justjeet wrote:
I wanted your advice on my profile and whether the mba programs i am targeting for the 2021 admit realistic and within my reach. (IE not in the dream school category).
My target schools are Columbia, Kellogg, Michigan ross, Berkeley haas and tuck.
I am a bachelors of commerce graduate with 6.4/7 cgpa from hr college in mumbai (Mumbai University)
I worked full time while in college , 2 years in an equity research and mutual fund sale firm and 1 year articleship as i was pursuing CA at that time. ( cleared 2 out of the three levels but finals are left which i will not give)
I am a US CFA charterholder and US CMA certificate holder. Have also completed US CPA and US CAIA (chartered alternative investment analyst).
I have been working in a mid sized accountancy firm based in small city in rajasthan, india.
I had to shift to rajasthan due to severe family emergencies therefore started working there as my presence was required for family.
I left my job after two years as i found a wonderful opportunity in mineral and mining and have started my own venture in partnership.
Though it can be managed and is stagnant while in the state , i wanted to make it a wholly export unit and establish in strategic locations across couple of countries like in canada and portugal and run it as a more corporate and an organized business organisation, much different from how mining is run in this state.
Therefore i planned on pursuing an mba which will help me manage and organize my business in the manner i want to run it and expand it.
I am ready to invest and grill myself for a 2 year mba in order to take the maximum out of it.
On the extra curricular activity note, i am a registered mumber of the heartfulness organisation (for meditation) for the past 4 years. Travelled all across the country and have organised various seminars and workshops, played a big part in the green initiative and planted by myself about 40 plus trees. Have also organised meditation sessions for army personnel in my state and have also successfully implemented heartfulness for kids in various schools wherein we are training teachers on how to plant this seed right from a very young age in students.
While in college, one of my most proudest moment was when i lead an NSS team ( national service scheme) and did something out of box by forming a union for the domestic help who were in very bad condition in mumbai so that the local police as well as the members themselves can protect the right of others and to make sure that they are not exploited, due to this the police area head and i had an exclusive coverage as well.
Despite my work experience, the thing i am concerned about is my international exposure in job. That is an area i lack.
Posted from my mobile device
Hi Jeet,
Thanks for your candidate eval request. There are several aspects of your profile that are missing, could you clarify:
1. Your GMAT/GRE score -- The 7 schools you mentioned accept both so you should attempt practice tests for both of these exams to see which one you favor. Columbia actually also accepts the Executive Assessment, which you may want to try as you could perform better on that test.
2. Your years of work experience and the progress towards leadership in those years (promotions, enhanced responsibilities over the course of your career)
3. Your *concrete* immediate and long-term career plans (what do you want to be recruiting for while in b-school, do you want to stay in the U.S. or return to India, etc.) and how your prior educational and professional successes, combined with your MBA, ensure that you will achieve your goals.
The 7 schools you mention all have high GMAT averages, and the averages associated with successful Indian applicants are typically even higher than the overall school average given the number of stellar applicants who apply from your geography. You'll want to be 740+ GMAT range to be competitive at these schools. With the right strategic positioning, you could have a decent shot with a lower GMAT, but building that out will be important. For instance, very few applicants express interests in metals and mining immediately post-MBA. Professional services (banking & consulting) along with tech are far more over-represented as career aspirations for candidates generally and Indian candidates in particular, so metals and mining could be a differentiator if you position it the right way. But you'll need to be very careful with that as most of the U.S. based metals & mining (and natural resources firms in general) don't sponsor international work authorization for immigrants in the U.S. and the AdCom knows this. So you'll want to spin your post-MBA professional ambitions in a way that highlights what *is* imminently possible (e.g., returning to India, working outside of the U.S., or working in the U.S. for an entity with known sponsorship culture).
It's awesome that you have already cleared the CFA (congratulations!) and the CAIA exams. You'll want to highlight those accomplishments on your resume but be careful from seeming too "pointy" in finance. For instance, since you already have solid work experience and professional credentials in finance, you'll likely want your strategic positioning to focus on the growth areas for your MBA (e.g., strategy, marketing, etc.) and how those areas of growth are important to your long-term career goals.
Strategic positioning is especially critical for over-represented demographics like Indian finance professionals. If a free consultation with one of our admissions consultants may be helpful to evaluate your strategic positioning and school choice, feel free to sign up for one here:
https://admissionado.com/free-consultat ... sultation/