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Basim2016
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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 18 Aug 2019, 17:40
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Dear,

Any idea of the upper age limit for the top 5 BS. What is the maximum age you know of any one admitted in the top 5 Schools?
Any special story or more details will be highly appreciated.
Regards.

Posted from my mobile device
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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 01 Sep 2019, 22:51
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Hey Souvik!

I am applying this month(September 2019) round 1, but I had registered for attestation last year from the University of Mumbai. Are those papers valid for application? Or am I required to reapply for the attestation process? Please reply ASAP.
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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 04 Sep 2019, 21:48
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desozat
Congrats Souvik!
You have provided invaluable guidance for prospective students.
Please do spend a few minutes evaluating my profile when you get a chance.
Applying for MBA schools in USA in Fall 2020.

Demographic : India, Male (25 y/o)
Education : Computer Sci Engg in a top 20 undergrad school
Work Ex : 4 years by 2020. Work in a supremely blue-chip US Bank building trading platforms used by global traders to book exotic financial products. Experience leading cross-functional and cross-regional teams.
GMAT : 740 (Q51/V40) | IR : 8 | AWA : 5
Leadership : Multiple and good examples at work and in college
Hobbies : Current Affairs junkie, debater, public speaker.
Community work : Okayish efforts @ work. Nothing outside it.
Goals : Strategy consulting

Schools : Columbia, Duke-Fuqua, UMich-Ross .. (Need help here!)
Show more

desozat - first off, I am sorry about the delay in my response. I finished my summer internship and traveled computer-free for a while. But I hope I can make up for the delay.

You are young as an applicant and your GMAT is good (not great by Indian male standards, but good enough to get your resume read!). Your work experience sounds great, and I am assuming is a regular feeder to top schools. You dont really need to worry about the lack of community work. It is less important than people think, and as long as your leadership stories are solid, you should be in a good shape.

Your school choices are modest too. You are not a HSW or bust, which is always refreshing!

Would you mind elaborating why you picked these schools? Strategy consulting can happen from any top school. Are you trying to be close to the east coast or are there any other reason? Why wouldnt you look at Kellogg and/or Booth?
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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 04 Sep 2019, 21:49
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gopalachary
Hello Souvik,

I am looking into the B schools which have a 1 year program inside India. I will be having a work ex of 5 years by the time of applying. I am an indian male working for an automobile OEM in the R & D dept.

Can you please help me by elaborating on the institutes , their courses , intake strategies and GMAT score range ?

Thanks in advance.

~Gopal
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These things can be found on several MBA news websites. Check this one and other articles from MBACrystalBall

https://www.mbacrystalball.com/blog/201 ... -in-india/
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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 04 Sep 2019, 21:50
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Basim2016
Dear,

Any idea of the upper age limit for the top 5 BS. What is the maximum age you know of any one admitted in the top 5 Schools?
Any special story or more details will be highly appreciated.
Regards.

Posted from my mobile device
Show more

There is no upper limit. I have 40 year olds and 23 year olds in my class. It depends a lot more on why NOW is the best time for YOU. That said, the median/average age in business school tends to be in the 27-28 range. I was on the tail end of the median when I matriculated at 28.
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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 04 Sep 2019, 21:52
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guptapriyanka512
Hey Souvik!

I am applying this month(September 2019) round 1, but I had registered for attestation last year from the University of Mumbai. Are those papers valid for application? Or am I required to reapply for the attestation process? Please reply ASAP.
Show more

They should be valid. I don't think schools care about attestation. They will ask for more formal transcripts once you are selected for an interview. I would confirm with the school admissions (generally through email or a call) if I were you.
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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 04 Sep 2019, 22:19
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Hi Souvik,

If I wanted a career in operations management in either pharmaceutical industry or the FMCG, which schools should I be targeting? Although I’m not averse to consulting in these industries as well. Although I have a economics major, I do know I do not want to get into finance.

Ideally I’d want to stay close to Asia and given the visa policies are a lot more lenient in Hongkong, I’m thinking of applying to 3 schools in Hongkong, but I’m also applying to these schools: Tepper in United States and Rotman in Canada.

I also thought of applying to Rutgers (close to NY and I think has a decent alumni base in both operations and health and pharmaceutical) but it does not feature in the top 100 on the FT. Do you think it’s stupid to reject a school based on that?

Really need your help. Thank you!
souvik101990

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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 06 Sep 2019, 10:18
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I am INDIAN 27years male working as a marine engineer.I have 5 years of experience. I gave an attempt in June 2019 and scored a 490 Q43,V18. I am planning to retake the GMAT next month. How much should I get in order to enter Canadian B schools. Please guide me.

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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 06 Sep 2019, 17:41
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Sourav700
Hi Souvik,

If I wanted a career in operations management in either pharmaceutical industry or the FMCG, which schools should I be targeting? Although I’m not averse to consulting in these industries as well. Although I have a economics major, I do know I do not want to get into finance.

Ideally I’d want to stay close to Asia and given the visa policies are a lot more lenient in Hongkong, I’m thinking of applying to 3 schools in Hongkong, but I’m also applying to these schools: Tepper in United States and Rotman in Canada.

I also thought of applying to Rutgers (close to NY and I think has a decent alumni base in both operations and health and pharmaceutical) but it does not feature in the top 100 on the FT. Do you think it’s stupid to reject a school based on that?

Really need your help. Thank you!
souvik101990

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While it's not stupid to reject a school just because it does not feature in the rankings, you should evaluate whether you will get what you want from the schools you are targeting. If you want to be in Asia, going to school in Asia makes more sense. Most students in top US business schools recruit in North America.

As for Tepper and Rotman, they are both great schools. However, for CPG recruiting they should be in line with other schools - meaning you would have to fight hard to get into the Kraft-Heinz, P&G, J&J and others. It's not easy, especially for international students to get these jobs. J&J, for example, has a great presence in Asia and China - going to a top Asian school will certainly help you in landing a role there.
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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 22 Sep 2019, 15:10
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I am doing a chat on MBA recruiting as an international student on 26th September - Thursday.

I hope to be candid and offer a realistic picture of how recruiting works in top MBA programs.

Ask me anything, and sign up for the chat here

https://gmatclub.com/forum/mba-recruiti ... 05899.html
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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 28 Sep 2019, 23:19
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Hey!

In your B-School analysis, you said you could cover other schools based on request.

Here's one! Could you please cover NYU Stern, and how it evaluates Indian male candidates, in your experience?

I'm specifically going for their Berkley Scholars Program, which is an early MBA option, right after undergraduate.

Thanks! Great insights you share with the rest of us.

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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 31 Oct 2019, 10:35
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souvik101990
Most people are familiar with my story on the forum. The TL;DR version is that I applied to a bunch of schools in 2016, got rejected in most of them, and then turned it around in 2017 and got a lot of admits/interviews and such. I posted my GMAT story HERE and a brief version of my admission and application insights HERE.

Since doing these two posts, I have been getting a lot of PM's about whether the GMAT is enough or whether applying to a certain school makes sense, and honestly, I have not been able to keep up with those PM's.

So this is my attempt to set up shop for my completely non-qualified and anecdotal advice. A place where I will entertain profile evaluation requestions, school strategy and positioning, and some general unadulterated feedback.

Go ahead, and Ask Me Anything!

Edit: I have no aspirations of becoming an admissions consultant. I am playing with the idea of helping others with basic stuff like school selection and resume review, but of course, it will always be free!

UPDATE - May 10, 2019 - After a long sabbatical, I am back! First year at Ross was great and I have some downtime to answer more questions. Throw me those profile evals and school strategy questions!
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Hello,

I am looking into applying to MBA colleges in USA. My dream colleges are Columbia and NYU.

I am a US CPA with 3.5 years of experience in external auditing with Deloitte. I mainly audit public and private clients in USA and Canada.

My GMAT score is 680 ( V35 Q48 ). I took this back in 2016. I am keen on applying for round 2 deadlines in Jan 2020 for Aug 2020 intake.

I scored 95% in Class 12 ( Commerce stream). Did B.Com hons from Jesus and Mary college ( Delhi University) and have an average of 90.8% in Bachelors degree.( translates to a 4.0 GPA) I have been a scholar badge holder from class 4 till 12 ( scored above 80% in all years). I received a scholarship for being an outstanding student at JMC. In school I was the vice president for Social service league and in college was the core member for National Service Scheme (NSS). At work, I am actively involved in the CSR planning day.

I know my GMAT score is below average for both colleges, however I feel I am a bit late for preparing for GMAT and retaking it to meet the R2 deadlines.


My questions are;”:
1) Is it possible for me to get an admission at NYU or Columbia?

2)Besides NYU and Columbia, what other colleges would you recommend? I am keen on USA ( with scholarship) or Canada or UK. I am interested in working in that country post MBA.


Thanks a bunch for all your help :)

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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 31 Oct 2019, 11:55
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Hi and thank you for your question. Souvik is actually on a plane right now (i talked to him right before he took off) so let me give you some information to start you off.

  • You can and should poke around the Decision Tracker Filters.
  • Just head to the Decision Tracker, click the Filters Button and choose your Country, Your target school or even a group such as Top 10 or Top 20, then any other factors you want to take into consideration and click Filter!
  • You will see the records of admitted people (you can also choose to see the records of dinged people). If you see a bit ration for your stats of Ding to Admit, that means your profile is weak for that particular school.
  • You can also clear the filters for the GMAT score and get a sense of where 80% of people from your country/background fall under in terms of scores for those who are Admitted
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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 15 Nov 2019, 11:38
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Hey! great initiative!

Would love a profile evaluation from you.
Indian female
Age 28
Chartered accountant
X std 93% (GPA 4)
XII std 88% (GPA 4)
Graduation 86% (GPA 4)

Best article award during first year of articleship in top 5 accounting firms in india

2 years work experience in EY in corporate and international taxation where I was extensively involved in restructuring taxation models for Indian counterparts of telecom companies abroad and did lot of tax compliance and litigation related work.
1 year 8 months as taxation manager in another company- compliance, litigation and tax advisory role.
Left it to pursue a job in government sector.
Now working as an administrative officer accounts specialist in one of the 4 general insurance PSUs in India since a year.I am handling the coinsurance business of more than Rs 300 crore for my regional office.

On extra curricular front, I have been one of the few Indian delegates at the Harvard Project for Asian and International relations (HPAIR) held in Hongkong in 2016 in the Humanitarian tracks.
I have learnt lot of different dance styles and had my own belly dance classes for a while.

I want to apply for the one year MBA programs next year as my experience would be over 5 years and I would like to move out of government sector to core strategy roles.

Would love some insights on my profile and my chances at IIMA, IIMB, IIMC, IIML, SPJIMR, ISB and some European schools like LBS, Oxford , INSEAD etc.

Planning to take GMAT early next year with expected score 700+ and will only apply if I get 720+. I had scored 700 in 2016 GMAT .
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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 27 Dec 2019, 09:46
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Bhavz10 - Sorry for getting this late! Missed this one and now that holidays are in, I am back answering questions on the AMA thread.

I think your profile looks GREAT! (You don't really need your high school scores for your MBA)!

With the right GMAT, you can pretty much go anywhere you'd like. Your pick of Indian and European schools are certainly achievable but why not US schools?

Also, I would love to know what you want to pursue after business school, both short and long term!


Bhavz10
Hey! great initiative!

Would love a profile evaluation from you.
Indian female
Age 28
Chartered accountant
X std 93% (GPA 4)
XII std 88% (GPA 4)
Graduation 86% (GPA 4)

Best article award during first year of articleship in top 5 accounting firms in india

2 years work experience in EY in corporate and international taxation where I was extensively involved in restructuring taxation models for Indian counterparts of telecom companies abroad and did lot of tax compliance and litigation related work.
1 year 8 months as taxation manager in another company- compliance, litigation and tax advisory role.
Left it to pursue a job in government sector.
Now working as an administrative officer accounts specialist in one of the 4 general insurance PSUs in India since a year.I am handling the coinsurance business of more than Rs 300 crore for my regional office.

On extra curricular front, I have been one of the few Indian delegates at the Harvard Project for Asian and International relations (HPAIR) held in Hongkong in 2016 in the Humanitarian tracks.
I have learnt lot of different dance styles and had my own belly dance classes for a while.

I want to apply for the one year MBA programs next year as my experience would be over 5 years and I would like to move out of government sector to core strategy roles.

Would love some insights on my profile and my chances at IIMA, IIMB, IIMC, IIML, SPJIMR, ISB and some European schools like LBS, Oxford , INSEAD etc.

Planning to take GMAT early next year with expected score 700+ and will only apply if I get 720+. I had scored 700 in 2016 GMAT .
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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 27 Dec 2019, 11:19
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souvik101990
Bhavz10 - Sorry for getting this late! Missed this one and now that holidays are in, I am back answering questions on the AMA thread.

I think your profile looks GREAT! (You don't really need your high school scores for your MBA)!

With the right GMAT, you can pretty much go anywhere you'd like. Your pick of Indian and European schools are certainly achievable but why not US schools?

Also, I would love to know what you want to pursue after business school, both short and long term!


Bhavz10
Hey! great initiative!

Would love a profile evaluation from you.
Indian female
Age 28
Chartered accountant
X std 93% (GPA 4)
XII std 88% (GPA 4)
Graduation 86% (GPA 4)

Best article award during first year of articleship in top 5 accounting firms in india

2 years work experience in EY in corporate and international taxation where I was extensively involved in restructuring taxation models for Indian counterparts of telecom companies abroad and did lot of tax compliance and litigation related work.
1 year 8 months as taxation manager in another company- compliance, litigation and tax advisory role.
Left it to pursue a job in government sector.
Now working as an administrative officer accounts specialist in one of the 4 general insurance PSUs in India since a year.I am handling the coinsurance business of more than Rs 300 crore for my regional office.

On extra curricular front, I have been one of the few Indian delegates at the Harvard Project for Asian and International relations (HPAIR) held in Hongkong in 2016 in the Humanitarian tracks.
I have learnt lot of different dance styles and had my own belly dance classes for a while.

I want to apply for the one year MBA programs next year as my experience would be over 5 years and I would like to move out of government sector to core strategy roles.

Would love some insights on my profile and my chances at IIMA, IIMB, IIMC, IIML, SPJIMR, ISB and some European schools like LBS, Oxford , INSEAD etc.

Planning to take GMAT early next year with expected score 700+ and will only apply if I get 720+. I had scored 700 in 2016 GMAT .
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Hey thanks a lot!!! I thought of USA schools like UCLA, Sloan, Duke Fuqua but I don't want to.settle for long term in the USA. I plan to get into strategy consulting post MBA.

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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 01 Jan 2020, 12:31
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Hi souvik101990 , Happy New Year! Would really like your reply on this post as R2 deadlines are close.

Thanks!

eishmehta
souvik101990
Most people are familiar with my story on the forum. The TL;DR version is that I applied to a bunch of schools in 2016, got rejected in most of them, and then turned it around in 2017 and got a lot of admits/interviews and such. I posted my GMAT story HERE and a brief version of my admission and application insights HERE.

Since doing these two posts, I have been getting a lot of PM's about whether the GMAT is enough or whether applying to a certain school makes sense, and honestly, I have not been able to keep up with those PM's.

So this is my attempt to set up shop for my completely non-qualified and anecdotal advice. A place where I will entertain profile evaluation requestions, school strategy and positioning, and some general unadulterated feedback.

Go ahead, and Ask Me Anything!

Edit: I have no aspirations of becoming an admissions consultant. I am playing with the idea of helping others with basic stuff like school selection and resume review, but of course, it will always be free!

UPDATE - May 10, 2019 - After a long sabbatical, I am back! First year at Ross was great and I have some downtime to answer more questions. Throw me those profile evals and school strategy questions!

Hello,

I am looking into applying to MBA colleges in USA. My dream colleges are Columbia and NYU.

I am a US CPA with 3.5 years of experience in external auditing with Deloitte. I mainly audit public and private clients in USA and Canada.

My GMAT score is 680 ( V35 Q48 ). I took this back in 2016. I am keen on applying for round 2 deadlines in Jan 2020 for Aug 2020 intake.

I scored 95% in Class 12 ( Commerce stream). Did B.Com hons from Jesus and Mary college ( Delhi University) and have an average of 90.8% in Bachelors degree.( translates to a 4.0 GPA) I have been a scholar badge holder from class 4 till 12 ( scored above 80% in all years). I received a scholarship for being an outstanding student at JMC. In school I was the vice president for Social service league and in college was the core member for National Service Scheme (NSS). At work, I am actively involved in the CSR planning day.

I know my GMAT score is below average for both colleges, however I feel I am a bit late for preparing for GMAT and retaking it to meet the R2 deadlines.


My questions are;”:
1) Is it possible for me to get an admission at NYU or Columbia?

2)Besides NYU and Columbia, what other colleges would you recommend? I am keen on USA ( with scholarship) or Canada or UK. I am interested in working in that country post MBA.


Thanks a bunch for all your help :)

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justjeet
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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 06 Jan 2020, 09:38
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Hey souvik, it was great to watch your recent video on gmatclub channel.
I wanted your advice on my profile and whether the mba programs i am targeting for the 2021 admit realistic and within my reach. (IE not in the dream school category).
My target schools are Columbia, Kellogg, Michigan ross, Berkeley haas and tuck.

I am a bachelors of commerce graduate with 6.4/7 cgpa from hr college in mumbai (Mumbai University)

I worked full time while in college , 2 years in an equity research and mutual fund sale firm and 1 year articleship as i was pursuing CA at that time. ( cleared 2 out of the three levels but finals are left which i will not give)

I am a US CFA charterholder and US CMA certificate holder. Have also completed US CPA and US CAIA (chartered alternative investment analyst).
I have been working in a mid sized accountancy firm based in small city in rajasthan, india.
I had to shift to rajasthan due to severe family emergencies therefore started working there as my presence was required for family.
I left my job after two years as i found a wonderful opportunity in mineral and mining and have started my own venture in partnership.
Though it can be managed and is stagnant while in the state , i wanted to make it a wholly export unit and establish in strategic locations across couple of countries like in canada and portugal and run it as a more corporate and an organized business organisation, much different from how mining is run in this state.
Therefore i planned on pursuing an mba which will help me manage and organize my business in the manner i want to run it and expand it.
I am ready to invest and grill myself for a 2 year mba in order to take the maximum out of it.

On the extra curricular activity note, i am a registered mumber of the heartfulness organisation (for meditation) for the past 4 years. Travelled all across the country and have organised various seminars and workshops, played a big part in the green initiative and planted by myself about 40 plus trees. Have also organised meditation sessions for army personnel in my state and have also successfully implemented heartfulness for kids in various schools wherein we are training teachers on how to plant this seed right from a very young age in students.
While in college, one of my most proudest moment was when i lead an NSS team ( national service scheme) and did something out of box by forming a union for the domestic help who were in very bad condition in mumbai so that the local police as well as the members themselves can protect the right of others and to make sure that they are not exploited, due to this the police area head and i had an exclusive coverage as well.
Despite my work experience, the thing i am concerned about is my international exposure in job. That is an area i lack.


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souvik101990
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Location: United States (WA)
Concentration: Leadership, General Management
Schools: Ross '20 (M)
GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42
GMAT 2: 740 Q49 V42 (Online)
GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online)
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Schools: Ross '20 (M)
GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online)
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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 16 Jan 2020, 13:42
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justjeet
Hey souvik, it was great to watch your recent video on gmatclub channel.
I wanted your advice on my profile and whether the mba programs i am targeting for the 2021 admit realistic and within my reach. (IE not in the dream school category).
My target schools are Columbia, Kellogg, Michigan ross, Berkeley haas and tuck.

I am a bachelors of commerce graduate with 6.4/7 cgpa from hr college in mumbai (Mumbai University)

I worked full time while in college , 2 years in an equity research and mutual fund sale firm and 1 year articleship as i was pursuing CA at that time. ( cleared 2 out of the three levels but finals are left which i will not give)

I am a US CFA charterholder and US CMA certificate holder. Have also completed US CPA and US CAIA (chartered alternative investment analyst).
I have been working in a mid sized accountancy firm based in small city in rajasthan, india.
I had to shift to rajasthan due to severe family emergencies therefore started working there as my presence was required for family.
I left my job after two years as i found a wonderful opportunity in mineral and mining and have started my own venture in partnership.
Though it can be managed and is stagnant while in the state , i wanted to make it a wholly export unit and establish in strategic locations across couple of countries like in canada and portugal and run it as a more corporate and an organized business organisation, much different from how mining is run in this state.
Therefore i planned on pursuing an mba which will help me manage and organize my business in the manner i want to run it and expand it.
I am ready to invest and grill myself for a 2 year mba in order to take the maximum out of it.

On the extra curricular activity note, i am a registered mumber of the heartfulness organisation (for meditation) for the past 4 years. Travelled all across the country and have organised various seminars and workshops, played a big part in the green initiative and planted by myself about 40 plus trees. Have also organised meditation sessions for army personnel in my state and have also successfully implemented heartfulness for kids in various schools wherein we are training teachers on how to plant this seed right from a very young age in students.
While in college, one of my most proudest moment was when i lead an NSS team ( national service scheme) and did something out of box by forming a union for the domestic help who were in very bad condition in mumbai so that the local police as well as the members themselves can protect the right of others and to make sure that they are not exploited, due to this the police area head and i had an exclusive coverage as well.
Despite my work experience, the thing i am concerned about is my international exposure in job. That is an area i lack.


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You wrote a lot about yourself but I am not sure a lot of that is necessary to evaluate your profile.

Why don't you go ahead with these things

GMAT -
WE - chronologically - where and in what capacity have you worked?
Leadership - just a few sentences on some of your leadership qualities.

You really do not need international exposure to get in, so I would not worry about it a lot.

However, your extra currics seem a little overblown. It is fair to be passionate but I am not sure if real leadership is coming out of those stories.
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justjeet
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AskSouvik: Which B School to Apply | AMA| - 2019 edition! 16 Jan 2020, 21:40
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Hello souvik, thank you for your input. I thought that since everyone has leadership roles in their jobs when applying to business schools so a leadership role oe heading team in other activities outside work experience might be a bit different.

My gmat score is 740.
In terms of work experience, i joined as an accountant and was promoted to assistant manager of accounts within a year, heading a team of 4 and now i have been promoted to manager of accounts now managing overall firm (since i bought many clients here). I have led quite a few internal audits and internal control reviews.
Based on the clients i deal in day to day, gave me a lot of understanding of how mining businesses work and their strengths and weaknesses and thus started my own venture on the side for a decent secondary source of income, to support my family in the long term.
In my own venture, i started from the ground up, scouting for mines and applying for mining lease and analysis of the deposit and various other things. Hopefully i will be able to make good returns in this year, will help me pay my mba program fees and support my family.

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