Hi All,
I am desperately looking for some help and guidance. I am glad I came across this thread. I will share a brief about my profile and then will mention the places where I am stuck.
GMAT - 700 (Q50, V34, AWA-5, IR-8).
Work ex - 48 months as on date. Will have 57.5 months of work –ex as on 31st March, 2019.
Grad & Work Ex:I have done my graduation in Fashion Technology from National Institute of Fashion Technology. My college is regarded as the best fashion college in the country and is among the top 3 colleges in Asia. Right now I am working with the biggest apparel organization in the country. I have reached middle management role in a very short duration. Currently I head pan India operations of my brand.
Profile:Qualitatively I have a strong profile. I have worked hard to build my profile over the last few years. I am national level athlete and a national level quiz medalist. I have led teams during my college days and have also worked for couple of spiritual and non-for-profit organizations in the past.
Reasons for MBA:Though I have got good success in the initial years of my career, a graduate degree won't be sufficient to take me to senior level roles in future. An MBA at this stage will definitely help in making my profile much stronger. A master’s degree will also make me financially more stable.
Post MBA plans:Post MBA I want to work in roles of Brand Management with specialization in the fields of Strategy and Marketing. I am open to industries outside the fashion industry though I wouldn't mind coming back to this industry.
Dilemma- Indian schools:In Indian schools, I can try for 1-year course of IIM A/B/C. Can I apply for B&C this year as I will be short by 2.5 months?
Though my profile is slightly unique, I am not 100% confident about IIM A at this stage (primarile because of lesser work experience, no international experience and just an average GMAT score.
ISB seems like a good choice but an education loan of 45 L for an Indian school sounds scary. Moreover, with a batch strength of >800, things can get slightly tough during placements.
Foreign schools:I am skeptical about US schools because of the current geo-political situation. Under the given scenario I don't see any point in trying for a college outside top 30. Colleges within top 30 are quite expensive. Getting in these colleges is extremely tough with my score and scholarship seems a distant dream as of now.
Similar is the case for European colleges (LBS, Qxford, INSEAD,etc) and NUS.
Inherently I am a very optimistic person and I always look for opportunities of growth and learning. But I am getting slightly skeptical at this stage because of the cost involved. There is absolutely no margin for error in this case. Even after 4 attempts, i have not been able to reach a score on which I can apply to colleges confidently.
The biggest question on my mind is -
Which B School to Apply and whether I should re-take GMAT? I am sure I can get some valuable suggestion on this thread.
Hope I have given all the required information to suggest the best course of action. Let me know if any other detail from my side is required. Thanks.