Hi
AringoI know this thread is mostly for MBA aspirants, but can you please review my profile with respect to strength of application for a US Top 20 PhD program?
Profile
- Indian, Male, 30 years old
- GMAT 720 (Q47, V42) in first attempt (May 2019), planning to retake in 4 weeks time and hoping to improve score to at least a 750.
- Planning to apply to Top 20 PhD programs in US in Marketing Specialization (Consumer Behaviour track)
- Schools of Interest (in almost that order): Fuqua, Ross, Kellogg, Columbia, Carlson, Stern, Anderson, Yale, McCombs, Smith (University of Maryland), Foster, Kenan-Flagler
Academic Achievements:PG: MBA from MICA, Ahmedabad (#1 School in Marketing and Communication, GPA 3.15/4)
UG: B.Tech from IIT Dhanbad (Top 10 in Engineering Schools, GPA 4.0)
School: Intermediate - 95%, High School - 96%
Work Experience:5+ years of work ex across:
1. Research-based consulting in marketing and communications for a global advisory firm (Publicly traded in US, subsidiary of Gartner)
2. Advertising and Digital Marketing stints at a)leading media and publishing company in India, and b) Top 10 Digital Marketing Agency in India
3. Product Marketing for a tech startup (helped in growth from beta to USD 500K ARR in 16 months)
4, Currently working as the Product Marketing lead for one of the products of an Indian SaaS unicorn
Marketing and communications has been at the core of all my roles, and the diversity in application is something that has broadened my understanding for marketing, at the same time I have been able to narrow down on what it is that specifically interests me about marketing - consumer psychology and motivation. The key skills that I have developed through my work exp. are consumer behaviour research, market research, and marketing and communication strategy design.
Research ExperienceNo formal RA/TA experience but I have research experience in the form of:
- an MBA dissertation thesis
- couple of live research projects during b-school
- one original research work in my MBA internship (was judged the 2nd best research project amongst all interns, and I was offered a PPO)
- multiple unstructured consumer research projects in my consulting and advertising jobs (the reason for my continued growth in consumer behaviour understanding at an academic level)
Co-Curriculars1. Have won a bunch of prestigious national-level marketing and business case competitions during b-school (some of them included substantial market research components)
2. Have held positions of responsibility at both PG and UG levels - Member of the community radio and rural outreach team in b-school, and Founder of the Literary Club in UG
Extra-Curriculars1. Sports: Inter-collegiate level football and badminton during UG and PG
2. Fitness: Certified Crossfit Level 1 Trainer (attained certification as a personal goal, but I've extended my passion for fitness to the community and now teach part-time at the Crossfit box where I workout)
3. Performing Arts: Won several awards for debate, poetry, and quizzing at school and inter-school levels
4. Hobbies and Interests: I like to study cultural influences in music and cinema and vice versa, like to study sociology and psychology and I plan to do a few introductory courses on Coursera to further my learning, and I'm deeply interested in sustainability and clean tech.
Why PhD?I have always been leaning towards a career that involves critical thinking, research, and 'knowledge production'. While my current career progression has been fulfilling, it has been a bit tactical, and I want to move towards a deeper, more cognitive immersion into the study of marketing, and want to be creating new knowledge in the field, instead of merely using existing theories and models. I am looking to develop an expertise, both theoretical and practical, that lies at the intersection of marketing and psychology, specifically with respect to understanding consumer motivation and psychology towards intangibles such as time, mortality, and adventure.
What after PhD?Currently undecided. Even though a career in academia is the most obvious choice, I would love to explore a way to bring the knowledge I gather in those 5 year back into the real world and devise method to apply that knowledge (I know this isn't the answer most PhD AdComs want to hear, but on the other hand from what I've researched PhDs are finding increasing acceptance in the industry due to their specialized knowledge, and the demand-supply gap in tenure-track positions for PhDs seems to be worsening by the day).
Questions- Are my target schools realistic with my current GMAT score? If no, according to my current score, what other schools would you suggest? As I mentioned earlier, I am planning to retake the GMAT, and improve my score to around 750.
- What areas in my profile would you like me to work upon? I plan to apply for Fall 2020 admit, R1 application cycle for PhD programs is Sep-Dec, and even Jan in some of the schools.
Would appreciate a
profile review and any advice you may have for me.
close
04 May 2019, 14:50
