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Hi,

I have been on gmatclub for a long time and thanks to this wonderful website for giving aspirants all the information.Thanks! Happy to hear.

I want a look at my profile and an opinion on schools I can apply to.

Class 10- 87%
Class 12- 72%
10th and 12th from CBSE, New Delhi, India
Economics (Honours)- 59.9%.... A three year degree course from India
University of Delhi, 2007
1 year with Ernst and Young
Joined as Audit Associate, promoted to Advanced Audit Associate within six months
6 Months as a fashion merchandiser
2 years with State Bank of India as Probationary Officer (Assistant Manager), have worked in Dehradun, Bazpur, currently posted in Agra

GMAT:- 670, QA 46, VA 36, April 2011

Looking for good MBA schools, Europe or Americas, Please suggest where all can I apply... is my GMAT competitive?

Thanks

On the basis of the information above, and under the assumption of strong essays and recommendations, our experience shows that you will be a competitive candidate at schools such as Simon, IE and ESADE, competitive to stretch (closer to competitive) at UNC, IESE, Emory and USC, competitive to stretch at Cornell, competitive to stretch (closer to stretch) at Tepper and competitive to strong (closer to strong) at Babson and RSM.

Good luck!



Gil Levi
Aringo.com

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Put Me in Business (applying in less than a year)
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Gil
I would like to know the pricing of your services.
Could not find them on your site.

thanks

Apologies... we'll make the pricing info more easily noticable.

Please see: https://www.aringo.com/Service2.htm
and: https://www.aringo.com/Service1.htm

Good luck with your application process.

Gil



Gil Levi
Aringo.com

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Put Me in Business (applying in less than a year)
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Hi Gil,

I have a question that I am hoping you will be able to answer. I have read MBA admissions books and browsed gmat prep/MBA admissions sites with different admissions consultants offering tips. The general consensus seems to be that the GMAT operates on a 'threshold' principle. You don't have enough then you are almost out in most cases (barring exceptions). Of course, the question remains - how much is enough? Generally a 700 for most top schools. To get in with a lower gmat you need to pull something else out of the bag, something special.

So my question is: with a high emphasis on helping low gmat applicants get into top programs is Aringo running against popular perception that you first need to check the box against getting a 700 score and then worry about writing apps? Have your low (I guess scores in the 600s) gmat scorers gotten in because they have something exceptional (military, sport etc.) that has been presented appropriately in the apps or has it been because they were able to construct the app in such a way as to get in without necessarily having something truly exceptional? By truly exceptional I mean some extracurricular prowess that is hard to overlook.

Many Thanks.

Hi Gil,

I have a question that I am hoping you will be able to answer. I have read MBA admissions books and browsed gmat prep/MBA admissions sites with different admissions consultants offering tips. The general consensus seems to be that the GMAT operates on a 'threshold' principle. You don't have enough then you are almost out in most cases (barring exceptions). Of course, the question remains - how much is enough? Generally a 700 for most top schools. To get in with a lower gmat you need to pull something else out of the bag, something special.

So my question is: with a high emphasis on helping low gmat applicants get into top programs is Aringo running against popular perception that you first need to check the box against getting a 700 score and then worry about writing apps?
Yes we do. Based on our experience, you can get into the top-10 schools with a GMAT score below 700, and you don't need to be the son of Obama, or a Mark Zuckerberg, to make this happen.
Have your low (I guess scores in the 600s) gmat scorers gotten in because they have something exceptional (military, sport etc.) that has been presented appropriately in the apps or has it been because they were able to construct the app in such a way as to get in without necessarily having something truly exceptional? By truly exceptional I mean some extracurricular prowess that is hard to overlook.

It rarely happened that one of our candidates gets into a top school because of one thing. it was often the cumulative picture. It's a puzzle, and the GMAT is one piece of it. The GPA, the work experience, the strategy/career plan, the recommendations, the essays - are all pieces in this puzzle. Yes, if one piece is weak, then the others have to be stronger. If two pieces are weak, then the others have to be even stronger. According to our experience, it is very rare that only one piece is so strong that all the others don't matter (and vice versa). In addition, when one piece is weak (say that GMAT) there are ways to counter-balance this piece with external or other data (e.g. did you take and IQ test?). At the end of the day, it's the whole picture that matters. And there are many pieces to play with.

Many Thanks.
Hope this makes sense... good luck!

Gil Levi
Aringo.com

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Put Me in Business (applying in less than a year)
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Hi Gil,
How should I direct my career/studies in order to boost my admission chances?

I assume you are applying in several years... What usually helps in respect to your career plan at this stage is to think about a “theme” that is quite closely connected to what you have done thus far, and to continue following this “theme” in your career (as well as at school and in community work) from now on. This theme can be in the form of focus on a specific industry (for example, information security) or professional field (for example, consumer marketing).
Such “theme” is one of several factors that will help boost your candidacy, and you should weigh the various factors against each other when making decisions. For example, if on the one hand you can secure a position that is related to the abovementioned “theme” but where you cannot display leadership (or alternately, you don’t expect to be promoted), while another position will allow you to manage 10 people (or, for example, you expect to be promoted twice within two years), the second alternative is probably stronger.
In addition to wise career choices, it would be good to focus your attention on 2-3 potential recommenders (if there is someone who is very senior or famous and you can perform some work for them it will be excellent) and build strong relationships with them, consider engaging in public/social/volunteer/political activities (if it comes in the context of leadership, or being elected to a position, or entrepreneurship, it will be especially beneficial), build relationships with students and alumni of the programs you are interested in, look into the possibility of establishing something new and successful, at this time or later on (such as an organization, department, etc.), accumulate as many distinctions as possible at school/work/other activities, learn about the schools, visit campuses if you get the chance, and choose 2-3 schools to focus on.
Also see this link for more on the topic: https://aringo.com/PreparationProcess.htm

Good luck!

Gil Levi
Aringo.com

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Put Me in Business (applying in less than a year)
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Hello Gil,

Thanks for your effort with providing such valuable advice ; its greatly appreciated!

Mentioned below are details which may give you an insight into my application:

From: India, Age- Will be 29 this July

GPA: 3.28 Babson College, Massachusetts with a Finance major, Bachelors of Science, Business Management Degree in 2006
Started college with a 2.6 GPA freshman year & final semester was 3.9 GPA. Junior/Senior Year GPA was 3.5+and Finance Major GPA was about 3.7

Work Experience: (4 years in all PLUS entrepreneurial projects)
3 years in Financial Services at a small boutique firm in Boston - Financial Analyst, Investments (2006-2007 then 2008-2010)
1 year in Family Business - Manufacturing (India) from 2007-2008 ; then went back to Boston from 2008-2010
Returned to India in 2010 October as my father was diagnosed with cancer so i had to leave and return immediately.

Non Profit:
Im working on a non profit organization at this point but do not have it legally established yet - 125 embroiders/weavers have joined and my goal is to educate them and really market their services to fashion designers & consumers directly - also making sure they are not exploited in any way what so ever. My goal is to grow this to a membership of about 500 people over the next few months. Just thought of mentioning this on my application, for some reason i hadnt though of this earlier .. you think its a good idea?

Entrepreneurship Experience:
Started a Fashion Accessories business while working , designed a collection of scarves and sold to e-commerce websites and boutiques in USA (2007 onwards while in India)
Also started another fashion jewelry brand a month ago (May 2011 ) and selling in the USA again- again handled everything from designing right up to dealing with buyers

GMAT: 700

Passion, Personal Story And Career goals:

Major passion is Textile Design (woven textiles- I also learned to weave myself over these years) of the type achieved during the highest period of the Renaissance in Europe, in Turkey & Iran. Long term goal is to setup a luxury lifestyle brand that has the ability to revitalize those extravagant hand woven textiles by making the designs more contemporary and suitable for Haute Couture and the finest Home Decor. Setting up such a company would be patronizing the work of villages full of weavers and artists in India who have left the trade for other lucrative professions and/or are dying in poverty due to no demand of their work. I feel an obligation to these artisans as patronage of the arts in India stopped around 1950 when the british raj was abolished. I belong to an Indian Royal Family (not anymore though, my grand father was the last ruler---various Family members now are into National level politics- senator etc.) and would like to revitalize this industry but with an approach of running a luxury brand which is why i want to pursue a good MBA.

Keeping my long term goals in mind, I would like to work in the Luxury Industry immediately following the MBA program, on the management side which would eventually prepare me for my longer term goal !

Should i elaborate on family background and this story in my application essays? I dont know where i could stand a chance though im very keen on Columbia (would early action help??) , NYU, Dartmouth (Early action???) , Yale, UVA Darden and the more elite ones-where do you think i should apply... Id like Kellogg/Chicago and Wharton too but there's no change il get in there-

Your help is much appreciated-- Thank You!

great, thanks for the tips and the link. really helpful!

Hope to hear from you, Gil !!
Thank You

deleted

Hello Gil,

Thanks for your effort with providing such valuable advice ; its greatly appreciated!

Mentioned below are details which may give you an insight into my application:

From: India, Age- Will be 29 this July

GPA: 3.28 Babson College, Massachusetts with a Finance major, Bachelors of Science, Business Management Degree in 2006
Started college with a 2.6 GPA freshman year & final semester was 3.9 GPA. Junior/Senior Year GPA was 3.5+and Finance Major GPA was about 3.7

Work Experience: (4 years in all PLUS entrepreneurial projects)
3 years in Financial Services at a small boutique firm in Boston - Financial Analyst, Investments (2006-2007 then 2008-2010)
1 year in Family Business - Manufacturing (India) from 2007-2008 ; then went back to Boston from 2008-2010
Returned to India in 2010 October as my father was diagnosed with cancer so i had to leave and return immediately.

Non Profit:
Im working on a non profit organization at this point but do not have it legally established yet - 125 embroiders/weavers have joined and my goal is to educate them and really market their services to fashion designers & consumers directly - also making sure they are not exploited in any way what so ever. My goal is to grow this to a membership of about 500 people over the next few months. Just thought of mentioning this on my application, for some reason i hadnt though of this earlier .. you think its a good idea?
Absolutely! Makes sense to mention this non-profit initiative because: 1. You already have some traction to show. 2. The fact you haven't been working over the past half a year or so (if I get this correctly) is likely to be a concern. This initiative is likely to mitigate this concern a bit.

Entrepreneurship Experience:
Started a Fashion Accessories business while working , designed a collection of scarves and sold to e-commerce websites and boutiques in USA (2007 onwards while in India)
Also started another fashion jewelry brand a month ago (May 2011 ) and selling in the USA again- again handled everything from designing right up to dealing with buyers

GMAT: 700

Passion, Personal Story And Career goals:

Major passion is Textile Design (woven textiles- I also learned to weave myself over these years) of the type achieved during the highest period of the Renaissance in Europe, in Turkey & Iran. Long term goal is to setup a luxury lifestyle brand that has the ability to revitalize those extravagant hand woven textiles by making the designs more contemporary and suitable for Haute Couture and the finest Home Decor. Setting up such a company would be patronizing the work of villages full of weavers and artists in India who have left the trade for other lucrative professions and/or are dying in poverty due to no demand of their work. I feel an obligation to these artisans as patronage of the arts in India stopped around 1950 when the british raj was abolished. I belong to an Indian Royal Family You mention this as a "by the way" - but, based on our experience, I think it is important that this fact be very noticeable in your application - find a way to bring it, even a few times, in the context of some of the essays/recommendations/resume so that in a way that seems natural, not forced. (not anymore though, my grand father was the last ruler---various Family members now are into National level politics- senator etc.) and would like to revitalize this industry but with an approach of running a luxury brand which is why i want to pursue a good MBA.

Keeping my long term goals in mind, I would like to work in the Luxury Industry immediately following the MBA program, on the management side which would eventually prepare me for my longer term goal !

Should i elaborate on family background and this story in my application essays? Yes, see above. Is there a way to connect this focus with your investment job? To re-focus the presentation of your investment work in a way that emphasizes any investments you did related to the luxury/textile industry? I dont know where i could stand a chance though im very keen on Columbia (would early action help??)Yes, it is likely to help a bit. , NYU, Dartmouth (Early action???) Same here , Yale, UVA Darden and the more elite ones-where do you think i should apply... Id like Kellogg/Chicago and Wharton too but there's no change il get in there-

Your help is much appreciated-- Thank You!

On the basis of the information above, and under the assumption of strong essays and recommendations, our experience shows that you will be a competitive-to-stretch (closer to competitive) candidate at Darden, competitive-to-stretch at Tuck, NYU and Yale (I put Yale here under the assumption that your non-profit initiative will gain a bit more traction by the time you apply), and stretch at Columbia, Kellogg, Chicago and Wharton.

Take a look at application tips and scholarship info for some of these schools here:
https://www.aringo.com/schools.htm

Hope this helps. Good luck!


Gil Levi
Aringo.com

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Put Me in Business (applying in less than a year)
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Hello Gil,

Age: 26
Gender: Male
Nationality: USA (American Born Chinese)

Education:
BS in Cell Biology UC San Diego
Minor - Music
Minor - Economics

GPA: 3.28 (Worked part time as student in college at Major Pharmaceutical company from Sophomore year, to pay for school, etc.)
GMAT: 690 Q48, V37 6.0 AWA

Work Experience:
Major Biotech/Med Device Corporation (2007 - Present):
I was in a leadership rotational program focused on Operations for ~2 years (3 rotations of 9 mo/ea)
Now at a Jr. Manager level, focused on distribution Quality for the division. (2009 - present)
I am going to assume that you don't currently manage people.

Extracurriculars:
Nothing earth shattering, but very consistent with my interests, thus perhaps easier to demonstrate passion when discussing:
- Tutor "underprivileged" community high schoolers.
- Minor leadership role in Environmental/beach cleanup organization


Schools (Haven't fully narrowed down yet but the pool is):
- Stanford
- Harvard
- Haas
- UCLA
- USC
- Sloan
- Kellogg
- Booth

After my MBA:
I want to go into Business Development in the Biotech/Pharma/Healthcare industry. May look into 2 year consulting experience before jumping into that role. The biotech/pharma focus is impressive and likely to be quite helpful admission-wise. Possibly skip the second sentence, and narrow the industry down even further.


I'm looking to apply for Fall 2012. What do you think are my chances at the schools I've listed?

Do you think I should retake 690 or focus on getting another R1 app off? or something else?

On the basis of the information above, and under the assumption of strong essays and recommendations, our experience shows that you will be a competitive-to-strong candidate at USC (closer to competitive), competitive at UCLA, competitive-to-stretch at Haas, and stretch at Stanford, Harvard, Sloan, Kellogg and Booth. Stretch but not impossible - see also https://www.aringo.com/Results_GMAT.htm

If you believe you can improve your GMAT score (any improvement will get you from the 6's to the 7's - often a significant psychological difference) then yes, I'd go for it, even at the price of delaying submission of one application from the first to the second round (but preferably not at the price of reducing the quality of the applications that you submit in R1).

Good luck!

Gil Levi
Aringo.com

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MBA Essay Examples

Put Me in Business (applying in less than a year)
Put Me in Business (applying in more than a year)

I am going to assume that you don't currently manage people.

The biotech/pharma focus is impressive and likely to be quite helpful admission-wise. Possibly skip the second sentence, and narrow the industry down even further.

On the basis of the information above, and under the assumption of strong essays and recommendations, our experience shows that you will be a competitive-to-strong candidate at USC (closer to competitive), competitive at UCLA, competitive-to-stretch at Haas, and stretch at Stanford, Harvard, Sloan, Kellogg and Booth. Stretch but not impossible - see also https://www.aringo.com/Results_GMAT.htm

If you believe you can improve your GMAT score (any improvement will get you from the 6's to the 7's - often a significant psychological difference) then yes, I'd go for it, even at the price of delaying submission of one application from the first to the second round (but preferably not at the price of reducing the quality of the applications that you submit in R1).

Good luck!



Thank you for your evaluation.

Hello Gil,
Do you think the fact that I am a US resident (but not citizen) contribute to my admission chances to the leading programs?
Would this help in securing a job in the American market? Would this help on the scholarship front?

Hello Gil,
Do you think the fact that I am a US resident (but not citizen) contribute to my admission chances to the leading programs?
Would this help in securing a job in the American market? Would this help on the scholarship front?

If your visa does not give you the option to be employed in the US for a longer period than a student visa would allow for, then, according to our experience, the fact you are a US resident will have a minor positive effect on your admission chances or your ability to find work in the US. If it does give you this option, then I believe this will contribute (to a small extent) to your admission chances and employment prospects. In terms of scholarships, your residency status will probably only help in cases of scholarships that require such status (there are few such scholarships).

Good luck!

Gil Levi
Aringo.com

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Put Me in Business (applying in less than a year)
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Twitter Updates from Aringo

Thanks Gil, much appreciated.

Hi Gil,

Could you please evaluate my profile?

Indian, male, 27
UG, India Electronics and Communications GPA 3.0
MSc, UK Computer Sciences GPA 3.4
Gmat 670(Q49, V32) AWA 5. Toefl 108.

Work Exp
My first venture – a signature verification device - which I designed and developed during graduation was implemented at all regional facilities of a local defense establishment.
Another venture – a digital automobile gauge - failed to attract investors and due to lack of revenues.
Started an Electronics Engineering Company (2004) while in Graduation. Currently, serving several leading aircraft and missile manufacturing companies in south Asia. My post MBA aim is to work as a Manager/VP of product development in a manufacturing company such as GE Energy. My Long term goal is to establish a manufacturing business serving clients such as HAL, Boeing and Airbus.
After working, establishing all the people and process, for 4 years, I did my MSc in UK because I was always interested in technology. I worked in UK and India for 1.8 years (till Jan 2011) years as a Team lead product development in a F500 company (not for money, I even took a drastic pay cut, but for knowledge).
I resigned to scale up my own company. Now I am managing new projects, trading partners and implemented several new technological concepts to improve client services in my company.

Why MBA?
My main focus will be towards schools which promote innovation and annual venture competitions. Also,because I can learn about financing new projects, product pricing, managing product development, investing, build a network of future partnerships and post MBA get hands on experience of managing manufacturing business.
Keeping brand name and recognition of schools in India and USA in mind, I will be rather happy to choose Oxford, which has a good recognition in India over a USA school such as Kelley.

Ec’s
Volunteer at a child welfare org since 2007, 8 hrs/weekends.

My questions
1. My company is registered and well known regionally but it’s not a F500 company. Will my work experience be equally valued by an Adcom as compared to that of an employee working in a F500 company or will they be uncertain because of the status of my company?

2. I heard from several applicants that a weak UG GPA (in my case 3.0) can be offset by a better Masters (in my case 3.4) or by obtaining an alternative transcript. Is it true OR do Adcoms only value UG GPA?

3. I am targeting to stretch Haas, Columbia and Chicago GSB and reach Duke, USC, Cornell, Tepper, McCombs.
Please advice over my school selection keeping GMAT at its current value.

4. In your opinion, is it advisable for me to mention I worked in a F500 IT company as a Team lead or does it cause confusion eh What Why? And is it better to omit? My only concern is that my profile will end up indication just my own company name, which I am not so sure how it will be weighed by the Adcoms?

5. Do I stand a better chance in UK schools-Oxford, Cambridge or LSB?

Thank you.