MBA Decision Tracker: Monitor Application Status in Real Time

gmatclub

Comments 5 comments

2 years ago

Sorry about the dings. I would consider Darden as well. I would also get the profile in-depth evaluation from a consultant or a friend who is a student to see if perhaps you have some thing very obvious that can be fixed quickly…

Advitya

Hi bb,
Thanks for replying. I have worked with a consultant for all of these applications. He says that my experience is on the lower side and that I should apply next year.

I would take your advice and apply for Darden in Round 2.

Did you consultant tell you that your experiences on the lower side before you applied or after you got the dings? 😬

Do you have 3 years of work experience right now or at matriculation?

MBADecoder

Hi Advitya,

My first thought is about the career goal- why PM in fintech? You don't have any relevant experience in Fintech as such, so why have such a specific career goal? Another reason I would ask this is that do your target companies ( as stated in the goals ) visit the b-schools where you applied?
The second question is (as Bb asked) - will your experience be 3 yrs at matriculation? If yes, it would be on the lower side and can pose a hindrance. This is where another factor also kicks in- what is your profile outside of work? are you involved in ECAs? Volunteering/ CSR/ community initiatives? Presenting a well rounded profile is helpful at the top b-schools. LBS, for example, has an essay on extra curricular activities, and Booth has an essay on your personality outside work. So, having a well rounded profile can go a long way in coming up with good essay content.
If it helps, I can have a look at one of your applications (gratis) and give you broad advice on any improvement areas. Should you be interested you can write to me at [email protected]
That may help you decide if R2 makes sense.
Namita, MBA Decoder.com

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Comments 2 comments

Hi. You have an awesome profile with managerial experience and strong brands. I feel you would be a perfect t candidate.

I just hope your GMAT does hold you back… Rotman should def be doable and maybe Darden but the rest have a much higher average gmat. If you have some energy left in you, I would spend a week or 2 max and try to squeeze in a GRE and apply with the better of 2 averages. Many schools have a lower GRE average … we had a person get I with a 318 to Darden a few days ago.

Hi, agree with BB about the higher GMAT score. An interview from Ross or CBS (which should have come by now) will be a good indicator of the strength of your application. (the work profile is very competitive, and if you wrote good applications, you would hear back if the GMAT score isn't a hurdle). Anyhow, you could aim for other higher ranked MBA programs as well in R2 and a higher GMAT would help there.
Namita, MBA Decoder.com

Comments 9 comments

TheMBAEdge

Hey IshanaSharma,

You have a pretty solid profile with a competitive GMAT score and good academics. Additionally, your background in healthcare consulting is unique and will make you stand out of the application pool since we typically dont see a lot of candidates with a healthcare background. Lastly, you seem to have delivered a lot of impact through ECs which will make your profile quite likeable and indeed very desirable for an incoming cohort at business schools.
Coming to your areas of improvement, your long term goal is totally out of sync with your short term goal and your plans for your MBA due to which it can be a red flag for an admission committee officer. Do think really hard why you want to do an MBA and what you intend to achieve from the same, if you have the desire to be a civil servant, we would candidly advise you to drop your MBA plans and pursue that career path with all your interest and efforts, an MBA doesnt lead to a career in Civil Service. Further, your list of colleges it too extensive and shows the lack of research which can be detrimental to your application strategy and result in unfavorable outcomes. Do spend some more time researching your colleges and why they would be a good fit for you. The more fit assessment you undertake at the initial stage, the more refined your applications will turn out and thus the chances of an admit will be incrementally more. A typical thumb rule is to target 3-4 applications in round 1 depending on the deadline and another 3 in round 2.

Hope the recommendations help?

IshanaSharma

Hello, yes this is incredibly helpful. I wanted to ask two more questions if you're able to answer (would be incredibly appreciative): (i) Do schools care how many GMAT exams we've taken? If I gave another exam, that would be my 4th. (ii) How important is it to have a job on hand during the interview process? I recently had to quit to look after my father's business due to his health issues. It's just temporary and I plan to get another job by November beginning.

Schools arent really bothered about the number of attempts that you take, they usually only factor in the highest score from application standpoint.
Well there is no hard and fast answer, you will need to explain your situation and I am sure they will look at it empathetically, although it would have been ideal to continue in the same job. Additionally, there are multiple candidates who come from family business backgrounds and use that experience to talk about how they can add value to class, in a lot of cases they often see good success since schools also realize that running a family enterprise can be challenging and will provide you a unique perspective that a conventional job may not be able to. So there is no right or wrong answer to your question, you just need to have a solid rationale behind the decision.

Thank you, this is very insightful.

Businessconquerer

I think this might be worth your time- www.mbaconquerors.com .

We have applicants especially from Overrepresented pool with a higher chance of getting admitted. Also, we have a top 10 or refund challenge you could try.

Universe777777

Hi, Can we connect? or email as I have the same profile -- [email protected]

Hi Sure, dm'ing you on GMAT Club.

Awesome job on getting the invites! Good luck on the interviews and fingers crossed for an admit in Dec!

Yes, thanks so much BB. Fingers crossed indeed

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Comments 4 comments

Having managerial experience is a positive. The GMAT and GPA are a bit on the lower side. Have you given your all to the GMAT?

IGEM_Ninja

Thanks for the feedback. I have given 2 GMAT attempts with difference of 28 days (650 in 1st, 660 in 2nd with Q49 and V31). Will by trying for another attempt in November end probably. I understand the GPA is bit on the lower side, but as per our college marking system it was 6.92/10 (was in the top 25% of the class). After that i have a distance post graduate diploma in management (with 74.4%) and another upskilling program sponsored by my employee (with overall B+ grade). Worked with a lot of international suppliers but not onsite.

That’s helpful to qualify the GPA! I was not converted to the 4.0 scale. You can now write it and the original.

Alternatively, since your Gmail came in so close to each other, you may consider taking the GRE… there seems to be quite a bit more tolerance towards average GRE scores than average GMAT scores…

Thanks a lot!

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