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10 Oct 2016, 18:37
Kudos
Bookmarks
Work Experience:
- 2.5 years of work experience in the field of insurance analytics in both pricing and claims domain
- Received one fast-track promotion from Business Analyst to Senior Business Analyst in 1.5 years
- Received Rising Star Award within six months of joining the organization
- Traveled onsite in US for 8 weeks for initiating a new project
- Currently leading a pricing model team from onshore with one Research Analyst reporting directly to me
Education:
- B.Tech. in Polymer Science and Chemical Technology from a tier-1 college in India
-> Secured second rank in my department with 81% marks
-> Received merit scholarship four times from the University
- Class XII: 84%
- Class X: 92%
-> Secured 99% marks in Mathematics
Extra-curriculars:
- Core Member, Women inclusive network at work
- Active Member, CSR team at work
- Served as Editor-in-Chief at University level
- Head, Publication Team, Computer Society of India, University chapter
- Member, National Social Entrepreneurship Forum
- Worked extensively for Digital Empowerment
- Tutored under-privileged kids in college
Why MBA?
To develop a better understanding of the business world; to get the right platform to learn and grow; to earn credibility
How does MBA fit in my application?
Within 2.5 years of my corporate-world experience, I have had the opportunity of developed a sound understanding of how analytics can transform businesses; modify operations and enable shift in thought process. Having had the exposure in claims and pricing world in terms of data analytics, sales pitch and marketing; I now look forward to take the next leap in my career and obtain a formal management degree that enables me to be a part of the top decision makers of the company; leveraging my understanding of analytics and problem-solving.
Questions:
1. How does my profile currently fare compared to the competition?
2. What all things should be done to provide an extra-edge to my profile?
3. Would certifications in data science and insurance help in my MBA application?
4. Would getting an job onshore help in my application?
5. Which colleges should I aim for?
Thanks a lot!
- 2.5 years of work experience in the field of insurance analytics in both pricing and claims domain
- Received one fast-track promotion from Business Analyst to Senior Business Analyst in 1.5 years
- Received Rising Star Award within six months of joining the organization
- Traveled onsite in US for 8 weeks for initiating a new project
- Currently leading a pricing model team from onshore with one Research Analyst reporting directly to me
Education:
- B.Tech. in Polymer Science and Chemical Technology from a tier-1 college in India
-> Secured second rank in my department with 81% marks
-> Received merit scholarship four times from the University
- Class XII: 84%
- Class X: 92%
-> Secured 99% marks in Mathematics
Extra-curriculars:
- Core Member, Women inclusive network at work
- Active Member, CSR team at work
- Served as Editor-in-Chief at University level
- Head, Publication Team, Computer Society of India, University chapter
- Member, National Social Entrepreneurship Forum
- Worked extensively for Digital Empowerment
- Tutored under-privileged kids in college
Why MBA?
To develop a better understanding of the business world; to get the right platform to learn and grow; to earn credibility
How does MBA fit in my application?
Within 2.5 years of my corporate-world experience, I have had the opportunity of developed a sound understanding of how analytics can transform businesses; modify operations and enable shift in thought process. Having had the exposure in claims and pricing world in terms of data analytics, sales pitch and marketing; I now look forward to take the next leap in my career and obtain a formal management degree that enables me to be a part of the top decision makers of the company; leveraging my understanding of analytics and problem-solving.
Questions:
1. How does my profile currently fare compared to the competition?
2. What all things should be done to provide an extra-edge to my profile?
3. Would certifications in data science and insurance help in my MBA application?
4. Would getting an job onshore help in my application?
5. Which colleges should I aim for?
Thanks a lot!
10 Oct 2016, 19:35
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hey Ph0enix:
Thanks for reaching out to me. Let's see if I can do your profile some justice.
First thing I need to know is your GMAT score. I don't know if you omitted it by mistake or if you have not taken the test yet. But for the purposes of this evaluation I will assume that you are able to get a 720. I picked that number because that is about the average for any of the top 10 business schools in the United States.
For what it's worth, I actually have a Client right now that fits your profile – roughly. She went to a top-tier program in India, and has also done very well at work. On a personal level, she has a very great story – personal story – that she walked a few admissions committees through on her essays. It worked because she got the interview at HBS and am hoping that she will also be able to get the interview at Stanford GSB.
I bring this up because if you can get a 720, I believe that you should be applying to the top five or so schools in the United States. There are enough similarities between your profiles. Of course this would include Harvard, Stanford and Wharton.
It seems like your work experience has been solid. I am assuming you bring up the eight weeks of travel because very few in your group are able to be selected for travel. So it's more or less of an award. Perhaps I'm making too much of an assumption here but I am also going to assume that pricing insurance and the development of Consumer insurance products in India Is a bit of a developing field. Granted I know nothing about insurance in India, but if you are on the cutting edge of analytics and pricing, this would also make for a good story.
Your grades are in order as well. Everything looks excellent from an undergraduate performance perspective. Your extracurriculars have a women empowerment element to them, as well as community service element to them. This is all good for reasons that go beyond your gender. Let me explain!
These two programs in particular - Stanford and HBS - are very much interested in exactly "who you are" as an applicant. In fact, they ask you a very open-ended question for several reasons. The first is if you can stare down ambiguity and be confident in your approach. The second is your ability to focus on a specific moment in time that transformed you. The third is that the adcom really wants to see that who you are as a person is directly correlated to who you are as a professional. Are you that person?
So even if you have done everything well in your life, in order for you to have a shot at Harvard or Stanford, you need to be able to examine and then articulate a formative event in your life that demonstrates how you came to hold most dear the values norms and beliefs that define you. If you can identify and write about this "moment in time", only then will the admissions committee understand you and the forces that ultimately move you and your involvements in the CSR and women empowerment initiatives offer me a glance into what might motivate you.
If I were your consultant, we would focus on the personal story – one that might've occurred during undergrad, for example – that changed how you see the world. It would be an example that took you from being perhaps an introverted shy teenager to a confident woman. If you can establish this, as well as the personal passion/involvement to support your "aspirational" goals, then you can probably get an invite to interview at Harvard or Stanford.
If you want to know more about the type of leadership, leaders and people that I'm talking about, I would encourage you to read the book "the moral advantage" by Stanford Professor Bill Damon. He lays out pretty clearly the type of business leader/person that Stanford GSB is looking for. With respect to putting this down on paper, I will borrow a page from Derrick Bolton – the head of admissions for Stanford GSB. I'm paraphrasing here, but he offers up advice on what to do and what not to do as an applicant. He stresses that most applicants focus on answering the "how" questions — 'how I survived, how I got ahead, how I made a name for myself'. However, he then states that applicants usually forget they need to answer the "why" questions that are more essential for finding and staying on the best course - "Why I pursued this objective? Why I behaved in this manner? Why aspire to this kind of life? Why I became this type of person?" Stanford GSB believes that answering these "why" questions Is essential for them to understand why you strive for your highest aspirations and truest interests. It's a rather difficult process, one where you must build self-awareness to connect the dots in your life.
Also, I would read our blog posts on Stanford GSB and download our guides as well. That should get you pointed in the right direction. Again (GMAT aside), I do believe you'd be competitive at the top five school including Stanford and Harvard, if you can extract what really matters to you and get it down on paper in a credible way.
Anyway, I will get off my soapbox now. If you would like to speak over the phone for an hour or so on an initial consultation, please email me at [email protected]. Please reference this conversation and ask for me.
Respectfully,
Paul Lanzillotti
Thanks for reaching out to me. Let's see if I can do your profile some justice.
First thing I need to know is your GMAT score. I don't know if you omitted it by mistake or if you have not taken the test yet. But for the purposes of this evaluation I will assume that you are able to get a 720. I picked that number because that is about the average for any of the top 10 business schools in the United States.
For what it's worth, I actually have a Client right now that fits your profile – roughly. She went to a top-tier program in India, and has also done very well at work. On a personal level, she has a very great story – personal story – that she walked a few admissions committees through on her essays. It worked because she got the interview at HBS and am hoping that she will also be able to get the interview at Stanford GSB.
I bring this up because if you can get a 720, I believe that you should be applying to the top five or so schools in the United States. There are enough similarities between your profiles. Of course this would include Harvard, Stanford and Wharton.
It seems like your work experience has been solid. I am assuming you bring up the eight weeks of travel because very few in your group are able to be selected for travel. So it's more or less of an award. Perhaps I'm making too much of an assumption here but I am also going to assume that pricing insurance and the development of Consumer insurance products in India Is a bit of a developing field. Granted I know nothing about insurance in India, but if you are on the cutting edge of analytics and pricing, this would also make for a good story.
Your grades are in order as well. Everything looks excellent from an undergraduate performance perspective. Your extracurriculars have a women empowerment element to them, as well as community service element to them. This is all good for reasons that go beyond your gender. Let me explain!
These two programs in particular - Stanford and HBS - are very much interested in exactly "who you are" as an applicant. In fact, they ask you a very open-ended question for several reasons. The first is if you can stare down ambiguity and be confident in your approach. The second is your ability to focus on a specific moment in time that transformed you. The third is that the adcom really wants to see that who you are as a person is directly correlated to who you are as a professional. Are you that person?
So even if you have done everything well in your life, in order for you to have a shot at Harvard or Stanford, you need to be able to examine and then articulate a formative event in your life that demonstrates how you came to hold most dear the values norms and beliefs that define you. If you can identify and write about this "moment in time", only then will the admissions committee understand you and the forces that ultimately move you and your involvements in the CSR and women empowerment initiatives offer me a glance into what might motivate you.
If I were your consultant, we would focus on the personal story – one that might've occurred during undergrad, for example – that changed how you see the world. It would be an example that took you from being perhaps an introverted shy teenager to a confident woman. If you can establish this, as well as the personal passion/involvement to support your "aspirational" goals, then you can probably get an invite to interview at Harvard or Stanford.
If you want to know more about the type of leadership, leaders and people that I'm talking about, I would encourage you to read the book "the moral advantage" by Stanford Professor Bill Damon. He lays out pretty clearly the type of business leader/person that Stanford GSB is looking for. With respect to putting this down on paper, I will borrow a page from Derrick Bolton – the head of admissions for Stanford GSB. I'm paraphrasing here, but he offers up advice on what to do and what not to do as an applicant. He stresses that most applicants focus on answering the "how" questions — 'how I survived, how I got ahead, how I made a name for myself'. However, he then states that applicants usually forget they need to answer the "why" questions that are more essential for finding and staying on the best course - "Why I pursued this objective? Why I behaved in this manner? Why aspire to this kind of life? Why I became this type of person?" Stanford GSB believes that answering these "why" questions Is essential for them to understand why you strive for your highest aspirations and truest interests. It's a rather difficult process, one where you must build self-awareness to connect the dots in your life.
Also, I would read our blog posts on Stanford GSB and download our guides as well. That should get you pointed in the right direction. Again (GMAT aside), I do believe you'd be competitive at the top five school including Stanford and Harvard, if you can extract what really matters to you and get it down on paper in a credible way.
What the Stanford GSB Wants - a True Moral Compass — Amerasia Consulting Group Blog https://www.amerasiaconsulting.com/blog/ ... al-compass
Applying to Stanford GSB? Get to know Garth Saloner, Derrick Bolton and the "Moral Advantage" — Amerasia Consulting Group Blog https://www.amerasiaconsulting.com/blog/ ... -advantage
Do you pass Stanford GSB's smell test? — Amerasia Consulting Group Blog https://www.amerasiaconsulting.com/blog/ ... smell-test
A Tip for Applying to HBS - "don't overthink, overcraft and overwrite" — Amerasia Consulting Group Blog https://www.amerasiaconsulting.com/blog/ ... -overwrite
Download: How to Apply to the Stanford GSB Guide and how to Apply to HBS Guide https://www.amerasiaconsulting.com/mba-school-guides/
Anyway, I will get off my soapbox now. If you would like to speak over the phone for an hour or so on an initial consultation, please email me at [email protected]. Please reference this conversation and ask for me.
Respectfully,
Paul Lanzillotti
Ph0enix
10 Oct 2016, 19:43
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hey Ph0enix:
I just wanted to make sure that I provided you very specific answers to the five questions that you asked me.
1. Based on the limited information that I have, your profile does fare better than the rest of your demographic. I can't say this with 100% certainty, but it does appear that you are doing incrementally better than the rest of your highly competitive pool. You know from talking about.
2. Authenticity. You need to come off as introspective and self-aware in your application. That's only way you're going to crack HBS and Stanford. It's a tough thing to verbalize here in so many words. But you have to come off as a person who knows themselves very well, and what drives their sincerest interests, passions and aspirations.
I don't think you need to sign up for anymore initiatives or Win anymore awards at work. I don't think that you need any more community involvement. I do think that you need to get at least the average score on the GMAT for whatever school you're applying to.
3. No, not really. This might be hard to believe but schools like Stanford and Harvard aren't interested in how many certifications you may have. What difference does it make if you are certified in insurance? what is that have to do with the leadership characteristics at the school is looking for? What is it have to do with you being an introspective person? What does it really have to do with you being the type of person who will achieve what it is they say they will achieve – some type of aspiration to change the world. I'll put it another way – they really don't care if you're that much smarter than the next smartest person. Of course you have to be smart and motivated, but that's the baseline. Qualifications in insurance and data science may help you at schools from Wharton on down, but the real goal here for you should be Stanford GSB and Harvard. You can crack these schools with the right message and essays.
4. When you say "onshore", do you mean in the United States or the EU? If so, yes this would definitely help. If you have the opportunity, I don't care for how long – a few weeks or a few years – Grab the opportunity and run with it. I would say that this would be the most important thing you can do – besides getting a monster GMAT score – that would help you at Harvard and Stanford, and for that matter, all the way down the line.
5. You should aim for top five or six schools. Not sure if I made that clear, but Harvard and Stanford should be your top prize.
Respectfully,
Paul Lanzillotti
I just wanted to make sure that I provided you very specific answers to the five questions that you asked me.
1. Based on the limited information that I have, your profile does fare better than the rest of your demographic. I can't say this with 100% certainty, but it does appear that you are doing incrementally better than the rest of your highly competitive pool. You know from talking about.
2. Authenticity. You need to come off as introspective and self-aware in your application. That's only way you're going to crack HBS and Stanford. It's a tough thing to verbalize here in so many words. But you have to come off as a person who knows themselves very well, and what drives their sincerest interests, passions and aspirations.
I don't think you need to sign up for anymore initiatives or Win anymore awards at work. I don't think that you need any more community involvement. I do think that you need to get at least the average score on the GMAT for whatever school you're applying to.
3. No, not really. This might be hard to believe but schools like Stanford and Harvard aren't interested in how many certifications you may have. What difference does it make if you are certified in insurance? what is that have to do with the leadership characteristics at the school is looking for? What is it have to do with you being an introspective person? What does it really have to do with you being the type of person who will achieve what it is they say they will achieve – some type of aspiration to change the world. I'll put it another way – they really don't care if you're that much smarter than the next smartest person. Of course you have to be smart and motivated, but that's the baseline. Qualifications in insurance and data science may help you at schools from Wharton on down, but the real goal here for you should be Stanford GSB and Harvard. You can crack these schools with the right message and essays.
4. When you say "onshore", do you mean in the United States or the EU? If so, yes this would definitely help. If you have the opportunity, I don't care for how long – a few weeks or a few years – Grab the opportunity and run with it. I would say that this would be the most important thing you can do – besides getting a monster GMAT score – that would help you at Harvard and Stanford, and for that matter, all the way down the line.
5. You should aim for top five or six schools. Not sure if I made that clear, but Harvard and Stanford should be your top prize.
Respectfully,
Paul Lanzillotti
Ph0enix
11 Oct 2016, 20:44
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi Paul
This is Vikas Kumar age -29 years , by seeing your elaborate response to Phoenix I would like to take a call on my profile as well
Professional experience
Working with leading Indian IT services provider as a delivery service manager . Currently located in New Jersey on work visa working for Fortune 500 client and giving services related to IT infra security , risk and compliance. Managing team of more than 40 professionals across the world.
I am having more than 60 months of professional experience and before moving into delivery role I was working as pre sales consultant and worked on solution designing , solution preparation and presentation and traveled extensively for countries like U.K, Hong Kong , Ireland , United States , Dubai and Bangkok for various solution presentations and business meetings.
The organization I am working with is my first organization and In these 5 years I have won numerous awards with organization like - performer of the year, catalyst of the year , debutant of the year and few more to be named.
Right throughout in my current organization I have received 3 promotions and top performance ratings.
Educational background
1- I have already done a masters from tier A college and have done MBA in IT after which I got campus placement where I am still working
2- Got 6.5 /10 as pointer (cgpa) in MBA
3- graduation - I have done Graduation in engineering in electronics and communication and was a mediocre student and scored 6.5/10 as cgpa with couple of papers got backlogged in different semester
3- XII - I scored 69.6 %age with 75% age and above in physics and mathematics
4- X - scored 75% with 80% and above in science and maths
Extra curricular
1- have been associated with ngo in india and helped with few donations
2- research paper got published in national journal - title was viability of e tailing in Indian market
3- won award in uno level green Olympiad at school level
4- won award in zonal level competition for youth parliament competition at school level
Reason of doing another MBA
1- I want to learn fundamentals of entrepreneurship as in economies like india or growing economies like Africa you really need people with entrepreneurship skills and learning these skills from schools like Harvard , Wharton or booth gives you great exposure with practical or case study based study approach that these schools follow
2- I would be straight here and the reason is that I want the experience of studying at top b school in us , this may sound crazy or awkward or not so good to be a reason but it is a prominent reason for me
I wanted to give you crisp information about my profile and if you think you need further details I can give that
PS- I am preparing for gmat and would be great if you can guide that my profile is fit for a top 10 b school and what score should I target , my target is to get at least anything around 700
Regards
Vikas
Sent from my iPhone using GMAT Club Forum mobile app
This is Vikas Kumar age -29 years , by seeing your elaborate response to Phoenix I would like to take a call on my profile as well
Professional experience
Working with leading Indian IT services provider as a delivery service manager . Currently located in New Jersey on work visa working for Fortune 500 client and giving services related to IT infra security , risk and compliance. Managing team of more than 40 professionals across the world.
I am having more than 60 months of professional experience and before moving into delivery role I was working as pre sales consultant and worked on solution designing , solution preparation and presentation and traveled extensively for countries like U.K, Hong Kong , Ireland , United States , Dubai and Bangkok for various solution presentations and business meetings.
The organization I am working with is my first organization and In these 5 years I have won numerous awards with organization like - performer of the year, catalyst of the year , debutant of the year and few more to be named.
Right throughout in my current organization I have received 3 promotions and top performance ratings.
Educational background
1- I have already done a masters from tier A college and have done MBA in IT after which I got campus placement where I am still working
2- Got 6.5 /10 as pointer (cgpa) in MBA
3- graduation - I have done Graduation in engineering in electronics and communication and was a mediocre student and scored 6.5/10 as cgpa with couple of papers got backlogged in different semester
3- XII - I scored 69.6 %age with 75% age and above in physics and mathematics
4- X - scored 75% with 80% and above in science and maths
Extra curricular
1- have been associated with ngo in india and helped with few donations
2- research paper got published in national journal - title was viability of e tailing in Indian market
3- won award in uno level green Olympiad at school level
4- won award in zonal level competition for youth parliament competition at school level
Reason of doing another MBA
1- I want to learn fundamentals of entrepreneurship as in economies like india or growing economies like Africa you really need people with entrepreneurship skills and learning these skills from schools like Harvard , Wharton or booth gives you great exposure with practical or case study based study approach that these schools follow
2- I would be straight here and the reason is that I want the experience of studying at top b school in us , this may sound crazy or awkward or not so good to be a reason but it is a prominent reason for me
I wanted to give you crisp information about my profile and if you think you need further details I can give that
PS- I am preparing for gmat and would be great if you can guide that my profile is fit for a top 10 b school and what score should I target , my target is to get at least anything around 700
Regards
Vikas
Sent from my iPhone using GMAT Club Forum mobile app
