Profile Review

Question

- Male, 28, Indian

- GMAT: 780 (Q51,V47)

- Undergrad from India - First class with distinction. MS from Top California state school, GPA 3.6. Teaching experience with commendation.

- Worked 2 years in Process engg. in lighting industry. Obtained my six sigma green belt.
- 2 years in Semiconductors in LA area. Project management and technical responsibilities. Promoted after first year.
- Currently managing operations at a food manufacturing unit in India. Immediate productivity impacts. Obtained international food safety certification in 2 months of taking over.

- Extracurriculars: Avid Snowboarder. Aspiring part-time screenwriter (attended courses) and was one of 250 (out of 1500) selected to workshop conducted by a respected filmmaker.

- Post MBA Long Term: Strategy/Management in consumer goods/media.
- Post MBA Short term: Mgt Cons. (Preferred city Chicago, Boston, NY)

- Considering HBS, Kellogg, Booth and Stern in R1 (Yea, I'm swinging for a fence the size of the green monster. I get it! :-D

)

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swbluedevil · Answer

I hope you don't get offended, because I can be a little blunt. I don't really see anything in your profile that really stands out and I'm not seeing much of the "wow" factor that is necessary for HBS. Your ECs are interesting, but they don't really show much leadership potential. I mean, there's nothing in your profile that will keep you out of the schools you're targeting, but it's up to you to produce some spectacular essays that will get you in. Otherwise, you're just going to be one of the many Indian/Male/IT/Engineering applicants with a high GMAT who are hoping to get into the a top school to be a management consultant. Have you tried posting this in the admissions consultants forum? Good luck.

Deepauk · Answer

This was sort of the kick in the pants I was looking for actually. I believed(still do actually, might just be naive) my work experience should address the leadership portion of the essay. I know HBS is a stretch but thought I would take a chance and apply. Wasn't aware that it was available for free. Will put the same details up there. Thanks for the feedback, Guess I'll have to write an "Obama race-relations speech" of an essay.

swbluedevil · Answer

Of course each candidate is greater than the sum of the parts of their profile. Since we're not able to read the OP's essays we're not able to gain any additional insights into his candidacy. My opinion was based solely on what he posted just as the adcom's perception of the OP's candidacy will be based on the information he presents in his application.

I never claimed there was a wow factor to my profile. I'm probably your typical military officer with a deployment under my belt who is looking to business school to transition back to civilian life. But feel free to comment on my profile- I posted it in the peer review and Ask MBAApply forums. I appreciate the insights given by the posters on this forum and do not take offense to candid opinions.

But, ultimately, what's important here is the OP found my opinion to be useful (i.e. "This was sort of the kick in the pants I was looking for actually"). Good luck on your apps.

swbluedevil · Answer

Absolutely it's free. Check out the BW weeks forum as well. The admissions consultants can be pretty candid though... just wanted to give you a heads up... wouldn't want anyone on the forum to get their feelings hurt.

Deepauk · Answer

I think I'm a little guilty of omission as well. I did have ECs in College but left them out as it seemed too long ago. Plus I haven't been very descriptive of my work ex in India - the unit I manage is in a sort of remote location and I've done a bit (through the company of course) to improve worker welfare etc... These will, of course, figure in my essays.

Thanks for the heads up on the admissions consultants. Have posted there with a few more details.

Thanks for the heads up on the admissions consultants. Have posted there with a few more details.

Class2012 · Answer

Hi Deepak

You do have something unique when compared with other Indian applicants.I feel you have a shot at all schools you listed if you can execute your essays well.

swbluedevil · Answer

Yeah that's definitely good stuff there... taking care of your people is a huge leadership trait. How long have you been out of college and what activities did you participate in while you were in school? Did you have any ECs while you were getting your masters?

You went into pretty good detail about your academics and now we're starting to learn more about your leadership abilities at work too. This is good because your academics/intellectual ability box is essentially checked off. I'd focus on creating good stories for your essays so you can articulate what makes you unique and differentiates you from your competitors (especially in your demographic).

Now another very important question... why management consulting? How can you tie your past experiences and interests to show the adcoms that you are genuinely interested in that career field? It's completely understandable if you change your mind once you start business school, but for the sake of your essays, you have to show a coherent, well-reasoned explanation for why you want to pursue management consulting and how school X will enable you to achieve your goals.

Deepauk · Answer

Class2012 - Thanks. Fabulous Essays seem to be the general Mantra!

swbluedevil - Went over your profile. I'm hardly qualified to judge, but I think its safe to say that the number of people in your demographic are probably much lower. Good luck with your applications!
 And you weren't kidding about the candid opinions. I guess my essays will have to get the "solid but not great" stigma washed away. Thanks for asking all these questions. It helps me explicitly state things that may have otherwise been left to assumption.

Undergrad was about 7 years ago. During my Masters' I did get involved in the Society to promote Indian Culture at UCLA. But in general it was mostly schoolwork, research and teaching. I did get a commendation for my teaching.

Why MBA? 
At my second job, I got to work at the end of a product design cycle and so had access to what new products were being designed and what new markets/customers the company was targeting etc...This got me interested in business strategy. Who makes the decision to enter these markets or design for said new customers? So decided at this point to pursue an MBA. Took the GMAT in late 2007 and was gathering information to apply in 08. This was when an offer came my way to do some good work in India.

Why Strategy consulting? What is the plan long term?
At my position in India I've had the opportunity to work in the consumer goods area. What fascinated me was the role marketing, distribution and brand management played in that sector. I would say my long term goal to lead Operations strategy at a consumer goods firm crystallized here. I thought if I joined strategy at a specific company I might restrict the number of industries I have access to. So in the short term Mgt Consulting would give exposure to multiple industries and at the end of 3-4 years I can pick the industry I am most interested in. That is the explanation in a (slightly big) nutshell.

togafoot · Answer

To be frank, a list is a list is a list and doesn't tell people all that much.
It's the process of how that list was achieved which is the key. e.g. whether someone had to battle for the opportunity to gain all their credentials vs someone who was paid to get all those credentials and the opportunity was given to them on a plate, tells a completely different story about the individuals and their achievements.

Deepauk · Answer

Thanks togafoot. I am working on the story for my essays.

wiseguyMBA · Answer

hi guys
Where is the admissions consultant thread you were talking about?
Can someone please post a link?
thanks a lot
NM

GMAT888 · Answer

I think with such a decent score and background you shouldnt have any problem. You'll probably get into the school of your dream, Good Luck!!

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