HI could you please describe how was your experience of ISB Interview

Hi, is there any way i could contact you?

Sorry about the Jim score. Long work experience with GMAT score is not a good recipe for a full-time program and it’s better suited for executive.

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?

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.

Thanks a lot!

Oi, tudo bem? Eu me chamo Aline. Vi que você foi aprovado em Santaford e Chicago. Você fez algum cursinho ou contratou professor para lhe ajudar? Estou perdida e precisando de ajuda/opiniao/dicas de quem já chegou na pontuação para entrar em Stanford. Você pode me ajudar ?

You are lucky to have your recruiter sponsor your education. If that means they want you to join back after MBA, that would be an attractive proposition for b-schools as you will be one student less in the recruitment effort
Regarding your other question - your modelling skills and the engineering degree show a quant focus/ analytical abilities that will be useful at b-school and adcoms will appreciate it. That said, so many engineers change career tracks after their education- so there's only a limited way you can milk this info by stating it explicitly- perhaps via one or two lines in the reco or in an essay.

Welcome to GMAT Club and thanks for posting it here!

A few thoughts:
1. You want to have a clear need/goal for an MBA. MBA is a tool for something. It is a great transformation experience but it is not useful without a goal after your MBA. Having a goal makes it easier to see the best path and the best tools. What is the purpose of getting an MBA and going through this experience?

2. In terms of chances, 322 is a bit on the lower side. We have been seeing Average GRE's around 329 for Top 10. Potentially you can dip a bit for certain groups and demographics where things are not as competitive but a combination of 10+ years of work experience and lower score is not helpful.

3. It is good you have a higher GPA in your masters. that's what will get evaluated. You want to explain to the AdCom why you want an MBA by the way and indirectly answer why you want one after the Masters.

4. In terms of you doing high end financial work, I think it counts but it can't be you saying - there has to be some proof and indicators - e.g. awards, promotions, pay increases, etc.

5. It will be harder for you to find a job than for most due to international background and greater experience where you will be "too experienced" for some of the jobs. It seems you are planning to remain in your industry, which is good. Are you planning to go back to your country?

6. Top 10 or nothing is hard to judge without knowing your goals or reasons. I would say any MBA program is valuable but you may not want to pay $200K for some of them. I think you have chances in the lower-ranked schools. You can check the decision tracker filters for GRE. I tried this one https://gmatclub.com/forum/decision-tra ... 4&score=36 and it seems there not that many data points. I tried Fuqua

Hey beynn!
Congrats on your applications. bb and MBADecoder already gave some great answers, so here's my condensed take since I'm also going through the admissions process. A good GRE/GMAT score can help compensate for your GPA for some of the top programs though that's still no guarantee for admission as they look at the applications holistically (career, resume, essays, LoRs). My suggestion would be to have a list of reach, match and safety school based on your profile and your goals (i.e. programs stronger in finance) as opposed to only applying top 10. You never know which school will admit you and which school will reject, so it's good to diversify your admissions portfolio.

Hey man,

Any reason in particular they declined you? have they mentioned anyhting?

Hi, I am also aiming for similar schools. Have some questions, Can we please connect??

Hi, I am also aiming for similar schools. Have some questions, Can we please connect??

So, crazy idea. As you probably know part of the evaluation are your goals. The more elaborate goals you have the greater risk you are and therefore more scrutiny it brings. I know you’re trying to pivot from healthcare but in case healthcare is a backup plan, one way to ease into business schools would be to say you’re planning to stay within healthcare…. a number of people have used that strategy and got into Fuqua only to pivot to management consulting and never see healthcare again. However, healthcare was a backup plan for them in case things didn’t work out to help pay the loans…

something to consider as you evaluate your chances. But I wouldn’t lie on the application if you never want to see healthcare again.

PS. Education and nonprofit consulting are very competitive. These fields don’t pay well and they are very few spots available. There’s a highly desirable projects that some people even do pro bono. So I would probably recommend, if you consider it feasible applying with healthcare as your main industry for recruiting and you can totally follow your dreams recruiting will be challenging for these industries without prior work experience.

Hi. When you say you got a scholarship - is that like an independent program in the country to attend an MBA? or where is the scholarship from?

In terms of the profile, it will all look how competitive you are vs. your peers in terms of work experience, promotions, GPA, scores, etc. You are compared to other applicants first of all so if your undergrad was really tough, that GPA may be good and not low. If you do get funding and financed for tuition, that's a positive too since chances of you attending are higher.

I would not worry too much about extracurriculars. I don't think you have much time for things, and unless you have something really big achieved or started, it does not matter really. So don't worry about it.

I think the part you may think about is why you need an MBA and if you would be able to recruit into the position you are looking to join and why you will succeed. If you got a scholarship in your country, you will likely have to come back to pay it off (again, I may be off here with my assumption), but the part of how you will leverage the MBA and how it is the last touch on your profile and you are about to head into IB... you get the idea.

P.S. You should consider Stern, Columbia and Darden as well-placing IB schools. Johnson as well. They have good pathways, though of course if you get into Sloan, pick Sloan

P.P.S. The GRE is evaluated separately from the GMAT, so 329 is not 740, that's just how the numbers end up type of thing. It is pretty weird but the scores are siloed.

Hi bb!

1. The scholarship is fully funded (including tuition and living costs) by the Government for MBA. However, it expires within a year AND I put MIT Sloan as my choice. Thus I *have* to get Sloan otherwise the scholarship will be withdrawn at worst or fight a lengthy paperwork and re-interview battle as to why I changed my target school. Booth, Stern, and Columbia are indeed also my consideration given my quantitative trading background!

2. Thanks for your affirmative words, man! Yes indeed my undergrad was tough (how many theoretical physicists choose an MBA in the first place lol), but still I sometimes get insecure about it. Hopefully, my relatively high GRE score helps.

3. True, I will have to come back to Indonesia after graduation since the scholarship has a return policy, but I don't have to repay it in cash

4. I think there's a mistake on my part. In my applications, for both Sloan and the scholarship, I did not specifically mention IB, but rather cryptocurrency development in the country. My pitch was twofold: First is MBA has a holistic approach to leadership and decision-making on top of finance, economics, and analytics to help foster safe and reasonable crypto development. The second is specific to Sloan, as Sloan (and HBS) has a running project with the Fed to develop US-backed crypto, on top of their actual classes and labs around blockchain. IB and MC are not in the scholarship's pitch nor in my Sloan essays.

I edited my pre- and post-MBA industry as Software to avoid confusion

5. Ah, I see. I thought that the scores were mutually interchangeable. Still I'm in the upper half of Sloan's 80% median GRE Score, so I should be safe in the score department, right?, right?????, RIGHT???????

6. A question, does MBA admissions put a lot of weight on the employer's name? Since my current employer is a small fund with little-to-no name outside the niche crypto trading space

7. Finally, what can I do next to increase my chances? )

Hi. Sorry about the wait. That's a great opportunity or golden handcuffs 😂

Cryptocurrency is going through some interesting times so applying with something safe such as an extension of your current career is a better strategy. Admissions unfortunately reward and prefer safe options. This makes program more successful and applicants more satisfied if they have simple goals. Admissions like that. So make them like you as an applicant who wants to build on top of their career with as few switches as possible and hopefully someone who has a job already lined up. They really don't care what you put as your career goal, as long as it makes sense and as long as it shows you have a plan.

I think you are quite safe in the score department. It is up to the rest of your application. I assume you have mentioned your government scholarship in the application as well - that's a BIG bump and bonus by the way.

Yes, in the US brands matter a lot. Even if you work for McDonald's it is respected vs. an unknown bank/entity because there is no reference point. Employers and admissions can't qualify your experience if they have no familiarity with the employer. So brands are always better, esp if you can get a western brand. This is why your scholarship from the Indonesian government will be valuable - that will give you validity and indicate that you have passed vetting type of thing.

In terms of improvements to your application. There are a few things you can do:

1. You can try to get a promotion or a raise - that would help. I would not recommend switching jobs or anything like that unless you can find a brand-name bank/company that will onboard you before Jan deadline for MIT.

2. Most help and work you can do on your application and essay and story.

3. What will help you with #2 is talking to current students. Reach out to a bunch of them and start talking - preferably at MIT but likely anywhere. Being in touch and having a good understanding of the experience and expectations will help a lot. They will be able to answer so many questions including those you can't post on the internet. Just be respectful of their time (they have very little of it) and they will be happy to help. This is probably the most impactful action you can do.

4. Work on your resume, etc. Make sure your application is spotless and your goals are are super clear and sharp. If you think you can make a difference and can be passionate about volunteering or doing something outside of work, that can be nice but really not a big deal.

-BB

May I ask what questions you were asked on the interview?

whats you score?

Hi TargetKellogg2024,

Congrats on the huge GRE Score! 💯

Can you please let me know if there is any preference of GMAT over GRE to the colleges you’ve applied to or does it have as much weightage as the GMAT?

Thanks and all the best for your applications 😊

Hi ChandlerBong!

No, business schools do not have a preference for one test over the other. Best of luck for your journey!

Wow! Congratulations on your admit at Darden!

PS. There is a rumor that Jerry scores tend to under perform with scholarships. I hope that perhaps you can break that rumor with the future results!

In my experience and observations, you get paid well really only at the very top level at CPG, so I think your goal makes perfect sense as long as you can break into that space. I have seen Blackstone bringing in former MBB consultants to run some of the companies they take over. Many of them have messed up royally but if you have background in CPG, that will be a huge asset.

Forgot to add, Kellogg would be the ultimate CPG and MBB school. 🤞

Can we connect .

Hi, have you taken help of any consultancy? if know any good ones please let me know.
I am targeting LBS for 2024 for MiM

HI, if you have taken help pf any consultancy or know any please let me know.
I am targeting LBS for 2024 for MiM

Hi. Good luck with applications!!! You can also consider Simon. They are finance-focused and IB has to be better than at KF or Owen but def not as good as Darden or Johnson.

Hey Nishu,

Have you heard back from Broad?!

Anything on the interview call?!

Its been 20 days and I am starting to get worried!!

This is an awesome GRE score. Are you applying just to broad?

Good luck! Awesome Score! 👍