Seeking guidance on selecting good fit B school

Question

Hello experts,

Hope you all are doing well and keeping safe.

I am confused in picking a B school that fits my profile. Moreover, recent news pertaining to a recession at the corner makes me feel perplexed in choosing perfect time to get admit.

My education and past experiences:
- Petroleum Engineer (Bachelors of Technology - 2011-15) - 8.65/10
- 4 years at an oil & gas Exploration and Production company - GSPC Ltd, India (joined as GET, then Production Engineer followed by Installation manager)
- 2.5 years at an Oil Field Service company - Halliburton worldwide Ltd. (Joined as fields Technical professionals leading pilot projects, then moved to Business Development team)
- 1.5 years at an Investment Banking at JP Morgan (Mumbai) as a Subject Matter Manager expert.

GMAT score: 680 dated 29th Dec, 2022

Points that confuse me:
1. Which country to choose for an MBA? - Canada / UK / India
2. Should I wait to let the recession phase pass?

My purpose for an MBA:
Having completing a niche engineering discipline and having work in different domain of oil and gas industry, I aim to extend my career to a broader horizon. I wish to transform my career to consulting sector with focus of developing data analytics skills.

Could you please guide on how to steer my journey to pick a best fit B schol?

Looking forward to get your responses.

With gratitude,
Himanshu Patel

Posted from my mobile device

MG4MBACrystalBall · Answer

pchimanshu27 ,

A few thoughts on your profile evaluation and dilemmas:
   The academic arc is a bit tough to judge. While the GPA looks decent, how is the pedigree of your college? The GMAT score can be a handicap depending on the range of schools you are targeting. One can usually add 20-30 points to a given school's average to get a sense of the Indian GMAT average. Any plans for a retake? 
  The professional profile looks quite interesting and the transition to IB can make for a fairly unique pitch. Consulting doesn't appear linear from that and the overall story will have to be thought through well though.  
  For reasons mentioned  here , we don't speculate on school selection or chances. That being said, typically recession is the time when candidates head back to school in greater numbers.  
    Top schools value ECs  . Anything on this front?

Hope this helps and gives you the right direction.

Cheers,

MBAGuide · Answer

Hi  pchimanshu27  hope this finds you well

Your decision for MBA should take into account your personal and professional objectives, as well as your financial circumstances. If you can afford to wait and see how the employment market rebounds, especially in the American markets, you could be better off waiting. However, if you believe that an MBA is essential for your progress and learning, you could consider pursuing it now. It is up to you to evaluate the potential benefits and hazards and make the best decision for your case.

2 Cents on your profile

1. Your GMAT score is relatively mediocre. You should consider retaking the test. Why? Because you will need to demonstrate academic prowess if you ever apply to the top Indian B Schools ISB and IIM A (even as a backup).
In the United States, you could consider colleges in the Top 20-30 category or the top 5 Canadian schools where your chances of receiving a scholarship will be higher. You might want to boost your chances of receiving scholarships in the current economic climate. A high GMAT score can assist you in accomplishing this.
You can also explore further UCLA, McCombs, Rice, Duke, Kenan Flagler if you aspire to seek opportunities in the energy sector in the USA.

2. It is unclear what your area of expertise is in your current position at JPM. It would be fascinating to see if you can connect it with your previous trajectory and make your story more coherent. Almost all post-MBA professions place a strong emphasis on data analytics and data-driven decision-making. I would rather you look at your larger vision and consider what type of problem and industry you want to solve after you get your MBA.

Feel free to get in touch should you need more insights.

Best wishes

MBAandBeyond · Answer

Hey pchimanshu27 , Thanks for sharing your profile. To begin with, your work experience seems strong enough to go for an MBA at this phase. You also seem to have a decent GMAT score to target top global B-schools. I would suggest you to go for top global schools as they help you get amazing international exposure and bring value to your profile. We have recently helped one of our applicants from the oil and gas industry get admits from top schools like CBS, Yale, NYU and Fuqua with a 40k $ scholarship. Coming to your second question about recession, An MBA is the real deal. You might have second thoughts about going for it because of the economic slowdown, but you must conduct a more comprehensive analysis with a wider time frame. The certainty of the short term recession should not influence your decisions. You might want to consider a long-term trajectory, and think on how an MBA will help you grow in the long run. Also by the time you complete your MBA, the economy will hopefully be back on track and you would find enormous opportunities to grow. We have recently share some insight on this topic, you can take a look here. Overall, you seem a strong applicant. We would like to know a few details about your profile including your ECs, detailed work experience and other academic accolades in order to give you a thorough evaluation. Hence, If you’d like, we are happy to get on a call with you to discuss your profile in length and further chances to the schools. We have a 100% success rate for Oil & Gas professionals, you can check more success stories here. Feel free to schedule a call with us at your convenience. Cheers! Neha Hadke Strategy Manager Testimonials Meet our Panel of Consultants. Email: neha@mbaandbeyond.com

Seeking guidance on selecting good fit B school

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