Ask PSUtoPrivate

Hello team TopTierMBA,
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Good luck!

Hi. I have worked in NTPC for close to 7 years. I have worked in shift operations. I would like to know if my profile is suitable for MBA admission in Indian colleges or not? My concern is that I have engineering experience. I am yet to take the GMAT. Also can you please tell me what GMAT score do I need to get into top B Schools in India. Also what kind of job roles can I expect after MBA?

Hi PSUTOPRIVATE,

Sure. Thanks for letting us know.

Cheers!
Team - TopTier

Hi PSUTOPRIVATE,
Thanks for the detail analysis. I was worried about sales role in PSU, your answer helped.
My 10th and 12th marks are 86% and 84% approx.
I will try to improve GMAT but I am not sure if I can improve. Are my chances realistic in this score in Indian colleges?
Should I even consider foreign universities considering my PSU background?

Hi Sid,
Many of the applicants with PSU background like you have this apprehension that they have only engineering/technical experience which may not be relevant for MBA admission or Post-MBA career. This is not true. For example, in your case you have worked in shift operations which means you must have handled a large team and coordinated with different internal stakeholders (e.g. maintenance teams). Such people management skills can help you get a job as operations manager in top e-commerce firms such as Amazon, Flipkart etc after your MBA.

Your profile is suitable for top B schools in India such as ISB/IIM ABC. There is no specific cut-off GMAT score for getting admit from these schools. However, going by the average GMAT score of the batches every year, you need to target a 700+ GMAT score. You also need to highlight your PSU work experience in your MBA applications.

All the best!

Hi Anchit,
Happy to help! GMAT score constitutes only one part of your MBA application. With your present GMAT score of 690, you need to substantiate your application with quality essays, CV, LoR and a good performance in the interview.

As far as applying to foreign universities are concerned, the major challenge is that the foreign B schools do not recognize the brand of a premier PSU such as IOCL in the same way as Indian B schools would do. You need to prepare your application accordingly to put forward a strong candidature and increase your chances of getting a scholarship.

Hope that answers your queries. Feel free to register for a free consulting session if you have any further doubts.
All the best!

hi
i have over 6 years of experience in BHEL. I have handled erection and commissioning of thermal power plants in India. I am from electrical engineering background.

I am targeting Indian MBA colleges like IIMs and ISB.

I have 92% in 10th ICSE
and 90% in 12th ISC

I have completed my engineering from state govt. college.

I have won inter and intra college debate and extempore competitions. I also have awards for inter college fests in robotics from IITs.

Please evaluate my profile and suggest a good GMAT score. I would also like to know what are the roles i could target for after MBA

Posted from my mobile device

Hi,
With your profile, you should target for a 700+ GMAT score for getting an interview call from top IIMs and ISB. Your extracurriculars are just average and it would be helpful if you can add some CSR work that you might have carried out while working in a PSU.

Given your experience in erection and commissioning of power plants, you can opt for project management or supply chain consultant roles in different industries such as E-commerce, IT, FMCG etc after your MBA.

All the best!

Hi PSUTOPRIVATE,
I have 7.5 years of work experience in Steel Authority of India Ltd. I got 91% in 10th and 88% in 12th. I have done my B.Tech from NIT Rourkela with a CGPA of 8.9. I have just started my preparation for GMAT and not sure whether I will be able to apply to top B schools in India before the R1 deadlines. I would like to know if there is any advantage for applying in R1? Also, what GMAT score shall I target to get a call from ISB/ IIM ABC?

Hi,
There are some direct and indirect benefits of applying in R1. First, you need to understand how the admission process works. Top B schools strive to have a diverse batch profile in order to promote peer learning across domains and industries, thus improving the overall learning experience of the batch. Approximately 10 to 20% of the batch is constituted by Govt./PSU people. Some colleges exclusively mention the proportion of Govt/PSU sector representation in the current MBA batch. Now if this Govt/PSU ‘bucket’ is populated by enough candidates in R1 itself, then you are reducing your chances for getting an admit in R2. There are other direct benefits such as higher chances of getting a scholarship in R1.

Given the Covid-19 situation, the admission window will mostly be shifted this year from the usual timeline. So, you have enough time to prepare and take your GMAT before the R1 deadlines. You should target for a 700+ GMAT score for ISB/IIM ABC.

All the best!

Hi team!
Here is my profile:
1) Basic demographic info: age: 27, gender: M, nationality: Indian

2) Educational Background: Graduated in 2014 with bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from IIT BHU Varanasi (Tier 1 college). MY current GMAT score is 710(Q50, V37)

3) Work experience: A total of 3 years of work experience in Public Sector Units. I worked for National Fertilizers Limited (One of the major Fertilizers company in India) and for Indian Oil Corporation Limited (One of the major Oil Sector Company in India). In both of these companies, I worked for CSR projects (In which I managed various works for improvement of conditions in certain extremely under-developed areas), various construction projects and maintenance projects. I have experience in contract management and project management. Promotions in all public sector companies in India cannot be expedited and I have always received good ratings.

4) Extracurriculars: I have won one national level competition in my technical field for designing one structure. I was the team leader for the same. Other than that, I was the head of music club in college. My interests include Singing, writing songs and playing guitar. Nothing out of the ordinary though.

5) Schools: I have not researched much regarding schools but I do have some schools in mind(More suggestions are most welcome): ISB, IIMA, IIMB, HEC, INSEAD, Ivey, Rotman

6) Gaps: I don’t have any academic gaps but I do have a 2-year gap after my graduation. I was basically preparing for government exams through which I secured under 100 overall All India Rank (more than 99.9 percentile) and landed the above-mentioned jobs

Can you please evaluate my chances?

Hello team,

I would request you to evaluate my profile:-

I have more than 6.5 yrs of experience in Project Construction Management & Operations in NTPC Limited. My GMAT score is 710 and IELTS score is 7.5, Class XII score was 78.6%. I have also completed PG Diploma from IIT Delhi and Bachelors degree from UP Technical University.

I am looking for pursuing MBA in Operations Management domain from foreign B-Schools mainly from US & Canada region.

Kindly provide the relevance of my profile, admission chances and scholarship prospects in these regions.

Thanks

Hi Sajal,
You have a decent GMAT score and with this GMAT score, you have good chances of getting interview calls from the colleges you have mentioned. Working in different roles such as project management, contract management and CSR activities will add value to your application. You have also mentioned about a 2-year gap in your career. Work experience gap is generally not considered positively by the admission committee. But since you are from public sector background, you can pitch in differently. You got a commendable rank in the GATE exam and got into a top-notch PSU. In Govt/PSU sector, such career achievement is possible only through national level exams which take a lot of effort and time. We have examples of many such cases of successful candidates with work ex gap who have made it to top B schools. You need to show your application in a very different way to convince the adcom. There are other unique ways to turn this gap into your strength especially from PSU perspective.

Coming to the choice of the colleges, it will depend a lot on your post-MBA career goals viz whether you are looking for a career abroad or in India, the type of roles you want to get in (consulting, operations, general management etc). If you are eyeing for Indian B schools then ISB is a good option for you. For foreign B schools such as INSEAD (FT global rank 4), HEC Paris (rank 9), Rotman(rank 94), Ivey business school (rank 87), you satisfy the basic criterion in terms of GMAT score. However, you need to substantiate your GMAT score with a strong application, particularly for schools such as INSEAD & HEC Paris where admission is immensely competitive. Among Canadian B schools, Rotman is known for a good ROI while Ivey offers a fast-paced one-year program. Schulich is also a good option with campuses both in Canada & India.

All the best!

Hi Akhil,
With 6.5 years of experience in construction projects & operations in NTPC Ltd, your background is ideal for pursuing MBA in operations management. Following is a list of top B schools in USA & Canada that you can target for pursuing MBA in Operations Management -

USA
1. MIT Sloan (Avg. GMAT score: 727)
2. Tepper School of Business (CMU) (700)
3. Krannert School of Management (Purdue University) (634)
4. W.P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University (680)
5. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan (719)
6. Stanford University (734)
7. Scheller College of Business (Georgia Tech) (681)
8. Fisher College of Business (Ohio State University) (680)
Canada
1. University of Alberta - School of Business (612)
2. Schulich School of Business (York University) (670)

Coming to admission chances, your present GMAT score (710) is below the average GMAT score for top B schools such as Stanford, MIT Sloan and Ross. You can consider retaking your GMAT and improve your score by 20 or 30 points. If you are applying with your present GMAT score, you need to substantiate it with a strong application, for example, highlighting your unique experience of working in the largest power utility company of India. For other B schools that are mentioned above, you have an above-average GMAT score and have high chances of getting interview calls/admits. The chances are a bit higher for Canadian B schools as international students constitute a larger chunk of the batch (nearly 50%) as compared to US B schools where international students represent approx. 30% of the batch.

Criteria for getting a scholarship is very subjective and vary from college to college. Some B schools ask you to submit a separate essay for scholarship. There are multiple factors that play a role in getting a scholarship such as an applicant’s academic & professional background, type of work experience (profit or non-profit), leadership skills, the timeline of application submission etc. Above all getting a scholarship is less absolute and more relative i.e. it not only depends on your application but also on the rest of the applicants seeking a scholarship. Hope that helps.

All the best!

Hello PSUtoPrivate,

I am Yash Choudhary, currently working in PSU. I am planning for MBA from European B-Schools/ India.

BTech: NIT Bhopal Co2016, CGPA: 8.69
Workex: 4yrs in Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL): 1.5 yrs in Sales & 2.5 years in Operations
Abroad Experience: -1 Week at Harvard University, selected as a delegate for HPAIR'19
-Volunteer for King's Day at Groningen. Covered 6-7 countries then on Euro Trip
GMAT: 680 (Don't have any plans of giving again, already given 4 times)
Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yash-choudhary-2163317a/
Chabot (Want to know more about my career-related objectives, Why don't you try chatbot): https://bot.dialogflow.com/yash_choudhary

Extra-Curricular:-
•Delegate at HPAIR-Harvard College 2019 Conference at Harvard University, Massachusetts in Feb’19, Track: Energy & Environment Sustainability
•Amongst few employees of IOCL, selected for MDP(Management Development Program) at IIM Ahmedabad in June’19
•Part of many CSR campaigns: Clean India Mission, distribution of solar street lights, distribution of desks to govt. schools, & Health Check-up camps at petrol stations
•Fond of Travelling & karaoke, French A2 level.

Target B Schools:-
India:-
ISB
IIMA PGPx

Singapore:-
NUS
NTU

*Europe*
IESE, IE, ESADE
Mannheim Business School
WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
IMD Business School
Alliance Manchester Business School
Warwick Business School

Is it advisable for me to apply to US B-Schools at such low GMAT Score? Please provide insights on the same, and the colleges from the above list, where I can have the best bet on?

Hi Yash,
There are some excellent points in your profile –
1. In a short span of 4 years, you have worked in two different verticals (sales & operations) of a fortune-500 public sector company. Having the experience of handling both internal and external clients is very unique, especially for an applicant with PSU background.
2. You have strong extracurriculars in terms of your project/program experience at top B schools such as Harvard and IIM Ahmedabad.
3. Being a part of CSR activities and the hands-on experience of working at grassroots levels in a PSU can help you in getting scholarships from certain B schools.

Being said that, your GMAT score is below the average GMAT score of most of the top B schools in the world. You need to substantiate your GMAT score with a strong academic track record. Your undergrad CGPA is good. However, you have not mentioned your 10th and 12th marks. Highlight your achievements (distinction, awards, appreciation etc) in your school/college to put up a strong overall profile in front of the admission committee.

As far as your target B schools are concerned, you have good chances of getting interview call/admit from ISB and IIM A. The fact that these Indian B schools already recognize the brand value of a PSU like Indian Oil will boost your candidature. You have decent chances for other Asian B schools such as NUS (Avg. GMAT score 662) and NUT in terms of your GMAT score and no. of years of work experience.

Among European B schools, IESE, IE, ESADE & IMD MBAs are top-ranked programs and highly competitive. You need to highlight how you can add diversity to the cohort to stand apart from other applicants. Rotterdam, Warwick and Alliance can be easier options for you. Keep in mind the language issue if you are considering an MBA from any of the German schools such as Manheim or Otto.

Your present GMAT score is well below the average GMAT score of the top 10 US B schools. So, chances of getting an interview call or admit is a bit difficult from the top US B schools. However, if you are specifically interested in pursuing your MBA from US then following colleges can be good options for you - Olin School of business, Naveen Jindal School of Management, Wisconsin School of Business and W. P. Carey School of Business.
Do consider factors like your post-MBA career goals and implications of present Covid-19 situation (its impact on international movement, visa etc) before you finalise the list of B schools you want to apply.

Hope that Helps. Feel free to register for a free admission counselling session if you have further queries.
All the best!

Hi,

Below is my profile , request you to provide some help :-

1) Work ex -38 months in BPCL . Have been a part of two divisions: 1.5 yrs in Engineering & Projects and rest in Gas Business unit . The responsibilities primarily involved vendor management , contract management , procurement , Liaisoning with state and Central govt authorities , land acquisition & setting up CNG stations.

2) academics :
Under graduate- 9.3 CGPA , NIT Rourkela , Mechanical engg. & Top 5 among the batch ; Academic excellence award for an academic year.
12th- 94.6 % CBSE
10th- 10 CGPA

No gaps in between .

3) I am yet to take GMAT . Though , the score in official prep mock hovers around 680-700.

4) Extra curricular -

Awards in professional career - Zonal level (2 in nos.)
College level - in table tennis & football.

5) Target B-schools :- have n't researched much about Bschools apart from ISB/NTU/NUS. So, would request you to please provide B-schools i should target in Europe and US given the credentials i hold currently.

Thanks in advance !