Ask Accepted.com

Hi,

My question is a bit unconventional. I applied to CBS, Wharton, Tuck, LBS , Booth and Stern for R1. After securing interview from all the schools except CBS. My results were:
Wharton - waitlist after interview
Booth - ding after interview
LBS - waitlist
Tuck - waitlist
CBS - ding without interview
Stern - admitted

My profile is given below.

4 years when I join-2 years in a niche Financial Consultancy, worked with Bank Front Office teams in India and Singapore on valuation post global financial crisis
2 years - Thomson Reuters (Singapore) - in a pre- sales role, involved in revenue generation and interacting with business stake holders focusing more on buy-side clients.Managing client expectations, proposing and designing solutions. Geographic mandate includes South Asia and have travelled to 8 different countries within region for client meetings.

2) GMAT - 760 (99 percentile, Q-51 (97) , V- 41 (94), AWA -5)

3) Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay, GPA -7.8/10, Bachelors in Chemical Engineering

4) Managing investments for friends and relatives (140 K USD) in Indian debt and equity markets for last 3 years
Part of Foundation at current organization and have participated and led multiple drives for raising funds and creating awareness against human trafficking
Part of Debating club, co-founder first-ever National Debate in the institute.Led a team of 25 co-ordinators to organize the event
Won prizes in debating at college and national tournaments
Volunteered as a teacher and content planner for NGO which helps in child education for almost a year

5) CFA and FRM charters

6)Make a long term career in investment management.

Currently, I am very close to securing a role as risk analyst at a leading sovereign wealth fund(SWF). Given my current results and the offer from SWF, would it make sense to pursue Stern or gain an additional year of experience and re-try again next year at schools like CBS, Booth. How do these schools view re-applicants?

Looking forward to your reply.

Hi all,

this year I will be applying to MiM programmes at several universities in Europe. I have a question regarding my cv and mentioning my high school diplomas.

I graduated from high school in Germany with the normal Abitur like everyone else. Additionally, at my school we were given the opportunity to do the international baccalaureate on the side.
So I did that as well. The thing is, on the one hand this is quite rare so it might help me differentiate myself a bit and it shows that I am willing to work hard. On the other hand my IB is pretty mediocre with 34 points. That's not terrible, but my Abitur is a bit better and my Bachelor's degree will be significantly better. My GMAT score is 750.

So no now the question is whether I should mention my IB in addition to my Abitur. I feel that if grades are very important I'd better leave it out, but I am not sure on how important they are to application commities.

Thanks a lot in advance for your advice.

i Guys,

I am Indian Male with GMAT of 650 (Q49, V29), Chartered Accountant with 11 year of Work Ex (Worked with GlaxoSmithKline, Hersheys, General Mills, Gulf Oil).

I am applying in 3rd round at Broad (Michigan State)...any feedback on the application.

Regards

Vish

Hi Tiger,

You have to do the first two items and possibly the last two also:

1. Address the circumstances surrounding the F. Take responsibility for any mistakes.
2. Provide strong compelling reasons for acceptance. You have lots of them above. Black Rock to my knowledge has a good name. So if you are moving up at Black Rock, don't feel compelled to change jobs. If you are stagnating, then make a move.
3. Consider other schools that may be more willing to overlook the F given everything else you have going for you and that will help you achieve your goals.
4. Put a little more time between your undergrad record and your application. Don't apply this cycle; wait at least until next cycle. I'm not saying it's impossible for you to get in now, but a little more time may help.

Please see:

MBA Admissions A-Z: U is for Undergrad Grades

5 A’s for Your Low GPA

Best,
Linda

Age : 25
Educational Qualifications : Bachelors in Applied Petroleum Engineering
CGPA : 2.97, Equivalent percentage : 79.40%
Year of passing : 2012
Location :India

GMAT:710
10th: 89.8%
12th: 86.4%
TOEFL: 115


Work Experience
4 Years (By the time I will start applying it will be 5 yrs) in Reliance Industries Ltd. (India's largest private company with more than 40000 employees)
- Working as Workover Engineer (planning, executing and managing drilling and workover operations of oil and gas wells)
- Managing a team of 20+ engineers directly and more than 200 employees indirectly.
- Managing 200+ sites and 10+ Rigs (In-charge of all rigs).
- Revised and implemented operations procedures that led to reduction in down time from 15%(approx) to <2% effectively saving more than $5,000,000
- Take mentoring classes for new recruits (fresh graduates) and provide training to them about different oil and gas field operations.

Extracurriculars
- Teaching orphans, underprivileged children and illiterate adults via NGO subjects like Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Computers( More than 3 yrs now.)
- Team member of project's Table Tennis and Badminton team.
- Organized Free Health and Eye checkup camps, and Blood donation camps in various villages in India since 2013 , held half yearly. (Through company's CSR policy)

Target 1 : Full time MBA 2 years at a leading college
Target 2 : M Finance at a leading college

My questions :

1. An honest opinion about where I stand
2. What could I do to improve my case ?
3. As per my case, which are the schools that I should be looking at ?

1. You have strong work experience and some interesting community service. Your work experience is probably the most impressive part of your profile.
2. Raise your GMAT. clarify your goals. I'm assuming your work has an international component. If not, get international experience.

Please respond to the unanswered question in the second post in this thread and I'll do my best to answer #3 regarding MBA programs.

Linda

HI,

Thank you guys very much for doing this. Could you evaluate my profile? I am looking to move into ERP consulting in Manufacturing / Supply Chain Management domains.

Age : 29

1) Brief description of your full-time work experience. What do you do?



- Graduated with a B'Tech degree in EEE (Electrical and Electronics Engineering) in 2007 from a local college in Hyderabad, AP.
- Joined IBM as an associate systems engineer in Sept'07.
- Left IBM in Oct'08 to join BHEL as an Electrical Engineer. Working there presently. Total workEx - 8 Years +
- Posted to Pumps Division, oversee product testing (Technical evaluation, testing management, lead a team of 5 workers, 2 supervisors, 1 engineer)
- No noteworthy ECA. Implemented some good project in BHEL (Technical stuff, but lead a team of 2)


2) Your GMAT/GRE with breakdown, preferably in percentiles.

- Yet to take.

3) College info: The name of the college, your GPA or grade average, your major, year of graduation. For any graduate degrees, please provide the same info. If you grades are low, please indicate if there were extenuating circumstances.

- DVR College of Engineering, B'Tech EEE - 77.4 %

4) Significant college and post-college extra-curricular activities or community service, especially leadership experience.

- Nothing noteworthy.

5) Important certifications like CFA, CPA, FSA, or CA.

- None

6) Your target programs. Please note that our experience is with the top MBA programs (FT, PT, EMBA, Sloan Fellows) around the world. If the programs you are targeting are not listed here, we may not respond due to lack of time.

ISB / IIM Executive programs.
7) When you plan to apply? Please specify round and application cycle, for example R2 2015-16 or R1 2016-17.

R1-2017-18

8) Your post-MBA goal.

- Make a career change into ERP consulting in Supply Chain Management / Logistics / Manufacturing

Can't comment on IIM, but if your GMAT is competitive at ISB, then the other elements you presented are also competitive and you have a chance.

Linda, Cindy, thank you for taking the time to do this (both for myself and others). I welcome your candid feedback.

Personal background (all information assumed to be at matriculation - R1 2017-18):
- 26 year old Australian male, living in the U.S, Latin American family background

1) Brief description of your full-time work experience. What do you do?
- 4.5 years total work experience
- 2 years at a $3bn middle market private equity firm in the US. Active deal flow and involved in 6 portfolio companies.
- Prior thereto, 2.5 years at Australia's top investment bank. Spent first year in Melbourne. Moved to New York for the remaining 1.5 years to help develop the firm's new renewable energy investment vehicle focused on Latin America. Overarching reason for move was that I wanted to develop an investing career in the U.S.

2) Your GMAT/GRE with breakdown, preferably in percentiles.
- 720 on 1st attempt: IR 7, Q48 (73%), V40 (91%), AW5, 94% overall
- Key question: Wasn't able to study for the 3 weeks leading into exam due to work and I'm typically stronger on quant - do I need to re-sit?

3) College info:
- Leading Australian university, Bachelor of Commerce with Honors in Finance (December 2012). Honors is an additional research year for high performing students - thesis sponsored by local funds management body. Overall average (~75%) weakened by freshman and sophomore years.

4) Significant college and post-college extra-curricular activities or community service, especially leadership experience.
- Leading fundraiser as well as mentor in U.S. education-focused charity (increasing involvement with Board and executive committee)
- Traveled to Thailand on multiple occasions for kick-boxing camps
- U.S. representative on my University's alumni council
- Native Spanish speaker but Australian citizen (bizarre, I know)

5) Important certifications like CFA, CPA, FSA, or CA.
- none [pretty good at making coffee?]

6) Your target programs.
- Exploring either top 3 full-time or part-time at Columbia (I love investing and the idea of the value investing program)
- Strong preference towards HBS due to network in Australia and long term leadership opportunities


7) When you plan to apply?
- R1 2017-18

8) Your post-MBA goal.
- I plan to stay in financial sponsorship (either PE or VC)
- Reason for MBA: I love what I do currently and would like more out of life than just making a financial return and accumulating wealth; I would be leaving a career-path PE role (as opposed to 2-and-out) to pursue an MBA. A top business school will help provide sponsorship and leadership to portfolio companies and non-profits both in the U.S. and in Australia.

Thank you so much!

-Sleepless in Sydney

Hi Sleepless in Sydney,

You're welcome.

You have a competitive profile for CBS and HBS. Also consider Wharton, Chicago, and London Business School.

A higher GMAT score never hurt anyone, but I don't think a retake is a must for you.

You might find interested the podcast interview I had with the Columbia admissions team last year around this time: The Admissions Team At The Very Center Of Business.

No go get some sleep!

Best,
Linda

Hello team Accepted.com
And HOWDIEEEE.. to anyone who reads this...!!

Now I have a very specific situation (thats what i think ) so i am submitting my info to which i would love to hear from anyone who has the adequate knowledge to address my concerns
Heres my BACKGROUND

10th grade=> 73%
12th grade => 74% (a science student)

Then i took an year off as i did not get into the a decent engineering college..Trust me here- i got into many colleges but all of them were Pretty much CRAP (sorry for the curse but i am being bluntly honest here)
In the mean time I assisted my father during the day and studied during night..I am not sure that experience will count for business schools nevertheless i am very proud that i did that as at an early age i got to understand as to how someone who runs an industry actually functions..
The Gap year proved fruitful as i got into GGSIPU Delhi plus i got a pretty good and a decorated college in the Capital city..
Engineering was Good in fact great ..

Aggregate=> 71%(B.Tech In Information tech)
Now to be honest with you guys i was working with my father during my engineering years as well ..I would literally pick up documents and do other chores for him (Yes He Paid Me too)

Here is the real problem why i wrote this piece =>
My age is 23 years and 330 days
I will be 24 next month..!!


I graduated in June 2015..
And from DAY 1 i have been working with my father in our Family business..
Initially i was hesitant to join him as i was an IT engineer and my family is into Footwear business. Then I started to love my job [Common we make shoes and other footwear's for a living. Who would not love that right ]
Now almost an year later i feel like i need to grow my business outreach..
Trust me when i say this - Work is Fine..But the glitch is => "i want to take my family Business to places" Actually i want that to be Awesome instead of just Fine (sorry for the choice of words )
Hence i need an MBA..
And to much of my surprise my father stands right by me in this decision..! In fact He told me that its a very mature move..!!

I know most of you might think its too early for an MBA
But honestly guys Waiting for another 2 or 3 years will not take my business anywhere .It will be in a stand still.

Plus i think i have the added advantage of working with my father in my initial GAP year where i assisted him if it counts.

So it goes without saying => I DON'T ONLY WANT AN MBA ; I NEED AN MBA..!!

secondly i am a bit confused about this work experience thing ..!!
Most of the business schools require 2 years of work experience in there applicants ..
What does 2 years mean?
till the program actually starts or till the time you fill out your application
If i apply in 2016 for fall 2017 admissions then by the time i actually start my school in September i will be having 2 years and 2 months of experience.. I guess that would do..???

WHAT ARE THE SCHOOLS I CAN TARGET ???

Top 20 can i get in ?
Okay Top30?
Top40?
i am flexible as long as it in the Top 40-45
Common Guys Help me get into top 40 at-least..!!!! I don't want to wait ..!!
I am into manufacturing shoes and other footwear so anything related to marketing and advertising would be Fabulous ..Plus i like Advertising.
Now if (only if) i wait another year( which probably would not do any good to my industry ) then will it increase my chances of getting admitted..

GMAT => Appearing this October..I think i can get a good score..i will try for 700 maybe ..I will Dig that (i have started preparing)

now to the most important part=>

Community services => I am an active part of an Organisation which rescues street dogs and treats them until they are healthy..I have been a part of this organisation from my engineering days ..the reason i do it it i honestly believe in the work we do..We organise dog shows too..

Positions held => "I am not given any designations actually .. I am responsible for marketing and supply ..Plus sometimes manufacturing too. Family business comes with several added responsibilities too
The Post MBA goals => " I WOULD LIKE TO RETURN TO MY HOME COUNTRY THE DAY AFTER I GET AN MBA . Off course i would like to do an internship however..But apart from that i have one any only one vision that is to Do Justice to my family business and take it to a level it deserves"

ANYONE WHO READS THIS Please Feel free TO POST any suggestions You guys Have for me... It will be really helpful..

Also i know that chetan2u Vyshak and Abhishek009 are Mathematics Wizards/Gmat experts and not admission consultants .But given that they have been super awesome in replying to every query i post(or anyone posts) i would love to hear from you guys as to what should i do..!! Any Advice guys?

Love and respect to everyone
Stone Cold


P.S => i am posting on multiple forums a i am looking for any advices i can get

It will be really helpful to me if you give me a feedback on my profile-
Under Grad- Vellore Institute of Technology (India)-7.7/10-EE ( Last time I saw the ranking, it is in top 15, I am not sure if it is recognized in USA.)
Grad- Arizona State University-Master's in Electrical Engineering ( Power and Energy-Renewable energy focus) -3.3/4
GMAT- 720. Will Scoring higher help?. I am applying of fall 2018, so I have time.
First Job-
Bloom Energy- Fuel Cell company in Sunnyvale, California.-8 months.
Did some design, testing, commissioning of fuel cells. Learned about grid integration, IEEE standards etc. This job gave me a good understanding of American power Grids.
But unfortunately had to leave the company because of visa sponsorship issues.
Second Job-
A mid size engineering and manufacturing firm in California- 1 year and 6 months.
Worked as an electrical engineer-designing control houses, protection and controls of high voltage electrical substations. Both renewable and conventional. A purely technical job designing circuits . worked for clients like PG&E, Southern California Edison, Etc
I was leading a team of 5 electrical technicians during the commissioning activities.
Third & present job -
One of the most reputed EPC firms for power and energy- Planning to work for two and half years. (until mid 2018)
Designing high voltage electrical substations and relaying schemes focusing on renewables. Currently working on projects for Duke energy, nextEra, Entergy. I am trying to get into projects in Africa. ( keeping my WE short as I don't want to bore you with my technical details of the job)
I have 3 designers working for me.
Draw Backs-
1) I work in a purely technical field and it takes a very good time( to become an expert) to get into leadership roles. All the project leads in my company at least have 8-12 years of experience and managers even more than that. I am not sure if B schools understand this. (I was the captain of my school football team if that helps.)
2) Indian Engineer even through I never worked in India. I made my first dollar in USA.
Post MBA-
Consulting, hopefully in clean energy firms. Can even return back to my present company, we have our own consulting division which specializes in energy consulting. I am still trying to get my post MBA goals in order.
Target Schools-
Duke- They have energy specialization. Dream School!!-Close proximity to energy giants like Duke energy, NextEra etc.
McCombs- Second Preference.
Johnson
Anderson
Rice
Tepper
ISB
Marshall- For it's reputation in southern California. Why is it ranked so low?
Am I being too ambitious in the school list? Considering that I will be making atleast $115K p.a by 2020 if I stay in my present job. Not sure if it is worth my time and money if I step outside top 25.
I already have a H1B visa, I will be lottery exempt until 2021. I can get a H1B visa without lottery if I graduate before 2021. So I have to get into an MBA program by 2018 or else let go of the B school dream or apply to ISB or other international programs.
I am very keen on using the service of admission consultants as I have only one admission window.
Your inputs will be very helpful.

Sorry it's taken me a while to respond. I was on vacation.

You have a competitive profile for your target schools. Prioritizing Duke and UT make sense for you, but the others are reasonable options too.

For information on our consulting services, please see https://www.accepted.com/mba/services .

Hi Linda,

I am writing to you after getting rejects from 3 schools (LBS, Columbia (both round 2), and INSEAD (Round 1))
I wonder whether I've been applying to a right mix of b-schools or not ?

Nationality : Indian
Age: 26
GMAT: 680 (84 %ile) (Q47 V35; 67% and 73% )
GPA. 3.7 - Bachelors of Business Administration; IP University

Work Experiences:
Senior Consultant (Operations consulting) with a Big 4 (Associated for nearly 5 years ; 3 promotions)
Worked 1 year full-time and 1 year part-time with a not-for-profit in child education sector

Extra curricular : Have been involved in dramatics and been doing theater for almost 12 years

I want to transition to a strategy consulting role (preferably with M/B/B, pretty open to working with big 4s as well, but in a different geography)

I am particularly interested in US and Singapore b-schools. (Already applied and got a ding from LBS and INSEAD, only schools I would prefer in EU region)

I would like to know the right mix of schools I should be applying to (with the current GMAT score) ; schools where consulting experience is valued and I could be a competitive/ strong applicant. Appreciate your help !

Let me know if you need any additional info. Thanks.

Hi,

Thanks for doing this.
I would appreciate your suggestions on dream, reach and safe schools. Any strategy on which ones to target in R1 and R2?
Also, what are the weaknesses of the profile?

Indian, F, 27

1) Brief description of your full-time work experience. What do you do?
Industry – Non-profit; 4 years in 2 international NGOs
2.5 years in Business Development - Building and managing strategic partnerships, primarily with corporate social responsibility divisions
1.5 years in Programme Management - Monitoring the implementation of developmental programmes in livelihoods
No overseas work experience but have worked on collaborative projects with colleagues in US (weekly calls, joint proposals etc.)
Have significant leadership experience in these roles

2) Your GMAT/GRE with breakdown, preferably in percentiles.
GMAT – 740/ 96 percentile; Q48/ 71 percentile, V 42/ 97 percentile; IR 3; AWA Awaited

4) Significant college and post-college extra-curricular activities or community service, especially leadership experience.

5) Important certifications like CFA, CPA, FSA, or CA.
No

6) Your target programs
Stanford, Berkeley, Yale, UCLA, Cornell, Schulick, UBC

7) When you plan to apply?
R1 2016-17

8) Your post-MBA goal.
Non-profit management and strategy
Corporate social responsibility and sustainable businesses

Sorry for the delayed response.

If you do not want to raise your GMAT, then I think you have chosen all schools where your chances of acceptance were slim. Consider Vanderbilt, UT Austin, USC, Penn State, Kelley, Notre Dame, Broad, and Purdue. Please note that most of the elite strat consulting firms (M/B/B) want to see a GMAT of above 700. If you say that you are aiming for those positions, you look unrealistic. Many of them also do not actively recruit at the programs I am recommending, but the Big 4 do. Make sure your goal is realistic for the schools you are applying to.

You may want to check out Accepted's MBA Selectivity indexto have a clearer idea of where you are competitive based purely on GMAT, GPA and the school's acceptance rate.

You're most welcome.

Reach: Stanford and Berkeley.
Competitive: Yale, UCLA, Cornell
Safety Shulich, UBC.

You may also want to consider Ross, Duke, and Georgetown.

Possible weaknesses; Overall I think you have a strong profile. Your quant score is a little low, but your grades are so high that I don't think it will be a concern. And your overall score is very competitive.

I advise you to apply to your reach and competitive schools Round 1 and the safeties round 2. If you're accepted round 1 you may not need to apply to the safeties.

FYI: I am presenting a webinar Get Accepted to Stanford GSB on Wednesday.

Best,
Linda