MBA Profile Evaluation Request

Question

Hi there, could I please have my profile below evaluated? Specifically, it would be really helpful if I could have views on whether its worth retaking my GMAT to get into my reach school (Kellogg). Thank you in advance!

Background: Singaporean, female

Education: Law degree from National University of Singapore, Second Upper

Languages: English (Native), Chinese (Fluent), Cantonese (Conversational), Japanese (JLPT N3)

GMAT: 720 48Q|41V

Work experience (4.5 years):
I am currently working as a legal counsel in a niche global streaming service where I am the lead for the marketing and HR departments. I advise on commercial and legal risk and am heavily involved advising on the operational aspects of running a business in the tech, media and entertainment industry. I moved to this role to have more exposure on the commercial aspect of legal work and how businesses are run and the opportunity to work in an international environment.
I was previously working as a lawyer in one of the top local firms in the tech and media practice. I completed multiple major transactions and had the chance to lead a negotiation as a junior lawyer. I was also heavily involved in running a multinational study on tech-related issues which culminated in a report advising the government on legislative and infrastructural changes.

Extra Curricular:
Currently a volunteer for a government initiative where I interact with residents and feedback their issues to their elected member of parliament for further action
Was a volunteer lawyer in legal clinics and had received a certificate of appreciation in recognition of the frequency of my volunteering.
Helped to grow an online platform which sought to connect individuals interested in donating or collecting food scraps for composting
Established the alumni band for my high school

Goals
I would like to work in consulting post-MBA, preferably in the sustainability field.

Target schools: LBS, Tuck, SOM, Kellogg

Admissionado · Answer

AshC4321 :

We are missing information about your academic performance. Assuming that's relatively strong (to match your good GMAT score), you should be a viable candidate for Kellogg and other schools on your list.

If you were to retake the GMAT, how long would it take to prepare? Not that you have anything to lose (besides mainly time), but would you be confident you could increase your score? If you are applying to these schools for R1 admission, you won't have a huge amount of time. So if it's a matter of just sitting for the exam a second time, that's fine. If you are applying for R2, that's also fine. But, if you have to put in serious time and are looking at R1, you might have a slight issue.

Let us know if we can help,
Admissiondao

AshC4321 · Answer

Hi  Admissionado ,

Thank you for your response!

My degree follows an honours classification system and I received a second class upper, which is the GPA equivalent of 4.0 to 4.49.

I am currently intending to apply to LBS, SOM and Tuck in R1 based on my current score and Kellogg in R2 after retaking my gmat if the general consensus is that my GMAT score is insufficient based on my profile. I am confident that I will be able to get a score of 730 or 740 if I put in a month of reasonable time.

Happy to hear if you have any further thoughts!

Admissionado · Answer

AshC4321 :

That's great to hear regarding your academic performance.

The difference between a 730 and 720 is not going to practically affect your chances. Even the jump to a 740 is not a major deal. You are in a good position.

FYI, Yale SOM tends to be very score sensitive, so if anything, you would want the higher score for your application there too.

-Admissionado

harish555 · Answer

Dear Admission consultants , Request to Kindly evaluate my profile . 
X : 87% , 
XII - 88 % , 
BTech - 68% , 
PGDM(Marketing and Finance ) - 3.6/5 CGPA . Work experience : 2.9 years in HDFC bank as relationship manager , handling HNI clients 
9+ years of work experience in Public Sector bank - Union Bank of India. 
Present designation : Senior Manager. Professional achievements : Heading Marketing department at Chennai region , and more number of achievements can be explained in our personal interaction Personal achievements : Holding a leadership role in a trade union INBOC(Indian National bank officers congress) 
Extra-curricular activities : Active member of savesoil org, UNICEF, and Lionsclub etc. Estimated Gmat score - 700.
 Target schools : Emory 1 year mba, USC Marshall 1 year MBA, Edhec 1 year MBA, ESCP 1 year MBA, Warwick 1 year MBA, Duke accelerated 1 year MBA, Stanford MsX, University of California Irvine and Davis or any other college which would be suggested by consultants based on my profile

Posted from my mobile device

harish555 · Answer

Certifications : 
I have pursued Post Graduate certification in Digital marketing from Kellogg’s school of management. 
Additional certifications : Google Analytics / Google Ads/ Content marketing / Social media marketing / SEO SEM rush certification / IRDA/ NISM MF/ JAIIB

Posted from my mobile device

Admissionado · Answer

harish555 :

Thank you for sharing!

What exactly are your post-MBA goals? That's helpful to know particularly if you are looking at 1-year MBAs which have implications for your ability to switch career paths.

Also, estimated GMAT score is great but since you are giving us a 700 that's very tricky. If you fall below that, it will make things significantly more difficult. Coming from a competitive demographic, GMAT can be very important.

The Duke and Stanford programs are going to be tough. The other feels within reach.

-Admissionado

StrawberryDembaBa · Answer

My Profile : 
Indian Male Engineer
10th grade - 10 CPGA
12th grade - 94.6%
Undergrad GPA - 7.4/10 (BITS Pilani, Goa Campus)
GMAT 730 (Q49, V41)

Work Ex 
I have 3 years of work experience as a Data Analyst/Senior Data Analyst (received one promotion) at a Fortune 50 retailer based out of the US. Currently, I'm working as an Associate Product Manager (1+ year) at a Luxury Beauty retailer owned by LVMH for the South East Asian market. Throughout my 4+ years of work ex, I've regularly (almost on a daily basis) interacted and collaborated with stakeholders from other offices abroad. Post-MBA, I plan to secure a role in Product Management or tech. But I'm super confused with this right now, consulting seems more attractive.

Volunteering 
For social work, I've been volunteering as a data analyst for around 9 months in an NGO that works towards the upliftment of underprivileged children. I'm a fitness enthusiast, and during my college days, I played football for my college football team in the third division (Amateur) of the state football league in Goa. In my last semester, when I sustained an injury that restricted me from playing temporarily, I utilized my time by being the head coach of the Girls' football team for that semester.

B school shortlisting 
I want your advice on which colleges I should apply to (US only). I know I'm asking too much, but if possible, please bucket it in the way I've done below. I'm open to both 1y and 2y courses but definitely prefer 1y. And I'd probably prefer scholarships over ranking. Here is what my list looks like (I'll only apply to 5-6):

(Seems) Safe
- Cornell 1y Tech MBA
- Foster 
- ISB (India)

Probable
- UCLA Anderson
- Kellogg MBAi 
- Duke Fuqua

Moonshot
- Haas 
- MIT Sloan (way out of my league)

I'm not keen on taking the GMAT again, but feel free to suggest if you think it's worth it and I might consider giving it a second shot

Admissionado · Answer

StrawberryDembaBa :

This list feels about right. Duke Fuqua might be more of a moonshot if you don't apply in R1 or Early Decision, so keep that in mind.

The 1-year MBA program in the US is trickier than it seems. You aren't really on the more experienced side and you didn't study business at the undergraduate level, so you are not considered a typical 1-year MBA candidate. Keep that in mind when building out your list.

If you prefer scholarship money, you should consider more schools in your probable/safe category. What about Georgetown McDonough for starters? What are your criteria? What about geography (within the US) and focus areas for post-MBA goals? All this would be helpful to know.

Admissionado

IshanaSharma · Answer

Hi Admissionado,

Appreciate what you are doing here. Please see my profile below:

My Profile :
Indian Female Pharma Consultant
10th grade - 9.8 CPGA
12th grade - 94%
Undergrad GPA - 9.01/10 (Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from SRCC - Rank 24/800 overall)

GMAT 730 (Q48, V41, AWA6, IR6)

Work Ex:
I have 3 years of total work experience. I'm in healthcare consulting and I've done a lot of exciting strategy projects and added new capabilities to my team. I was awarded for my work and one of projects also won an internal company competition. Post-MBA, I aim to transition to management consulting or social impact consulting.

Community Service:
I interned at Goonj for 2 months, volunteered to teach under-privileged students for an academic year for another NGO. My family supports many street dogs (food, shelter and medical care). I was also part of a social organization during college which undertook community building initiatives. Last year I led a community projecton behalf of my company.

Leadership Experience: Led multiple projects, was an elected member of hostel cabinet and director of dramatics society.

I have a list of colleges I want to pursue and I'm looking to get some directional perspective on my chances - Harvard, Wharton, NYU Stern, Columbia, Stanford, Kellogg, Insead, LBS and Andersen.

I am very motivated to give GMAT again if that strengthens my chances in some of the aspirational schools I mentioned above (730 was in third attempt bdw. Do # of attempts matter?). However, unsure on when. Round 2 is more competitive so trying to understand the trade-off here.

I also recently resigned from my job and want to understand if not having a job while appearing for interviews has any negative effects on candidacy (I do not have a job in hand but plan to get one by Oct mid). My last working day is Sep 1, so I'm also wondering my company timeline in my resume needs to be updated to reflect I left the job.

Thanks in advance!

StrawberryDembaBa · Answer

Hi  Admissionado ,

Thanks for your response and really appreciate your help. My post-MBA plans are to continue in the tech space preferably in the same job role that I'm currently in, product management. So I'd prefer a college/course with a good percentage of placements in the tech domain (20%+ is good for a B school I guess).

Also, even though scholarship is an important criterion, I'm only looking at the top 20 (preferably top 15, but I understand that might be difficult) schools in the US.

Admissionado · Answer

IshanaSharma :

Responding to your points:

I have a list of colleges I want to pursue and I'm looking to get some directional perspective on my chances - Harvard, Wharton, NYU Stern, Columbia, Stanford, Kellogg, Insead, LBS and Andersen.

A: You have listed nearly all of those most competitive schools. You can assume your chances will reflect the relative difficulty of their respective admit rates. Target 4-5 schools for R1 and pick a range of options so you're not left without any options at the conclusion of R1.

I am very motivated to give GMAT again if that strengthens my chances in some of the aspirational schools I mentioned above (730 was in third attempt bdw. Do # of attempts matter?). However, unsure on when. Round 2 is more competitive so trying to understand the trade-off here.

A: Number of attempts matters if you start getting to the 4+ range. Three times is acceptable. I would only take the exam again if you feel confident you can add 20+ points. Adding 10 points is not going to make a difference. Also, if you don't have a job, are you only focused on applying? Wouldn't you have ample time to retake the GMAT?

I also recently resigned from my job and want to understand if not having a job while appearing for interviews has any negative effects on candidacy (I do not have a job in hand but plan to get one by Oct mid). My last working day is Sep 1, so I'm also wondering my company timeline in my resume needs to be updated to reflect I left the job.

A: Why did you resign? This might not look great. Normally, I'm fine with folks taking a mini-sabbatical, but it's so close to R1 deadlines. R2 is competitive, but you might be better off getting a job, retaking the GMAT (because of your own desires) and applying to a larger number of schools overall.

Lastly, maybe you should consider applying next year instead. I think your profile will be much stronger with additional time.

Admissionado

Admissionado · Answer

StrawberryDembaBa :

Thank you for the additional information. You really put together an appropriate list for tech-focused MBA programs. You might want to also consider Michigan Ross and Texas McCombs.

Beyond that, I'm not sure the MBA will make sense for you given your criteria.

-Admissionado

IshanaSharma · Answer

Thanks so much  Admissionado . Does it matter at all if my first GMAT was an online one (scored 690)? I faced a ton of tech issues and it didnt go so well, so I appeared for the center exam 5 days after my online exam and scored 710. 
Secondly, I quit to wrap up my dad's business and help him retire before I go for my MBA. Hence, my plan was a 2 month break but I recently it was highlighted to me that not having a job while appearing for interviews looks very bad. Hence I thought I'd aim to get a job by October and still have some break to sort things out. Between this and MBA applications, don't think I'll have time for a GMAT retake, but if its just MBA applications, I would. Do you have any thoughts on this?
Appreciate the guidance so much.

Admissionado · Answer

Our pleasure,  IshanaSharma .

Does it matter at all if my first GMAT was an online one (scored 690)? I faced a ton of tech issues and it didnt go so well, so I appeared for the center exam 5 days after my online exam and scored 710.

A: No, not at all. Highest score is what counts.

Secondly, I quit to wrap up my dad's business and help him retire before I go for my MBA. Hence, my plan was a 2 month break but I recently it was highlighted to me that not having a job while appearing for interviews looks very bad.

A: This is true. You don't want to be unemployed going into the application process though there are extenuating circumstances, of course. You resigned so you won't be in that excusable category.

Hence I thought I'd aim to get a job by October and still have some break to sort things out. Between this and MBA applications, don't think I'll have time for a GMAT retake, but if its just MBA applications, I would. Do you have any thoughts on this?

A: You should advertise yourself as working for your father's business now and through the indefinite future. It does not matter if, after applications are done, you decide to take time off or find another job. Your candidacy is a snapshot in time.

That's fine, stick with the GMAT score you have. Time is the limiting constraint for so many.

Hope that helps,
Admissionado

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