Quantitative Marketing

Question

Hi All,
 I am Somak, planning to apply in quantitative marketing for Fall 2006. Let me give a little background about myself. I did my B.Tech from IIT, then MS from Gerge Washington University. Had to come back to India for family reasons. Currently working for IBm Global Services after a year with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Both the places I worked as a Consultant in IT field. I mean not a coder but in the fields like SAP. I always wanted to perform research in management, but its still not very late I hope (I am 27 now). Mathematics was always my fav. Qualified for RMO (Regional Mathematics Olympiad) and appeared in the National level. Got an admission in Indian Statistical institute (ISI) too. I also like marketing a lot, mainly the theory part. Hence my decision to join the doctoral program in Quantitative Marketing. What do others say ? Is my decision right ?

Also please suggest me what shall I say in the interview or in the SOP regarding this decision ? I mean, from core technlogy, to IT consulting (not that technical) to quantitative marketing. Will only "my love for mathematics and marketing" suffice ? What do you people think will add more value ? 
 I also have performed research in my Masters Thesis (a DARPA funded one) and its also a quantitative one, though in the field of Computer Networks. So will mentioning this also help ?
 My recommenders are also asking what to write ? What shall I suggest them in general ? I know they should highlight my research interests, but what else ?

I hope I am being too long. Sorry for it guys. 
Just waiting for your suggestions.

Sameer I have seen your good suggestions for others. Can you please help me out also ?

Thanks a lot in advance guys!!!

PS: Appearing for GMAT this September

tunape · Answer

Hi Somak,

I'll take the first plunge. I graduated in B.S. in EE and CS(and almost another major in Bus/IT), started my own company, then joined a big online retailer. There, I decided I want to go back into academia and business, but in what, I didn't know. I knew I liked a few things - math(and hence econ), technology, and an interest in marketing.

I was fortunate enough to find a (albeit low-paying) research position in marketing at a top tier school for a summer. That opportunity lead to good connections, contacts, and advice from my advisor there. He pointed out the possible paths I could take to study, and also what I wanted to do for a career path - econs, IT, and marketing. All three had topics which are relevant to my interest, and it was up to me to determine which I wanted to do. I researched about those fields, and decided to go for marketing.

In my SOP and talking with my recommenders, I try to convey why I chose marketing, and even a brief synposis on the process I took to come to that conclusion. I truly believe that the combination of research experience, and knowing WHY I choose marketing over other options(including not going to a PhD program at all) that helped me gain admissions to a top tier program. My scores are not stellar, but one of my recommenders from the research project helped tremendously.

I guess the only other advice is to try to put yourself in the admissions shoes. They are experienced application readers who are well informed about the subject, and know what to look for. They have 60-100 applicants each year(compounded by X years) for 1-2 positions. Some go directly to the recycle bin(bad scores, bad gpa, bottom tier school, etc...), some need to take a closer look, and about a dozen or so are strong candidates. The question then becomes, why marketing(or any specific field, he/she know what it's about?), why school X, does this candidate truly know what he/she is getting into?(high drop out rates), and is the candidate the best fit for the department/school/research? If you were taking applications, what would you look for? Perhaps that's the first true test of marketing - marketing yourself!

good luck!

somakh · Answer

Can you guys please help me out by providing names of nearabout 10 schools worth applying for Quantitative Marketing, I mean from very good to moderate to ok types (sure-shot-admission ones). The list might go beyond 50 ranking, not a problem.

Thanks a lot for your help in advance. Sameer, Anupag, anuanand, solutions, BB and otehrs .... please advise!!!

Praetorian · Answer

hello Somakh

I am sure someone can give you names, but that really wont do you any good. More than the school, you should look at people, the faculty at that school, their recent publications.

I dont know too much about Marketing Ph.D, but if you can, review journals like marketing science to see what kind of quant research is done in marketing. See what professor's papers you like and go from there.

I think the best way to sell yourself to the academic job market is to publish a paper in an A journal before you even graduate from the Ph.D program. B journal publications are cool too, but an A hit would change your life as far as opportunities are concerned. Its extremely hard to do so, but its worth the effort. 

You need to do your own research about schools. Its extremely important that you and the department share similar goals. 

For one thing, if you are interested in a area that no one else in working in at your school, it would be very hard to publish if you want to do so while you are in your Ph.D. 

Secondly, the most rewarding aspect of a PhD program is the close interaction with faculty, that have been through what you are going through and have worked their way through the system. If you share similar interests, you will learn a lot from the faculty and i am sure they will learn from you. 

I cannot emphasize this enough. Sure, your interests might change, but overall, you should be happy with what the school has to offer in terms of faculty, course work, learning environment and money. And these are things that are really your decision. 


Praetorian

soulutions · Answer

Somakh--

Take a look at the following schools for Quantitative marketing:

U Chicago
Yale
NYU
Carnegie Mellon
U Pennsylvania
Ohio State
U Michigan
U Florida
UT Dallas
U Utah
UCLA

There are lots of other great schools, but these are a few that I found really interesting. They are definitely worth a closer look.

Good luck with your applications!

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