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 contact@mbadecoder.com
That may help you decide if R2 makes sense.
Namita, MBA Decoder.com

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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 7 comments

Prashant1512

Hello @Yaaaaaaash,

Please clarify one doubt for me, when you say that you received invitation for interview from Rice University, by that do you mean for Rice-Virtual assessment (Kira interview) or like traditional interview to be conducted online wherein you book a proper slot with date and time, which is usually followed by other colleges. ??

I'm also on the same boat as you, but have received invitation for virtual assessment kira interview.

Hidden101010

It's called community assessment which is post Kira Interview.

Yes, thank you,
Which one have you received.?

It will be a virtual meeting with one of the students.

Great GRE score. The potential pitfalls to avoid will be to communicate clearly why your other MBA was not enough (moving locations/countries can be good enough I guess) but having another MBA is somewhat of a weakness. Just heads up. E.g. why can't you go into consulting in India now for example after an MBA? How would getting an MBA from XYZ school be different?

Having a UK undergrad is a great addition to the profile as that makes you a more diverse applicant.

Family business is also a challenge. Sorry. The reason is that LOR's are hard because they are written by a family member who is not impartial and it is easy to make up promotions and responsibilities so AdCom have a hard time deciphering what's real and what's not.

There are a few MBA programs who have a Family Business track, and that's Columbia and Johnson I think - they will provide a much better value and options for someone with family business background.

Finally transitioning from Retail/CPG to Consulting will depend on some of your accomplishments, maturity, challenges you were able to resolve, and leadership. You want to demonstrate that your transition will be possible, almost a done deal and that will improve your chances.

I feel you have 3 things against you and 2 for you. There is definitely potential but will depend on being able to tell a clear story that is simple, robust, and easy to understand why MBA and why now.

Let me know if any questions!
BB

Thanks BB, I was in a corporate until 31st July 2023, I am getting the LORs from my last superior. And for the first MBA, it was before any work experience and from an average MBA college and since it was a from an average college, transitioning from sales to consulting is almost impossible.

Is it okay if I get the LORs from my previous supervisor?

Hi Yaaaaaaash, I am going to agree with BB's assessment about the work profile- Saas+ BD+ entrepreneurship+ hospitality >> consulting>> entrepreneurship - there's a lot going on here and it will be difficult for you to connect the dots. For example, you are an entrepreneur right now and wish to stay one in the long term- so where does MBA + consulting fit in?
While you can justify the second MBA for the reasons you mentioned, I am not so convinced about what consulting will help you achieve. It also depends on what your entrepreneurial idea is about - as in, what kind of business are you proposing in the LT and why that requires consulting experience.
Your GRE score is excellent and will get you some eyeballs at most b-schools. That said, your story still needs to be strong and logical.
Regarding your LORs. you can get them from managers at your most recent corporate job. That's not an issue.
Namita, MBA Decoder.com

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admitStreet

Good GMAT score. A few q's:

1) What does your work-ex look like i.e. roles/ functions? Any promotions?
2) What are your post MBA goals i.e. target sector, function, geography?

Comments 3 comments

Wow. Awesome new GRE score!
Sorry about Booth and Sloan.

I think based on the bit you shared, your chances are positive. However, looking at the dings and not getting an interview invite, I doubt 325 was such a big deal breaker for them. There was something else that did quite add up. Is the GPA low? The new GRE should help with those concerns but if it is low, I would write an optional essay to clarify the situation.

Also international work experience can be tricky communicate and read by AdCom if you don't have big brand names and that could contribute to concerns. If you are set on going this year, I would also add Johnson and perhaps Darden for IB. Stern as well and possibly Columbia.

P.S. 3.7 years are at this point or at the point of matriculation? I am just curious.

SharonIgwe

Thank you!
Yes my GPA is low, I have a 3.2 on a 5.0 scale. I do know this is the weakest part of my application.

To your second question, I currently have 3.7 years of WE and will be over 4 years at matriculation. I’d definitely throw in Columbia and Darden

Now that you have a great Jerry score, you want to write 3 to 4 sentences explaining your college GPA and why it wasn’t representative of your abilities.

Unfortunately GRE does not provide personal ties for scores but you should be within 98 or 99 percentile.

Good luck in R2!

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👍 VC is an elusive industry with just a handful of positions in each firm each year requiring networking rather than on campus recruiting. There are also swings and changes and trends. I would recommend reaching out to Booth current students who are on a VC track to check in with them about realities and latest trends, at least at Booth.

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 -- universe7077@gmail.com

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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Wow, insane GMAT Score! Awesome job and must have taken a lot of focus to get there! Also, a strong and very unique profile. I am impressed with restraint to drop GSB and HBS from your list. That's commendable... or did you apply there in R1? 😂 I see almost everyone rolling the dice on HBS.

Try to show as much growth in career as possible and especially recently to demonstrate that you have not been stuck in a job for the last 4 years and that you are not a passive spectator but an active driver of your career and done a lot. That's what AdCom love to see and that's who MBB's want to hire. Speaking and presentation skills will also come into play for recruiting (much less for admissions) but I assume you should not be a stranger to those with your experience and achievements.

Good luck on the applications!

arshaik

Thank you bb. Gmatclub helped a lot during my journey with GMAT. I wrote the exam on 30th Sept, so I couldn't apply in R1.The reason for neglecting HBS and GSB is that these schools have very high competition and the acceptance rate is pretty less. I am still unable to make a decision whether to choose Consulting or Operations/Strategy/Supply chain domain at this point of time. Your advise would help me to choose better while finalizing the schools

I would probably suggest that you start already networking and put your recruiting strategy into gear. I will reach out to some of the current students in whichever program, whichever you can connect with and ask for their advice based on what they are seeing in their program in terms of where you would have a better chance and the path of least resistance. You’re welcome to change this after application But you want to find the most logical and straightforward transition that would make you a very desirable candidate by consulting companies. Maybe you do infrastructure consulting or big project or perhaps you do some kind of a supply chain management recruiting. It would be ideal if you could talk about companies And people who have already done some of these transitions in your applications or in your interview and would be really valuable to get those stories from current students or alums. Keep in mind that they are super busy so you want to intrigue them with your questions and show that you’ve done your research and reach out to people with profiles similar to yours.

These connections and conversations with current students will not only help you with admissions but they will also help you with recruiting when these graduates get jobs and they will become your network down the road so the more meaningful relationships you can establish, the better in the long run. And then once you get in you can also help others down the road and so it continues 👍

Comments 4 comments

Congratulations on your Wharton interview invite 👍👍👍

Are you applying with the GMAT or GRE?

Sachitmehrotra

Gmat

Thank you! Good luck on the TBD! Thanks for filling out the decision tracker - really appreciate it 👍

Hi can we connect (if you can dm me as I don't have been restricted by saying my account is not older than 7 days) I have some questions

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