Ask MBA Crystal Ball

nitishgera wrote:

Hi,
Heard a lot of praises about MBACrystalBall. I would love to have your opinion/advice on my profile below :

GMAT : 690 (Q47 V39 AWA 5.0)

<<snip>>

Targets : Need help here, I'm not sure which schools I can target with my profile. I would want to break into US top 20 (US News Ranking).

Thank you.

Dear Nitish,

Glad that our work has found us a few ambassadors. Here are a few thoughts on your profile:

1. Overall, the work experience looks solid and pretty consistent. Though the initial IT experience may seem like a distraction, but if you can tie that up with the e-commerce experiments you've done - it'll all come out pretty good. So make sure you do not leave any lose ends
2. The GMAT may seem as a slight hurdle in your plan of cracking into the top schools. If that was your first attempt, and in case this was an independent one, you should consider a retake - provided you can bump that up by 30 points or so.
3. For reasons mentioned here, I wouldnt go into school specific suggestions. Suffice it to say that if you weave the story well, you should have a shot at some pretty good schools out there. Do bear in mind that tyre industry is pretty niche when it comes to opportunities from a bschool - so you'll have to be aware of what a bschool can provide and what it cannot.

Hope this helps,

Hi there ,

Hope you are having a good day . I have a few concerns as far as my profile goes and would like to know how to deal with it . Below is my profile.
10th std - 72%
12th std - 75% (was kicked out of school during my 11th as I dint really want to study much as I dint see the point of studying most of the subjects)
College from a local university - 6.25 CGPA (Indian Nationality)

I worked in my family business for my first 2 years as I didnt see the point of pursing a CA/CWA etc... as the subjects dint interest me and hence even if i wanted i wouldnt be able to study for it. Business was the closest to what I wanted to do with my life as I was good in it .
- increased turnover by 3%p.a , was able to attract 3 new clients with whom we were able to bring in a business of over 200k rupees per client per order .

After that I was bed ridden for over 8months due to a back injury . This was the time I realized I wanted to be an investor and deal with the stock markets/bonds etc ..
- while bed ridden I was handling my family portfolio and had a very good ROI .

After that I took up , my CFA and CAIA . Cleared both the exams in my 1st attempts . My CFA charter is pending and will be awarded next year And I already have been awarded the CAIA charter.
- While pursuing my CFA and CAIA , I've worked as a Financial Analyst for 2 years and a Portfolio constructor for 1 year in medium sized firms . My job was relating to constructing portfolio , analyzing investment avenues and also providing research reports regarding the market and companies . Clients generally have a capital of 1M-50M Rupees. (Higher clients go directly to the director level and I only provide research reports to the Directors).


Extra cur:
- Been associated with a local NGO for over 2 years which deals with people who are paralytic or people who donot have hands and limbs . (this was the result of my back injury as I was unable to walk and travel myself for 8months , which put me in a very troubled situation . I hope I can help them ease that pain)
- I also am a part of a National wide NGO which deals with orphans and I volunteer there for conducting events and Also visit children of different localities and tell them about my work and what it deals with . Its basically a program to help them realize their dreams and provide them a pathway .(People from various professions come and explain to the kids what they do and how things are done , so they have a better insight on what is reality and they can get in touch with what they want to do in the future).
- I am also a regular blood donor at another nation wide NGO .


Basically this is how my profile looks . It's more of a story and alot of ups and down . I'm hopeing my essay and statement of purpose would/should be my strength . As the after the back injury everything has been upwards.

I havent yet taken my GMAT and wanted your advice regarding the following before I jump into a conclusion to do an MBA .
1. I'm aiming at the top Bschools in the US and UK ( US is giving more preference as I want to be a hedge fund manager in NY).
So 1st question would be is my profile good enough to compete at the elite Bschools ? like Wharton,LBS,Booth etc... (keeping in mind the essay and other things) as It is not really the typical profile which would apply to a top bschool . I think I'm kinda stretching my luck a bit too much for these bschools , but i dont want to do the mistake of being "average" like i have done in the past.

2ndly how much should I aim for my GMAT ?
3rdly the concept of hedge funds is "relatively" Alien in India , but would my profile as a financial analyst and Portfolio constructor be a added plus or rather a pre-requisite to hedge fund job while placements ?
4thly As I do not really have prior knowledge of the American markets (have dealt only with Indian) , would be a negative during placements in the Bschool ? or Would I be treated the same as someone who has had exp. as a financial analyst in an american market ?


I hope you get the time to read this Loooooong post .

Awaiting for your reply ,

Fudge

Fudge wrote:

Hi there ,

Hope you are having a good day . I have a few concerns as far as my profile goes and would like to know how to deal with it . Below is my profile.
10th std - 72%
12th std - 75% (was kicked out of school during my 11th as I dint really want to study much as I dint see the point of studying most of the subjects)
College from a local university - 6.25 CGPA (Indian Nationality)

<<snip>>

I hope you get the time to read this Loooooong post .

Awaiting for your reply ,

Fudge

Dear Fudge,

Getting straight to your questions:

1. You put it right when you say the school list is pretty aggressive. While your profile sounds quite interesting, the moment of epiphany when you decided to make a career in investment is not rational/clear enough. You'd do well to explain that further and also ensure that your years as an entrepreneur are not discounted. The main spanner in your hedge fund dreams could be the lack of brand names associated with the organizations you've worked at.
2. There's no cookie cutter here and the answer depends on the schools you are targeting. In general, a 10-20+ over the school average will put you closer to the 'Indian' population average - so aim at least for that. Then again, higher is never an issue here.
3. & 4. Fact of the matter is, Hedge Fund jobs, even in the US are 'relatively' hard to come by. Aiming only for those will put you up against people with some really strong credentials, big brand names, super high academics etc etc. This is not to say that those with lesser 'on-paper' credentials dont/cant make it - just the probability goes down. So try to develop a robust plan B in case things dont work out.

Hope this helps,

Cheers,

Hi MG4,

Thank you for sharing your views . Yes I do get the point of "explaining" the shift to investments . which i will much more in the essays and statement of purposes .
I was wondering if you could give pinpoint a few, good finance schools which would be apt for my profile ? As the only Bschools i know for finance are Wharton and LSB .

Regards,

Fudge

Fudge wrote:

Hi MG4,

Thank you for sharing your views . Yes I do get the point of "explaining" the shift to investments . which i will much more in the essays and statement of purposes .
I was wondering if you could give pinpoint a few, good finance schools which would be apt for my profile ? As the only Bschools i know for finance are Wharton and LSB .

Regards,

Fudge

Dear Fudge,

For reasons mentioned here, I wouldnt go into school specific recommendations. There are a ton of agencies that provide stream specific rankings; Columbia, Stern, Booth all have healthy finance related placements - so that shouldnt be too difficult to figure out either.

Cheers,

Hi Sameer/MG,
I have been thinking of applying to MBA colleges outside India with GMAT score 640 (awa 5) taken in feb'10. However, I am really not sure if I should try GMAT once again or not. My profile is briefed below:
1. Male/30/IT/IIT 8 years of exp.
2. Started with IT giant CTS, worked in US for 3.5 years and quit it there in US to join a startup, 3 years ago, back in India. Now heading the company's Business Unit for mobility and directly working with MD, CEO and VP of the company.
3. Not so stellar academically 85% - X, 68% XII, 7.6/10 B.Tech (mining)
4. Published 2 international papers while in B.Tech,
5. 2 years member of student council in college, co-convened the tech festival, Swimming and volleyball member.


Please advise me
1. If I should use the same old GMAT score or retake it?
2. What are my chances if I continue with the same score.
3. Does my profile seem fine or I need to work more on to it.
4. My ultimate goal from MBA is to gain more exp. and exposure to become part of a bigger organization where I have bigger role in decision making and impacts.

/Ankit

Ankitsahu84 wrote:

Hi Sameer/MG,
I have been thinking of applying to MBA colleges outside India with GMAT score 640 (awa 5) taken in feb'10. However, I am really not sure if I should try GMAT once again or not. My profile is briefed below:
1. Male/30/IT/IIT 8 years of exp.
<<snip>>

/Ankit

Ankit,
Since the questions are a bit inter-related, I'll not cover them one at a time. Here goes:

1. You havent mentioned what all schools you had applied to and when. Yale is a pretty good school too - any reason why you did not go in? If you are a reapplicant to some schools - that usually makes it slightly tougher. So choose wisely
2. The fact that your acads are not so stellar as you mention, makes GMAT all the more important. If you believe you can take it to 700 and beyond, this will definitely improve your chances significantly. It doesnt make a lot of difference if you've taken it in the past - but the score itself is something that warrants improvement if feasible/possible.
3. All your ECs seem to be only in college which itself was quite a few years back. This could be an area worth exploring to balance out the profile
4. Finally, for reasons mentioned here, I wouldnt go into school specific suggestions. But suffice it to say that with the right GMAT, you should have a fair shot at better ranked schools than your current target.

Cheers,

MG,
Thanks for your reply. I need to rethink on my chances of scoring above 700 in retake.
I might sound dumb in asking what does ECs stand for.
Could you please elaborate on ?

/Ankit

Ankitsahu84 wrote:

MG,
Thanks for your reply. I need to rethink on my chances of scoring above 700 in retake.
I might sound dumb in asking what does ECs stand for.
Could you please elaborate on
/Ankit

EC=extra-curricular; stuff you do outside of your professional life.

Thanks for your input.

/ankit

Need profile evaluation and assistance in choosing schools -

Indian Male
GMAT 1 : Q49, V31 - 660, IR 7, AWA 5
GMAT 2 : Q50, V27 - 650, IR 7, AWA 5,
GMAT 3 : Q50, V31 - 690, IR 8

Working experience: 8 years as on 1st June'2014 - 3 years in manufacturing, 3 years in project management, 2 years in Supply Chain Management.

Graduate : Mechanical Engineering
GPA: 7.83 in a scale of 10 (India's top 10 Engineering College)

Other professional course :
Project Mgmt Professional (PMP) from PMI, US
Certified supply chain Professional (CSCP) from APICS, US
Certificate in business accounting by Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA),
Six Sigma Green Belt from International Quality Federation.

I want to be in top global MNCs who are in engineering & manufacturing field (such as GE, Exxon MObil, BP, SHELL, GM) and want roles in management grade.
Plz suggest schools that will suit my requirement and what will be my chances at those schools.

Regards,
Subhodhi Roy, PMP, CSCP

subhodhi wrote:

Need profile evaluation and assistance in choosing schools -

Indian Male
GMAT 1 : Q49, V31 - 660, IR 7, AWA 5
GMAT 2 : Q50, V27 - 650, IR 7, AWA 5,
GMAT 3 : Q50, V31 - 690, IR 8

<<snip>>

Regards,
Subhodhi Roy, PMP, CSCP

Dear Subhodhi,

Nice progress there on the GMAT scale. With your profile and experience, you should have a shot at some good schools out there. Be aware though that in general, engineering and mfg related recruitment opportunities are limited out of bschools. For reasons mentioned here, I would refrain from suggesting schools to apply to - but suffice it to say that you need to start fairly quick.

Cheers,

Hi Team,

Nice to see good work here.

I want this query to be answered so that I can analyse whether to take another attempt or not.

My Target schools:

Executive progs. of below schools:

(1). IIMA
(2). IIMB
(3). IIMC
(4). IIMI
(5). IIMS
(6). IIML
(7). Sp Jain
(8). XLRI

Considering double digit seats in above schools and a competitive I.T. pool , I am little bit worried to apply with a low score.

Score:
GMAT1: 630 (Q47,V29)
GMAT2: 680 (Q50,V32)

Work Experience:
T.C.S.: 55 months till date
International Exp: 24 months and going on (South Africa) since Jul-2012
I have been assisting First National Bank(Corporate and Investment banking unit), south Africa.
Participated in I.T. boot camp, empowering the underprivileged with the knowledge of I.T. and internet.
Participated in various activities conducted by H.R team such as Table tennis tournament, TCS marathon, Mandela Day celebrations etc.
Appreciated by Team members twice in small projects for FNB,South Africa
Certificate course: Foundation Course in Financial services
Certificate course: Foundation course in Capital Markets

Have done many adventure sports in South Africa such as Sky Diving,Zip sliding, Zip lining stc.
I am a frequent blood donor
1 Year: I assisted Investment banking unit of National Bank of Greece, and thereby have a knowledge of how security transactions go on in European markets.
1.5 year: I assisted investment banking of Standard bank of South Africa.
Team appreciation (Jun 2010)
Whilst working in T.C.S, I cleared entrance exams conducted by PSU's such as S.A.I.L, G.A.I.L, B.A.R.C, and H.L.L.
Whilst working in T.C.S., I appeared twice in interviews for Indian Air Force(S.S.B's).



Graduation:
(1). Academics
B.Tech: Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering: SASTRA (2009)
CGPA: 8.05/10
GATE (2008): 95 percentile
CAT(2008): 95 percentile
Second position in tech quiz organized by the Instrumax@ SASTRA
Event coordinator of an event(idea thought by me) logic-traption @ Daksh (International tech fest org. by SASTRA)
Participated in various events such as "Flipped logic","Circuitrix", and others in N.I.T Trichy.
Participated in various events in I.I.T. Madras.

(2). Workshops
Investment management workshop by N.I.T Trichy
Bio-Engineering workshop by I.I.T Madras

(3). Certifications
3d Max and Maya

(4). Paper presentation
Presented paper on Fuel cells organized by L-Ramp society of IIT Madras.

(5). Sports
Represented my university in various tournaments
Stood first in the Intra-mural sports organized by SASTRA
Awarded best player of the tournament in the Intra-mural sports

High School:
10th: 72%
12th: 77.6%
National level player in Basketball
Zonal level player in Netball
Represented school in volleyball and athletics in various C.B.S.E tournaments

Request your feedback

TGC wrote:

Hi Team,

Nice to see good work here.

I want this query to be answered so that I can analyse whether to take another attempt or not.

My Target schools:

<<snip>>

Request your feedback

Dear TGC,

Thanks for posting here. Here are a few points for you to ponder on:

1. You havent mentioned the nature of your work in the IT domain. A bit tough to assess the differentiation in absence of that. The international experience will definitely help but also dig deeper on work related impact created - that is important to showcase your professional experience
2. I guess you meant the 1 Yr full time courses (not exec MBA)? Read here for more on this confusion. Apart from the first three, for the others, the GMAT may not be that big an issue - the quality of work-ex will of course be the deciding factor. For the first three, both the GMAT and the years of work-ex may prove to be mini handicaps. So unless there is something distinctive elsewhere in the profile, will be tough to convince the adcoms in my opinion
3. Most of the ECs mentioned are from school/college time. Not gonna be of too much value. Your moderator work here will help - see if there are other elements you can think of to highlight here.

Hope this helps,

Cheers,

Hi Manish,

Thanks for your succinct reply.

Yeah I am sorry I meant 1 year full time MBA's.

Sorry for not elaborating the I.T. experience, and I have edited my post.

Please have a look at the red portion of my previous post and provide your feedback.

Thanks

TGC wrote:

Hi Manish,

Thanks for your succinct reply.

Yeah I am sorry I meant 1 year full time MBA's.

Sorry for not elaborating the I.T. experience, and I have edited my post.

Please have a look at the red portion of my previous post and provide your feedback.

Thanks

TGC,

On the face of it without the details of achievements, the experience does look/sound differentiated. You will have to dig deeper to bring that out to overcome the apparent GMAT handicap. You havent mentioned your post-MBA goals. If you intend to remain within the same industry and can show evidence of work towards your planned move, you could still have a shot at it.

The top 3 are likely to be a bit more elusive than others in your original list

Cheers,

Hi Sameer/MG,

Really appreciate any feedback you can provide.

Overview: Indian/Male/27/IT

GMAT: 740 ( Q50 V40 ) AWA 4.5

Undergrad:

B.Tech in Electronics from NIT.
Ranked 1500 in All India Entrance Exam.
GPA: 7.3/10

Work Ex:

5+ years as a Software developer in Top US Investment Bank ( in Bangalore )
Developed Trading Applications for various Equity trading desks.
Frequent interactions with Traders/Structuring and Middle Office. Decent understanding of business and products.

Extra Curricular:

Participated in and raised funds for Oxfam Trailwalker.
Worked with Habitat for Humanity, led a 15 member team of volunteers from office
Mentored many new joiners and Interns
College:
Event Manager of Virtual Stock Market Game for Annual College Tech Festival
Secretary of Computer Society Club

Travel & Photography: Visited many places across India, 5 day Himalayan Trek, Lakshadweep Cruise, backpacked through Europe.
Photography awards in College and Office

Schools:

R1: Anderson, Ross, Tepper, UW Foster, USC Marshall
R2: McCombs, Boston Univ, Maryland Smith

How do you fancy my chances? Do you see my undergrad GPA (7.3) and AWA score (4.5) affecting my application?
Any suggestions to add/remove schools welcome.

Thanks again!!