Profile Evaluation

Hello goodluckmj,

-The GPA is extremely important and you must candidly explain the reason for your low grades in the Optional Essay; keep the explanation brief and focus on the fact that this was in the past and you have grown as a person and had your learnings from the entire episode.
-If the FRM certification is void, it will not hold much value. That you did not choose to pursue Round 2 may raise further questions.
-INSEAD looks tough; you must check the GPA requirements for your target schools, as well as, apply to a broader portfolio of schools; if needed, schedule appointments with Ad Com members for a more realistic picture pertaining to your application.

All the best!

Hello Members,

I am a new Gmat club member and have been going through the posts for a couple of days. I find the forum really helpful and the resources I've found here are helping me a lot in my GMAT journey. I am 29 years old Indian female and have recently moved to Seattle on H4 visa (my spouse's I-140 is in process and it is expected to get approved in 8-12 months).

I am a computer engineer with 1 year of IT experience after which I pursued my PGDM (Postgraduate diploma) in Marketing from MICA, Ahmedabad (Institute of strategic marketing and management). I have close to 4 years of experience as a Senior Marketing Manager with Hindustan Times.

I have been a topper during my graduation and my specialization was Market Research during post-graduation.

I wish to pursue another MBA/Executive MBA and I am interested in design thinking/consumer behavior. Here are my queries :

1) Can I target the executive MBA programs ( some of the courses mentioned a prior experience of ~6 years but I am not sure how strict the prereqs are)?
2) Does having a PGDM lower my chances of getting interview calls for a two-year MBA?
3) What should be my target GMAT score?

Thanks a lot

Hello gsurbhi90,

Welcome to GMAT Club!

Thanks for sharing the details.

Here are our responses:
1) Your work experience is on the lower side for Executive MBA programs; hence, cracking those may be a bit tough; you could always interact with Ad Com members of your target schools directly and get their perspective on your profile.
2) Some schools offering the 2-year MBA programs are not open to students applying for a second MBA; however, the US 1-year MBA programs (and a number of schools such as Cornell, Marshall, Emory, Notre Dame, etc offer these programs) generally prefer applicants with prior management education. Hence, you must conduct research on such programs, shortlist the programs that interest you, and apply.
3) No GMAT score can guarantee an admit; however, look for a score in excess of a 700 at least; the higher, the better.

In case you have further questions, please feel free to connect with us.

All the best!

Thanks a lot for the prompt response. This has given me a good direction

Hi GoodluckMJ

Here's my take:
1. 12 years' work experience is pretty substantial. I am going to advise you to select your b-schools wisely so that you go to the right place that offers you the best resources for your learning and career needs. IIMA and IMD are good choices. Besides these look at the fellowship programs at LBS, MIT and Stanford.
2. At your level of seniority, b-schools will expect you to have significant leadership experiences. You must build your applications including the resume and the essays on your leadership experiences. This doesn't mean just leading people, but also making a wider impact on your organizations.
3. Your international experience would be valued by business schools. They like to meet applicants who have a global mindset, are adaptable and open-minded and have picked up good insights from their international experiences. Your task would be to bring these elements out aptly in the applications you subsequently submit.
4. If you have not applied what you learned through the FRM course anywhere in your professional work so far, then its going to be impractical for you to say that you really gained out of it. I'd suggest you dont say that "you are genuinely interested in it". If I were the adcom, my first reaction would be that why did you not pursue it if you were genuinely interested in this?
5. Your career goals - you have presented many options in the above description. For the sake of the application, you will need to be clear about what you really want.
6. Lastly GPA. Its important to know what your GPA is and how many Fs did you gather. Its been a while since you graduated from college. People tend to get swayed at college and mess up their grades. You should definitely address your low score in the application but its not an irredeemable situation (again, we will need to know the details and the exact damage). Currently, you have a great deal of experience and a stellar GMAT score to back you up. Presenting a solid application that shows point 2 and 3, clarity of career goals, your maturity level, and ability to contribute to business school, can help overcome the specter of a low GPA as B-schools do like to see your overall profile. The extra curriculars would add to that "overall profile"- again we will need to explore if you are missing some activities out that can be mentioned in your resume.

Feel free to share your resume and we can discuss further.