Chances of attending a top MBA program

Question

Hi

I am a 27 yr old male from India with 3.5 yrs of experience as a Business Analyst in IT Finance domain. I have done graduation in business administration with GPA of 7 on a scale of 10 and following that I did my MBA in Finance with a GPA of 6.28 on a scale of 10 after which I got my work experience. Now I want to pursue an MBA abroad from a top program and so I am also planning to appear for GMAT. I am mostly looking at attending an executive program or a 1 yr full time program which are mostly offered in Europe. Since I believe my GPAs are not really stellar, what are the chances that a high GMAT score (and please guide what scoring range it should be to be on the safe side) will enable me to have a shot at one of the top schools such as INSEAD, LBS etc.? Other than these what are the other top programs offering a 1 yr MBA around the world?

Thanks,
Rahul

greenzie · Answer

There is no chance as a 27 years old with only 3.5 years WE would get into top EMBA program. Did you actually research the requirement for EMBA?

kreel11 · Answer

However INSEAD has an exclusive 1 yr MBA program wherein average age is slightly higher i.e.29. They admit students with 2-3 yrs experience as well. What are the other good options for a 1 yr MBA program for my profile?

greenzie · Answer

Sure 1 year MBA are abundant in Europe and they are indeed right for you, but they are not Executive MBA. They are normal, full-time 1-year MBA. EMBA is normally for people who have 10+ years WE.

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Hi kreel11,

It sounds like what you're looking for is an accelerated full-time MBA (1 year option). I agree with greenzie that this is quite different from Executive MBA programs. Both in the typical student (EMBAs have usually at least 7-10 years experience) and also in the format (full-time vs. EMBAs which are on a part-time/weekend basis). So first figure out which format works best for you, I think your profile definitely fits better with a full-time option as you don't have as much experience as most EMBA programs will want.

As for schools...LBS and INSEAD are both great accelerated options, though they are very competitive. The average GMAT at both is in the 700-710 range, so if you want to be competitive (especially if you're concerned about your GPA), then you should aim for a GMAT score that is higher than that average. Other accelerated options in Europe that you might want to check out are: IE Business School, SDA Bocconi, Cambridge, and Oxford. There are one-year options in other regions too like Cornell, Kellogg, Emory, USC, and Notre Dame in the US, ISB in India, and HEC Montreal in Canada. I'm sure there are more but these are the ones I hear most frequently about.

Good luck!

Chances of attending a top MBA program

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