Profile Evaluation for US B-schools (Female, Indian, B.com Hons grad)

Question

Hi,

I am a 24-year old, Indian, Female MBA aspirant. I wish to apply for Fall 2016 Batch (Class of 2018). My current GMAT score is 680, but I would be retaking it with the hopes of crossing the 740 mark. A brief description of my profile is given below:

1. Acads:- Xth grade - 86.0%, XIIth grade - 95.0%
 Bachelors in Commerce (Honors), from Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Delhi University - Best Bachelor college for commerce students in Asia - 70.3% (1st Division)

2. Work ex:- By 2016 August, I would have completed 4 years of work ex with BlackRock (world's largest Asset Management Firm). I am a Senior Financial Analyst with expertise in Securitization and Collateralized Debt Obligations, with a broader perspective of Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities. I was co-leading a small team, just 6 months after joining and since then have grown to Project Management and currently collaborate with the US counterparts for our US Client (Fed GSE) apart from the regular tasks.

3. ECA:- Part of the BlackRock Social Committee - organize cultural events and co-ordinate inter-department activities - 2012 to present
- Project Lead at AIESEC - largest youth run organization worldwide in 2011.
- Regularly participated and won school-level and college-level competitions. 
- Public Relations Officer in High School from 2007-2009.

4. Awards:- School Topper (Valedictorian) for 2009. 
 - Fresh Blood Title in BlackRock 2012
 - Excellence/Scholar Awards throughout High School

5. Post-MBA Goal:- Work in front-end Asset Management/Investment Management. I currently have experience as a back-end operative (same work as front-end, just no direct client contact), and would like to leverage my MBA to secure a client-facing job in the Corporate Finance field.

6. Target B-schools:- Columbia, Duke, Johnson (Cornell), Anderson (UCLA), Darden (Virginia), Ross (Michigan), Kenan-Flagler (UNC), McCombs (Austin-Texas)

Please provide a genuine evaluation over my profile for these B-schools. Also suggest weak points that I can work on, since I have almost 10 months to prepare my application.

PS:- I am open to postponing my MBA to Class of 2019 (5 year work ex), if that can increase my chances at these schools. But I would prefer to start my MBA at the earliest.

Would really appreciate your help!

Thanks.

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Hi there! Thanks for posting. I see a lot of strengths in your profile

, specifically: -Good grades from a good school (maybe not stellar but definitely will show you are prepared academically especially since you studied business) -Well known employer with a strong reputation (plus you have long tenure there which shows that you are a strong performer) -Progression / expansion in your responsibilities -Clear career goals that make sense given your current experience (a quick point on this -- is there any way you can get any client exposure before you apply? Or perhaps this is something your recommenders could highlight, that they see you doing well in a client interfacing role) -Being a female in asset management could give you a slight edge too The only potential concerns I see are... -GMAT - it's not that your score is too low to apply to the schools you list, but crossing the 700 mark, and ideally 710/720, would make you a much more competitive applicant, especially for top 10 programs like Columbia. Curious, what was your Verbal / Quant breakdown? I'm glad you're retaking and keep us posted on how that goes! -Extracurrics - most of what you list is college / high school which aren't very heavily weighted. The Social Committee at work is good, but doesn't strike me as really impressive. Since you have time before you apply, I would seek to get involved in something else outside of work. It does not necessarily need to be volunteer focused or an NGO, it could be a professional network or alumni network too. Or just a hobby or special interest that you're really passionate about. Overall, extracurriculars are not a huge deal but they do help to show you as a well-rounded, interesting person who's going to make a contribution to the school's community beyond the classroom. As for schools, I like that you have a range so they seem appropriate. Columbia will obviously be the toughest of those you list. If that's your first choice though, I would strongly recommend you apply there Early Decision. On your timing question, I don't see a reason now to tell you to wait another year. Having 4 years work experience will put you in a good spot to make a transition and I think the two concerns I mention above can be addressed in the next year. Keep us posted if we can answer any more questions and good luck to you!

Manali21 · Answer

Hi

Firstly, thanks a lot for the quick and detailed feedback! Really appreciate your time and efforts. I do seek your opinion on the following:

For extra-curriculars, can I mention about my community contribution at a personal level? I have been teaching my maid's girls for past two years and helping a few other neighborhood students with their studies. I obviously do not get paid for this. But this can also not be verified (no certificates!). Does this work? Also, I have a Teach For India (TFI) on-month internship in July (Full-time). But wouldn't this volunteering experience seem a bit desperate since its just 3 months before R1 deadline?

Also, Columbia is more of my dream school than target. Just wanted to check if I would even stand a chance there. I might not apply there, after all. As for others, Cornell, Kellogg, Darden and Anderson are my actual target schools. How important are ECAs for these schools?

Getting glowing recommendations would not be problem and I would be retaking GMAT till I at least reach 730. So I guess, it all comes down to ECA. Can they be the make or break point of your application? Or my exceptional performance at work, high GMAT and good essays can compensate for my lack of ECAs? Because even if I try to do everything I can in these few months, it might seem as if I am trying too hard.

What do you think? If it would be okay then I can absolutely give next few months to get extensive NGO/volunteering experience. I have some organizing and funding experience from College (used to organize the Economics and Commerce society Festivals). Have been a part of a dance school for few years, learning different dance forms (on and off). Other than these, I might have to really dig deep and exaggerate a li'l (last resort).

My GMAT breakdown was Q 48 and V 34, AWA -6, IR -5

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Hi there! Glad you found my initial feedback useful. I just realized I mis-read your first post and thought you were planning to apply in 2016, not matriculate then. Got that now!

Thanks for your GMAT breakdown - AWA/IR are good, Quant is good too but a few extra points there could help you, Verbal is just below what we recommend so try to get that up to at least a 35.

So first of all, if Columbia is your dream then you should consider applying there early decision. They have already released their essay questions in fact! And since they use rolling admissions there is a benefit to applying early within the round too. So I'd say focus right now on getting your GMAT up and then if you can get your score closer to 710/720, get that Columbia app in as soon as you can. I do think given all your other strengths that it is worth applying there and applying early will demonstrate your interest and could give you a slight edge.

Here's my take on ECAs - they are not such a big deal that you can't get in if you don't have much, but if someone doesn't ANY, then it can be a concern. I think you've got enough to demonstrate some involvement. Also, I think there's a bit of a misconception that it needs to be formal volunteering work -- the work you've done helping students can definitely "count" -- as will other hobbies / passions (like your dance school) that show you are someone who engages in the world around them. One of my colleagues calls it having an "internal motor" - or having something that really drives you. So basically I wouldn't worry about trying to add on any ECAs at this point, you have enough to do with your GMAT and applications. Rather see if you can shape your past experiences and what really motivates you to tell an interesting story about who you are and what you'll contribute to the class. I think you can do this!

By the way, the Teach for India thing will not make a huge difference since it's short - but you could still list it on your application. I'm just not sure I would feature it on your resume or in your essays.

Keep us posted if we can help!

By the way, the Teach for India thing will not make a huge difference since it's short - but you could still list it on your application. I'm just not sure I would feature it on your resume or in your essays. Keep us posted if we can help!

Manali21 · Answer

True. That is what I was hoping for - ECAs are not everything and they can only give edge to a person's character, not define all of it. I'll try to focus on all other aspects of the application and try to bring out the best of me.

Thanks a lot for your feedback! I really appreciate it. I might need some help when the applications begin and will be contacting you again then.

Cheers!

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Happy to help. And yes, please do let us know if we can help!

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