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07 Jun 2017, 08:25
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hello,
I hope you are well.
Would you be able to spend some time evaluating my profile and recommending some top schools that I should focus on?
GPA: 3.5 (from a business school in Hong Kong; majored in Finance; graduated in 2012)
Citizenship: India but have been living in Hong Kong for ~9 years now
Work: 6 Years (by the time I enroll) of institutional business development for a top investment bank (MS/GS/JP)
GMAT: 710 (Q48/V38/IR3/AW5); this is my biggest worry.
Other points to note:
- Have shown a 'habit of leadership' throughout life (high school, university, and work); see below.
- School Captain
- Overall Student Life Award at university for leadership and community integration
- Officially recognized as one of the most promising juniors in Asia (elected to sit on multiple leadership committees)
- Became responsible to cover the largest institutional clients in Asia just after 2 years at work (based on performance); our coverage even got recognized with a "best client service" award by the client directly.
- Specially selected by our international CEO of our business to lead a project based out of Asia
- Have gone through exceptional circumstances back home to reach where I am (none of my parents are educated, extremely poor background but went to one of the best high schools in Delhi, Dad passed away at an early age)
- Worked part time during university to support myself
- Don't have exceptional community service but actively mentor students at my secondary school back home and juniors at university)
- Trained for and ran a marathon
- LGBTQ
Would appreciate your thoughts on (apologies, in advance, for the long list of questions):
1) I have taken the GMAT multiple times but I am unable to do better under time constraints (and historically, this has been the case too). Is there a way I could address this? I am confident that I have the intellectual horsepower (at least for business school) when time is not a constraint.
2) What would be the ideal short-term goal for me to highlight? I am afraid that my real goal is too...different from what my current background would permit. Should I stick to a goal in the investment management industry alone? I understand that AdComs think carefully about whether a candidate will be able to achieve their immediate goal.
3) Given the Indian citizenship (Hong Kong resident for 9 years) and a relatively low GMAT, should I even target the top 10 schools? Ideally, I would really like to make it to a top 10 school - don't want to spend USD 250k(!!) anywhere else, really - but I am conscious of the competition from Indian male candidates.
4) Should I have one recommender from London and one from Hong Kong? Or do you think it would be better to have both from Hong Kong (since AdComs prefer to have people working close to you)?
5) Any 10-20 school that you would recommend for someone who wants to return to Asia? I don't want to work in the US.
Thank you your thoughts, in advance!
I hope you are well.
Would you be able to spend some time evaluating my profile and recommending some top schools that I should focus on?
GPA: 3.5 (from a business school in Hong Kong; majored in Finance; graduated in 2012)
Citizenship: India but have been living in Hong Kong for ~9 years now
Work: 6 Years (by the time I enroll) of institutional business development for a top investment bank (MS/GS/JP)
GMAT: 710 (Q48/V38/IR3/AW5); this is my biggest worry.
Other points to note:
- Have shown a 'habit of leadership' throughout life (high school, university, and work); see below.
- School Captain
- Overall Student Life Award at university for leadership and community integration
- Officially recognized as one of the most promising juniors in Asia (elected to sit on multiple leadership committees)
- Became responsible to cover the largest institutional clients in Asia just after 2 years at work (based on performance); our coverage even got recognized with a "best client service" award by the client directly.
- Specially selected by our international CEO of our business to lead a project based out of Asia
- Have gone through exceptional circumstances back home to reach where I am (none of my parents are educated, extremely poor background but went to one of the best high schools in Delhi, Dad passed away at an early age)
- Worked part time during university to support myself
- Don't have exceptional community service but actively mentor students at my secondary school back home and juniors at university)
- Trained for and ran a marathon
- LGBTQ
Would appreciate your thoughts on (apologies, in advance, for the long list of questions):
1) I have taken the GMAT multiple times but I am unable to do better under time constraints (and historically, this has been the case too). Is there a way I could address this? I am confident that I have the intellectual horsepower (at least for business school) when time is not a constraint.
2) What would be the ideal short-term goal for me to highlight? I am afraid that my real goal is too...different from what my current background would permit. Should I stick to a goal in the investment management industry alone? I understand that AdComs think carefully about whether a candidate will be able to achieve their immediate goal.
3) Given the Indian citizenship (Hong Kong resident for 9 years) and a relatively low GMAT, should I even target the top 10 schools? Ideally, I would really like to make it to a top 10 school - don't want to spend USD 250k(!!) anywhere else, really - but I am conscious of the competition from Indian male candidates.
4) Should I have one recommender from London and one from Hong Kong? Or do you think it would be better to have both from Hong Kong (since AdComs prefer to have people working close to you)?
5) Any 10-20 school that you would recommend for someone who wants to return to Asia? I don't want to work in the US.
Thank you your thoughts, in advance!
07 Jun 2017, 10:43
Kudos
Bookmarks
swadpat18
Hello,
I hope you are well.
Would you be able to spend some time evaluating my profile and recommending some top schools that I should focus on?
GPA: 3.5 (from a business school in Hong Kong; majored in Finance; graduated in 2012)
Citizenship: India but have been living in Hong Kong for ~9 years now
Work: 6 Years (by the time I enroll) of institutional business development for a top investment bank (MS/GS/JP)
GMAT: 710 (Q48/V38/IR3/AW5); this is my biggest worry.
Other points to note:
- Have shown a 'habit of leadership' throughout life (high school, university, and work); see below.
- School Captain
- Overall Student Life Award at university for leadership and community integration
- Officially recognized as one of the most promising juniors in Asia (elected to sit on multiple leadership committees)
- Became responsible to cover the largest institutional clients in Asia just after 2 years at work (based on performance); our coverage even got recognized with a "best client service" award by the client directly.
- Specially selected by our international CEO of our business to lead a project based out of Asia
- Have gone through exceptional circumstances back home to reach where I am (none of my parents are educated, extremely poor background but went to one of the best high schools in Delhi, Dad passed away at an early age)
- Worked part time during university to support myself
- Don't have exceptional community service but actively mentor students at my secondary school back home and juniors at university)
- Trained for and ran a marathon
- LGBTQ
Would appreciate your thoughts on (apologies, in advance, for the long list of questions):
1) I have taken the GMAT multiple times but I am unable to do better under time constraints (and historically, this has been the case too). Is there a way I could address this? I am confident that I have the intellectual horsepower (at least for business school) when time is not a constraint.
2) What would be the ideal short-term goal for me to highlight? I am afraid that my real goal is too...different from what my current background would permit. Should I stick to a goal in the investment management industry alone? I understand that AdComs think carefully about whether a candidate will be able to achieve their immediate goal.
3) Given the Indian citizenship (Hong Kong resident for 9 years) and a relatively low GMAT, should I even target the top 10 schools? Ideally, I would really like to make it to a top 10 school - don't want to spend USD 250k(!!) anywhere else, really - but I am conscious of the competition from Indian male candidates.
4) Should I have one recommender from London and one from Hong Kong? Or do you think it would be better to have both from Hong Kong (since AdComs prefer to have people working close to you)?
5) Any 10-20 school that you would recommend for someone who wants to return to Asia? I don't want to work in the US.
Thank you your thoughts, in advance!
I hope you are well.
Would you be able to spend some time evaluating my profile and recommending some top schools that I should focus on?
GPA: 3.5 (from a business school in Hong Kong; majored in Finance; graduated in 2012)
Citizenship: India but have been living in Hong Kong for ~9 years now
Work: 6 Years (by the time I enroll) of institutional business development for a top investment bank (MS/GS/JP)
GMAT: 710 (Q48/V38/IR3/AW5); this is my biggest worry.
Other points to note:
- Have shown a 'habit of leadership' throughout life (high school, university, and work); see below.
- School Captain
- Overall Student Life Award at university for leadership and community integration
- Officially recognized as one of the most promising juniors in Asia (elected to sit on multiple leadership committees)
- Became responsible to cover the largest institutional clients in Asia just after 2 years at work (based on performance); our coverage even got recognized with a "best client service" award by the client directly.
- Specially selected by our international CEO of our business to lead a project based out of Asia
- Have gone through exceptional circumstances back home to reach where I am (none of my parents are educated, extremely poor background but went to one of the best high schools in Delhi, Dad passed away at an early age)
- Worked part time during university to support myself
- Don't have exceptional community service but actively mentor students at my secondary school back home and juniors at university)
- Trained for and ran a marathon
- LGBTQ
Would appreciate your thoughts on (apologies, in advance, for the long list of questions):
1) I have taken the GMAT multiple times but I am unable to do better under time constraints (and historically, this has been the case too). Is there a way I could address this? I am confident that I have the intellectual horsepower (at least for business school) when time is not a constraint.
2) What would be the ideal short-term goal for me to highlight? I am afraid that my real goal is too...different from what my current background would permit. Should I stick to a goal in the investment management industry alone? I understand that AdComs think carefully about whether a candidate will be able to achieve their immediate goal.
3) Given the Indian citizenship (Hong Kong resident for 9 years) and a relatively low GMAT, should I even target the top 10 schools? Ideally, I would really like to make it to a top 10 school - don't want to spend USD 250k(!!) anywhere else, really - but I am conscious of the competition from Indian male candidates.
4) Should I have one recommender from London and one from Hong Kong? Or do you think it would be better to have both from Hong Kong (since AdComs prefer to have people working close to you)?
5) Any 10-20 school that you would recommend for someone who wants to return to Asia? I don't want to work in the US.
Thank you your thoughts, in advance!
Hi Swadpat18,
Good to see another Delhiite. Hope you are doing well. You have a solid profile there. Be ambitious and not nervous here, and approach your apps with planning, diligence, and confidence.
On your questions:
1) The situation you are in is usually the case with people when they spend too much time practicing and not enough going over the concepts again. We believe the solution lies in evaluating your performance section by section, and then strengthening concepts accordingly. This may vary a bit according to what you come up with. For example, low performance in SC is usually the result of missing concepts, while that in RC may not necessarily be so and may be more a matter of identifying different questions types, learning to discern passages quickly, and synthesizing information quickly. This is just an example, but this is what your next steps should be geared towards.
2) This would need some discussion, but overall we would suggest that you don't necessarily need to stick to what you have done so far. Yes, the feasibility will be evaluated, but that doesn't mean you need to play it safe. Can't really comment without knowing what your planned goal is.
3) Yes, you should target the top 10 schools. Your rich experience abroad, professional achievements, personal story, and leadership all point to good things for you if you can put in strong applications. You will not typically be compared with other Indian male candidates, and even if you are, you will come out ahead every time.
4) This is more a matter of the work you have done with the particular people rather than where they are based.
5) Quite a few, but depends on where you would like to work in Asia. Singapore/Hong Kong are two obvious choices given your industry, and they are Asian business hubs as well, so HKUST and INSEAD (Singapore) are great choices. In India, ISB is a good option, and in Europe, IMD, LBS, Said, and Judge, apart from INSEAD (Paris) are good options, though they will not be as Asia-centric (they will be global in their influence and impact though, including later roles in Asia). Honestly, though, given your profile and hard work so far, you should only be aiming at the top options out there.
We understand this helps only partially. Would be happy to get on a call and chat more. Feel free to drop us a direct line or to respond here with further questions or clarifications.
08 Jun 2017, 21:40
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi swadpat18,
1. Experts in GMAT will guide you better on this, but an obvious way to go about it is to identify your weak areas. I’m sure you would have already done this, but if you aren’t making progress there, then you’ve to ask ‘why’. Second, if you’re prone to silly mistakes, test yourself under more severe conditions (example: longer duration). Silly mistakes often happen because of non-attentiveness and lack of concentration because of fatigue. While you can control the former by paying more attention, you can improve on the latter by testing under longer duration, maintaining energy level, and PE.
2. Goals can be audacious, but then they need to exude credibility. (A poor articulation of career goals is one of the fastest ways to the ding list.) Remember, anyone can write audacious goals, but is there anything in your background that gives the confidence that you can achieve what you're mentioning. That’s the reason why second-time, successful entrepreneurs can raise millions of dollars only on an idea. You may find these useful: 1, 2, and 3.
3. It’s a competitive process. If you can improve your score, then go for it. Try to be above the median by few points
4. Your recommenders can be located anywhere. What matters is how well they know your work
5. While a top school can place you in most geographies, you may also consider few schools in the geography you want to work in, as recruitment at B-schools, including top ones, tend to be regional
1. Experts in GMAT will guide you better on this, but an obvious way to go about it is to identify your weak areas. I’m sure you would have already done this, but if you aren’t making progress there, then you’ve to ask ‘why’. Second, if you’re prone to silly mistakes, test yourself under more severe conditions (example: longer duration). Silly mistakes often happen because of non-attentiveness and lack of concentration because of fatigue. While you can control the former by paying more attention, you can improve on the latter by testing under longer duration, maintaining energy level, and PE.
2. Goals can be audacious, but then they need to exude credibility. (A poor articulation of career goals is one of the fastest ways to the ding list.) Remember, anyone can write audacious goals, but is there anything in your background that gives the confidence that you can achieve what you're mentioning. That’s the reason why second-time, successful entrepreneurs can raise millions of dollars only on an idea. You may find these useful: 1, 2, and 3.
3. It’s a competitive process. If you can improve your score, then go for it. Try to be above the median by few points
4. Your recommenders can be located anywhere. What matters is how well they know your work
5. While a top school can place you in most geographies, you may also consider few schools in the geography you want to work in, as recruitment at B-schools, including top ones, tend to be regional
