Hi Shawn,
Greetings to you. Hope you are doing well!
I am Gaurav Bansal from India. Here is a snapshot of my profile:
Age-26.5
2014 June to Present -> Working full-time as an Investment Banking Analyst (M&A) in Nomura India office (KPO)
2012 to 2014 -> 2 year full-time MBA in Capital Market from NMIMS, Mumbai (Medium of education was English) CGPA (3.50/4.00) - > Rank 2 in my batch
2010 to 2012 -> Worked full-time as a SAP BI Consultant in IBM India for SHELL (Have acknowledgement mails for my good work (23 months))
2006 to 2010 -> 4 year full-time BE in Electronics & Telecommunications from Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal University (CGPA 9.1/10.0) (Medium of education was English)
2006 -> Class 12 Score - 91%
2004 -> Class 10 Score - 90%
My LinkedIn profile is: in.linkedin.com/pub/gaurav-bansal/22/9b2/b25/
My first MBA was a specialization in Capital Market from Day 1. I feel a global MBA will help me understand businesses from an overall perspective (rather than just financial aspects) and this will help me get better opportunities in different domains such as strategy consulting, corporate finance, analytics, international business management or any other roles that you may suggest.
I am yet to start with GMAT prep. Given my background in quants and education in English I feel I can get 700+ if I work hard. I have the following questions:
1. My biggest concern: Will it be very difficult for me to get admission for a second MBA since universities may need a very strong reason for the same? Can I get some assistance here as to how to go about this?
2. I look forward to playing a more broader role in an organization rather than just in finance, so what good rewarding courses other than finance (considering investment in time and money) can I look at?
3. Assuming a score of 700+ which colleges would you recommend me as per my above profile?
4. Do you recommend a 1 year or a 2 year program for me?
5. Is it necessary to give TOEFL as well?
6. How do I start my GMAT prep if there is a good possibility of going for a second MBA?
7. If I aim for 2016 fall, then I will have 4 years of work ex. Will working in a KPO unit for 2 years (Nomura India office) hamper my admission process?
8. I have attached my resume. Adcoms must be looking at areas other than academics. Please suggest what areas other than academics shall I work upon to make a strong admission profile.
Also want to inform you, that if I continue working in Nomura till 2016 year-end, then I will be permanently posted to the London front-end office.
I am also looking for career opportunities with a broader role and a better work-life balance (currently I work 14-15 hours a day and on most of the weekends as well). I am open to different geographies but my criteria would be:
University/Course ranking (Good Placements) > Cost + Time duration (would prefer a 1 year MBA however 2 year is also fine) > Location
I look forward to your valuable guidance.
Thanks & Regards,
Gaurav Bansal.
(+91-7506017270)