Profile Evaluation

Question

Hi,

I would like someone to please evaluate my profile for the colleges that I would like to apply to. My detailed profile is given below:-

GMAT - 710 (Q49, V38, Essays 5.5/6) 
Nationality : Indian 
Age:31

Education: 
Class X ICSE – 84.17%
Class XII – HSC – 69%
Yr: 2000 -Bachelor of Commerce - 69.9% 
Nov, 2001 -India Chartered Accountant - 50.25% 
Yr: 2002 - Masters of Commerce - 64% 
Yr: 2009: CFA (CFA institute USA) - All first attempt

Work Experience: Total approx. 7 years
2002-03 : 1.25 years: Auditing/Consulting India’s leading 
2004-05 : 1 year: Investment Banking - Leading global Investment banks 
2005-08: 3.5 years: Investment Management - Equity Analyst India Dedicated Long/Short Hedge fund 
2009-11 : 1 yr 8months: India Equity Sales

Extra Curricular: 
Member Nature Club in College 
Adventure sports enthusiast – Hiking, Trekking, River rafting

Career short term Goal:
Work in an investment management role for a multi-asset class, multi-geography, multi-strategy asset management company

Please Evaluate profile for: 
1) Chicago Booth 
2) Stanford 
3) Wharton 
4) MSCF Carnegie Mellon 
5) Columbia MBA 
6) NYU Stern MBA 
7) Yale

Thanks a lot, 
Regards, 
Madzy

PaulLanzillotti · Answer

Hi Madzy:
your first issue is going to be your age. At 31 you are going to be considered at the upper end of the competitive age spectrum. This is for US schools only. In fact I would recommend that you look towards some of the European programs, as these programs value more years of work experience. If you look carefully at some of the European applications, you will see that they actually have a minimum number of years of professional work experience.

With respect to the schools you listed, I would like to see your GMAT score be 20 to 30 points higher than it is at 710.right now, your 710 will not keep you out of any of these schools, at face value. However, your score is not a big positive differentiator.

With respect to extracurricular activities, your current initiatives are not significant enough to be a positive differentiator. I base this off of what you listed. So, with schools like Yale and Stanford you may have problems with dictating your passion and commitment to your goals. I'll essay that your personal passions and philanthropic pursuits should, in particular, be related to your longer-term goals. This is what makes them personally meaningful. This is also part of the same theme that you express in essays like "what matters most to you and why?" So if you do not have significant extracurricular activities that demonstrate a passion, you will have issues and making a case for any personal essays and in defining meaningful long-term goals or vision. I also think that this may be an issue at Columbia as well, given their new essay number two -- this essay asks you to detail what you value.

My advice would be this -- apply to London business school. Additionally since you are an older applicant, apply to Cambridge and Oxford. They are going to value your work experience, your 710 GMAT score and you will value their brand name recognition on a global basis. Keep in mind that Oxford and Cambridge are one your programs. So when you evaluate your return on investment you will see that you will not have to sacrifice as much salary and the opportunities for promotion while you were back in academia.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Respectfully,

Paul Lanzillotti

madzy · Answer

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your assessment.

Regards,
Madzy

madzy · Answer

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your earlier assessment. I think it was bang on.

I applied to a few US B schools and got a reject from them. May be because of the age factor.

Anyways, I also applied for the LBS MBA but for some reason it did not convert either. In fact they suggested me to look at the Emerging Leadership program, which is a 3 week program, and I am not interested in.

Having said the above I am now considering Oxford and cambridge programs. I would like to get your assessment on a couple of additional programs

1) INSEAD
2) MIT MiF - I know that the Average age of students is a lot lower here.
3) LSE Finance and Economics ( not sure of profile match here as well)
And 4) EDHEC - MSc in Fin and 5) IMD.

Let me know if the are any other programs that should look at.

Do you do any sort of feedback consulting.

Also, I spent crazy amounts of money on these apps over the last 12 months. Do you guys work on a success basis?

Regards,
Madzy

madzy · Answer

Also, does it make sense for me to apply for the Columbia MBA - J term.

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