Profile Eval request: 730 Indian/Male/Financial Analyst

Question

Hi,

I am an Indian aspirant for Fall 2016. Will be obliged if you could give me a fair assessment of whether I have a shot at some of the preferred programs of my choice.

My profile summary:

1) 4+ years in the Analytics arm (Financial Planning & Analysis) of Intel (awarded employee of the quarter). Currently managing a team and have served a couple of short stints abroad; 1 yr as sourcing specialist for a mining giant 
2) PG in Diploma Management and engineering graduate from top 15 institutes of the country (UG CGPA: 8.2/10 - top 15%); PG CGPA not great - just first class 
3) GMAT: 730 (QA: 50; VA:39; IR: 7; AWA: 5.5) 
4) Correspondent/Empanelled Writer at Asia's largest all sports website (awarded) 
5) Co-founded an E-Commerce store (1st lesson in how to do a start-up wrong); Co-founder/Featured columnist at a magazine - focusing on firms, markets & global dynamics 
6) Captain of the corporate cricket team; member of the corporate football team 
7) State merit list in HSC board exams (ranked 5th)
8) Successfully completed a 4 day Outbound Leadership Course under Bachendri Pal
9) Volunteer work for LEPRA society - Organized health camps and sensitization programs for Intravenous Drug Users

I want to transition to a career in management consulting and eventually start an analytics consultancy firm specializing in providing analytics based research and solutions to sports organizations.

List of schools I intend to target: 
INSEAD, Yale, Columbia, Booth, Kellogg, Fuqua, Tuck, Cornell, Darden. Will I be taken for a madman if I force the words 'Wharton or Stanford' out of my lips? 
All the above schools Round 1 or Round 2 , 2015, Full Time MBA

Please let me know where do I exactly stand among the competing group. Will be awesome if you can classify the colleges under the following categories:
1) Forget about it!
2) Can be given a shot
3) Decent chance

Thanks in advance for your help!

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Hi there! I think you have many strong points that can help to differentiate you amongst a very competitive applicant pool...first is your international exposure, second is having a big global company like Intel on your resume, third is your start-up experience. So lots of good things there! Your GPA seems strong and your GMAT is too (not going to be as stellar as some others from your pool who are getting 740s/750s but I think the other strengths do balance that out so I'm not too concerned about those). Sounds like you've got some good extracurriculars too, assuming some of those are recent? And I like your goals too with the focus on analytics, that's certainly a hot field right now.

As for schools...I don't think you're a madman (your words, not mine) for thinking of Stanford and Wharton. Though I'd put Stanford in particular very close to the Forget About It category. You should certainly apply if it's a dream school but just know the odds are against you since they accept less than 10% of a very competitive applicant pool. Kellogg is great for management consulting, as is Booth for an analytics focus, so I like those two for you. Cornell is probably the best shot you've got on your list so I'd keep it there just to balance things out. But overall it looks like a good list of schools! Round 1 would be ideal, if possible.

If you're interested in getting some more advice, feel free to sign up for a free consultation. Actually one of my fellow consultants Adam (https://www.mbamission.com/about/?displa ... m-grossman) has experience in sports analytics and even teaches a course at Kellogg, so you might enjoy connecting with him, though everyone on our team is amazing! You can sign up for a 30-minute consult here: https://www.mbamission.com/consult/

Good luck!

mad · Answer

Thanks Kate! That was very reassuring. Agree that my GMAT is 20 points shy of where I'd ideally have liked it to be. Considering I already have a PGDM (equivalent to an MBA) from India, do you think this could work against me in my applications? Just found out that Duke & Tuck do not accept applicants who already have an MBA so my list of target schools just became a little lighter

Also, I'm mulling over the idea of going for an MS in Business Analytics as opposed to a full-time MBA (still undecided) as this appears to align more with my current work-ex and long term goals (not to mention the prohibitive costs of a full-time MBA!). Can you please advise? Some of the top MSBA programs I have shortlisted are: North Carolina, Arizona, CMU and NYU. Can you please suggest some programs that would seem to be a good fit for my profile? And thanks for recommending Adam. Will definitely reach out to him! Thanks a lot for your help!

mbaMissionKate · Answer

So I would double check that with Duke and Tuck and confirm that they consider a PGDM as equivalent to the MBA. Or maybe you've already done that! But the language on the website seems a little unclear to me. But that's a good question...having the degree won't hurt your chances unless you don't properly explain why you need an MBA. So if the school does not have a "Why MBA / Career Goals" essay question where you can include that explanation, then definitely use the Optional Essay to explain the skills you still need from an MBA to help you on your path. And be as specific as possible without being too negative about the program you already completed!

I honestly don't know a ton about MS in Analytics programs but I have heard they are becoming more popular and attractive to many employers (NYU and CMU are two programs that come to mind for me for that speciality). Check out career placement stats for those programs to see if they line up with the type of job you'd like. I believe there are also some MBA programs that allow you to concentrate in Business Analytics. This looks to be a decently comprehensive list: https://www.mba.com/us/plan-for-business ... grams.aspx Good luck!

mad · Answer

Hi Kate,

Just got pile driven into oblivion by INSEAD (R3) and Yale (R2) this year. Wasn't good enough to merit even an interview call.
Guess that knocks Columbia and other Ivy league schools off my list too...for R1 2017. I'm still retaining Kellogg & Booth from my original list...albeit in the stretch category. I am also more keen on Kellogg's 1 year program rather than the flagship 2 year program. Is that more difficult to get into? Given that I already have a PGDM from India, Kellogg's 1 year MBA program appears a better fit.

From outside of the top 20, I have Cornell, Darden & Ross in mind to finish off my roll of target schools for 2017. How do you think I am aligned at all of the aforementioned programs? I'm also considering a job change that has been due for a while but was put on the back burner considering application season was upon us. Will a job switch at this point of time hamper my applications for R1/R2 2017?

Can you please suggest some other programs you think I may have a fair shot at? Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated!

As always, thanks for all your help!

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Hi there! Thanks for the update...of course I wish you had better news! It's been a competitive year at Yale so don't take it too personally

Have you considered Columbia's J-Term program? It is accelerated which you might like, and also typically a little less competitive than the regular full-time program. I think Kellogg's 1-year would be a great fit for you and from what I know, it can actually be a little less competitive, because it's a different pool of applicants. Cornell also has a 1-year option, as does Emory and USC if you want to check them out too. Of the other schools you mention, I think Booth and Kellogg will be toughest, followed by Ross, and then Darden and Cornell. But that seems like a pretty good range to start with for R1. Have you also considered Tepper? Very analytics focused like Booth. Perhaps also McCombs or Kenan-Flagler. As far as the job change, I think it depends. Is the new job something closer to your post-MBA goals? Does it provide new exposure or increased responsibility that your current job does not? If it seems like a logical career move, then I don't think it will hurt you, especially since you've been at one company for quite some time. You can always write a very brief optional essay explaining the job change. Good luck! Kate

Profile Eval request: 730 Indian/Male/Financial Analyst

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