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Get the inside scoop on what makes Emory’s Goizueta Business School great and how you can present a strong MBA application. Explore the difference between our One-Year MBA and Two-Year MBA programs, talk to our admissions team, and meet students.
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13 Sep 2010, 16:10
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi Paul, please go through my profile below and reflect your thoughts :
Profile
Engineering grad from a top 5 Indian school (IIT)
Undergrad GPA = 9.8/10
GMAT : 760/99% (q51/98% v41/92%)
25y / Male
Work Experience
Worked for 3 years in a major wall street firm in London
First year in a team specializing in delivering complex structured derivatives to sophisticated investors
Two years (and counting) as a trader & risk manager in a structured products group
Major highlights within the first 18 months or so was getting an inside view of the wall street meltdown. Was involved in what was to become a very controversial and spoken about class of derivatives
Current role involves handling some of the riskiest derivatives that the bank owns & should be looking at becoming senior associate in the near future (1 yr senior to what typical MBAs with no previous work-ex in banks are hired as)
MBA Goals
I am still not a 100% certain about my post-MBA path, but my primary motivation at this point is to have serious re-evaluation of my career path and possibly explore other options such a career in consulting. Such switches are very hard for me at the moment without an MBA, given my profile & work-ex.
At the same time, I still consider financial services a very good option for myself and would also want to think about going down a slightly different path such as working for a buy-side firm or to even switch to a different asset class within a sell side firm. I hate getting the feeling of stagnation which has started to bother me off late.
Misgivings
I am not certain if the time is right for an MBA yet. I just think that it might become harder and harder to take the plunge if I keep delaying the decision more though. It is of course also a big call to take financially, in terms of lost income + having to spend most or all of my savings so far.
Secondly, I am doubtful over the strength of my application and how good a chance I would stand in getting through to a top school like Harvard, Wharton, Kellogg etc. I would be reluctant to apply if I don't have a good chance to get into an "elite" school, and consider getting more experience to shore up the application in that case. In your opinion, where do I stand ?
Finally, I do wish to study in the US, after having worked in London for as long as I have (the weather has gotten to me now, and I need a break
). Post-MBA however, Europe or Asia might be a more preferable place for me to work than the US, does going to a US-school hamper my chances ?
Profile
Engineering grad from a top 5 Indian school (IIT)
Undergrad GPA = 9.8/10
GMAT : 760/99% (q51/98% v41/92%)
25y / Male
Work Experience
Worked for 3 years in a major wall street firm in London
First year in a team specializing in delivering complex structured derivatives to sophisticated investors
Two years (and counting) as a trader & risk manager in a structured products group
Major highlights within the first 18 months or so was getting an inside view of the wall street meltdown. Was involved in what was to become a very controversial and spoken about class of derivatives
Current role involves handling some of the riskiest derivatives that the bank owns & should be looking at becoming senior associate in the near future (1 yr senior to what typical MBAs with no previous work-ex in banks are hired as)
MBA Goals
I am still not a 100% certain about my post-MBA path, but my primary motivation at this point is to have serious re-evaluation of my career path and possibly explore other options such a career in consulting. Such switches are very hard for me at the moment without an MBA, given my profile & work-ex.
At the same time, I still consider financial services a very good option for myself and would also want to think about going down a slightly different path such as working for a buy-side firm or to even switch to a different asset class within a sell side firm. I hate getting the feeling of stagnation which has started to bother me off late.
Misgivings
I am not certain if the time is right for an MBA yet. I just think that it might become harder and harder to take the plunge if I keep delaying the decision more though. It is of course also a big call to take financially, in terms of lost income + having to spend most or all of my savings so far.
Secondly, I am doubtful over the strength of my application and how good a chance I would stand in getting through to a top school like Harvard, Wharton, Kellogg etc. I would be reluctant to apply if I don't have a good chance to get into an "elite" school, and consider getting more experience to shore up the application in that case. In your opinion, where do I stand ?
Finally, I do wish to study in the US, after having worked in London for as long as I have (the weather has gotten to me now, and I need a break
). Post-MBA however, Europe or Asia might be a more preferable place for me to work than the US, does going to a US-school hamper my chances ? 
14 Sep 2010, 02:11
Kudos
Bookmarks
Shrouded,
There's a lot to discuss here, but we'll start with the US school question. The answer, as it always seems to be, is: it depends. Some US schools have great pipelines into international markets and others are almost completely cut off. Columbia and Duke have tremendous International exposure and if you wanted to stay in finance, Columbia is a natural. If you want to transition into consulting, Duke is a great choice.
If you want to mix and match, I'd recommend the Wharton/INSEAD alliance as a possibility.
Either way, yes, I think you can be competitive at most of these programs with those great academic numbers IF you nail down your career goals and make them seamless. You need to build a bridge (as so many candidates do) from what you have done, what you are doing now, to the MBA itself, to the first job out (must be achievable and make sense) to the long-term ambition you have for your life. If you can show the need for the MBA, the way that school can pull the pieces together, and you can layer your application with enough maturity that you show readiness ... yes, you can have a good shot.
As for whether you *want* to do it, that's for you to say!
If you need any help with any of this, let us know. Shoot me a PM and we'll get you set up with a consultation.
Respectfully,
Paul Lanzillotti
There's a lot to discuss here, but we'll start with the US school question. The answer, as it always seems to be, is: it depends. Some US schools have great pipelines into international markets and others are almost completely cut off. Columbia and Duke have tremendous International exposure and if you wanted to stay in finance, Columbia is a natural. If you want to transition into consulting, Duke is a great choice.
If you want to mix and match, I'd recommend the Wharton/INSEAD alliance as a possibility.
Either way, yes, I think you can be competitive at most of these programs with those great academic numbers IF you nail down your career goals and make them seamless. You need to build a bridge (as so many candidates do) from what you have done, what you are doing now, to the MBA itself, to the first job out (must be achievable and make sense) to the long-term ambition you have for your life. If you can show the need for the MBA, the way that school can pull the pieces together, and you can layer your application with enough maturity that you show readiness ... yes, you can have a good shot.
As for whether you *want* to do it, that's for you to say!
If you need any help with any of this, let us know. Shoot me a PM and we'll get you set up with a consultation.
Respectfully,
Paul Lanzillotti
