ISB aspirant - Matriculating 2016 - Class of 2017

Question

Dear Friends,

As of now, I have 10 years of work exp. Out of which last 5 years have been with KPMG. 20 months with Aon Hewitt and the remaining 3+ years with WNS and AbsolutData.

I did my B.Tech. (Electronics & Communication, 2005) from ITM Gurgaon.

I also did 3 year distance learning MBA from IMT Ghaziabad (2011, major subject HR).

Wanted your opinion on the following:

1. What will be a safe GMAT score (I want to keep a realistic target) to go with my 10+ years of work exp. 
2. Will it be fine to take GMAT in October month and apply in round 2 in November
3. Will my MBA add value to my profile

Look forward to your valuable responses, as always.

Regards,
Dheeraj

makeitlarge · Answer

Hi,

Below are the answers to your questions:

1. Safe Score is a really vague term . I have seen and met people go with a wide range of scores - my uncle went in to ISB with 13 years experience and a 660. People can go in with higher or lower.
2. I don't see anything wrong in R2.
3. There is no point hiding it. Why would you want to hide it?

I have interviewed at ISB for YLP and have found the school to be highly ethical. I would not want to hide things!

Regards,
Aditya.

GyanOne · Answer

Hi Dheeraj,

1. You should try and aim for 680+. People with greater experience are not scrutinized as closely in terms of GMAT scores, but a basic minimum is still important. However, please also note that you will be bringing in a lot of experience, so for you articulating the need for an MBA (a 2nd one at that), and the objectives that the PGP will help you achieve will also be key. With 10+ years of work-ex, you probably are already at a designation that many at ISB would aspire for post-MBA, so the goals part and the objective of pursuing the PGP will be really important. 
2. R2 should be ok if you need the time to prepare and then apply. 
3. You should always disclose the facts about your profile to any school, including ISB. Disclosing the first MBA is not going to be an issue. Again, there are many people at ISB who are pursuing their second MBA through the PGP. The important thing is going to be the ability to articulate the need for the second MBA, beyond the obvious points (like more prestigious school, faster career growth etc).

dheerajb · Answer

Thanks dear friends for your valuable opinion. I have no intention of hiding even the smallest of the information. I should have articulated better. My bad!!!! I actually wanted to understand if my first MBA will add value to my profile.

can you please confirm the deadlines for round 2? is it 30th November or 15th December or some other date ? have read different versions on different websites.

Regards, 
Dheeraj

GyanOne · Answer

Your first MBA does show commitment to learn more about business management, and it has led to career progression, so it will add some value. Beyond that, you should not focus too much on it.

The deadline for PGP R2 is Jan 15, 2016. You can see it on the  official ISB PGP website here.

nadeem8231 · Answer

Hi, Profile Snapshot: Exp: 7 yrs in Telecom (1 year International) B.E: Purdue University (2008) GPA: 2.95 12th: 65% 10th: 79% GMAT: Planned Nov 2015 3 years gap between school and engineering (due to personal reasons, not preparing for IIT

) Extra Curricular: Played Club football, Nationals in Shotokan Karate, District level athlete, Captained School/Club/College football teams, appeared in national maths/english Olympiads during school. Still working on my essays and trying to convert the raw material into a presentable application. All recommendations are welcome like possible GMAT score I should target or ..... Thanks!! Nadeem

GyanOne · Answer

Hi Nadeem

Try to target a GMAT score of at least 720. You can possibly get by with a somewhat lower score as well, but when aiming, aim ambitiously.

You have done your bachelor's from a well-known US name (Purdue), which will help, although the GPA is slightly low. The 3 year gap wont really be too much of a factor now, with 7 years of experience post your bachelor's. It should still be explained in your optional essay though. ECA seems good as well.

If you can get the GMAT score in place, you should be well set. All the best! Feel free to come back with further questions.

nadeem8231 · Answer

Thanks Gyanone, I am drafting the essays currently (all 4 of them) however I am not taking any professional assistance as of now, currently juggling between work, family and GMAT prep so really taking it very slow.

Apphelp · Answer

Hi Nadeem,

While your work ex and extra currics look good ( though a lot of them are school/ college level), your GPA is low. This together with 3 year gap ( we know that it was due to personal reasons) can raise doubts about academic capability. So, we recommend that you focus on GMAT and target a 730+. If you settle on 700 or so then you are leaving a lot to chances.

Feel free to contact us for any queries.

Apphelp Team

barunpandey · Answer

Hi - I am having 14 yrs of experience ( worked with 5 companies in past ),currently working as Solution Architect in Product Company . I have done B.E ( Computer Sc )67% , M.S BITS Pilani ( distance learning ) 6.3 percentile. I have also one year gap and did my B.Sc ( Mathematics ) for 2 years but left in between and joined engineering. Do you guys see issue with this ? Also I would like to know safe GMAT Score for ISB. Thanks

Apphelp · Answer

Hi Barun,

Given your considerable experience the gap should not be a challenge. Also, score of 680 or so should be fine.

But you will have to express clarity on why you need MBA after 14 years of experience and how does it go with your post MBA goals.

Feel free to contact us for any queries.

Apphelp Team

bb · Answer

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