club and I would not lie – the feeling was awesome
Any advice for future ankurgupta?Learn from your mistakes quickly. Do not keep on making mistakes again and again (like me). It is OK to take help from others. To the to be thread masters and moderators, make GMAT Club a part of your everyday activity. There is immense knowledge available here, not just for B-School admission, but for life too. Make sure you follow bb’s posts especially on the “Admitted – Which school to attend” forum. They are awe inspiring and give you a totally new perspective.
To run a thread properly, you need to keep people engaged. Try posting useful content from the school’s website and if possible write something. Try engaging different consultants. This will help the students, forum and you.
To all the users - I will always be a part of GMAT Club and make sure I take out time from B-School to help you all out. Feel free to reach me if you need any help.
All the best!
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15 Mar 2016, 10:06
