Ask Marvel Admissions

Hi Christine.,

It has been a couple of months since I first asked for your help... I guess a few things have changed since then... I am editing my profile and adding a few things which I previously considered insignificant (I still do but I guess it is better than nothing) and also I am adding some background on my work experience... I would like to have a fresh evaluation.... Hope you can excuse the length of the post.. Thanks in advvance..

Indian Male

Age : 23 (14 - Mar - 1989)

Work Experience : 30 Months as on 1st March 2013 in a HVAC Contracting Company which is one of the top 3 companies in the field in India.

Responsibilities :
Position : Graduate Engineer Trainee - Projects (2 months) : Joined the company as a trainee and was assigned to the project team (2 months). (I had asked to be in a more techno-commercial department such as Sales & Estimation or Procurement but there were no positions availalble)
Position : Graduate Engineer Trainee - Procurement (10 months) : Was shifted to the procurement team after 2 months (Fortunately for me, a colleague had left to pursue a job in the middle east). As a trainee I used to finalzie orders and organize material delivery for material of small value (value of individual orders typically not exceeding $2000) and also played a part in finalization of higher value orders.
Position : Procurement Engineer - Chennai Branch (12 months) : Increased resposibilities. Purchase of more technologically complex equipment with individual order values at times exceeding $200,000)
Position : Procurement Engineer - Chennai & All India (6 months) : In addition to Chennai Purchase responsibilities, the responsibilities for All India Central Purchase Division were also given to me. New responsibilities include co-ordinating with different branches for optimizing procurement of similar material (larger quantities demand better discounts), providing price feedback and maintaining uniformity in order terms and conditions.

My major concern here is that I have not held any leadership postions per se. Even my most recent responsibilities only include co-ordination rather than leading a team. I would like to know whetehr this would be a major drawback.

GMAT Score:
Quants : 49, Verbal : 42, Overall : 740 , AWA : 5.5, IR : 8

Undergrad Info:
B.E in Mechanical Engineering with 70% from Anna University (Non IIT Indian University - State Owned).
Converted by $5 WES service : 3.8
Anna University is often ranked in the top 10 or at worst top 15 technical institutions in India. I had my scores converted to the 4 point scale by the World Education Services website (which cost $5, so I am skeptical of the result)

Extra-Curricular
Was part of the school soccer team and regular in the school athletic meet winning several medals in the intra school sports meets. Although I doubt if that would amount to anything.
I do have some work that may be considered as community service. i.e The result might have benefited the community but the intent was more personal.
Have been instrumental in getting roads laid in my area but do not have any proof. To sum it up, I think this would be what would hurt my profile most.
Trying to organize an effective waste management system in my hometown (a coastal fishing village. People are dumping their garbage in the sea and unfortunately quite close to the shore and huge mounds of garbage have washed up on the beaches). Nothing is yet to be implemented.
Started and run a canteen at my undergraduate institution. Employs 4 people whom I knew were unemployed at the time. On completing my undergraduate course, I completely handed over the canteen to the most senior of the employees. I took income from the canteen until my capital cost was covered but on the risk of sounding like a jerk I should say I have not gained any income for my efforts. So , I might consider it to be a sort of service to the community.
I was also the person in charge of buying equipment and setting up a small sports club in my community. Albeit very small. A couple of pong and foosball tables, a snooker table and a Volleyball court.
Have received appraisal letters from my management for good performance which I hope could stand for something.

Others
I had taken a course in leadership skills & public speaking 6 years back - Certified - but only by a local private organization 6 years old
I am also a certified process quality assurance internal auditor - Every year before the external ISO audit of we have an internal audit of work processes the team of which I am a part of.

What I Want To Do

In the long run I see myself in one of two positions i) The owner of my own company i.e Entrepreneur or ii) A high level managerial postion (Director or CEO) at a company (manufacturing and engineering services) owned by my extended family.

I believe the best way to train myself for either situations would be to be a management consultant. So, my first preference would be to get a job as a management consultant and a second preference would be to work at a manufacturing company.

This is the best quality dough I have and the quality of the cakes I can make with this dough as I understand is substantially limited by the dough's quality. Could you please suggest some schools in which I have a realistic chance and which would serve my requirements best. Sorry again for the extremely long post. Thank you for your time..

Hi,
Great to hear from you.

Don't worry about not having official leadership title. As young professionals, the schools are not expecting you to have had official leadership role managing X number of people. They're looking for examples where you influence others, convinced people of your idea, etc.

I understand the "what" of your short-term and long-term career goals. Please give some thoughts to the "why" of your long-term career goals. What are you passionate about, and how do you hope to contribute, etc.

On school selection, I recommend you start by reaching out to current students at the schools we've discusssed so far, and get a better understanding of how well they fit with what you're hoping to get out of the business school experience. On the surface, the schools may look similar, but once you start digging into it, each school has a distinct culture, and you get a better sense of how well you fit by talking to current students and alumni.

Good luck!

Christine

Thank you Christine.. I understand I've left out the "why" part.. The thing is, I do not know how much weightage my "why" would hold with the adcoms. Historically, my family infact my entire community have been businessmen.. I grew up watching my father, grandfather and uncles as businessmen, so from a very small age I have always wanted to be the owner of my own company. More importantly, for me, it is a matter of prestige to be a business owner and to be able to provide employment opportunities to people. The level of satisfaction between working for my own company's growth and working for someone else's growth would IMHO vary greatly. I'm afraid this might sound very superficial to the adcoms but it is of significant importance to me.. So the fact is, I really do not know what to enter as the "why" in my applications.

Hi MacFauz,

Figuring out the "why" behind your career goals is one of the most important work in the business school process, and it is the most interesting/exciting part of the work I do with my clients.

The initial reasons behind the career goals may be superficial - applicants may looking for ability to generate higher income, prestige, etc.

I would challenge you to think about these questions below -

What really turns you on?
What are your most sacred passions?
What are your biggest dreams?
You may need more space to connect to the answers to these questions. Apart from family background and expectations, give yourself some space to think through these questions. They bring up a lot of emotions.
What is it that you do that feels completely effortless to you?

You don't have to answer any of these questions on this forum post, these questiosn are for you to ponder. Think about the type of business you would like to lead/create, what values would you instill in the organizations that are important to you, etc.

There are endless possibilities for you, so make sure you don't hold back.

Knowing what you're really passionate and fall in love with your dreams will be strong motivators for you to stretch and set big goals, take action, and breakthrough.

I don't just do admissions coaching, I also provide leadership and executive coaching. So I'm happy to coach you through this if you are interested.

Good luck!

Christine Lin, Principal
Marvel Admissions

Thank you Christine... I really do like questions the way I liked my food as a kid... i.e Cut up into small pieces.... This really does give me a lot to think about... I guess it is going to take some time for me to find the right answers to them though....

I haven't posted here in a while and could use some additional advice based on where I'm at right now.

I'm taking the CFA Level 1 in June, which based on how my studies are going I plan on passing. I'm taking one graduate-level course right now (which I haven't even taken the prereq's for but received professor approval to be in) in which I'm planning on receiving an A.

Following these two being resolved, I'm going to be getting involved in my free time with a volunteer organization that is essentially an umbrella organization for numerous non-profits in my city. This is a rather large organization but is still local to my city. I tried volunteering with United Way but they were only looking for full time and/or day time volunteers which I obviously can't do because of my job. I'm planning on participating in both the financing and event planning committees of this organization.

We did very well in the banking competition, taking second. I also met pretty much everyone in the industry in my city, and think that a VP at a mid-market bank here, who was our group's mentor and the organizer of the entire competition, would be willing to write a recommendation letter for me given my experience in this competition.

Finally, at work I pursued and received the designation of project lead on a product line rationalization project, where we are evaluating all of the products my company offers in order to determine how to increase revenues or cut costs. This project could lead to the discontinuation of some of our offerings.

1. How many classes should I be taking to build a sufficient alternative transcript? I'll have one class under my belt but how many I need completed will determine whether or not I enroll in one or two courses over the summer.

2. Would getting involved in a larger, national organization for volunteer work be more beneficial? I feel like if I do that I'll be working on lower level stuff, and opportunities would be limited given that it would all be in my free time. However, the name would be more recognizable.

3. I work at a small company, and there is almost no room here to actually enter into a management title. Even if this isn't possible, are leadership roles such as the project lead very influential in this regard?

4. I hate this question and I'm sure everyone asks, but H/S/W chances? I'm guessing they're extremely slim, considering I haven't started a business/nonprofit, have not worked at a name brand company and haven't changed the world in any way. I guess I'm not looking for a specific answer outside of whether or not I should discount these schools.

5. What else could I be doing to really set myself apart from the other applicants and increase my chances of getting in a school I want to attend? I've considered switching jobs but I'm worried the short tenure at each of my jobs would be looked down upon, and don't want to have to work at another job for 2-3 years before applying to b-school as I'd be in my late 20's by then.

I was fortunate enough to meet the owner of a very small PE shop through my competition, and he mentioned the possibility of taking me on as an intern next summer, which I think would be huge. I'm speaking with him next week to try to get him more committed to that decision, and if I can do that then I would probably be applying to school sooner than I originally planned, as I'd like to go soon thereafter.

I have also pondered taking the GMAT over the summer but am not sure if it's too soon (though I'd like to go to b-school in the next five years, which I believe is how long a GMAT score is good for, so it would probably be a good idea to knock it out of the park ASAP so I don't have to worry about it anymore).

Hi i want to know my chances for few good us universities..

10th- 49% (2003)
12th- 60% (2005)
Grad- Bachelor in commerce though distance learning from Tier1 university 43% (2009)
Grad repeated- Bachelor in commerce though distance learning from different Tier3 university 73% (2012)
Diploma in Aviation and hospitality from Edexel university (2010)
Diploma in Theater (2007)
Apart from this a lot of small certificates.


Work Exp- Small family garments business(small botique) So dont think adcom will consider it.
Want to do MBA in finance.

Have not taken Gmat but in mocks getting around 650- 680, i can improve a lot more and target 720.

So as per my profile which colleges should i target, i know my profile is not good neither i am targeting top 20 US Bschools. Kindly guide me.
_________________

Hello there !!

My Profile in brief detail

Nationality: Indian
GMAT: 700 (Q 49 V36)
GPA: 75% from a top 50 engineering school
Major: Mechanical Engineering

Work Experience: 7 years at Matriculation with a top Oil exploration and refining company (I worked only in downstream - refining)

4 Years: Mechanical Engineer - Maintenance. Lead a team of 6 technicians. Worked towards ensuring the reliability and availability of mech. equipment. Developed maintenance plans - Preventive and Predictive. Active involvement in Tendering and Contract Management.

2 Years: Senior Engineer - Maintenance and Projects. Leveraged the maintenance expertise to streamline and manage Revamp Project activities. Lead a team of over 40 technicians to complete shutdown activities well ahead of schedule. Job included planning, inter - department coordination and execution.

1 Year: Senior Engineer - Vigilance. Leveraged the technical and commercial expertise to bring systemic improvements across the organization. Focussed on areas that required system development or improvement and recommended changes to improve efficiency, transparency and effectiveness.

Leadership
• Elected Representative for Management Staff Association (Officer's association to liaison with the Management)
• Work profile full of leadership examples

Extra Curricular:
• Active Member of Toastmaster's Club
• Community Service through the CSR activities of my company - Organized blood donation camps, AIDS awareness campaigns etc.
• An active event organizer throughout my life - right from school till today. Was a member of Organizing Committee for Annual Tech. & Cultural fest at college. Active participation in organizing company events including handling venue, logistics, decor, liaison with speakers etc.

Future Plans:
Energy Consulting with a focus on sustainability.

Target Firms:
GE (internal consulting)
Bain
McKinsey

Backup Plan: Operations management in Energy industry. Target Firm: Shell, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, BP.

Wish to apply to:

1. Tuck
2. Duke Fuqua
3. Darden
4. UCLA
5) Johnson
6) Emory
7) Mc Combs
8) Kelley
9) Ivey, Canada
10) Rotman

I am skeptical in the following areas:

1. Should I retake GMAT? If I do, I expect to get 720-730. Should I devote the next month on GMAT or start preparing my apps ??

2. Do I have the USP to get into the programs mentioned above, considering I don't take another shot at GMAT ?? Request you to highlight any apparent weaknesses in my profile.

3. What schools should I focus on. A list of schools reputed for placements in the energy sector (Consulting and Operations).

Look forward to your response.
Thank You.

Best Regards,
KUNAL

Hi Marvel Admissions,
Could you please provide me some detail information on the big Real Estate companies(names, what percentage they recruit etc.) in US,recruiting from top 20 b-Schools out there...?
What is the average package for these firms for fresh top 20 b-Schools grads in US?

What is the reasonable and expected salary growth 3-5 years down the line with these firms?

How do your see the growth prospects of these firms and career growth with them as compared to big Consultancy firms? (If comparable to any extent at all...)

Much appreciate your feedback on this.

Hi Marvel Admissions,
Any update on this?

Look forward to your reply.

Hi,

Clarifying your career goals is the most important element in school selection. It would be helpful for you to get clear about your motivations for getting an MBA, and what you are hoping to get out of the experience, and what is your short-term (post-MBA) career goal, and long-term career goal.

Good luck!

Christine Lin, Principal
Marvel Admissions Consulting


https://marveladmissions.com/

Hi Kunal,

You will have to get really clear about your career goals, especially your short-term career goals. Looks like you've got great leadership potentials with great technical background and experience in operational management and improvement. If your short-term goal is to work in strategy consulting, you would have to show the business schools relevant experience and transferrable skills that would help you succeed as a strategy consultant.

Take some time to think more about the type of work you enjoy doing, what you are passionate about and what your skills are. Glad to hear that you are interested in sustainability. You will be most successful following your passion and skills.

Regarding the GMAT, if you believe that you can get 720-730, then go for it. I would recommend narrowing down your list of schools to 4-6.

If you can put together strong applications, you may be competitive at some of the schools on your list.

Good luck!

Christine Lin, Principal
Marvel Admissions Consulting
clin@marveladmissions.com
https://marveladmissions.com/

Hi,

MBAs with real estate concentration may be hired by private equity firms, investment management firms, as well as real estate firms.

I recommend you contact real estate clubs at business schools to learn more about recruiting and career opportunities.

If you are still unsure about your career goals, and whether it should be in real estate or consulting, do take some time to think about what motivates you and what your skills are, and not worry as much about salary package, etc.

You make your own future. Our family friend is the founder of the real estate center at a top business school and has been a very successful real estate developer. He worked for a large real estate developer post MBA for a few years, then started his own firm. He is guided by his desire to create value and has consistently generate high returns over the past three decades. That could be YOU!

Here's an example of NYU's link on real estate, I'm sure you can find ones for other business schools

https://www.stern.nyu.edu/programs-admis ... al-estate/

Good luck!

Christine Lin, Principal
Marvel Admissions Consulting
clin@marveladmissions.com
https://marveladmissions.com/

Hi,
I am a 24 year old male currently working with Infosys Ltd as a systems engineer and plan to continue working until June 2014.My work ex currently is 18 months and by the time i quit it will be 28 months.
I also have a CCNA certificate(Cisco certified network associate) in networking.

I am aiming for a GMAT score of about 700 and wish to apply for Fall 2014.
My undergrad was from Mumbai University in Electronics Engineering and my aggregate for 4 years is 67%(anything above 60 in Mumbai or Pune University is excellent)
Apart from my academics,i was the captain of the football team and have won a few intra college tournaments and was golden boot winner as well.
I was also a part of the Sports Councilin my college.
I was also a part of my company football team.

I have participated in a few cultural as well as technical events in college.


Could you please share a list of MBA schools i can realistically get admits from?
Any tips or advice will be appreciated.

Considering the job experience of most of the applicants to the top schools is greater than 4 years i wish to know where i stand with my current profile.

Is it a better option to go for an MIM from a top university in Europe instead?
If so could you let me know my chances of getting into schools like HEC Paris,ESCP Europe,IE business school,CEMS,LSE and ESSEC France.

Awaiting your quick response.

Thanks and regards,
Aditya

Hello,

Could you please give me your opinion on my profile?

Age: 29
Work Experience: Current- Equity Analyst- research the consumer staples sector for a large buy side investment management firm think (Fidelity, Wellington, T Rowe, American Funds) for the past two years. Previously was in a research support role supporting portfolio managers for non-stock research and before that traded international equities and currencies.
GMAT: Haven't taken yet
College: University of Vermont- 2.7 GPA Business Admin/Finance, had 3 really bad semesters 1 my uncle died, and the other 2 my mom spent a lot of time in ICU with an undiagnosed kidney ailment, I was young and incapable of dealing with my personal issues and school at the same time, I just didn’t go to class, without the my other 5 semesters my GPA averages over 3.3. I knew my low GPA and non-target school would hurt me so I enrolled at Boston College for their MSF program, graduated last year with a 3.75 GPA.

Extra-Curricular: Treasurer for my fraternity, managed a 200k budget. 100 hours of community service in college. I plan to get involved with a local charity to volunteer now that I have a lot of free time back in my life; I just finished the CFA program.

Certifications: CFA

Targets:
Reaches: Harvard and Wharton
Main Targets: CBS, Tuck, and Booth
Safety: Cornell

Timeframe: 2014-2015

Post MBA Goal: Become a portfolio manager at mutual fund company or analyst at a leading hedge fund.

What GMAT score range do I need to be in to even be considered at any of these schools? I know each of these schools are very difficult to get in to especially with my poor undergrad. Harvard and Wharton are probably extreme reaches for me and I am more realistically hoping for Columbia or Tuck but understand those my also be out of the question.

Is there anything else you would recommend I do between now and applying to try to overcome my poor undergrad? I believe I will have strong recommendations; I will be able to select alumni from each school to write them for me. I am hoping my MSF GPA, a strong GMAT, and passing the 3 CFA exams 3/3 consecutively can overshadow my 2.7 that I got when I was a lot younger and a much different person.

Basically I want to find out if it is possible to get in to one of my targets with my undergrad, I want to weigh my options before putting the time in to getting a GMAT over 700.

Thank you very much for you time and consideration.

Hi Christine,
Could you please let me know the followings -
1. Are Ross Essay 1 and McCombs Essay 1 EXACTLY similar,EXCEPT the word-count difference?
2.To what extent these two essays are similar to CBS Essay 3?

Much appreciate your feedback...

Thanks...