Profile Evaluation

Question

Hello Experts,

Please evaluate my profile and also help me answer some of the queries below. Any feedback is welcome.

1) Profile Evaluation request:
Education: 
Bachelor in Technology from PESIT, India (Computer Science)
CGPA – 5.74/10
Academic Achievements - Nothing to boast about

Work Experience:
4 years
2 years with ITC Infotech as Quality Analyst
1.5 years with a Financial Consultancy firm

GMAT and Application: 640 (Q44 V33)

Target schools:
My current list 
University of Arizona (Eller)
Boston College
Boston University
Michigan State University (Broad)
University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign

I want to understand which schools may be good fit for an applicant with my background/work exp/aspirations? What are the schools I can consider within reach?
Also, apart from MBA, I am also considering to apply for MS in Finance. Can you please suggest universities for this programme too.

Thanks

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Hello there! Thanks for sharing your profile.

You don't mention your career goals explicitly but I assume they're finance related since you're also considering Masters in Finance programs. For that, take a look at the Financial Times rankings - https://poetsandquants.com/2014/06/28/ra ... -programs/. There are some good programs in Europe, though I'm not sure if you're only looking at US programs.

As for the MBA schools you list, those seem like reasonable targets given your interests and employment background. Is it possible for you to retake the GMAT? I would really like to see you get a few more points on both the Quant and Verbal sections. I think this is especially important in your case since your GPA is quite low.

Other than that, make sure you've got a clear story around your career goals, and why you need either an MBA or Masters in Finance, to achieve those goals. Do some very specific research on each of your target schools to find out how their particular courses/programs/cultures would help you in your career path.

Good luck and keep us posted if we can help!

varunsh51 · Answer

Hi,

Thanks a ton for your reply!

I am planning to retake GMAT exam next month (maybe around 10th July). Will post the score once I am done with it.

Also, will it be late to apply in Round1 if I start the application process after 15th July?

Thanks,
Varun

mbaMissionKate · Answer

You're welcome! Definitely let us know how the retake goes

Depends on the specific deadlines for your target schools but most Round 1 deadlines are in October (though some are as early as the first week of September!). Generally, I advise allowing about 6 weeks to do your first application, though that assumes you're putting in a pretty good amount of time per week, like 20-25 hours or so per week. If you can't commit that amount of time, then maybe allow 8-10 weeks? Either way, I think you should be fine if you get started on July 15.

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