essaysnark wrote:
Hey solerenegade - thanks for reaching out and let's see what kind of love we can bestow!
First, we love that you defined everything in your profile - the fact that Amazon is the world's biggest online retailer, the fact that Kellogg is good at marketing and Tuck at general management, the fact that Delhi is a good school. We hadta laugh actually...
It's better than the opposite when people toss out random acronyms and terms without defining them. But we kinda knew all that. Anyway, we're pleased that you're doing your research and have REASONS behind the things that you're defining for your future.
Next, we love the detail you offered with your major projects -- but we didn't actually need it since most of them sound very similar. But it's good that you've had this high-profile assignments.
And, we love that you've had time out of country - that's going to add a lot to your chances, actually.
Finally, we love that you tried the GMAT again - but unfortunately you hardly budged that score. The raw quant/verbal were nearly identical from test 1 to test 2. The 700 score qualifies you for a good bschool, and we're a little reluctant to tell you to test again, given that the score didn't move much on your second attempt. Many of the schools you're naming are flexible and a 700 could be just fine, provided you've got the rest of the pieces of your app in place.
We don't love that you reported your Delhi grades in the 4.0 system - where did you get that number? Doesn't that school use a %? That's how the bschools want it reported and that's what we'd prefer to see.
We also don't love the either/or thing on the goals - sure, you're probably still kicking the tires on some ideas, but you can't present multiple ideas to the schools, you need to have a plan and stick to it.
We don't love the vagueness with the goals either - you basically defined what consulting is there, which is unnecessary, and you didn't say what you want to do at Amazon. It's very hand-wavy.
And - brace yourself - we REALLY don't love that long-term goal.
Maybe that can be presented in a way that the schools will believe in you but to SkepticalSnark it just reeks of someone who wants to impress the adcom rather than someone who really plans to do that. We know that's really unfair, we don't know you at all and it could actually be your lifelong dream! But that's just the kneejerk reaction when we see stuff like that. Anyway, it seems pretty unrealistic; you can't go into academic research without the PhD, having a bunch of professional experience isn't a substitute. So we're simply questioning if you've done your homework.
On the schools: Those could all be potential targets but again you aren't convincing us - you say that three schools are "dream" and the rest are "reach" - huh? What's the difference? Anyway, Duke isn't any easier to get into than the first three you named; Johnson, Ross, Darden, only marginally so. The list could make sense but we are not yet understanding the selection criteria.
The grades and the GMAT are both below average. It sounds like you have good work experience and your time spent in the Scandanavian country is useful. A lot will be riding on those essays (and recs) and you'll definitely want to do a Round 1 app when we're talking Wharton and Kellogg. Kellogg will be hard to stand out at since everyone wants to go to Kellogg for marketing; Wharton, we're just not understanding why it's on the list - maybe it belongs but it's not enough to say "Marketing" (many schools are strong at marketing). There's others that are missing from the list that we would've expected to be there.
So our reaction is, you've done some homework, clearly, but maybe there's more to be done? You should have a shot but it will come down to many things that we're not able to evaluate here - so keep plugging away, nail down the goals, get started on those essays and do a bang-up job on them, and it might work out.
Good luck to you!
EssaySnark
Thank you for the 'love' EssaySnark! I guess you guys are actually not as 'snarky' as you make yourselves out on the blahg!
Jokes apart, I appreciate the feedback that you guys have given here. I'll put forward my thoughts and perspectives below.
Yes, you are right. Most of my projects have the same core principle -customer centricity and loyalty. And that is because, the firm I work for is one of its kind in the work it does - customer science and decision making analytics. It gives me a unique profile (I think that, I might be wrong here though) and it could be my strongest suit in the entire application package.
You are right! Delhi University and more specifically Delhi College Of Engineering (from where i did my engineering) does not hand out GPAs but raw percentages. My score was 65.05%. I translated it for your convenience and in some ways under estimated your knowledge and experience of working with Indian candidates. My apologies!
I retook the GMAT because of my Verbal score which is not a reflection of my proficiency at the Queen's language. It's frustrating that on both occasions I figured out new ways to muck up on the Verbal section on my GMAT, and hence put myself in a dodgy spot when it comes to academic abilities. As you mentioned, my grades and GMAT score are below average for the schools I am planning to apply. I have read your thoughts on the blahg around how we Indians chase a higher GMAT score considering it to be the only magic key to top-notch b-schools. For me it was more about being above the average/median GMAT numbers and in a way covering up for my not-so-great undergrad grades.
On the goals part - I am still working on how to present them in a more convincing and compelling way. I like working with data and working with brands/retailers. For me the MBA is a necessary and ideal extension of how I take what I like doing to the next level. Most companies even in today's world grapple with the issues of where to put their money/investment and they base it on survey data, social network data etc. but are still not able to close the loop on how they can come up with insights combining all of this data together to complete the picture. And this is where I can step in - use the experience of data insights from my current work and combine it with working knowledge of how brands work and position themselves across multiple channels (which I can gain by doing an MBA). I hope this makes sense. if it still sounds wavy, please call it out.
Also, I understand your point of view around the long term goal. I need to cut out the fluff and make it sound achievable and practical.
On the schools thing- for me MBA is a big time investment (like it is with everybody else :D) If I am putting $$ in a school, the returns must compensate for it in terms of experience, skills developed/honed, and yes, a job after graduation that probably took me to the school in the first place. Hence I am keen on nothing but the top 10 schools. I might have called a few on the list as 'dream' in the sense that probably right now, my grades and GMAT might make them a bit of a stretch for me. Specifically I put all those schools, because they focus a lot on team work and give a 'community' like student experience which I believe are very integral in the world we live in today (unlike lets' say a Harvard or a Booth, though this might be a totally wrong perception that is out there). A Tuck or a Kellogg graduate is not only a smart chap but is also a 'nice' and amiable guy. Also, the strong alumni support that graduates of these schools enjoy make the MBA a lifetime experience and not just for the 2 years that one actually spends at the school.
So in all this has been my frame of mind when I put up my profile. As you said, it makes a lot of sense to do more research and work on those areas that you have pointed out. If there is any other advice that you can give me, i would appreciate that a lot! Thanks again EssaySnark!
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31 Jul 2013, 12:45
