x1Alpha wrote:
Hello,
I intend to apply to ISB in R2 this year. Please evaluate my profile for the same. The details are as mentioned below.
I have taken the GMAT thrice, last in Dec’15 when I scored 680 [Q 47, V 37, IR 6, AWA 5.5]. In my previous two attempts in Sep’15 and Nov’14 I had scored 600 [Q 49, V 23, IR 5, AWA 5] and 610 [Q 45, V 28, IR 5, AWA 5] respectively.
I will have completed 7 years [2009 – 16] of work experience in Mar’16. Throughout these 7 yrs I have worked in two infrastructure development companies in a project management role for construction projects. For the first two years I was in a hydro electric power plant construction project in Sikkim and for the remaining period I worked in a metro railway viaduct & stations construction project in Kolkata.
My academic qualifications are briefly mentioned below
Class X - ICSE 2000 - 89.83%
Class XII - ISC 2002 - 81.33%
B. Tech (Civil Engg.) – NIT Surat [2003 – 07]– CGPA 8.16 / 10
PGPACM – NICMAR, Pune [2007 – 09] – CPI 8.16 / 10
Right after my graduation, I have done post graduation in Advanced Construction Management, which is a course especially designed for project management in the construction industry and is not comparable to any other MBA course.
Also, I was the lead author (there were 2 co-authors) of an article regarding application of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in construction project selection that was published in ‘DECISION’ the IIMC Journal (Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta) in 2011.
I presented technical papers in some Technical Festivals during at IIT Roorkee, NIT Trichy, and in my own college NIT Surat.
Also I was event coordinator in one of the events during our college Techfest.
During my tenure in my first company, I had taken up a few CSR initiatives for the company.
Apart from this I was enthusiastic in playing cricket and football and represented my hostel / class / company in some small tournaments.
As is obvious from the above, I don’t have much ECA to speak of. Also, there is a one year gap after my Class XII boards, when I prepared for competitive examinations. Will these two factors be a major drawback in my application? Will the article that I published work as an advantage ?
Also, please give your views on my overall profile.
Also, please suggest which other B-schools may be targeted with this GMAT score and profile.
Hi x1Alpha,
Thanks for posting and happy new year! Sorry for the delay in response - the team was caught up because of upcoming deadlines.
Your profile overall is pretty good. Experience is decent (slightly on the higher side but not so much that it will be a problem) and you come from the infra development/project management industry, which is a plus. Acads are good, and ECA is not a concern at all - not sure why you feel that way. The one year gap will not matter (though will have to be explained). The research papers will help to a limited extent to showcase expertise in your own domain.
The only slight area of concern is your GMAT score. At 680, you may still get in, but it places you a bit on the margin. Still, given that this is your 3rd attempt, you have shown good improvement and may not like to retake. This is a score at which you can apply.
On other schools, difficult to comment unless you specify geography/preferences.
Hope this helps. Feel free to come back with further questions.