Ask ISB Alumni @ ThinkISB

Hello Think ISB

Please evaluate my profile. I am planning to apply for the April 2011-2012 batch

Age: 29
Nationality: Indian
B.Tech from IP Univ in Electronics and Communication - ard 68%
M.S. in Electrical Engineering from USA (avg school - in top 50) - GPA - 3.72/4.0 (A's in all but 1 class)
Was a Reseach Assistant during MS, worked on a project for NASA (thesis project), wrote and presented papers in conferences.

GMAT: 640 (Q46, V31) waiting on AWA

Work Exp:5 years (as of Sept 2010) in US on H1B Visa
Working in an Avionics company (Pretty big name in avionics) in a team that builds GPS receivers for commercial aircrafts, my profile is completely NON Software, I work at the black box level on the System development life cycle. Basically working with customers, FAA to get requirements at high level, break them into SW and HW functionalities,work on design strategies, integration etc. For the last 2 years I have taken up a leadership role as in Project Management, no direct reportees but am responsible for projects (upto 5M US$).

Extra Curr: Participated in a few debates and plays at school level and undergrad level. During Graduation volunteered with the Indian Student Association. Volunteered on and off with the university to help out local community, one specific case was the major Florida hurricane in 2004.
At work, I have been working with the Diversity Employee network (Asian network) as a volunteer (no important/lead role in committees). Also volunteer at events organized by the company/department again one case was helping out local community during thedevastating Flood of 2008.
All in all, I have only been volunteering ocassionaly, have never been in a leadership role.

Short Term Goal/why ISB:
I want to get in Strategy and Business development role in avionics industry. Avionics industry is growing in Europe/Asia region with lot of avionics companies opening up facilities in India, Singapore etc. I want to get into the strategy development role in such company.

Long Term Goal: I want to open up my own business in avionics in India (not too sure what right now) but in the same industry specially because it is still developing and has lot of scope.

My Questions are:
1) I know I have a very weak GMAT (and not so good Extra Curriculars) but I have heard that ISB considers low GMAT for people with different profiles/work ex, Will my profile be considered “Different”?
2) I am thinking about taking GMAT again but not too sure if I will be able to take it before the Round 2 deadline, so in case I am not able to take it again, With this GMAT do I even stand a chance ?

Thanks, I really appreciate your time and help.

Dear mn2010,

You score fairly well as far as academic performance is concerned. Your undergrad score was a concern but your MS GPA made up for it. In addition, your NASA project and conference papers are a good value add. Your GMAT Score is on the lower side though but with an impressive set of essays and a clear articulation of goals should make up for it. So your answer to the first question is that it is tough, but it depends on how you articulate yourself in the essays. With a higher GMAT, it will be easier.

Work experience: Your work responsibilities look decent, but as far as your candidacy goes, skills displayed like teamwork, leadership, proactiveness, and professional maturity would matter. Make sure you display these qualities in your essays. Your international experience is a plus. Your goals are also in line with your experience. Be prepared for follow up questions on your goals during your interview. Do your research well on the industry scenario in India.

What you have mentioned as extra curricular activities will be community involvement, which is good. So do not think that they are "not so good". Highlight them in your essays, they do talk a lot about your personality.

At the end, I would say, work a lot on your essays and try your best.

Hi Think ISB,

Please tell me weather it is harmful to repeat stuff in essays,for eg., if i want to write the ans of 'why MBA from ISB?' (which is actually 2nd essay) in my 1st essay also (why i should be admitted...along with other reasons,an MBA from ISB would help me because ----) , would'nt it look boring to see the same thing in 2nd essay? Also, the thing that makes me unique comes in 1st essay .. and most prob. i would want to repeat it in 3rd essay .. should I repeat stuff or find alternate methods?

Hi Think ISB,

Please evaluate my profile:


Age: 27
Nationality: Indian
B.Tech from UP Tech Univ - 65%

GMAT: 710(Q49, V37).

Work Exp:5 years (as of Jan 2011) (3 years in India, 2 years in US)
Working in IT in one of the top 3 IT companies in India. Work on SAP ERP. Worked in a role of Business Analyst. Was part of a solution design for Quote to Cash process for world number 3 oil mining company, led a team of 5. Despite being just an MBA have grown to a level of business analyst. I have worked on all kinds of role doing development to end user training.
Extra Curr: Have been constant part of Companies volunteering initiatives. In US I have been part of group called Beacon, we make and feed food to poor people on streets of Houston every Sunday. Also part of Houston Mayors volunteer program, working as volunteer in Houston Public library.
I have worked with diverse people. I have got evaluations done from the Client Director of IT.

Short Term Goal/why ISB:
Want to do MBA in Marketing and join the education sector.

Long Term Goal: Want to start something of my own in education sector.

Dear jhkaas,

We won't say it is harmful. But we would not advise anyone to repeat the same thing in 3 essays. There are only 900 words to describe yourself, to help the admissions committee know the complete you. Why do you want to waste it? It is a good idea to mention different aspects of your personality in different essays and do not repeat the same thing, waste precious words and bore the reader. This will give a signal that you have nothing else to tell.

If you have different aspects of your personality to showcase, show through different examples.

Hope this helps.

Hi guptaashish,

Your work experience sounds good. Now if only you can show that your perspective in business goes beyond just the IT systems and you understand the full business/industry of the client you are working for, it will be good. You just need to show that even though you were developing ERP systems, you know how this will effect a particular industry.

Your academics seem to be of a concern here. Your undergrad % is less and a score of 710 being in IT does not compensate for it. If there is anything else that you can use to show your analytical skills, please use that, else we advise you to write GMAT again.

Refine your post MBA goals a bit. While it is good to have a goal, it is also important to justify the need of an MBA to achieve that goal. And how that goal relates to what you have done in the past (either the industry or the skills gained should be relevant)

Hope that helps.

Dear Applicants,

As we review applications this season, we are seeing that many applicants are facing difficulty in writing the re-applicant essay, which is of course very critical for all re-applicants. So we thought of writing an article and advise a larger audience. Please read the following post on "how to approach the re-applicant essay"

https://www.thinkisb.com/blog/2010/08/11 ... ant-essay/

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the profile evaluation ThinkISB, I guess, I have some serious thinking to do about how I should spend my next 2 months.

Hi,

I had a 3 queries on the overall selection process of ISB, R1 vs R2, and telephonic/skype interviews

Question 1. Regarding the selection process : Would you be able to shed some light on the approx %weightage of the major 5 parameters that ISB adcom evaluates a candidate on: For eg.
a. Acads: GMAT and Undergrad
b. Work ex and extracurriculars: Quality and quantity
c. Essays
d. Recos
e. Interview

I understand that there's obviously no defined weightage for the above parameters, but I just want to better understand, in your view, how each of these is looked at as part of the whole application.

Question 2:While ISB clearly states there's no difference in intake between R1 and R2 -- can there be an inherent advantage in applying to R1 given that there might be lesser applications overall and also because your application will be in the first set to be viewed. I do feel that this year there will be lesser applicants in R1 compared to R2 (Rs 2L deposit + earlier deadlines being primary reasons)

Question 3: As an applicant are you at a disadvantage in appearing for an interview over skype or telephone, because it's obviously much more difficult to interview this way than in person. Can that go against you to some extent? A lot of ppl (including me) might not be comfortable over video calls - much less if its an interview for ISB!

Would be great to hear your thoughts on the above.

Thanks,
Ankur

Dear Ankur,

Please find below the responses to your queries:

1. We are not aware of any weightages assigned to these parameters. There is a lot of subjectivity involved in evaluating a candidate, so there is no fixed formula for admission. We believe all aspects of the application are of equal importance and it is the combined package which is evaluated and not any parameter in isolation.

2. If you think you can apply in round 1 with the strongest set of essays, do so. Do not hurry in applying in R1 just for the sake of it, with substandard application. There is no statistic available which states there is an advantage of applying in R1.

3. If you are an international candidate, you have but no option but to interview over skype/phone. But if you are in India and can travel to an interview location, we urge you to do so, because you can express yourself more easily when in person. While this is a generic advice, some people may have different preference.

Hope that helps.
All the best.

Good job. By the way, does ISB refer back to previous year application during the admission process? Or do they just trash it away.

Yes, we feel ISB does refer to the previous application. That is the purpose of asking your previous application number when you declare yourself a reapplicant. If you have noticed, the website gives an error when you enter an invalid app ref no.

Please help in evaluating my profile.

Here goes my profile:

X ICSE : 90 %
XII ISC: 86.3%
BE (2007) VTU(Bangalore) : 76.03%
GMAT Scor: 690 (V:35, Q:48) AWA : 5.0

Professional Experience: 2yrs 11 months experience in a leading Telecom Company. Have 6 months onsite experience in China. After 6 month of software development, I joined the presales team to demonstrate my project for some of the leading Indian Telecom Operators. After that I have led a team of 10 members for the deployment of my project. Currently I am leading another team(i have setup and mentored) for another project in the client side (a leading telecom operator). My responsibility is customer interaction, leading team and requirement collection and providing solution to client. In short span I have been able to gain domain expertise.

By April 2011 I will be having an experience of 3.5 years.

EC: Played Table Tennis in state level and have been captain in the school team. Have taught poor people in my locality during my school days and still continue whenever I get time.

Post MBA Goals: To stay in Telecom Industry and to know know more in depth business knowledge. Further I would like to start off a telecom consultancy.


I am worried about my low GMAT score. Hailing from India engineer community, my score is low.

I have already applied for ISB and will be applying for NUS and Nanyang.

Please suggest me as to which other B Schools to target. I am open for US and European B Schools also.

Thanks in advance!!

My GMAT score is 750 (Q50 V41) , AWA - 5

Profile
3 years Experience in one of the top MNC company in India
worked as an R and D intern in a NGO ( Environment)

Acads : B.Tech from NIT Warangal( Top 10 Tech school in India) -- CGPA - 8.61/10
Class X- 92 % , Class XII - 95 %
Institute Merit Scholarship for the freshman year
AIEEE rank of 170 ( out of 4,00,000 applicants).
EAMCET rank of 91 ( out of 1,00,000 applicants)

ECs: Coordinator for the tech-fest of NIT Warangal
Additional Secretary, ECE Association, NIT Warangal
Joint Secretary, IEEE Student Branch, NIT Warangal
Won prizes in various paper presentation contests in various colleges including IIT Roorkee, Osmania University
Conducted a mock AIEEE exam for AIEEE aspirants in Hyderabad

Dear sandi,

You have a decent profile. Now when you have submitted your application, do not worry about your GMAT score.

Where you should do your MBA from depends on which industry would like to work for and if there are any location constraints. NUS is a good choice of a school for your goals. Since you want to stay in telecom industry, we'd suggest apply to schools in the west coast that have a technology focus. considering your long term goal, if the school can provide you tools and environment for entrepreneurship, it'll be good. Schools like Stanford, Haas and MIT are good but I'd suggest you rewrite your GMAT if you can and try to score above 730. You should also keep a good mix of reach and competitive schools.

Do some research on the school's recruiting companies list and faculty to see where you fit best.

Dear nikhilgupta2020,

Your academics are strong. With 750 GMAT and 8.61 CGPA, you need not worry about the acads part. Would like to know more about your work experience to better comment on your experience. You have decent extra curricular involvement as well but all of it is far back in college. Do you engage yourself outside of work now as well? What are your hobbies? Your NGO experience will be helpful and will count as extra currics but again, in what capacity are you involved and did you take any new initiative?

Do contact us, contact@thinkisb.com to get a detailed evaluation of your profile.

Hi,

Please evaluate my profile

I am yet to take my GMAT, Target score (700-750)

Profile:
I have a total of 4 years of work Ex in IT Industry. In my first Job, I was promoted within 7 months to the Post of a Track Lead and was heading an L1 team of 15 members reporting to me. I have groomed myself technically as well during this time, and have International SUN ceritifications in my area of expertise. In my second Job, where my underline work Profile has been te same, I have taken initiatives in reducing effort and doing Effort analysis, which has been a boon to my current organization.

Acads:
Xth - 80%
XII- 70%
B.tech (Computer Science) - 72.3%

EC's: I have been a State level Basket ball Player in school and was coaching for about a year after school. Played intercollege badminton. Debates and extempore has been my forte during school and college. I am a part of an cultural organization at Office, which organizes events. Also I am an active member of Internatinal Green Peace Organtization. I have been writing poetry for some 15 years now, and write in 3 different languages, also I learn Flute.

With MBA I want to bring in a carrer shift and step into Marketting. I come from a business class family and have worked with my father also for 3 years, but that was some 8 years back, has formed the roots of my interet into business. With Engg and and working in an MNC for four years now, I believe I have a fair Industry experience and my Engg background, gives me the attitude and aptitude to reason and figure out things better.

Please evaluate and let me know if I have any chance at ISB.