28 y old F /Indo-Chinese/700GMAT/6 years - School Choice?

Question

Hello,

Could you please evaluate my profile?
I'm 28 years old female, graduated from the Ohio State with 3.51 GPA. Supply Chain major. 
Indo Chinese. Lived in Singapore for 3 years before studying and working in the US. Speaks 3 languages. 
Worked for 2 major companies (one heavy machinery and one IT). Currently working as a Master Planner in IT company. 
GMAT Score 700 (68% Quant/90% Verbal)

Career goal: management consulting/ global project management

Could you evaluate and give your thoughts on which schools to apply to?

Many thanks!

Stephanie

mbaMissionJenK · Answer

Hi Stephanie,

Overall I would say that you have an interesting profile for business schools. Being a supply-chain major would likely mean that you will bring a different perspective to the class discussions from those who majored in finance, accounting, and engineering. Your international experiences are also a big plus. Your overall GMAT score of 700 puts you in the ballpark for top schools, though the Quant percentile could be higher.

In terms of what to look for in schools, there are a lot of factors to consider, such as: geographic region; hiring profiles; class size and profile; teaching philosophy, etc. As for schools that are strong in management consultancy, it includes most top ranked programs, such as Harvard, Kellogg, Wharton, Booth, Columbia, Sloan (MIT). Ross, Fuqua, and Stern are also known for management consulting success. With your global background and interests, you may also wish to look into global programs, such as London Business School or INSEAD.

Please let us know if you have additional specific questions, and good luck to you on this exciting process!

mbaMissionJenK · Answer

And by the way-- if you have any interest in speaking with an MBA Admissions Consultant in more detail, we do offer a free 30 -min consult to offer advice and further review your profile; if that's something you are interested in, you can check that out at https://www.mbamission.com/consult.php.

In any case feel free to check back with questions, and let us know how everything goes!

pikatchu12 · Answer

Jen,

Thanks for reviewing. You're right! My top choice is INSEAD, followed by Columbia, Wharton, Booth, and LBS.

Do you know about the culture differences in these schools? I've compared them academically (ranking wise), but I haven't looked much into the culture differences.

I just filled out the form using the link you provided. I look forward to talking to you. I'm applying for round 1 deadline in early Oct so I'm a bit on a crunch right now.

Stephanie

mbaMissionJenK · Answer

Hi Stephanie,

INSEAD is a great program and the experience there will be very globally-focused. It is of course VERY difficult to characterize the student and academic culture at the different programs without resorting to stereotypes to a certain degree, and plus things change year-to-year. My biggest recommendation is to get in touch with current students and recent alum (the admissions committee will be happy to put you in touch with some if you aren't already) and ask THEM what the program is like, how they'd describe their classmates and attitudes, what people are into, how competitive it is, any other questions you can think of. Also good to read blogs and messageboards of current students. We do have Insider Guides of the US schools you mentioned on our website with more info to consider, at https://www.mbamission.com/guides.php?category=insiders (about $25 each), and there are many guides online and in print about the various schools.

A few things about the schools on your list off the top of my head.... all are in urban settings, so similar in that way. Class sizes are fairly similar, with INSEAD and Wharton probably the largest class sizes. One big difference with INSEAD is that it's a shorter program, which has pros and cons (for example, less time out of the workplace, but less time to take additional elective classes). All except INSEAD have financial services as their largest % of post-MBA jobs, though consulting is right up there at most, and INSEAD has consulting as slightly higher but not dramatically different. Most are very team-work focused and do a lot of the projects and work in teams, and most use case studies often. Chicago Booth can be occasionally considered more 'individual' focused vs teams but not dramatically so; Chicago Booth is also known as having one of the most flexible curriculums, and Columbia has been making efforts in this area as well. Wharton is considered very quantitative and finance focused but any top-notch MBA program has strengths in all general management areas as well. Columbia is great for making connections in NYC, so you may want to consider where you plan to work after you graduate; same with LBS in London.

One thing that may or may not matter to you is the % of international students in your class. It sounds like you are interested in having that global perspective that an international class can provide. Most US schools have 20-30% of their students coming from other countries, so they will be primarily US students in the class. That may or may not matter, as again of course top US programs are considered the top brands internationally. LBS and INSEAD will have an almost entirely international class (for example usually just 10-12% at LBS come from the UK, while it varies). In terms of US programs, on your list Columbia will be the one with slightly more international make-up, usually about 30%, and they pride themselves on that.

You'll want to look at employment reports and class profile and all you can get your hands on in case it helps you; for example see INSEAD's report at https://mba.insead.edu/careers/statistics.cfm. Talk to students, visit if/when the time comes to really get a feel for the campuses and classes!

Glad you signed up for a free consult; most likely it will be with one of our other Consultants as I've been focused on message board responses at present, but all of our team members are excellent and can provide great advice and feedback. Feel free to PM me with any questions about consultants or anything, or continue to post here with general questions about the application process or our services.

Good luck again, it's an exciting process!

28 y old F /Indo-Chinese/700GMAT/6 years - School Choice?

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