Hi Srinivas,

I am at a Kellogg currently and I don’t know anyone who had less than 3 years of work experience and 2 promotions.

I think there’s no harm in trying but it’s unlikely to get admitted with less than 2 years experience.

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Hi everyone!

Really appreciate the good people on this website for taking the time to comb through all this info and provide gems of advice, huge thanks! So here's me:

Background: 28 year old Singaporean male

GMAT: 700 - Q45, V41, IR6; still awaiting my AWA but expecting a 6.0 (3rd sitting, first 2 yielded a 640 - the most recent one had a split of Q48 V29 and my mocks had nothing lesser than Q49 and Q50, so you can imagine how frustrated I am with my Quant. Kicking myself for this, but I'll save the whining for another post on another thread)

GPA: 4.0/4.0 (First Class Honours)

Education: BSc. and MSc. in Information Mgmt. for Business (University College London)

Work Experience: Close to 3 years as a Business Analyst in IT. Have led a couple of projects on my own from start to finish, bolstered my CV with some certifications to boot (Accenture, then an MNC headquartered in SG currently)

Extra-Curricular Activities: Competitive sports, volunteered with my present organisation overseas,

International exposure: Completed tertiary education overseas, a number of volunteer missions to underdeveloped countries since Secondary school days.

Post MBA Goal - Move into Strategy consulting (MBB is the target), then make a shift to Product Management within the FinTech space.

Personality: Extremely personable individual. People-oriented person. Resilient and logical problem solver. Will ensure this shines through in my essays with the appropriate examples.

Military experience (Mandatory): Infantry Officer in the Armed Forces; trained in Thailand and Brunei.

Hi!

What’s the connection between IT to MBB to PM? Why consulting and then PM instead of just PM?

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Thanks for the reply FuturePM91
From the research I've done, I'm aware that the Fintech space is a competitive and demanding one - and being a Product Manager in it, even more so. The idea is to acquire a strong enough skillset at MBB (or equivalent) - and become an 'expert-generalist' across a diverse set of experiences and disciplines, and then bring these over to become the best PM that one can be. Also I trust the rigorous nature of the MBB work-life will prep me well for challenges in other areas of my post-MBA career.

MBB recruiting is probably a lot more competitive than FinTech PM. I think that you’re going to need to spend a bit more time fleshing out the story between your background and your career goals such that they make sense. I’m not sure that your goals are a cohesive story. I don’t know many consultants that switch into PM. Usually it’s to a corporate strategy role. Also as an MBB consultant your first two years will be spent in several different industries most likely so if you’ve already settled on fintech it doesn’t make much sense to say your immediate goal is MBB and that will somehow help you get a role in fintech because I’m not sure it at all improves your chances vs just going straight to fintech.

TBH right now it just sounds like you picked two trendy post mba jobs without having a real intrinsic/personal motivation for them. Not saying you should change them but you have to have a good justification that makes sense or else you will come off as unprepared.

Thanks for the honest feedback FuturePM91
As a Business Analyst, I've worked alongside both PMs and MCs - and I genuinely am confident of becoming a great PM using the transferable skills obtained as a Strat Consultant. I'm aware this is an unconventional route to becoming a PM - but then again, so was Sundar Pichai's career at Google. I admit I could be under-informed and yes I definitely need to stitch my story better. Rather than jump head first into a Fintech role, then touch and feel my way around the firm, I intend to polish my hard skills better. Product and Corporate strategy sure are different, I agree. But both parties are similar to the extent that they need to understand the customer requirements, the business and have good decision making skills. Right?

While that is certainly what you can do when you get on campus, in the context of your admissions essay I think you should frame it as wanting to do fintech pm (would make a lot of sense given your background/experience) as your short term goal and then say that consulting is your plan B. I think that comes off as a bit of a more comprehensive and cohesive story than what you have here. Plus, You want to appear confident in your capabilities, so if you come in saying that you want to get a consulting job because the fintech pm jobs are too competitive you may not come off as the highest caliber candidate especially when many fresh MBA's do get those jobs right after graduation. Does that make sense?

Absolutely. And thank you for that. Yea, I've never been one to tout my own horn - but I get this is the MBA admissions we're talking about hah. I guess just one last niggling concern I do have - what would be your take on gunning for the GMAT a 4th time and applying for the next intake? The assumption here is that I would get something north of 750 of course. Would that value-add in any way? The way I see it:

Pros:
1. Possibility of a scholarship with a really strong holistic application
2. Fattening up my savings in the absence of a scholarship
3. Boosted work experience and possible promotion

Cons:
1. Putting the industry switch on hold for another year (coupled with advancement)
2. Missing out on compensation
3. 4 GMAT sits might be perceived unfavourably by adcom

That is a tough one for me to decide. Based on your scores in quant it is clear that you have the capability to score higher, but as you said a 4th score in the 640's could also be a detriment to your application. I think that Kellogg is a bit more open to people with lower stats in general because they definitely want to know more about you as a person vs pure brain power. It is part of their culture. I know some classmates with below 700 scores who are doing just fine.

You also have a really great GPA. I think if I were in your shoes I would apply with the 700 and also take the test again during the application cycle in case you are waitlisted (and then if you do score better you can update your application). If you don't get in, you can try again next year as a plan B. Re-applicants tend to have better admission rates if they have improved their application over the year.

Hi Srinivas0512

While I agree with some of the other experts that gaining another year of work experience would make your profile stronger, if you can present your profile as a young Rockstar, you might stand a good chance of admission at some of the top schools. Scholarship is be a matter of strategy in terms of school selection and when to apply.

I personally have worked in the healthcare industry (in India and US) and understand the impact of your work on clinical trials. If you like, I'd be happy to speak with you and guide you further. Feel free to email me at mail@vibranture.com

I'm including the following articles for your help

How do business schools evaluate your profile
http://vibranture.com/articles/how-scho ... rofile.htm

Top 5 ways to build profile for MBA applications
http://vibranture.com/articles/build-pr ... ations.htm


Good luck!




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Sincerely appreciate your input on this, and you've given me much to think about. It sounds like putting in a strong application regardless would hurt less than not actually submitting one. Thank you, and wish you the very best at Kellogg!

This is for the recently announced deferred programme

Background: Civil Engineering
Undergrad Information: 8.9/10 CGPA, Department Topper for Civil Engineering, Continuous 100% scholarship for all 4 years based on previous years performance.
The college is ranked 37 according to the government of India but it is one of the Top 5 private colleges in India. I chose it because of the scholarship and distance from my home.
GMAT: 710 (Q49 V38 AWA5 IR8) first attempt and 770 (Q50 V45 AWA5 IR8) on the second attempt 30 days later

Leadership: Have been actively involved in numerous activities on campus. Most notably I have worked for three years organising the annual Model United Nations Conference where I worked my way up to the position of Director-General with over 100 people working under me. At the same time, I have been actively participating in MUNs, Debates and Youth parliaments. I am also the president of the Entrepreneurship Club of the University and have organised multiple one of a kind events, interactions on campus, and helped a few entrepreneurs get in touch with investors. Also involved in the Student Chapters of multiple organizations in various capacities. I am one of two the elected class representatives for my batch.

Internships: I have interned in various roles like content writing and marketing but my summer internships have been in the Construction Industry. One at a local construction firm and one at the Project Management consultancy Colliers International ( does not hire undergrads for management positions generally). I used these to cement my disinterest in the construction Industry. I am planning to get an internship in the real estate sector from Feb 2020.

Outside of campus, I have also been involved in social work. I have worked for two years with an NGO working for the rights of women and children in mainly an editorial role but contributing on the ground as and when required and delivering over 100 workshops in low-income schools.

I have completed my certifications in Lean Management and Lean Six Sigma from the British Standards Institute as well as many certifications in Data, Project Management and business from Coursera.

Post-MBA goals: Get into a REIT or a Real Estate focused PE Firm. As a backup, I would like to join the MBB firms in the infrastructure and capital projects practice. This is my biggest concern. Will Kellogg look unfavourably on my goals since it is a niche.

Hi Yashbhati! Thanks for the detailed information on your background. I think you do have a profile that will interest Kellogg. Intellectual prowess is a big consideration for deferred enrollment. You've proven you have that with the amazing improvement in your GMAT score, on a short timeline, well done! Additionally, your volunteer work suggests that you have mentoring skills. I agree that your post-MBA goals might be a concern for Kellogg, but equally important, you need to consolidate a vision of how you are going to spend the deferral time (the next two to five years) to prepare for your post-MBA career goals and for the MBA itself. Your profile is interesting but you will need to work with two career stories here, not just one, and connect your existing experiences to both. If you'd like to have further consultation on this and learn how ARINGO's MBA Consulting can help you to craft a narrative that will attract Kellogg's attention, I'd be happy to have a CEO contact you. Alternatively, you're welcome to leave your contact details here: https://www.aringo.com/mba-process-registration/

Cheers!

Chaya Benyamin

Senior Application Consultant – ARINGO

https://ARINGO.com/ – MBA Admissions Consulting

Specializing in candidates with GMATs under 720 or low GPAs

Try our free Admissions Chances Calculator - https://aringo.com/mba-admission-chances-calculator/

All statistics verified by Ernst & Young - https://aringo.com/aringo-mba-admission-statistics/
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I would mention that you are recruiting for both. Have contacts and conversations already pre-paved before starting your MBA at these companies. Regarding consulting: I would do the homework with each company and think about whether or not they allow you to choose your practice. For example Oliver Wyman does allow you to choose , but many do not, some of them it depends upon whether or not there are enough projects in the office. So it has to do with the office you're choosing. Just make sure that you have your story straight you've done your homework you know the offices you wish to join and their policy on choosing the practice area for that specific office. yashbhati


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Hi All,

Requesting a quick gauge of my chances for Kellogg as I head into the interview!

School: Top Public University in US
GPA: 3.6
GMAT: 760
Major: Biomolecular/Chem E

Job Experience: Few years at Fortune 200 Pharma Company. Now at a med device company as the primary engineer for our most critical (the main money maker haha) product. Led multiple high visibility projects and project teams at both jobs, train operators/other engineers quite often, and promoted once.

EC: Alumni mentor, volunteer for a group that cooks meals for families at hospitals (I like cooking a lot, so natural EC to pursue), sports, volunteer for my alma mater (interviews and application review). Honestly was much more involved in college (more leadership roles)

Goals: Life science consulting into corporate strategy for a healthcare tech company.

Thanks!

Hi,

Need my profile to be evaluated

Indian-IT male.

GMAT-750(Q-49,V-42)

Xth-87%
12th-88%
Graduation-63% (Electrical and Electronics Engineering) from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University(Top state University having 280+ colleges affiliated under it)


Work Experience:

2.5 years of work ex as Application development Analyst in Accenture.(3.5 by the time I join Planning for 2021)

Client- Leading Australian Telecom

Roles:

Application Developer
QA Analyst
Design and Architecture SME

Responsibilities:

Helped Client to develop his own Logistics order management system.

Consulted the client few new ideas for the better enhancement application.

Participated in several business to business interaction sessions.

Multi-Cultural team working environment.

Presented and showcased the end product to product owner.

Leaded team of 4 from offshore for two major releases.

SME for Design and Architecture for the integrated Application

Developed 4 Critical microservices with no bugs.

Awards:

Global award from Accenture Leadership, Australia

Appreciations from Onshore Senior Managers and Managers.

Got promoted.

Co-curricular:

Workshop at IIT,kharapur

Presentation on non-renewable energy resources in JNTUK Technical fest.

Intership at South Central railway.

Extra-curricular:

Joint secretary for Student Activity Centre, JNTUK

Placement Coordinator for Training and Placement Office, JNTUK

Cultural Committee Head for National level Tech Festival , JNTUK

Choreographed and won 3 flashmobs (consists of 50+ people) consecutively for three consecutive years at University level.

Organized and leaded various Cultural events in the university.

Done few YouTube dance videos.

Member of Accenture dance club.

Member of CSR

Short-term Goal: Be a product manager/consultant in good organization.

Long-term goal: Start a company of my own

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A top-notch interview will help more than the profile assessment now. All the best to you, and have atleast 6-8 of your best stories ready for the behavioral section of the interview.

Check this link out for interview questions ( a lot of them are from Kellogg interview reports): https://gmatclub.com/forum/exhuastive-list-of-interview-questions-analyses-315315.html
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Hi Determine,

Kellogg being a top MBA program will require an exceptional profile. I am sure you have one, but it will need to come out equally strongly on paper. You come across as a person who takes initiatives and drives things- these qualities are appreciated by the adcom. However, to gain a better understanding of your work experience, we will need to understand your achievements and the impact you created upon your company/ clients. The international experience is good, you should also be able to show how you used your interpersonal skills and adaptability while collaborating with this client.
Your GPA is low and I hope you have a good enough reason for that.
Regarding ECAs- while you seem to have done many things during college, its not clear what activities are you currently engaging yourself in? Now is the time to strengthen this area if its lacking.
Reach out to us through this link. I'd be happy to offer you a more in depth profile evaluation.
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As a Kellogg alum, I am glad you are interested in the program. Be sure you show how you have had an impact in your work and community life. If you like Kellogg, you might also want to look at Rotman around their design thinking resources. I may be able to give you more guidance on your profile in a free consult so reach out here if you like: https://gmatclub.com/forum/researching- ... 18955.html
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