haze1 wrote:
Dear All
I am a 28 year old male, mechanical engineer working as a production manager (machine shop) in an Indian commercial vehicle company. Please find the details below:
X(2006) - 86.5% (CBSE)
XII(2008) - 83.6% (CBSE)
BTech(2012) - 6.982 CGPA (Absolute, equivalent to 69.82%); Mechanical Engineering from a Government college
GMAT: 750 Q-50 V-41 IR-7 AWA-awaited
Work Experience: 2012-2018 (working) in the same company
Working as a production manager in machining line.
I have some knowledge of statistical process control, lean & six sigma etc. and have done projects related to them, which have been recognised and awarded by the company. Otherwise, I have knowledge specific to my field.
Questions
1. I had thought of IIM-A, B & C, ISB, NUS & NTU. Are they achievable considering my low CGPA and very specific work experience?
2. Are other colleges like Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT Sloan, Kellog, LSB, INSEAD achievable? Again, my CGPA
3. Should I hire a consultant/counselor? If yes, please suggest.
4. Should I get recommendation letter from my immediate boss/ ex boss or try to find senior most people who know me?
5. What should I do if I want a job in some other areas? I have been told that with my profile, I would land up in operations & SCM.
6. I am planning to get a PMI certification. Will it be beneficial in building my CV and in my further studies?
Appeal
None of my colleagues have been to any of the colleges listed above. I have very less knowledge about them. Also, this is the first time that I have asked a help in a forum. Else, throughout my life, I have never sought help in a forum, neither for preparation, nor for making a decision. So please excuse any of my naive questions. Moreover, I have named the colleges because I know their names. When I saw the top B school lists, I was not heard most of the names. So please guide me in selecting a college that I might not have listed due to my ignorance. Or help me in eliminating the names that I should not consider.
If you have read so far, my heartfelt thanks to you!
Hi Hazel,
Congrats on a great GMAT score.
I will directluy answer your questions:
1. I had thought of IIM-A, B & C, ISB, NUS & NTU. Are they achievable considering my low CGPA and very specific work experience? You have a great GMAT score, which will help makeup for the low CGPA. Is there a specific reason for the low grades? Some applications especially those for the American programs allow you to explain unfavourable circumstances via the optional essay. If you have a solid reason for the low CGPA this could be a good place to address it.
Your work experience in production engineering can be very relevant in an MBA class. In your application, you will have to sell it impressively. Talk about the impact you have made on your company's top line or bottom line by leading initiating and improving processes. B-schools also value leadership skills and hence you must highlight those in your application.
2. Are other colleges like Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT Sloan, Kellog, LSB, INSEAD achievable? Again, my CGPA
We will need to know alot more about your profile to evaluate for these MBA programs. You have selected some of the top MBA programs, hence your profile needs to be really competitive. As a general rule, you should apply to a mix of ambitious and within reach programs. Feel free to share your resume with me on the email address provided in my signature.
3. Should I hire a consultant/counselor? If yes, please suggest.
Yes, please and we'd love to work with you
. Consultants can make a real difference to your application by 1). helping you use your application as a strategic marketing tool that differentiates you from other applicants as well as stands on its own merits; 2. Helping you put together an application that demonstrates your personality in the best possible light. This includes a coherent picture of yourself, highlighting your achievements, passion and purpose in life through the resume and essays. 3). Help you leverage every component of the application towards points 1 & 2.
4. Should I get recommendation letter from my immediate boss/ ex boss or try to find senior most people who know me? You should get your recommendation letters from the people who know you best. A senior may not know you well enough to recommend you and that will reflect in the recommendation's quality. It would be difficult to comment on who these right people are without knowing your profile in detail.
5. What should I do if I want a job in some other areas? I have been told that with my profile, I would land up in operations & SCM. It's true that you will use your past skill base in your post-MBA job but one of the most common reasons why professionals do an MBA is because they wish to change their career paths. This will require introspection and logical career story that you can sell to the admissions committee. We at MBA Decoder place a lot of emphasis on the career goals of an applicant, which can make or break your application.
6. I am planning to get a PMI certification. Will it be beneficial in building my CV and in my further studies?
Not really. Not from the MBA perspective. Go ahead and do it if it helps in your job.
I am happy to answer your questions and do not think of any of them as naive. However I'd like to mention that you should really research the business schools where you are planning to apply, even if you're working with a consultant. First hand knowledge is important for two reasons. Firstly, you would be the one going to business school so you should know the program well enough to select it. Secondly, the research you do now will help you in writing more convincing essays and later during the interview.