Profile evaluation for McCombs, Foster, IESE, HEC, Anderson (UCLA), Tuck, NYU Stern, Ross (Michigan), GRE 315, Consulting background, from India

gmatclub

Comments 16 comments

1 year ago

This is insane. I don’t know who will be able to read all of this and digest it.

PS. your high school does not matter if you have 10 years of work experience.

Did you choose every single possible program? Are you really applying to all of these programs?

Quantumvoyager

Thanks for the feedback! I appreciate you pointing that out. I included high school because I thought it might help provide some context, but you're right—my work experience probably speaks louder now. As for the programs, I’m still exploring my options and trying to narrow down which ones align best with my goals

dee1pug1

Marhaba. Kaif haal hadretak?
I would encourage you to reconsider your entire candidacy at this stage. You'll have ~11 years WE at the time of matriculation, a far cry from the sweet spot of 4-6 years for a 2Y MBA program. Quite likely, most schools will try pushing you to their 1Y program, if they offer one. Since you are wanting to pivot from consulting into PM, which is also requiring a reconsideration IMHO, you may well need the internship offered in a 2Y program. That's a huge trade-off for you to be prepared for.
Not sure of the scale (8, or 10) for your GPA. If 10, then the score is weak and you cannot undo it.
GRE of 315 is far away from the averages of T25-30 schools. Trust you are planning to improve the score to at least 330+. This could help you offset the weak GPA.
What's in your favor? Your gender and your cybersecurity experience.
What else could you do? That's up for discovery and discussions.
BTW, school selection are as much a science, as an art.
- Dee
MBA admissions consultant and management consultant
catalysts.success@gmail.com

Marhaba! Alhamdulillah, ana bekhair, shukran, and I hope you’re doing well.

Thank you so much for your candid and insightful feedback. I truly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me, as it helps me gain a clearer perspective on my MBA journey. Your expertise is invaluable to me.

While my cybersecurity experience is a significant aspect of my profile, my primary motivation for pursuing an MBA is to develop strong leadership skills. I believe this experience will be crucial for my transition into senior management roles, whether that’s in product management, as a CISO, or another executive position.

With that in mind, I have a few questions that I hope will further guide my approach:

1)Leadership Development: Given my focus on leadership, are there specific programs or resources at top business schools that you would recommend prioritizing during my MBA journey to enhance my leadership abilities?

2)CISO or Senior Leadership Path: How realistic do you think it is for someone with a strong cybersecurity consulting background to pivot directly into senior leadership roles like CISO post-MBA? What key areas should I focus on to make this transition as seamless as possible?

3)School Selection: Since my goal is leadership development, how would you suggest approaching school selection? Should I focus more on schools with strong leadership programs or those with a solid reputation in technology and cybersecurity?

4)Career Pivot and Internships: If I choose to pivot into product management or another area requiring internships, how critical is it for me to be in a 2-year program versus a 1-year program?

Once again, thank you for your thoughtful feedback and guidance. I truly value your time and expertise, and I look forward to hearing your insights on these points.

Most of your questions are relevant once you 'get in'. The question you should consider tackling at this stage is 'what will help you get in and where?'
Answers to your Q1 and Q2 will entirely depend on what you do once you are in. Resources and networks, i.e., alums, faculty, peers, will be available to you at any / every school.
Opportunities for leadership development, you Q3, are also available to one and all in the cohort. BTW, leadership doesn't necessarily come from positional titles.
In effect, what YOU do / not do during the MBA journey will really define where you land post-MBA.
For a pivot, 2Y is essential - you need that time and opportunity to create credibility for a future recruiter. Otherwise, "I did X, and I want to do Y, but I have no evidence' isn't going to fly. You will be competing for PM roles with much younger peers, and a PM role doesn't come in dozens in any company. Since your experience is tenured, one alternate approach could be to stick to your past path and use the MBA to elevate vertically in the career ladder.

Thank you for your insightful response and for highlighting the importance of focusing on what will help me gain admission. I appreciate your perspective on how the resources and networks at any school can support my journey once I’m in.

You mentioned that leadership development comes from personal initiative and involvement during the MBA program. With that in mind, I would love to know what specific steps I can take at this stage to strengthen my application and increase my chances of getting into a program. Are there particular experiences or skills you would recommend I focus on or highlight?

Your point about needing the full two years for a successful pivot resonates with me, especially given the competitive landscape for PM roles. I will certainly consider the suggestion of using the MBA to elevate vertically in my career as an alternative approach.

Thank you once again for your guidance. I look forward to your suggestions on how to enhance my candidacy!

The next 75-80 days are all you have to catch R2—it's a very short runway. You miss it, and you make yourself push away from any probability to get an admit in a 2Y (because your WE will only increase). Forget doing anything else now; just focus on improving your GRE to 330+. This itself will eat into your most scarce resource—time. While you do so, you cannot take your eyes off the ball—the applications (research, webinars / events, network with students, faculty, adcom and alumni, CV, essays, recommendations). You are the seller; focus on what the buyer will buy.

Thank you for your valuable advice. I understand the urgency of the next 75-80 days and will prioritize improving my GRE score to 330+ while actively working on my applications. I’ll focus on research, networking, and refining my CV and essays to present a strong candidacy. I appreciate your guidance and will keep you updated on my progress.

BTW, you may also want to temper your expectations of CISO or CTO straight after MBA. Starting afresh in a new market will require you to dip your feet well before staking claim to C-suite roles. You should look up such profiles and assess where you would stand.

MBAPrepCoach

Agree on this - make sure goals don’t make you look like a pain in the butt to admissions, needs to be reachable. Balance between needing an MBA but reachable given your background.

Best Full-Time Options at Top Schools for Older MBA Applicants

1 - Kellogg 1-year (lots of sponsored consultant candidates)

2 - 16 month CBS January Intake (can do in-semester internship)

3 - Sloan Fellows 1-year options (see Wikipedia) Stanford MSx, SFMBA at MIT, LBS Masters in Leadership (average age in ascending order)

4 - Europe Europe Europe. They like more seasoned applicants, and you can do a 2 year program with an internship (with LBS, actually 2 internships!). INSEAD (January intake for internship) and IESE (good option for jobs in Germany & the Netherlands, even without speaking German or Dutch!). If you want to pivot and need an internship to do that - these are good options.

5 - Select US programs that are friendly to older applicants. Check the average age/80% age range. Ross has an average age of 31, similar to HEC Paris.

This isn’t your case but for others reading - if you are a veteran- age is less of a concern. Older veteran applicants need to worry less about this.

Thank you for this detailed list of options! It’s really helpful in narrowing down the schools that fit my profile and goals.

I’m especially interested in the programs that would give me the time and opportunity for an internship, as I’m looking to pivot into leadership roles in cybersecurity, potentially as a CISO or CTO. The CBS January Intake and European options like INSEAD and IESE seem like great fits for that reason. I’ll also look further into Sloan Fellows and LBS, as the 1-year leadership-focused programs are intriguing.

Given my GRE score of 315, I realize this could be a challenge. In the off chance that I’m unable to improve it before R2 deadlines, would these programs still be open to someone with significant work experience but a lower GRE?

Thanks again for your guidance!

Hi you’re so welcome ❣️ to be clear there is the LBS 2-year program (see #4) that actually can afford 2 internships and then the Sloan Fellows program there but I think you’re a bit young for that one. EU list would be LBS, INSEAD, IESE, and HEC in my eyes in that order. I think your GRE score will be OK for the latter 2, being female helps but being an Indian in tech is hard because it’s fairly common. This puts some pressure on the GRE score needed. I would recommend Magoosh for GRE verbal if that’s the challenge. Try new approaches immediately. Tutoring maybe? Get it sorted asap to have 2 months for your apps and recommendation anecdotes.

Thank you for your insights! I appreciate the recommendations for the top programs. Just as a backup, if I’m unable to reach my target GRE score, would achieving a high IELTS score help offset a lower verbal score? I'm eager to strengthen my application in any way possible.

Thanks again for your guidance!

Yes, somewhat! If you can’t fix your GRE you can take the EA for many US programs; if your UG grades are good or you in general have good quant evidence many programs take waivers as well including Ross, Tepper, Tuck, Cornell, Darden and a few others. This puts pressure on the application and recs being a storytelling marvel but it’s a path.