Hi there
amitsingla!
Whew -- a lot to cover here. Let's dive in:
amitsingla wrote:
Hi Maria
ApplicantLab
I really love listening to your youtube talks which clear out a lot of air. Thank you for such interactive sessions. Could you provide your feedback on my profile.
I am a male medical doctor from India (completed education and training from top med-school in my country (AIIMS)). I am a board certified radiologist (M.D. RADIODIAGNOSIS).
I wish to apply to top-10 (Brand- HBS, STANFORD, WHARTON, BOOTH, COLUMBIA, etc), b-schools in USA with interest in consulting (not necessarily healthcare).
- Age: I am 32y4m old at present.
WHOAAAA -- I'm gonna stop you right there. Given that you've already invested many, many years into becoming a doctor, then the "career story" for business school MUST revolve around healthcare in SOME way. So at a minimum, if you're going to say consulting, say healthcare consulting (either in that division for a big firm, or for a specialized firm such as ZS Associates).
On a more realistic note, if you haven't already, please start reaching out to people you might know (perhaps from your undergrad network; perhaps via LinkedIn; perhaps via the consulting club of a school or two), to ask LOTS of questions about what a job in consulting actually entails. I find that most people focus only on the positives (challenge; variety; compensation) but don't realistically think about the negatives (hours)(hours)(hours). If you'll be ~34 years old when you graduate,
perhaps, depending upon whether or not you have children, a partner, etc. --
perhaps it won't actually be what you want to pursue.
Either way: "I want to become some kind of consultant, but it doesn't have to be healthcare even though I am a 32 year old doctor" is not, IMHO, a compelling career vision.
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PROFILE:
- GMAT score: I have given GMAT 4 times with 710 (Q50, V35) as best score (2nd last attempt).
- GPA- 2.5 (4.0 scale) in undergrad and 2.8 (4.0 scale) in grad school.
Oh man.
So this is my least favorite part of this job, but... your GPA seems very, very low -- which sometimes isn't the "be all and end all" -- BUT, usually, when someone has a low GPA, the way they offset it in the admissions process is with an above-average GMAT score.
For most of the programs you cited above, your GMAT would be roughly at / below average, and your GPA would be very far below average.
So, either take the GRE and/or spend the money for a prep class this time and/or enroll in an online course like Berkeley's math for management... but as-is, the academic profile is a source of concern.
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- International experience: No international work experience, other than 6 week clerkship at UCLA in 2010 as a part of exchange program with Ronald Reagon medical centre.
Ok well this is better than nothing, but it was over ten years ago, and only for 1.5 months. I wish it were, instead, 1.5 years ago but for 10 months
since that would give you more fodder to use in essays , where you could talk about overcoming cultural barriers at work to demonstrate international managerial competence.
Not the end of the world though -- it's understandable that, as a doctor, you would not be dealing with patients overseas, the way, e.g. someone at Wipro might have clients overseas.
But maybe you could squeeze in a side-story in an essay or something about how that time in LA impacted you / changed your world-view / left a lasting impression that affects how you do your job, etc.?
(side note: my son was born in that hospital, so I do have very fond feelings towards it...!)(thankfully, neither one of us needed a radiologist as a part of that process!)
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- Leadership position: I was social and cultural secretary of Student's union for one year during my medical school (2009) and brought about changes that helped the community. I helped mobilize funds for our school festival (7 day long festival called Pulse) which is Asia's largest medical community festival. I was an active member of the organizing committee for the festival.
- Work Experience: After my post-graduation (completion of degree training as a Radiologist), I worked for a few months (9 months) in govt sector and then moved to private sector. I have been in private job as Consultant Radiologist for past one year and am serving the community in a rural setup.
For leadership, you can mention those college things in your resume, and perhaps as what I call "supporting evidence" in an essay, but since the examples are over 10 years old, you'll probably get more bang for the buck for stories from the past three years or so.
Have you demonstrated leadership in your job? E.g., perhaps (I am inventing examples off the top of my head) you implemented a new system to track patient records that saved $/year, or you persuaded the head of the clinic to (do something different?) which had (some sort of positive result?) -- that is, even if your day-to-day job does not involve a lot of leadership, there are still ways to cultivate it + demonstrate it!
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- Carreer goals: MBB Consulting in US.
- Emory AMI score profile score (tool for evaluation of MBA application)- 683/1000
I am interested in career switch from healthcare into consulting and would preferably wish to work in US.
I have following questions:
1. Which b-schools should I apply to where I have maximum chances of acceptance?
Any school with a STEM designation (so you can get a OPT visa for at least 3 years) and that has a healthcare concentration and also a ~680 or below average gmat score.
Off the top of my head, Emory, Vanderbilt Owen, and UNC Chapel Hill could be good (though you'd have to check which ones have STEM certifications).
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2. Should I give GMAT again? (feel exhausted)
You don't HAVE to -- ideally, would your score be higher? Yes. But I don't think your score is "THE THING" that is the biggest concern here -- for me, it would be lack of leadership at work (???? I'm guessing ???) and also an unclear reason for getting the MBA.
I'd also worry, as an adcom, that you're "Degree collecting" -- that is, going after more and more schooling randomly, just for the sake of getting more degrees. ie if you don't actually like practicing medicine, why didn't you drop out of med school sooner and pursue a different path? <-- this is something they might ask themselves.
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3. Do you think there is any good chance of acceptance and admit, in applying to Top 10 schools?
Honestly, I think it will be a difficult road.
I'd advise you to -- if you really, really want to enroll next year -- cast a wider net, just to balance out your risk. Of course, I don't know the full story. And I love nothing more than to be proven wrong in situations like this!
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4. Is my age a concerning factor with my application?
Y
Yes, but years of work experience matters more -- that is, people with PhDs, or who were in the military for many years, are viewed differently from an age perspective.
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5. Promotions are not a norm in private healthcare industry as it is a specialist job. Is not getting a promotion a negative aspect of my application?
6. I am concerned about my letter of recommendation, as hospital owner (and my current employer) is also doctor and is not well acquainted with the process of recommendation. What do you suggest, whom should I reach out to?
I suggest that you do indeed get the hospital owner to write your recommendation -- what you can do is *GUIDE THEM* on what a good letter looks like, which aspects to focus on, etc.
Also, your hospital owner can explain that formal promotions are not common in your role (so you don't need to worry about that!) and they can also provide back-up regarding your impact on the hospital.
Again, this is just my two cents based on a cursory
profile review!
11 Oct 2020, 19:40
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