Profile Evaluation for Johnson

Question

Hi,
I am a male engineer from India working in Samsung Research Institute. I am planning to apply to Johnson for Fall 2022. Please review my profile and provide inputs on the points where I can improve
GMAT : 740 (V39/Q50)
Toefl: 111
GPA 3.19 Did B.tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering
Work Experience: 5 years by the time I will start my MBA.
I have been working as a software engineer and have also lead a team during one of the projects for 5G tech. I have already received one promotion and have been recognised by various awards for my contributions but these awards are for technical contribution and not for leadership.
I aspire to transition into Product Management role in tech firms like Google, Amazon,etc post my MBA.
-I like swimming and have trained in it for 3 yrs and have also participated in various competitions during my school days.
-I also like playing cricket and have represented my school and college teams.
-I also enjoy cooking mainly Indian quisines.

Queries:
Is my profile good enough for Digital Technology Imersion in Johnson?
-What are my chances of securing a scholorship?

MBAandBeyond · Answer

Hi harshsax , Thanks for sharing your profile. Your profile looks good on the surface. Talking about your stats, you have a decent GPA with a strong GMAT score compensating for it. On the work front, your work experience looks good with career progression. You must showcase your career progression in a stark way as it will provide the image of a high performing individual. Try to bring a good blend of the professional and personal self to bring a person in your application. I would like to know some significant aspects of your work experience (such as impact, roles and responsibilities) to guide you accordingly. Ecs sounds good (swimming is quite different) and you enjoy cooking that’s pretty interesting. All these will add diversity to your profile and highlight the qualitative attributes. In the digital technology immersion, students learn to leverage the power of analytics to solve business problems. According to your post-MBA goals, your profile could be a perfect fit for this. It will be great to know about your profile in-depth to answer this better. You have good chances for a scholarship as well! If you’d like, you can go through this article , where one of our candidates make it to Rotman with a low GMAT score of 670 and a scholarship. She worked with us for good 8 months

Overall you have a good profile and have a decent shot at Jhonson. If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and answer your concerns. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience. Let’s maximize your chances for US Schools Cheers! Shantanu Sharma Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond Testimonials Email: shantanu@mbaandbeyond.com What s app: +65-97158525 Ask MBA & Beyond - if you're concerned about any of your gaps in your profile & need direction

PersonalMBACoach · Answer

Hello harshsax , 740 is quite a strong GMAT, which should help balance out your lower undergrad GPA. In terms of your work experience, these recognitions for technical contributions will be good to highlight. You will, however, also want to make sure you have concrete examples of leadership to talk about in your MBA applications (this is something we help our clients navigate via our comprehensive services ). Extracurricular activities are one great opportunity to display leadership through your profile. What kinds of activities do you have on your resume? If you need to enhance your extracurricular profile, look for an organization where you can step up, or explore options to expand your role at an existing organization. One way to increase your chances of securing a scholarship is to apply to Johnson as early as possible. With a limited amount of money to go around, the earlier you can get your applications in, the better. Schools also want to be sure that their classes are filled with well-rounded students and are more likely to use scholarships to ensure this earlier in the process. Where else are you hoping to apply to? We typically suggest that candidates apply to 5 to 7 schools to maximize their chances of acceptance. Feel free to send a note to scott@personalmbacoach.com if you are looking for help putting together strong applications. Regards, Personal MBA Coach

catdogflynn · Answer

Background and nationality
Come from a small town in the south and am a white male, first generation college student

Undergrad Information
Tier 2 state school and studied accounting with a 3.6 GPA
Also got a MS Finance at McCombs with a 3.5 GPA

GMAT:
1st Try: 650 (V: 39 / Q:39)

Work experience and leadership
Worked full time as an accountant and consultant to small businesses throughout undergrad while attending school full time
1 year in equity research at middle market investment bank (think Raymond James, Blair, etc.)
2.5 years in M&A investment banking at a small boutique firm in Chicago
Was hired by a former client who took a CFO job at a public company to come in as a "utility player". Title is officially in Investor Relation and Strategic Planning but the role is really Corporate Strategy

Community and others
Volunteer consultant to small businesses under the national organization SCORE
Selected by my company to be a "Venture Fellow" at a Venture Capital firm that our company invests in as an LP so I'm working with the VC shop's leadership team to help them assess VC opportunities in the industry I work in

Undergrad Leadership
Vice President Accounting Society
Leader of Elite Leadership group (~5% of university is accepted to this group) on campus
Vice President of Business Constituency Council (group of undergrad students that acted as an intermediary between the students and the Dean to enact change across the business school)

StratusMike · Answer

Hi  catdogflynn ,

Sorry for the slow response on your profile review. For some reason this thread was tucked away below a separate profile review thread, so it's probably been overlooked by a number of folks.

Sounds like you have a very interesting career path and that you're open to both ambiguity and new experiences - great to demonstrate a learner's mindset. As a first generation college grad with a strong undergrad/grad track record as well as diverse professional and leadership experiences, you're off to a great start in terms of overall profile.

I'll suggest you focus your time in two areas. First, Johnson's median GMAT Score is 700, which is 50 points above your first effort. Don't give up, many people show improvement on 2nd and 3rd attempts. If you remain at the 650 level, you've at least shown some self awareness that you need to work on this. We can always look for other ways to demonstrate your academic aptitude. Here's a helpful blog:  How to Overcome a Low GMAT Score .

The second area I suggest you spend some time on is your personal story and career aspirations. The career goals and roadmap are critical so you can answer questions like, "Why go to B school?", "Why is now the right time?" and "Why Johnson (or any other school you're interested in)?". Additionally, your personal story will set you apart from other well-qualified applicants, so anchor your essays and application materials on key themes that are authentic to you and that you can demonstrate throughout your experiences.

If you'd like to discuss life, feel free to book a  Free Consultation

PersonalMBACoach · Answer

Hey there catdogflynn , Thank you for your post. Truthfully, a 650 GMAT is a bit on the lower side for Johnson. While those with a very strong profile, a unique background, or from an underrepresented applicant pool could gain admission with a below-average score, it is becoming less common to see large numbers of applicants with scores more than 20 to 30 points below average succeed. That said, with the median GMAT around 700 for the class of 2022, you may want to work on maximizing your score. Personal MBA Coach's industry-leading tutors (think 770-800, way more than most firm’s 99th percentile) can help here. Feel free to take a look at our tutoring services to learn more. Your work and community experiences look solid, and your masters in finance from McCombs adds another element to your candidacy. Now it will be about crafting the right story to show learnings from your current and previous roles and how these learnings will help accomplish your goals (we can provide guidance here as well via our comprehensive services ). What other schools are you targeting? As competition increases and acceptance rates fall, candidates across the board are applying to an increasing number of programs. On average, candidates are applying to 5-8 schools, with many in the 6+ range. Do not hesitate to send a note to scott@personalmbacoach.com for more details and we will give you further advice as well as tell you how we can help you pitch the right story. Good luck! Best, Personal MBA Coach

bb · Answer

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