Ask MBA Crystal Ball : Ask Admissions Consultants

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stonecold

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

19 Apr 2016, 05:29

MG4MBACrystalBall wrote:

stonecold wrote:

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

<<snip>>

Love and respect to everyone
Stone Cold

P.S => Don't let my user name mislead you ..!! I am an indian candidate

Thanks for posting on our thread stonecold. A few thoughts on your profile and questions:

It is great that you have been associated with your family business through engineering and even before - that will make for a fantastic story arc. Most schools however would consider your experience post-qualification. But the experience prior to that will certainly add weight to your chances. Several schools do not put in a minimum work requirement - read here.
The reason applying with less than 3-4 years experience is not a great idea is here and here.
For reasons outlined here, we do not really take gut-based stabs at school selection. That said, with a strongly articulated application, you may have a shot at some decent schools out there if an MBA is so imperative right away. No harm in giving it a shot.

Hope this helps some.

Cheers,

Hey thank you for the insights..
Is there any way we can schedule a consultation via phone or skype (if its okay with you guys)
In any case just let me know.
Thanks and regards
StoneCold

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MG4MBACrystalBall

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

19 Apr 2016, 06:19

stonecold wrote:

Hey thank you for the insights..
Is there any way we can schedule a consultation via phone or skype (if its okay with you guys)
In any case just let me know.
Thanks and regards
StoneCold

Feel free to reach out on the coordinates in my signature buddy.

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sveniga4

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

20 Apr 2016, 12:20

Hello Manish,
This post may seem familiar to you. But I have expanded my profile it give you a better insight.
Under Grad- Vellore Institute of Technology (India)-7.7/10-EE ( I am not sure even 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. ( 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.
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.
ISB- This is so close to my house in Hyderabad!! I have seen the construction going on when I was in my middle school!!. Will be a heart break if they reject me without an interview. Still unbelievable that it has gained this brand name in a matter of 15 years compared to the other big name schools internationally which are more than 50-100 years in existence. That being said, I am concerned that it's only a one year program.
Johnson
Rice
Tepper
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 2018 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.
Your inputs will be very helpful.

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MG4MBACrystalBall

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

23 Apr 2016, 06:48

sveniga4 wrote:

Hello Manish,
This post may seem familiar to you. But I have expanded my profile it give you a better insight.
Under Grad- Vellore Institute of Technology (India)-7.7/10-EE ( I am not sure even if it is recognized in USA.)
Grad- Arizona State University-Master's in Electrical Engineering ( Power and Energy-Renewable energy focus) -3.3/4

<<snip>>

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.
Your inputs will be very helpful.

Sveniga4,

Consider the following points:

VIT is a definitely a known brand and technical role is definitely not a taboo. That said, leadership isn't just about having a team reporting to you formally; you can exhibit that trait through a variety of ways and that is what you need to be able to showcase.
For reasons mentioned here, we don't really speculate on school lists. That said, the overall list does look fairly balanced.
Your GMAT is pretty ok, but if you think you can bump it up by 20+ points, it is definitely worth a re-take if not two!
Finally, since you have time, you may want to explore our Profile Builder package to go about things in a more systematic way.

Cheers,

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Rahulj3113

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

04 May 2016, 21:49

Hi Manish,

Happy to find an active thread for Indian candidates willing to apply abroad. :-)

Would request your help to evaluate my profile as well.
I am planning to apply to the top 10 US B-schools (Haven't shortlisted which ones) + ISB, Hyderabad. Will apply in R1 for all these colleges (i.e around Aug- Sept '16)

Here we go -

GMAT Score :- 750 (Q51,V39, IR 8)

X / XII / Grad score :- 86% (CBSE) / 85% (CBSE) / 72.5 % (Branch: Electronic & communication, Delhi college of Engineering) (Question :- Since I am a not an IITina would it be a negative ? )

CAT Score :- 96.5 %ile , Converted IIFT, Delhi and MDI-IM (I am not sure if this is relevant, but since CAT is another management entrance test and since I have converted 2 good colleges, I think this may reflect positive on my application)

Work Ex :- 4 Years, consultant in Ernst & Young, India (Got campus placement). Client facing job

International Experience :- 4 Countries for work (3 in Africa - Tanzania (1.5 years), Rawanda (0.5 Years),Ghana(1 month) and Philippines (8-10 months) )

Professional Awards :- Among best performer in my team and have got 2 awards for excellence, 1 for Individual excellence and 1 for Team excellence.
I also was awarded by my client with a 'Special recognition award' and cash price of Rs 50,000 ( Approx $750)

Leadership Roles :- Have worked both solo and with team of 5-6 close-knitted people on important assignments. Haven't been a team lead yet though

Extra circular's :- Here am pretty weak.
a) Volunteered for Commonwealth Games 2010 in Delhi (15 day event)
b) Did some random things like Flash mob (Have proof, since we uploaded it on youtube).
c) Organized an robotics event in the college tech fest (We set the stage, made the rule, judged the winner etc)
d) Assisted to arrange for funding for college fest. (Requested funding from nearby businesses, by proving advertising space etc in return)
e) Class representative of my class (in college) for 2 years.
That's it

unclassified :- I have this unique achievement of having 100% attendance record for 7 years in a row, in my school. (Not sure if this will help, but I feel that it may show that I am a regular person)

Future Plan :- I enjoy consulting and will target a career progression in the same/similar field. Will target to shift to strategy consulting as well (Mckinsey, BCG, Bain etc. ).

Details of Major projects :-

a) Individual work :- Worked with a major telecom company in Tanzania to launch a new mobile e-commerce platform. It was a 1 year long project and I was alone representing my company. I worked as part of Revenue assurance team and was responsible to make sure that there will be no revenue leakage or fraud during and after the launch. I used to frequently interact with the FD and MD of the company for project updates and risks identified. (This is the project for which I got the EY award for Individual excellence and client award for 'Special recognition')

b) Team work :- Worked as a team-member, team of 6 people, on a major telecom firm in Philippines, the company needed assistance in upgrading to a new charging platform. It was a technically challenging project. We had to make sure, that calls, sms, data, other services etc will be charged correctly and users won't be able to fool the system, plus we had to cross check all the configurations, cross-validate multiple reports for consistency and accuracy etc. I ,along with the entire team, got the other 'EY team excellence award' for this assignment. We used to frequently assist each other a lot by sharing work lot and brain storming together on challenges)

(P.S :- I have done about 10 projects (all client facing) with 7 different companies in the last 4 years )
(P.S 2 :- My promotion is due in a few month and may be a Senior Consultant by Sep'16)

Thanks,
Rahul

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MG4MBACrystalBall

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

05 May 2016, 23:49

anuj88 wrote:

Hi Manish,

Happy to find an active thread for Indian candidates willing to apply abroad. :-)

Would request your help to evaluate my profile as well.
I am planning to apply to the top 10 US B-schools (Haven't shortlisted which ones) + ISB, Hyderabad. Will apply in R1 for all these colleges (i.e around Aug- Sept '16)

Here we go -

GMAT Score :- 750 (Q51,V39, IR 8)

<<snip>>

Thanks,
Rahul

A few reflections on your profile Rahul:

Your academic arc looks excellent. DCE is a fairly well known brand and though not IIT, with a GMAT, you should be in a fairly secure zone here.
It is not completely clear, but I am assuming you did not go for your CAT MBA. The CAT results etc won't have much/any significance really. Why you didn't go for it though could be part of some story if needed.
Your experience, especially the international elements, will put you in good stead. The career progression story sounds excellent too. This will be a clear area of spike but you will have to clearly articulate the reason for an MBA; it cannot just be to shift to McK/BCG.
At a high level, you should definitely have a good shot at the top schools. So go for it full blast!

Hope this helps some.

Cheers,

B

DarkDetective

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

06 May 2016, 03:01

Hi, would request a profile evaluation please.

Acads:
Indian male Age: 29
Undergrad: BBA 62% concentration Finance
Post grad diploma: 4.5/7 CGPA concentration Finance

Work ex: BPO (Analyst) 2 yrs
Commercial banking ops (Assistant manager) - 2.5 yrs
I quit my first job and took a gap of 1 year in order to study for the CAT and got into a good institute for PGDM. After my diploma, I got into a multinational bank where I've been working for almost 3 years now and am currently leading a team of 10 in the commercial banking ops division.

As far as international experience is concerned, while I've never been abroad on a business trip, I did have the opportunity to work in a cross-cultural team. In my first job, I frequently interacted with the onshore clients based in UK. And in my current role, I've been part of a cross-cultural team who have worked on projects and interacted directly with the Group chief information officer.

Extra curriculars: Organised blood donation, tree plantation drives at my workplace
Was member of the alumni council in college and organised various meetups between the current students and the alumni.
Part of the volunteer team for marathons organised by my organisation for 2015 and 2016

I want to move into a strategy consulting role and hence I'm strongly considering an MBA from the US. I've given Gmat twice but the results were quite poor (350 and 510). Currently I'm working and also studying and trying to give the test again next month. I'm targeting the schools in the 13-25 range and have shortlisted a handful (UCLA, NYU, UVA, USC and Cornell). Please advise which areas do I need to focus and how competitive is my profile.

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MG4MBACrystalBall

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

07 May 2016, 03:40

wannabemba28 wrote:

Hi, would request a profile evaluation please.

Acads:
Indian male Age: 29
Undergrad: BBA 62% concentration Finance
Post grad diploma: 4.5/7 CGPA concentration Finance

<<snip>>

Currently I'm working and also studying and trying to give the test again next month. I'm targeting the schools in the 13-25 range and have shortlisted a handful (UCLA, NYU, UVA, USC and Cornell). Please advise which areas do I need to focus and how competitive is my profile.

Consider the following wannabemba28:

Will be good to understand the brand of your previous MBA. The GPA there, together with a modest GMAT can make for a pretty modest/below average academic arc. This can be a huge spanner in the scheme of things. In the range you are, the list here will be much better to consider.
Another factor to consider is the second MBA bit. Read here for more perspective on this.
Banking ops is a pretty broad filed; it will help to understand the nature of your work and accomplishments. The leadership bit in your profile sounds interesting. The other thing to bear in mind is to assess how you can defend the transition into something quite unrelated to what you do today.
The ECs aspect looks pretty adequate. Will be good to showcase that with numbers.

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MG4MBACrystalBall

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

27 Jul 2016, 23:33

Acceptance Rate at Top US MBA Schools: Selectivity trends
One of the oft talked about parameters that a candidate and bschool rankings talk about is the Acceptance Rate. While words such as rate can at times spark thoughts of complex mathematical geniuses guiding your faith, this is a pretty simple metric.

We explore how this has moved for top 40 schools over the years.
Read more

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MG4MBACrystalBall

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

06 Oct 2016, 01:01

GMAT is not the only thing...what's the right score then?
Especially in India, it’s safe to say applicants have GMAT at the top of their minds. We get an expert (read Tuck adcom) to share his views and perspectives
Read more

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FaRiKo

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

06 Oct 2016, 03:29

Hi there,

Could you please review my profile and provide your insights and opinions regarding chances of mine to be admitted to the schools listed below. Thanks in advance for your valuable insights.

Harvard Business School
Stanford Graduate School of Business
MIT Sloan School of Management
Haas School of Business

I'm 30 years old executive from Azerbaijan, Baku. I believe the name of my country might tell nothing since it used to be part of the Soviet Union and located far away from USA to which I would like to take my journey. Moreover, it is just small:) Yet I believe it might enhance my profile because there have been few applications for top MBA programmes from my motherland.

As for my work experience, currently I'm Director of Development Company and, at the same time, Chief Strategy Officer of the parent company which has activities in following spheres: real estate development, publishing house, and largest printing company in Caucasus. Previously I had been working in telecom for almost 10 years and was CEO of the biggest Pay TV in Azerbaijan in terms of footprint of its broadcasting network prior to joining Baku European Games Operations Committee (BEGOC) which was established with a sole purpose of organization of the first ever European Games. Before that, I managed the nation-wide project regarding deployment of digital terrestrial television network and simultaneously worked as Head of Business Development of the company in charge of this project, which then was the part of the biggest Telecom Group in Azerbaijan which had two mobile operators and other telecom and IT companies in the Group.
In parallel, I have had some start-up experience (I developed First Pay Radio Project in Azerbaijan (although it didn't become a full-fledged company) and consulted start-ups in the sphere of fin-tech, retail, media, and education).

On top of that, I fluently speak 4 languages: Azerbaijani (native), Russian, Turkish, and English.

Why do I want to get an MBA degree? In essence, unlike dozens MBA candidates (no offense intended to brilliant MBA candidates out there for whom I wish nothing but best), for me MBA is not as much about increase in salary or the honing of my management skills and the acquiring of knowledge, as about overall experience it provides. It is like a destination you want to travel and constant immersion in environment where you will be part of something significant whether it is people, projects, or new knowledge. As for my post-MBA plans, I want to pursue my journey in in some start-ups or venture capital firms or companies which is trying to have an impact on as much people as possible like Tesla, SpaceX, and the like.

Below are my scores:

IELTS score - 7.5
GMAT - 650/76%
Verbal - 38/85%
Quantitative 41/48%.

As for references, I can provide references from peoples ranging from the former minister (of the ministry I worked with on some projects) to current CEO of the Group I work in and Deputy CEO of one of the biggest banks in Azerbaijan.

I believe that my sub-par quantitative score (which is result, based on my CAT experience, of silly mistakes and bad time-management) may make admission committee raise eyebrows and may result in my application being rejected and, therefore, I would like to know how I can strengthen my overall profile.

Thanks once again in advance.

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MG4MBACrystalBall

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

06 Oct 2016, 22:17

FaRiKo wrote:

Hi there,

Could you please review my profile and provide your insights and opinions regarding chances of mine to be admitted to the schools listed below. Thanks in advance for your valuable insights.

Harvard Business School
Stanford Graduate School of Business
MIT Sloan School of Management
Haas School of Business

<<snip>>

eyebrows and may result in my application being rejected and, therefore, I would like to know how I can strengthen my overall profile.

Thanks once again in advance.

Consider the following points FaRiKo:

You have a very impressive career arc there no doubt. It is not clear as to your total years of experience though? Is it 10? Or more?
Though GMAT is an important criteria, but from time to time, there are always exceptions. Given the profile you've outlined, I believe you might be one of them! Even so, since you seem to know what went wrong with the GMAT, ideally you should try and take another shot at it if feasible - there is time before R2 deadlines which I presume you must be targeting?
While your point about MBA being a means unto itself is well appreciated, it'll be prudent to do a bit more research and groundwork on the fact that it has to be at the end of the day, also a means to an end. The career post-MBA is something you seem to not have a good handle on. Given the big investment involved, it will be prudent for your sake to get that clarity - adcoms will expect that from someone with your credentials even more than many others.
Finally, for reasons mentioned here, we do not speculate on school selection. In general though, I would recommend you not to keep the regular MBA programs in the priority list. Instead, you should explore programs such as Sloan Fellows and Stan MSx which are designed for senior professionals such as yourself.

Hope this helps some.

Cheers,

S

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

24 Nov 2016, 23:25

Experiences of an Indian student in a Top Marketing MBA program – Kelley

Many international MBA applicants are so engrossed in cracking the MBA admissions process, they fail to do enough research into what awaits them after they get the good news from the admissions team.

We reached out to our old friend, Vijay Allen Raj, who completed his MBA from one of the best MBA in Marketing programs in the world on a scholarship. After graduating from Kelley Business School (Indiana University) he worked in USA with a Big 4 consulting firm.

Vijay had written earlier on his application journey that got him into Kelley. He’s back to fill us up on what happened since then.

Click here to read more

GAURAVROONGTA

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

26 Nov 2016, 09:42

Hi Sameer..Gaurav here.would request you to evaluate my profile for 1 yr UK MBA programmes ....

M.Sc in ECONOMICS,BITS pilani
5 yrs of non it work ex...2 yrs consulting with US firms . 3 yrs in finance with wrk ex split up in quant fin ,corp fin ,structured fin.

Will I stand out as an indian applicant?

I am yet to take GMAT but have a score of 800 quant in old GRE.

Please get back to me.

Regards

Gaurav

Sent from my InFocus M460 using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

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MG4MBACrystalBall

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

27 Nov 2016, 05:39

GAURAVROONGTA wrote:

Hi Sameer..Gaurav here.would request you to evaluate my profile for 1 yr UK MBA programmes ....

M.Sc in ECONOMICS,BITS pilani
5 yrs of non it work ex...2 yrs consulting with US firms . 3 yrs in finance with wrk ex split up in quant fin ,corp fin ,structured fin.

Will I stand out as an indian applicant?

I am yet to take GMAT but have a score of 800 quant in old GRE.

Please get back to me.

Regards

Gaurav

Sent from my InFocus M460 using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

Consider the following points Gaurav:

The non-traditional background will certainly help. It will be important however to know the brand of firms you have been associated with. For European schools, it will also be important to know if you've had any international experience.
Your undergrad brand, together with a good GMAT can bring you within striking distance of many top schools. So overall, my assessment would be pretty positive for your candidature. It will however be good to understand your post-MBA plans. Be also sure on how you articulate the non-obvious career transition you have done so far.

Hope this helps some.

Cheers,

S

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

06 Feb 2017, 02:25

What skills do hiring companies look for in MBA graduates?

If you had asked recruiters — say, two or three years ago — to provide a list of must-have attributes and skills in MBA candidates, you would have been handed a long grocery list: leadership, interpersonal, negotiating, supervisory, decision-making, analytical, communication, time management, and technical skills...read more

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Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

24 Feb 2017, 10:51

Hello Sameer,

Thanks in advance for taking out your valuable time to evaluate each profile. I really appreciate your efforts.

I am a 33 years old Indian male, having 10 years of experience. I am looking for Full-Time MBA program at top b-schools in USA/Canada.

Program Interest:
* Full-Time MBA, area of concentration in Product Development / Technology Consultation / Innovation / Information Systems

GMAT Score:
* Not taken yet, but targeting for 730-740 (scheduled on Aug, 2017)

Work Experience:
* Approx. 10 yrs in Software Development.
* Currently holding a position of Technical Team Lead in one of the top Fortune 20 Company.
* No International work experience.

Current Responsibilities:
* Working as a technical lead and managing a team of 5 to 10 members.
* Working on a global project having multicultural teams from India + USA + Europe
* Awarded multiple times with letter of appreciation from top management at all the organization worked till date.

Education Background:
* BE (Computer Science & Engineering) from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad. Completed in 2006 with 60% aggregate.
* Class 12 from Jammu & Kashmir Board of School Education. Completed in 2001 with 66%.
* Class 12 from Jammu & Kashmir Board of School Education. Completed in 1999 with 67%.

Extracurricular Activity:
* Regularly participating in social service events conducted within organizations.
* Worked as a part of management communicate for various large scale events organized at the company
* Regular contributors to organization like WWF & Cry NGO for various social causes.
* Participated as volunteer for Raahgiri Day.

Why MBA & Where I look myself in future:
After working for so long in core software development, I want to move to the business side. Want to leverage my long experience and use it as a opportunity to fulfill my dream of going into technology consultation / product development. At the same time, I want to get international exposure and work at global level.

I would like to know:
1. At the age of 33, am I eligible for full time MBA in any of the top 25 MBA schools in USA/Canada? Can schools reject me on bases being quite old than average class profile.
2. Is Admission officer going to see my 10 years of experience in IT as a positive point or negative point?
3. Are my academic & professional achievement something that fall withing the criteria of what MBA schools will accept?
4. What, in your opinion, is my strengths and weakness reflected in my profile?
5. Can you please suggest me list of best colleges I should consider for area of my interest (Product Development / Technology Consultation / Innovation)?
6. Is July/August 2017 right time to give my GMAT, or should I target further than that (considering my daily work schedule of 12 to 14 Hrs)?
7. Will I be eligible for any scholarship or financial support from MBA schools?

gmatclubot

Re: Ask MBA Crystal Ball [#permalink]

24 Feb 2017, 10:51