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mds1303
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting 21 Jun 2011, 21:44
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Hi Gil,

Any suggestions on my profile would be greatly appreciated.

I am 24 yo White male
I have my BA in Anthropology from University of Florida 3.5gpa
I am working towards my Doctorate of Pharmacy degree from University of Florida (Top 10 in pharmacy schools) 3.3gpa
Expected GMAT 710

I will graduate in 2 years and begin "working" as a clinical pharmacist for 1-2 years, however it will basically be equivalent to more schooling. Typically not too many pharmacists take this route of two years of residency, probably less then 10%. But I am definitely looking at 3-4 more years before applying to B School.


I hear they look at your undergrad gpa a lot and although mine is decent at a glance my first 2 years were abysmal, including a medical withdrawal for a semester and some dropped courses (followed by 3.9ish average for the next 2 years to make it into Pharm school). So, I was wondering if most business schools will look past my first 2 years of grades, especially if I turned it around, or would my grades from the higher education be weighted more?

I was not very involved in undergrad (some community service) however I am extremely involved in Pharm School, including being the president of an organization, and holding a position in another.

With that being said perhaps the advice that I would most benefit from would be what do I need to work on to become a stronger applicant. And maybe even with the negatives I have now holding me back where I should aim for.

I really appreciate you taking the time to read this and give me your opinion.

Thanks!
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting 26 Jun 2011, 00:39
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I recently decided to obtain my MBA and having a difficult time determine where I might fit in... Here is my profile.

Age: 30
Gender: Male
Caucasian
GMAT: Taking in October

Undergrad: Bachelor of Science from University of Utah in Political Science
GPA: 3.1
Will finish my degree December 2011

School would broken up by my 2 year faith based mission and also my entrepreneurial experience.

Work experience:
- 5 years in Real Estate Development projects where I was either the principle or a partner. Still consult for one rather large one. (2005-2010)
- 1 year at Wells Fargo as a Banker, promoted 3 times (typical minimum promotion time is 1 year in each position), obtained my securities licensing (2010-2011)

One of the reasons for seeking out my MBA is the positions at Wells Fargo that interested me had the MBA requirement next to them. I had hit a wall at Wells Fargo in just a year, so I left my job to finish my unfinished undergrad degree and now I'm prepping for the GMAT so I can get into a good MBA program. I tried my hand at the entrepreneur and while that did not work out I have had more experiences than I could have possibly learned in school. But seeing as I don't anticipate the Real Estate market recovering I'm making a career move.

I also had to over come a learning disability while in school is this something I should talk about?

Extra-curricular - Served a 2 year faith based mission from ages 19-21

Schools I'm looking at: BYU (Marriott), Texas A&M (May), Texas (McCombs), and I would like to take a shot at the top 10 programs as well (Stern, Kellogg, Wharton, Sloan, Haas and Anderson would be my main interests). I believe my work experience will play well and I have a lot in terms of insight I can offer

Would like to focus on finance particularly on sustainable finance so if you have any additional suggestions of schools that would fit that mold I would greatly appreciate the advise!
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting 26 Jun 2011, 02:22
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mbahaas2013
Hi Gil,

Could you please evaluate my profile?

Indian, male, 27
UG, India Electronics and Communications GPA 3.0
MSc, UK Computer Sciences GPA 3.4
Gmat 670(Q49, V32) AWA 5. Toefl 108.

Work Exp
My first venture – a signature verification device - which I designed and developed during graduation was implemented at all regional facilities of a local defense establishment.
Another venture – a digital automobile gauge - failed to attract investors and due to lack of revenues.
Started an Electronics Engineering Company (2004) while in Graduation. Currently, serving several leading aircraft and missile manufacturing companies in south Asia. My post MBA aim is to work as a Manager/VP of product development in a manufacturing company such as GE Energy. My Long term goal is to establish a manufacturing business serving clients such as HAL, Boeing and Airbus.
Your entrepreneurial background is so strong and consistent... did you consider continuing with it? Expanding your current business, post-MBA? Given your background (and the fact that you quit the Fortune 500 job), and based on our experience, I think that your career plan is likely to be more appealing if you do.

After working, establishing all the people and process, for 4 years, I did my MSc in UK because I was always interested in technology. I worked in UK and India for 1.8 years (till Jan 2011) years as a Team lead product development in a F500 company (not for money, I even took a drastic pay cut, but for knowledge).
I resigned to scale up my own company. Now I am managing new projects, trading partners and implemented several new technological concepts to improve client services in my company.

Why MBA?
My main focus will be towards schools which promote innovation and annual venture competitions. Also,because I can learn about financing new projects, product pricing, managing product development, investing, build a network of future partnerships and post MBA get hands on experience of managing manufacturing business.
Keeping brand name and recognition of schools in India and USA in mind, I will be rather happy to choose Oxford, which has a good recognition in India over a USA school such as Kelley.

Ec’s
Volunteer at a child welfare org since 2007, 8 hrs/weekends.

My questions
1. My company is registered and well known regionally but it’s not a F500 company. Will my work experience be equally valued by an Adcom as compared to that of an employee working in a F500 company or will they be uncertain because of the status of my company?
Let's say that your company employs 15 people and has annual revenues of $5 million. According to our experience, most adcoms, and especially the ones in entrepreneurship-oriented schools, will probably appreciate this more than a situation where you work in a Fortune 500 company, manage 15 people, and have a budget of $5 million. Why? 1. Because it's much harder to build a successful company than to work for one. 2. Because you are rather unique among top-MBA applicants.


2. I heard from several applicants that a weak UG GPA (in my case 3.0) can be offset by a better Masters (in my case 3.4) or by obtaining an alternative transcript. Is it true OR do Adcoms only value UG GPA?
According to our experience, the offsetting effect is quite small. The alternative transcript is a stronger option probably, though in most cases the Adcom asks to receive all of your past transcripts (in which case the value of the alternative transcript is much lower).

3. I am targeting to stretch Haas, Columbia and Chicago GSB and reach Duke, USC, Cornell, Tepper, McCombs.
Please advice over my school selection keeping GMAT at its current value.
My impression is that your evaluation (stretch/reach) is quite accurate. Did you consider Babson? They are extremely strong in entrepreneurship, and you may get a significant scholarship there.

4. In your opinion, is it advisable for me to mention I worked in a F500 IT company as a Team lead or does it cause confusion eh What Why? And is it better to omit? My only concern is that my profile will end up indication just my own company name, which I am not so sure how it will be weighed by the Adcoms?
If you mention it, and you explain that this experience taught you that you are an entrepreneur in your soul, and you give evidence that still, you were rather successful there, and you focus your career plan on continuing to be an entrepreneur, I think it should work out pretty well.

5. Do I stand a better chance in UK schools-Oxford, Cambridge or LSB?
According to our experience you will be a competitive-to-stretch candidate at Oxford and Cambridge (closer to competitive) and competitive-to-stretch at LBS.

Thank you.
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You're welcome. Good luck!
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting 26 Jun 2011, 02:37
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mds1303

Hi Gil,

Any suggestions on my profile would be greatly appreciated.

I am 24 yo White male
I have my BA in Anthropology from University of Florida 3.5gpa
I am working towards my Doctorate of Pharmacy degree from University of Florida (Top 10 in pharmacy schools) 3.3gpa
Expected GMAT 710

I will graduate in 2 years and begin "working" as a clinical pharmacist for 1-2 years, however it will basically be equivalent to more schooling. Typically not too many pharmacists take this route of two years of residency, probably less then 10%. But I am definitely looking at 3-4 more years before applying to B School.


I hear they look at your undergrad gpa a lot and although mine is decent at a glance my first 2 years were abysmal, including a medical withdrawal for a semester and some dropped courses (followed by 3.9ish average for the next 2 years to make it into Pharm school). So, I was wondering if most business schools will look past my first 2 years of grades, especially if I turned it around, or would my grades from the higher education be weighted more?
Yes, according to our experience, the fact that you turned it around, and achieved a 3.9 in the last two years of college, will have a significant positive effect (compared to a situation where you had, say, a 3.5 GPA in each of the 4 years).

I was not very involved in undergrad (some community service) however I am extremely involved in Pharm School, including being the president of an organization, and holding a position in another.

With that being said perhaps the advice that I would most benefit from would be what do I need to work on to become a stronger applicant. And maybe even with the negatives I have now holding me back where I should aim for.
Any way you can get some more managerial/leadership experience in these coming few years? Manage people? Start an organization/department? Initiate some successful projects? This may help. Also, any way you could get some distinctions/citations at work? This should help too.
As to schools - under the assumptions of GMAT 710, strong essays and recommendations, and focus on schools which are at least somewhat healthcare-oriented, our experience shows that you will be a competitive-to-strong candidate at UNC, competitive-to-strong at Duke (closer to competitive), competitive at Haas and NYU, competitive to stretch (closer to competitive) at Wharton, Columbia, MIT and Kellogg, competitive to stretch at Stanford, and stretch at HBS.



I really appreciate you taking the time to read this and give me your opinion.

Thanks!

You're welcome. Good luck!

Gil Levi
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting 26 Jun 2011, 02:50
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I recently decided to obtain my MBA and having a difficult time determine where I might fit in... Here is my profile.

Age: 30
Gender: Male
Caucasian
GMAT: Taking in October

Undergrad: Bachelor of Science from University of Utah in Political Science
GPA: 3.1
Will finish my degree December 2011

School would broken up by my 2 year faith based mission and also my entrepreneurial experience.

Work experience:
- 5 years in Real Estate Development projects where I was either the principle or a partner. Still consult for one rather large one. (2005-2010)
- 1 year at Wells Fargo as a Banker, promoted 3 times (typical minimum promotion time is 1 year in each position), obtained my securities licensing (2010-2011) Do you still work at WF? if not, it will be a point of interest/concern for the adcoms (what do you do now?)

One of the reasons for seeking out my MBA is the positions at Wells Fargo that interested me had the MBA requirement next to them. I had hit a wall at Wells Fargo in just a year, so I left my job to finish my unfinished undergrad degree and now I'm prepping for the GMAT so I can get into a good MBA program. I tried my hand at the entrepreneur and while that did not work out I have had more experiences than I could have possibly learned in school. But seeing as I don't anticipate the Real Estate market recovering I'm making a career move.
So, I got an answer to my question above. Until you apply, will be good if you either get a good job or find some impressive projects to work on. The adcoms are likely to want to know in detail what you do now (and may get concerned if they reach the conclusion that you aren't doing much except working on the GMAT).

I also had to over come a learning disability while in school is this something I should talk about?
Given your GPA - probably yes, it may help.

Extra-curricular - Served a 2 year faith based mission from ages 19-21

Schools I'm looking at: BYU (Marriott), Texas A&M (May), Texas (McCombs), and I would like to take a shot at the top 10 programs as well (Stern, Kellogg, Wharton, Sloan, Haas and Anderson would be my main interests). I believe my work experience will play well and I have a lot in terms of insight I can offer

Would like to focus on finance particularly on sustainable finance so if you have any additional suggestions of schools that would fit that mold I would greatly appreciate the advise!

On the basis of the information above, and under the assumption of strong essays and recommendations and a GMAT score of, say, 680, our experience shows that you will be a strong candidate at Marriott and May, competitive-to-strong at McCombs, competitive at Anderson, competitive-to-stretch (closer to stretch) at Haas, and stretch at Wharton, Kellogg, Sloan and Stern. You may also want to consider Simon (strong), Michigan (competitive), Yale (stretch), Fisher (strong), and Columbia (stretch).

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Gil Levi
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting 26 Jun 2011, 02:55
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I left Wells Fargo to finish my degree in March, Started classes in May for the summer semester and fall Semester is my final semester for me. I will shoot for that 700 on my GMAT to improve my chances.

Thanks for the input!
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting 26 Jun 2011, 18:55
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copy & paste from another thread

I'm in the process of selling my small business (website and brick & mortar store) and it's always been a goal of mine to get my MBA. My friends tell me I'm crazy and that my experiences starting & running my business have already earned an honorary MBA, but I'm drawn to the degree for other reasons aside from career progression.

I do believe it's a waste of my time and effort to go to a school outside the top 10, however, as I'm really after the credibility, the network, and the exposure to other smart people. That brings me here...I'm not sure if I'm a candidate for a top program. If I'm not, then perhaps my time & effort would be better spent on starting the next venture.

A brief bio:
  • 32 year old white male currently living in Houston
  • graduated from Texas Tech University Honors College in 2002 with a degree in MIS (3.5 GPA with an F on the transcript)
  • received a few merit based scholarships during undergrad, was very active in student government & other organizations
  • studied in London during undergrad
  • worked in London/Europe during undergrad
  • started my own business immediately upon graduation
  • grew business revenue from 0 to 2 million. Employ between 6-12 people depending on the time of year.
  • recently started investing in/managing rental homes. Currently have 4 with hopes of 8 by year end.
  • started a charity in my deceased sister's name that awards annual scholarships and donates for research
  • not extremely active in the community (mainly due to running a business), aside from assisting with a few charity golf tournaments
  • climbed mt kilimanjaro and mt mckinley*
  • now in the process of selling my retail business after weathering and navigating through multiple business cycles

Please let me know your opinion. I took the GMAT 15 years ago and got a 680 with no preparation. Although I'm noticeably rusty right now, I think I can do better than that and I'm currently taking a Veritas class.

Thanks for your help.
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting 02 Jul 2011, 22:57
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redr8er
copy & paste from another thread

I'm in the process of selling my small business (website and brick & mortar store) and it's always been a goal of mine to get my MBA. My friends tell me I'm crazy and that my experiences starting & running my business have already earned an honorary MBA, but I'm drawn to the degree for other reasons aside from career progression.

I do believe it's a waste of my time and effort to go to a school outside the top 10, however, as I'm really after the credibility, the network, and the exposure to other smart people. That brings me here...I'm not sure if I'm a candidate for a top program. If I'm not, then perhaps my time & effort would be better spent on starting the next venture.

A brief bio:
  • 32 year old white male currently living in Houston
  • graduated from Texas Tech University Honors College in 2002 with a degree in MIS (3.5 GPA with an F on the transcript)
  • received a few merit based scholarships during undergrad, was very active in student government & other organizations
  • studied in London during undergrad
  • worked in London/Europe during undergrad
  • started my own business immediately upon graduation
  • grew business revenue from 0 to 2 million. Employ between 6-12 people depending on the time of year.
  • recently started investing in/managing rental homes. Currently have 4 with hopes of 8 by year end.
  • started a charity in my deceased sister's name that awards annual scholarships and donates for research
  • not extremely active in the community (mainly due to running a business), aside from assisting with a few charity golf tournaments
  • climbed mt kilimanjaro and mt mckinley*
  • now in the process of selling my retail business after weathering and navigating through multiple business cycles

Please let me know your opinion. I took the GMAT 15 years ago and got a 680 with no preparation. Although I'm noticeably rusty right now, I think I can do better than that and I'm currently taking a Veritas class.

On the basis of the information above, and under the assumption of strong essays and recommendations and a GMAT score of 700, our experience shows that you will be a competitive candidate at schools such as Duke, Michigan and Darden, competitive to stretch (closer to competitive) at schools such as Tuck, competitive to stretch at Kellogg and Chicago, competitive to stretch (closer to stretch) at Wharton, MIT and Columbia, and stretch at HBS and Stanford.

You may find application tips and scholarship info for most of these schools here:
https://www.aringo.com/schools.htm


Thanks for your help.
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Hope this helps. Good luck!

Gil Levi
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting 05 Jul 2011, 09:55
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HI!

Ill try to be concise.

25 years old (26 by Fall of 2012), African-American male, first-gen College grad.

3.34 GPA through 2-years of Community College, A.A. and A.S. 3.11 GPA during two years at a large state college, B.S. Business Finance, 3.24 GPA Cumulative.

GMAT: 690 (q:44, v:40), first attempt. I don't plan on retaking unless I am rejected from every school for 2012 matriculation. Hopefully work experience will help to make up for the low quant score.

Work: Director of Finance for a for-profit educational institution, 3 direct reports (all with degrees and all older than myself), also the youngest Director of Finance, of 10, in the Southern California District.

Only Extra-C is through work where I'm one of the founding members of the Management Trainee Mentor Program in which we mentor newly hired Management Trainees as they complete a 2-year rotational management program.

*oh, also was in a Fraternity and was a member of the Black Student Union while in college but there was no relevant leadership experience.

Side story - while at the state college I supported myself with money earned through the music industry. Had a local radio / Myspace hit in 06'. Had a few decent connections in the industry and was driving to Hollywood nearly every night after classes to record / produce music. This is the chief reason why my GPA had a downward trend while at the state college.

Post MBA goal: to become a Research Analyst at a Bulge-Bracket Investment Bank. Backup plan = back to general management but in a different industry.

I'm applying through the Consortium and absolutely LOVE the following programs:

NYU
Cornell
UCLA
Texas
USC
Wisconsin

Also, YES, although cliche, I'll likely be applying to HBS as an extreme / nearly impossible reach.

Any input you have in regards to my odds at these schools is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
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mixedin86
HI!

Ill try to be concise.

25 years old (26 by Fall of 2012), African-American male, first-gen College grad.

3.34 GPA through 2-years of Community College, A.A. and A.S. 3.11 GPA during two years at a large state college, B.S. Business Finance, 3.24 GPA Cumulative.

GMAT: 690 (q:44, v:40), first attempt. I don't plan on retaking unless I am rejected from every school for 2012 matriculation. Hopefully work experience will help to make up for the low quant score.

Work: Director of Finance for a for-profit educational institution, 3 direct reports (all with degrees and all older than myself), also the youngest Director of Finance, of 10, in the Southern California District. Impressive work experience! The director title helps.

Only Extra-C is through work where I'm one of the founding members of the Management Trainee Mentor Program in which we mentor newly hired Management Trainees as they complete a 2-year rotational management program.

*oh, also was in a Fraternity and was a member of the Black Student Union while in college but there was no relevant leadership experience.

Side story - while at the state college I supported myself with money earned through the music industry. Had a local radio / Myspace hit in 06'. Had a few decent connections in the industry and was driving to Hollywood nearly every night after classes to record / produce music. This is the chief reason why my GPA had a downward trend while at the state college. Important info! Helps explain the GPA a bit. The experience itself is also likely to be appreciated by most adcoms.

Post MBA goal: to become a Research Analyst at a Bulge-Bracket Investment Bank. Backup plan = back to general management but in a different industry.

I'm applying through the Consortium and absolutely LOVE the following programs:

NYU
Cornell
UCLA
Texas
USC
Wisconsin

Also, YES, although cliche, I'll likely be applying to HBS as an extreme / nearly impossible reach.

Any input you have in regards to my odds at these schools is greatly appreciated!

On the basis of the information above, and under the assumption of strong essays and recommendations, our experience shows that you will be a strong candidate at Wisconsin, competitive to strong at USC, competitive to strong (closer to competitive) at Texas, competitive at Cornell and UCLA, competitive to stretch (closer to competitive) at NYU and, as you predicted, stretch at HBS. Possibly, re-consider your career choices - both for the sake of the application, and for the sake of your career :-) If your career plan was focused on the education industry, I believe your candidacy would have been a bit stronger. Something to think about...

Thanks!
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You're welcome. Hope this helps.

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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting 10 Jul 2011, 23:14
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Hi Gil,

I could really use your help.

Please evaluate my profile and let me know my chances:

Age : 22
Country: India
Gender: Male

GMAT: 680 (Split QA : 44, VA : 40)
TOEFL: Haven't taken it

Education:
- Bachelors in Information Technology from Indian Institute of Information Technology - Allahabad. [Institute ranks 9th in India ]
- GPA 7.5/10
- "A" in Business and Management Courses.


Leadership:
- Was Class representative and School.
- Career Expo representative at Undergrad.

Work experience:
- 6 months with Motorola as an Intern at Applied Research and Technology Centre, Motorola India Research Labs.
- Have a patent application with US PTO for the research done at Motorola (Listed as the first inventor)
- 2 years working for Cisco. (Continuing now)
- Won a Cisco Star Award (Best employee of the quarter)
- Also part of various process improvement initiatives at a Business Unit Level.
- Got promoted in the 1st year of work at Cisco.



Others:
- Involved in various Social Initiatives at Cisco.
- Active participant in the School Adoption Program at Cisco. [ We developed the school with the help of funds received from colleagues and educate the kids]
- Was a member of Prayaas at college. [ Prayaas is a program we started to educate the uneducated kids in the slum near our college]


Please let me know a few schools where I stand chance with the above profile.

Thank You..
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting 12 Jul 2011, 06:05
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hi Gil

i'd appreciate it if you could give a little feedback about my chances with the following profile and also the kinda schools (a few examples would be good) i could apply to considering my goals.

Age: 25
Country: India
Gender: Male
GMAT First try:660 Second try: 720 Q 47 V 42

Education:
- B.Tech in Applied Petroleum Enggineering from the the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (A niche school catering to the energy sector, focusing on oil and gas) I was part of the very first batch graduating from the school. But i have a super **** GPA- 2.4 (will explain later)

Work experience:
- 4 years as of July '11 in a reputed petrochemical company in india. Started out as a managment trainee, promoted to an engineer officer. I am an assistant manager right now, managing a team of 15 plus people on a daily shift duty basis. Responsible for general technical management and running of the $120 million HDPE unit. I Was part of team that undertook a capacity addition revamp of the entire plant worth $300 million. Given my track record, i will most probably be promoted to the position of a deputy manager next year. I Have been preforming all the duties designated to a deputy manager since 2009 due to a sudden shortfall of experienced manpower. i can get good refrences from a senior manager and a DGM.
Also the company i work for hasnt been doing so well financially for the past couple of years, which was down to some bad choices made by the managment. Since then the Managing director has changed. i recently gave a presentation to him related to certain structural changes which can be incorporated to optimize our process as well as cut costs. some of those soulution are being implimented already. the potential saving that i proposed came out to about $5 million per annum.

Others: I grew up in a diplomatic family, staying in a plathora of diff. countries such as the states, kenya, kuwait, mayanmar, germany, UAE....the list goes on. this gave me an oppertunity to meet, interact and form lasting friendships with people consisting of a diverse background.
i have minimal extracarriculars cuz of the 7 days a week workday. but i am part of the local football (soccer) team at club level. (undefeted for 4 years running)

Reason for low GPA:
My family moved from the US to india when i was in the 11th grade. the difference between the school curriculam is staggering. I had to start from the 8th grade books and build upto the 12th grade (barely survived failing 11 grade, down to some serious mugging up) that was a time when i was putting in 8 hrs study sessions daily besides school for the length of the entire school year. suffice to say it was hell. well i managed to pass with a respectable 70 percent and got into a good technical school. metally i was sapped. and i compensated by slacking off a LOT. had i known then what i know now i would have worked harder on the gpa but it took me 3 long years to realize the importance of that gpa and by then i could only pull it upto a 2.4. it does sound like an excuse, i know, but it did play a part.

reason for mba: i have a certain affinity for the company that i work for and as i already mentioned the state of the company and my efforts to help change the situation i.e the presentation i gave to the MD. i tried submitted such proposals before but met with significant resistance due to the radical nature of the said ideas and also due to the lack of strength in the leadership. i was not in a position to initiate change myself nor did i possess the bussiness acumen required to access the business model of the company and suggest/implement appropriate changes. An MBA would go miles in addressing that issue besides

goals

I dont wanna go into i-banking or MC for that matter. General management appealed to me bacause it would more or less cover all the topics that i need to know to get a better understanding of how a bussiness works in a more holistic sense. Also I would like to be associated with a top 10 energy company(oil and gas if you wanna be more specific), because thats where my core competence lies, i understand the workings so i would contribute in a more focused sense. Also the oil and gas industry is set for a transition from the current sources of energy to alliterative energies. My long term goal would be to lead such a company, influence policy and overall help the company adapt to our ever increasing energy demands in an environment friendly and sustainable manner. Form the company into a beacon of light that the rest of the industry can follow. (lofty ambitions yes, but you have to dream big to achieve big)

Side note:
I joind the company im currently working for right outta school when it was obscenely profitible and have seen it decline ever since due to some very bad management decisions. if 10 years down the line i can look back and see that i contributed to the turn around then ill proudly say that i achieved something of note. That is a project i would definitely like to be associated with once i have some experience under my belt.
Also some help with refining my goals(if they sound too vague) would be greatly appreciated.

The kinda schools im looking at:
If there is one thing that i'v learned in the last 4 years is that the brand matters. it opens doors which normally would be locked. So yes im looking at top tier schools and my question is what kinda schools would i have a realistic chance of getting accepted into? I have no concrete preference country wise, the school/program has to be good. And i would be comfortable working in any country, i have no preferences their either.
again thanks for the reply,i appreciate it.
Also what kinda chance would i have at LBS? they have a strong Asian bent with regards to their programs.

Finally: Thank You for putting up with this horrendously long post. but i have been lost for the past couple of weeks with regard to the kind of colleges i should apply to. thank you again for the feed back.

P.S: apologies for the spelling mistakes, one of my perrinial weaknesses.
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting 14 Jul 2011, 05:24
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I am planning to take an MBA (top 10 Biz Schools; in particular Wharton, Harvard, London Business School, Columbia, INSEAD, MIT) in the next 1-2 years.
Age: 26
Nationality: Italian
Languages: Fluent in Italian, English, German. Good command of French, Spanish.
GMAT: N/A

Studies:
Bachelor in Business Administration (Bocconi University), GPA: 28/30, Final Grade 110/110
Thesis on Information Systems: The implementation of an ERP Solution
Fudan University (Shanghai) - 1 month course
MSc in Economics of Innovation and Technology (Bocconi University), GPA 29,5/30, Final Grande: 110/110 cum laude
Thesis in corporate Finance: Using real options to evaluate industrial investments in FMCG industry
Msc in Business Admn. (CBS) (Double Degree Program)

Post Graduate work exp:
Luxembourg (1,5 years): FMCG multinational company (7Bn € Turnover), Strategy and Business Planning, working in the worldwide CEO dep., administrator of the group financial simulator tool.
Germany (1 year): same company, Shopper MKTG Manager (depicted by Bain Germany as the best practice in this country), working together with the sales team responsible for 50% local company`s turnover (approx. 800M €). Developed innovative quantitative projects that enhanced retailers' turnover.

Activities:
Talent Management Workshop (CBS) for a 3bn€ industrial manufacturing company operating worldwide: been selected as a talent ambassador together with other 4 Scandinavian students in order to develop a Strategy plan focused on how to find, evaluate and retain best people. Direct involvment with general managers/directors from all over the world.
Category Manager certification: coming soon
Partecipated for 1 year in a social housing project
Active member of the Rotaract Club
At the age of 17 I developed and managed an Information System for the local authorities regarding economic development.

Reason for doing an MBA:
I would like to further my own business. I am going to launch two innovative companies and I believe a MBA program will give me the chance to climb my learning curve quickly.

GMAT: I hope to hit a score around 700, but you never know...

What is your advise? Timing? Schools? What I need to strenghten in my profile?

Thanks!
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armaansinha
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting 21 Jul 2011, 05:21
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Hey

Please evaluate my profile as per below, would appreciate your honest feedbacks. I am planning to apply for fall 2012.

23/M/India, based in Mumbai

Work experience (total 40 months as of Sep 2012):
1.) Top 5 Investment Bank - (Feb 2010 - present)
Analyst, Middle East Advisory
# Started this team in my division
# Single member team in India with other team members in Dubai, Riyadh, Paris and London
# Have worked on 5 deals as of now (including M&A, IPO and Advisory), with two >US$500 million. Worked with several high profile clients in telecom, fashion, Private Equity and construction industry.
# International exposure - visited my team's headquarters in Dubai for 3.5 months (youngest ever in my division to get this opportunity, within 3 months)
# Continuous promotions with exceptional rating, can get great recos from international guys.
# Mentored and led interns and junior Analysts in India and London

2.) Top 5 Investment Bank (May 2009-Jan 2010)
Analyst, Oil & Gas team
Worked on one IPO. Shifted owing to a Management buy out of my division.

3.) Self start-up, Event and Artist management company (June 2010 - present)
Founder Partner
My own start up (work parallel to JPM), have managed and organised 2 events until now, and 3 in pipeline. Major ones being:
# Metal festival with 7 indian and 2 international bands (from UK and France), total attendance of over 500, sponsorship and corporate tieups, and celebrity presence.
# Fund raising for a micro finance NGO - a play and concert, total attendance around 400, high celeb presence
# Pipeline includes movie festival and music events for the cultural festival for a top 3 Indian B-school
# Part time because of lack of confidence and resources (network, capital) to pursue it full time.

Education
# Mechanical Engineer, Top 5 engineering institute in India
# GPA 3.0
# Excellent leadership and extra currics - started the debating society and initiated several international tie-ups. high level of international and national level event management, right from initiation to management. Have headed technical, cultural, debating and theater societies

Extra-curriculars
# 1 Patent pending approval
# Scripted and directed a play for fund raising, casting poor children for their sponsorship
# Tutored the workers at my internship company in Physics, Chemistry and Maths for their distance learning education
# Published poet and writer for my alumni magazine
# Presented Paper on 'Distorted Mirrors'
# Member, Indian Mathematics Society and Toastmasters

Scores:
# GMAT - 710 (50,35)
# TOEFL - 113

Languages known - English, Hindi, French and Spanish

Post MBA plans:
# Strategy

Target schools:
Strong diversity focus - INSEAD, LBS, Tuck, Kellogg and HEC. Would appreciate any suggestions on my list.

Queries:
# Profile evaluation for above schools and college suggestions
# Should I retake my GMAT, given I am a young applicant ?
# Would the extreme diversity - Mechanical Engineering + I-banking + Event management be viewed negatively ? If yes, can it be offset ?

Many thanks for your help!
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting Updated on: 06 Apr 2012, 19:49
Originally posted by AringoConsultant on 22 Jul 2011, 05:51.
Last edited by AringoConsultant on 06 Apr 2012, 19:49, edited 1 time in total.
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Quote:
Hi Gil,

I could really use your help.

Please evaluate my profile and let me know my chances:

Age : 22
Country: India
Gender: Male

GMAT: 680 (Split QA : 44, VA : 40)
TOEFL: Haven't taken it

Education:
- Bachelors in Information Technology from Indian Institute of Information Technology - Allahabad. [Institute ranks 9th in India ]
- GPA 7.5/10
- "A" in Business and Management Courses.


Leadership:
- Was Class representative and School.
- Career Expo representative at Undergrad.

Work experience:
- 6 months with Motorola as an Intern at Applied Research and Technology Centre, Motorola India Research Labs.
- Have a patent application with US PTO for the research done at Motorola (Listed as the first inventor)
- 2 years working for Cisco. (Continuing now)
- Won a Cisco Star Award (Best employee of the quarter)
- Also part of various process improvement initiatives at a Business Unit Level.
- Got promoted in the 1st year of work at Cisco.

Others:
- Involved in various Social Initiatives at Cisco.
- Active participant in the School Adoption Program at Cisco. [ We developed the school with the help of funds received from colleagues and educate the kids]
- Was a member of Prayaas at college. [ Prayaas is a program we started to educate the uneducated kids in the slum near our college]

Please let me know a few schools where I stand chance with the above profile.

Thank You..
Show more

Seeker21,

Thank you for your profile submission. To introduce myself to the forum, I am a Kellogg graduate and Senior Consultant for Aringo. I will be assisting Gil Levi in responding to profiles in this discussion going forward.

On the basis of the information above, and under the assumption of strong essays and recommendations and a GMAT score of 680, our experience shows that you will be a competitive candidate at UNC Kenan-Flagler, USC Marshall, and Texas McCombs, between competitive and stretch at Tepper and IESE, between competitive and stretch (closer to stretch) at UCLA Anderson, Darden, and Cornell, and stretch at Ross and Tuck.

Since you are younger than most applicants and with two years of full-time work, based on our past experience, it will be especially relevant for you to describe why now is the right time for you to leave to pursue an MBA. Additionally, you mentioned that you were promoted during your first year at Cisco. If this promotion was ahead of the rest of your cohort, it would make sense to highlight this in your application – in many firms the first promotion in an entry-level position comes after approximately two years with the organization.

Best of luck,
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting Updated on: 06 Apr 2012, 19:52
Originally posted by AringoConsultant on 22 Jul 2011, 05:55.
Last edited by AringoConsultant on 06 Apr 2012, 19:52, edited 1 time in total.
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Quote:

hi Gil

i'd appreciate it if you could give a little feedback about my chances with the following profile and also the kinda schools (a few examples would be good) i could apply to considering my goals.

Age: 25
Country: India
Gender: Male
GMAT First try:660 Second try: 720 Q 47 V 42

Education:
- B.Tech in Applied Petroleum Enggineering from the the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (A niche school catering to the energy sector, focusing on oil and gas) I was part of the very first batch graduating from the school. But i have a super **** GPA- 2.4 (will explain later)

Work experience:
- 4 years as of July '11 in a reputed petrochemical company in india. Started out as a managment trainee, promoted to an engineer officer. I am an assistant manager right now, managing a team of 15 plus people on a daily shift duty basis. Responsible for general technical management and running of the $120 million HDPE unit. I Was part of team that undertook a capacity addition revamp of the entire plant worth $300 million. Given my track record, i will most probably be promoted to the position of a deputy manager next year. I Have been preforming all the duties designated to a deputy manager since 2009 due to a sudden shortfall of experienced manpower. i can get good refrences from a senior manager and a DGM.
Also the company i work for hasnt been doing so well financially for the past couple of years, which was down to some bad choices made by the managment. Since then the Managing director has changed. i recently gave a presentation to him related to certain structural changes which can be incorporated to optimize our process as well as cut costs. some of those soulution are being implimented already. the potential saving that i proposed came out to about $5 million per annum.

Others: I grew up in a diplomatic family, staying in a plathora of diff. countries such as the states, kenya, kuwait, mayanmar, germany, UAE....the list goes on. this gave me an oppertunity to meet, interact and form lasting friendships with people consisting of a diverse background.
i have minimal extracarriculars cuz of the 7 days a week workday. but i am part of the local football (soccer) team at club level. (undefeted for 4 years running)

Reason for low GPA:
My family moved from the US to india when i was in the 11th grade. the difference between the school curriculam is staggering. I had to start from the 8th grade books and build upto the 12th grade (barely survived failing 11 grade, down to some serious mugging up) that was a time when i was putting in 8 hrs study sessions daily besides school for the length of the entire school year. suffice to say it was hell. well i managed to pass with a respectable 70 percent and got into a good technical school. metally i was sapped. and i compensated by slacking off a LOT. had i known then what i know now i would have worked harder on the gpa but it took me 3 long years to realize the importance of that gpa and by then i could only pull it upto a 2.4. it does sound like an excuse, i know, but it did play a part.

reason for mba: i have a certain affinity for the company that i work for and as i already mentioned the state of the company and my efforts to help change the situation i.e the presentation i gave to the MD. i tried submitted such proposals before but met with significant resistance due to the radical nature of the said ideas and also due to the lack of strength in the leadership. i was not in a position to initiate change myself nor did i possess the bussiness acumen required to access the business model of the company and suggest/implement appropriate changes. An MBA would go miles in addressing that issue besides

goals

I dont wanna go into i-banking or MC for that matter. General management appealed to me bacause it would more or less cover all the topics that i need to know to get a better understanding of how a bussiness works in a more holistic sense. Also I would like to be associated with a top 10 energy company(oil and gas if you wanna be more specific), because thats where my core competence lies, i understand the workings so i would contribute in a more focused sense. Also the oil and gas industry is set for a transition from the current sources of energy to alliterative energies. My long term goal would be to lead such a company, influence policy and overall help the company adapt to our ever increasing energy demands in an environment friendly and sustainable manner. Form the company into a beacon of light that the rest of the industry can follow. (lofty ambitions yes, but you have to dream big to achieve big)

Side note:
I joind the company im currently working for right outta school when it was obscenely profitible and have seen it decline ever since due to some very bad management decisions. if 10 years down the line i can look back and see that i contributed to the turn around then ill proudly say that i achieved something of note. That is a project i would definitely like to be associated with once i have some experience under my belt.
Also some help with refining my goals(if they sound too vague) would be greatly appreciated.

The kinda schools im looking at:
If there is one thing that i'v learned in the last 4 years is that the brand matters. it opens doors which normally would be locked. So yes im looking at top tier schools and my question is what kinda schools would i have a realistic chance of getting accepted into? I have no concrete preference country wise, the school/program has to be good. And i would be comfortable working in any country, i have no preferences their either.
again thanks for the reply,i appreciate it.
Also what kinda chance would i have at LBS? they have a strong Asian bent with regards to their programs.

Finally: Thank You for putting up with this horrendously long post. but i have been lost for the past couple of weeks with regard to the kind of colleges i should apply to. thank you again for the feed back.

P.S: apologies for the spelling mistakes, one of my perrinial weaknesses.
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Spellbinder,

Thank you for the profile submission. On the basis of the information above, and under the assumption of strong essays and recommendations and a GMAT score of 720, our experience shows that you will be a stretch candidate at LBS. You would be competitive at UNC Kenan-Flagler and Texas McCombs, between competitive and stretch at Tepper and IESE, and between competitive and stretch (closer to stretch) at Darden and Cornell.

The fact that you moved to India during high school helps to explain your high school GPA and performance, but in my view would explain much less about your GPA achieved during your undergraduate experience.

For sure, discuss your presentations at work and the cost-savings successes in both your CV and essays – these are significant and important accomplishments. At the same time, in our experience, you may want to pay careful attention about the wording of your recommendations that you put forth to your management team when you elaborate on them in your application. Referring to them as “radical” may cause the admissions committee to think that you did not consider whether the ideas could be reasonably implemented at your firm and may cause them to (incorrectly) question your judgment or business acumen.

Your future goals have a good alignment with your past background, although it would help if you started to learn more and became involved with clean technology prior to your applications.

Finally, regarding the spelling topic that you brought up, make sure that you have at least a few people read your essays who have solid English skills to help you with finding any spelling or formatting mistakes prior to submission. Similarly, keep in mind that the admission committees take into account any and all documented communications with candidates when they make decisions. As such, if you write emails to the admission committees with questions during the application process, or if you connect with students on school websites, also make sure to double-check your spelling and the general presentation in any messages.

Best of luck,
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting Updated on: 06 Apr 2012, 19:51
Originally posted by AringoConsultant on 22 Jul 2011, 05:58.
Last edited by AringoConsultant on 06 Apr 2012, 19:51, edited 1 time in total.
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Quote:

I am planning to take an MBA (top 10 Biz Schools; in particular Wharton, Harvard, London Business School, Columbia, INSEAD, MIT) in the next 1-2 years.
Age: 26
Nationality: Italian
Languages: Fluent in Italian, English, German. Good command of French, Spanish.
GMAT: N/A

Studies:
Bachelor in Business Administration (Bocconi University), GPA: 28/30, Final Grade 110/110
Thesis on Information Systems: The implementation of an ERP Solution
Fudan University (Shanghai) - 1 month course
MSc in Economics of Innovation and Technology (Bocconi University), GPA 29,5/30, Final Grande: 110/110 cum laude
Thesis in corporate Finance: Using real options to evaluate industrial investments in FMCG industry
Msc in Business Admn. (CBS) (Double Degree Program)

Post Graduate work exp:
Luxembourg (1,5 years): FMCG multinational company (7Bn € Turnover), Strategy and Business Planning, working in the worldwide CEO dep., administrator of the group financial simulator tool.
Germany (1 year): same company, Shopper MKTG Manager (depicted by Bain Germany as the best practice in this country), working together with the sales team responsible for 50% local company`s turnover (approx. 800M €). Developed innovative quantitative projects that enhanced retailers' turnover.

Activities:
Talent Management Workshop (CBS) for a 3bn€ industrial manufacturing company operating worldwide: been selected as a talent ambassador together with other 4 Scandinavian students in order to develop a Strategy plan focused on how to find, evaluate and retain best people. Direct involvment with general managers/directors from all over the world.
Category Manager certification: coming soon
Partecipated for 1 year in a social housing project
Active member of the Rotaract Club
At the age of 17 I developed and managed an Information System for the local authorities regarding economic development.

Reason for doing an MBA:
I would like to further my own business. I am going to launch two innovative companies and I believe a MBA program will give me the chance to climb my learning curve quickly.

GMAT: I hope to hit a score around 700, but you never know...

What is your advise? Timing? Schools? What I need to strenghten in my profile?

Thanks!
Show more

Encrypton,

Thank you for your profile submission. On the basis of the information above, and under the assumption of strong essays and recommendations and an assumed GMAT score of 700, our experience shows that you will be a stretch candidate at Harvard, between competitive and stretch at Wharton, between competitive and stretch (closer to competitive) at Columbia, competitive at INSEAD and MIT Sloan, and strong at LBS.

However, one of the most important aspects of your application, based on our past interactions with candidates, is that you already have the Msc in business administration. We believe the fact that you have an MBA (or, at least, a degree that sounds similar to an MBA) will make it more difficult for you to gain admission. You will have to provide a (very) convincing explanation for why you need another MBA. There are some programs (for example, Haas and Darden) where you cannot apply because of already having this degree.

The fact that you have strategy and business planning work responsibilities early on in your career is indeed impressive, and definitely make sure to include the finding from Bain’s Germany office about the best practices in your division in your essays and/or CV.

Regarding your career goals, it may make sense to elaborate on why you are planning on launching two innovative companies instead of one. Additionally, you may consider discussing your plans for the company you feel has the most promise, or you may consider talking about these two companies that might launch at different stages in a post-MBA career. Otherwise, the admission committees may question your ability to successfully launch two companies simultaneously.

In terms of future steps that you can take (besides taking the GMAT), you may want to gain more exposure and knowledge in the industry that you are planning to launch a business. This will make your plans more realistic and give more of a direct tie to your past.

Best of luck,
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting Updated on: 06 Apr 2012, 19:51
Originally posted by AringoConsultant on 24 Jul 2011, 23:03.
Last edited by AringoConsultant on 06 Apr 2012, 19:51, edited 1 time in total.
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Quote:

Hey

Please evaluate my profile as per below, would appreciate your honest feedbacks. I am planning to apply for fall 2012.

23/M/India, based in Mumbai

Work experience (total 40 months as of Sep 2012):
1.) Top 5 Investment Bank - (Feb 2010 - present)
Analyst, Middle East Advisory
# Started this team in my division
# Single member team in India with other team members in Dubai, Riyadh, Paris and London
# Have worked on 5 deals as of now (including M&A, IPO and Advisory), with two >US$500 million. Worked with several high profile clients in telecom, fashion, Private Equity and construction industry.
# International exposure - visited my team's headquarters in Dubai for 3.5 months (youngest ever in my division to get this opportunity, within 3 months)
# Continuous promotions with exceptional rating, can get great recos from international guys.
# Mentored and led interns and junior Analysts in India and London

2.) Top 5 Investment Bank (May 2009-Jan 2010)
Analyst, Oil & Gas team
Worked on one IPO. Shifted owing to a Management buy out of my division.

3.) Self start-up, Event and Artist management company (June 2010 - present)
Founder Partner
My own start up (work parallel to JPM), have managed and organised 2 events until now, and 3 in pipeline. Major ones being:
# Metal festival with 7 indian and 2 international bands (from UK and France), total attendance of over 500, sponsorship and corporate tieups, and celebrity presence.
# Fund raising for a micro finance NGO - a play and concert, total attendance around 400, high celeb presence
# Pipeline includes movie festival and music events for the cultural festival for a top 3 Indian B-school
# Part time because of lack of confidence and resources (network, capital) to pursue it full time.

Education
# Mechanical Engineer, Top 5 engineering institute in India
# GPA 3.0
# Excellent leadership and extra currics - started the debating society and initiated several international tie-ups. high level of international and national level event management, right from initiation to management. Have headed technical, cultural, debating and theater societies

Extra-curriculars
# 1 Patent pending approval
# Scripted and directed a play for fund raising, casting poor children for their sponsorship
# Tutored the workers at my internship company in Physics, Chemistry and Maths for their distance learning education
# Published poet and writer for my alumni magazine
# Presented Paper on 'Distorted Mirrors'
# Member, Indian Mathematics Society and Toastmasters

Scores:
# GMAT - 710 (50,35)
# TOEFL - 113

Languages known - English, Hindi, French and Spanish

Post MBA plans:
# Strategy

Target schools:
Strong diversity focus - INSEAD, LBS, Tuck, Kellogg and HEC. Would appreciate any suggestions on my list.

Queries:
# Profile evaluation for above schools and college suggestions
# Should I retake my GMAT, given I am a young applicant ?
# Would the extreme diversity - Mechanical Engineering + I-banking + Event management be viewed negatively ? If yes, can it be offset ?

Many thanks for your help!
Show more

armaansinha,

Thank you for your profile submission. On the basis of the information above, and under the assumption of strong essays and recommendations and a GMAT score of 710, our experience shows that you will be a strong candidate with potential for a significant scholarship at HEC Paris, between competitive and stretch (closer to competitive) at LBS, between competitive and stretch at Tuck, between competitive and stretch (closer to stretch) at INSEAD, and stretch at Kellogg.

In terms of your profile, it would improve your candidacy if you were able to score higher on the GMAT. However, from our experience, this is not because you would have slightly over three years of work experience at matriculation. Rather, it would be to make up for your GPA, which at 3.0 is much lower than the average incoming GPA for most top schools. Please keep in mind I am assuming you converted your undergraduate GPA from India into something into the 4.0 scale for the US - if you graduated in the top 30% or better in your class, definitely mention this in your CV. While three years of work experience is on the lower side for the schools you list, for investment bankers and consultants the three year mark is a quite common point in time at which to matriculate to business school. I recognize that your work schedule (on top of your significant activities outside of work) may make it challenging to retake the test, but consider taking it if you can work it into your schedule. Definitely talk about your promotions and positive reviews at work in your CV and application, as they should help you.

Regarding what you describe as 'extreme diversity' on your profile, I think you raise a very good question. It's not exactly a black or white answer, but rather about how you connect the experiences together, in my view:

- In our experience, the combination of an engineering background and an investment banking career is, by itself, perfectly acceptable. Upon graduation, engineers can go into industry, consulting, banking, or even other roles, so this is ok.

- In reading through the details of your event management firm and your outside activities, it's quite apparent that you have a passion for music and celebrating the debate of ideas with large groups. The admissions committees, in our history, like to see candidates, especially heavy finance types like investment bankers, show some of their personality and passion. At the same time, your non-work activities, while impressive, are a lot of details for an admission member to read through (and remember) during an application. My thought would be that perhaps you may consider prioritizing your activities, accomplishments, and how they are positioned on your resume and in your application. Definitely highlight roles where you have had leadership positions, and de-emphasize those where you have not (eg. member of societies) to help make your more impactful roles stick in the minds of the adcoms.

- Additionally, given that you are interested in a post-MBA career in 'strategy,' I would encourage you to potentially include some discussion about your non-work activities and how they relate to your career goals. If, for instance, you were interested in a strategy position within the media/entertainment field, then I'd definitely say you should talk about your personal start-up and how you gained a better understanding/appreciation for the business in your first few events. If you're interested in a post-MBA corporate strategy role in a F500 oil/gas firm, then your expertise in this industry with deals at your IB firms is a connection to that future. But, you could then talk about your involvement in debates and leadership, which presumably have helped you to become a better presenter and someone who is quite persuasive in working with a management team.

Bottom line: While you do have some areas of involvement that are, at first glance, 'far' from each other, if you can connect them with a theme in some way it will benefit you. If, however, you present to the committee that you've done a lot of potentially disconnected "things," they may consider that you did these items just to have them on your profile. Again, like I mention, it seems you really have a passion for the entertainment/debate space, so the latter does not appear to be the case.

This notion of a theme in your application is helpful because students are faced with way too many activities at business school and too little time to accomplish everything that sounds interesting. If the admission committee is not convinced that a candidate can prioritize his/her activities and career prior to business school, they may question if the candidate can do this while in business school and during the recruiting process.

Regarding school selection, if you are looking to study in the US and want to go into corporate strategy roles, Tuck and Kellogg are good options. In terms of other programs that are traditionally strong in general management and strategy, at the more selective end would be HBS and Stanford, while Fuqua and Ross would also be programs to consider. If you wanted to consider media/entertainment, then I'd recommend you look at UCLA Anderson.

Best of luck,
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting 28 Jul 2011, 00:20
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Hey Gil and Brian,

I have a question regarding work experience and its effect on admission chances -
Does the fact that I switched from a managerial position to a development position hurt my chances?
Would appreciate your advice.
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AringoConsultant
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Ask ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting Updated on: 06 Apr 2012, 19:50
Originally posted by AringoConsultant on 29 Jul 2011, 07:40.
Last edited by AringoConsultant on 06 Apr 2012, 19:50, edited 1 time in total.
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Quote:

Hey Gil and Brian,

I have a question regarding work experience and its effect on admission chances -
Does the fact that I switched from a managerial position to a development position hurt my chances?
Would appreciate your advice.
Show more

Brainiac,

Thank you for the question.

Please consider the following rationale about changing positions, in general. If your new position entails greater managerial responsibility than what you currently carry, and assuming that you are applying in the next 3 months, that the company you are moving to is about the same size and reputation as the current one, and that the move fits well with your career plan, I believe it will strengthen your candidacy. If the managerial responsibility (as reflected in title and number of people managed) is about the same as it is now, and the company size and reputation are about the same as they are now, the move is not likely to enhance your candidacy and may hurt it (depending on the impact on potential recommenders, the fit with your career plan, the explanation for the move and the exact nature of the position and company).

In reviewing the above rationale and based on the wording of your question, I'm assuming that you are remaining within the same company. It's also probably fair to say that your managerial responsibility, in terms of title and number of people managed, will likely decrease. At best, your management responsibility will remain the same in a developmental position. So, unless the developmental position is a great fit with your career plan and/or you can provide additional good explanations for the move (very important to elaborate on), in our estimation your candidacy would have been a little stronger had you remained in the managerial post. It would have been even stronger had you advanced to a more senior managerial post.

Best of luck,
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