Shortlisting B-Schools

Hello everyone. On behalf of our MBA Showdown competition, Mahima Sharma (contestant no.2) created a video on how to shortlist business schools.

Check out the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07yYkZhJF30

Do help her win the competition by giving the video a like!

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Hi vikrantkumar hope this finds you well

Your profile is indeed impressive, especially with a solid GMAT score of 750 (hope you can replicate that), and you're to be commended for taking a pragmatic approach by considering a wide range of top-30 schools to maximize your chances of winning a scholarship.

Choosing the right schools requires careful consideration of the 4Cs: career perspective, class size, culture, and curriculum.

First, create a list of business schools that have strong ties to companies and industries that align with your career goals (which you didn't name). Consider factors such as location, class size, culture, values, and specific areas of study. It's important to get a sense of the college's culture and see if you fit in with the cohort. Hasty research may result in a substandard application that doesn't explain your motivation to join a particular school. The most successful applicants understand each business school's offerings very well and can clearly relate them to their own goals.

Look closely at the MBA curriculum of each school you're considering and pay attention to the courses and electives that align with your goals. Also pay attention to the school's reputation, average GMAT/GRE score for the cohort, and rankings from reputable organizations such as U.S. News & World Report or Financial Times.

As a starting point, you can refer to U.S. News & World Report's MBA rankings, which offer valuable insights into the best US graduate business schools: https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-sc ... a-rankings

In the 15-30 range, you may have a better chance of winning a hefty scholarship, but it's important to research thoroughly and consider the above factors when making your final target list. You may also include 1-2 aspirational schools from Top 15 (because, why not!). Applying to 5-6 schools spread across R1 and R2 would be ideal. That gives you ample time to research, network and prepare your application.

If you'd like to have a candid conversation or seek further advice, please feel free to contact.

Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD alum, ex admissions interviewer)
MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/ | Message: +91 9971200927| email- mbaguideconsulting@gmail.com

Thank you for sharing your profile. Here are some insights and recommendations:

- You have a solid GMAT score and academic background. From top Indian engineering to a globally recognized business analytics program, you've excelled acadically. A high GMAT score like yours is generally well-received by top-tier schools. Be prepared to articulate how these academic experiences shaped your professional outlook.
- Your mix of strategy consulting at a Big 4 firm and your data analysis experience in a FinTech startup show a breadth of experience that's interesting. Emphasize how you've leveraged data science in both traditional consulting and in the FinTech sector to bring a unique perspective.
- Given your unique blend of skills and experiences, you could be a fit for schools like Kellogg, Booth, UC Berkeley Haas, NYU Stern, and UCLA. These schools emphasize the importance of data and technology in business, aligning well with your background. Don't aim for the top 30. Stick firmly with the top 15.
- Scholarships are often highly competitive at top-tier programs. You might want to consider schools like University of Texas at Austin, University of Florida, or Rice University, which are known to offer more generous scholarships while still having strong reputations.
- As you craft your application, highlight your career progression, impact, and how your data science and FinTech experience will enable you to contribute to class discussions, team projects, and the broader school community.
- Do check on the validity of your GMAT score. Most schools accept scores within five years, but it's better to confirm.

We hope these insights prove beneficial as you plan your journey. Reach out if you need more guidance or assistance.

1) As an Indian male from a similar background, I went through a similar struggle when it was time to choose a B-School. I went to Yale SOM and now I really understand the value behind choosing the right school (not just the cheapest). The truth remains that a good choice (and NO, that does NOT MEAN higher ranked) leads to a better job prospect, and to be able to repay the loans in 4-5 years easily. These days, MOST of the schools in the top-20 offer options for you to get 100% of the loans, at US rates, without any collateral/ mortgage from your side. My advice therefore, do NOT sacrifice a good fit merely for some scholarship.

2) Your FIT to the school you ultimately go to, continues to be One of the most underestimated parts of a good school choice. Not only does it enable you to shine while in your MBA program, but also enables you to make better connections for a lifetime.

3) Your profile looks great, but without a good packaging, the schools that you may be able to make it to, can broadly range from Ranks 1-25. So, it really is in your hands how to package yourself well (meaning unify the theme behind your stories) and make yourself stand out as a differentiated individual that the schools really want in their class.

I hope it helps. For a deeper, personalised profile assessment, and to ask any questions, please message me on LinkedIn.

Hello!

The following 5 minutes video may help you in coming up with an organized approach for schools shortlisting.



All the best!

Hi vikrantkumar,

Countless factors go into school selection, as I'm sure you know, and has been echoed in previous responses. On the "preference" side of things, there's location and setting, recruiting strength in your target field, size and strength of alumni network, your fit with school culture and community, and so forth.

On the "financial" side of things (i.e., not only your potential for admission, but also your potential for scholarship, post-MBA job prospects, etc.), the landscape is a lot more variable, a lot more difficult to forecast, and enormously contingent on the quality of your applications, essays, recommendations, and interviews.

We have worked with applicants from India who have not been able to break the U.S. top 40 on their own (or with other consultants), who then got into top schools (including with scholarships) when we worked together. You can read some of their reviews here: https://www.avantiprep.com/testimonials.html#reviews

The point is that when you're applying from a crowded and competitive applicant pool, the same very same applicant with the very same scores and very same experiences can have wildly different outcomes depending on how they tell their story, craft their essays/resume, communicate their goals, quality of LORs and interviews, etc.

Given what you've shared, there seems to be a lot to like about your profile. The key now is to execute well.

If scholarships are important to you (and depending on how many applications you think you can do a job with), I could see you running a strategy that includes one or two M7s, a couple of 9-16s, one or two 17-20s, and a couple 20-30s. The M7s would be difficult but worth trying / including (though I don't see scholarship potential there).

With fantastic applications -- i.e., upside / best-case scenarios -- you could begin to see some scholarship potential in the 9-16s, even more scholarship potential in the 17-20s, and full ride potential in the 20-30s. With substandard applications, you could just as well not get into any T16/20s at all. Again, application quality is key.

[While I hope this response is helpful to others, please note that these prospects are very specific to the profile info that vikrantkumar has shared, which includes a well-regarded international masters in data science, Big 4 strategy consulting experience, and experience living and working in Paris -- and all of the "application / essay / interview stories" that can arise from that.]

Thanks,
Greg