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prashok
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The London Business School 2009 thread 16 Nov 2008, 23:01
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As an anecdote, my GPA is just below 3.05. I had very inconsistent academic performance due to family reasons though, so I made sure to explain that in my optional essay.
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The London Business School 2009 thread 17 Nov 2008, 04:50
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bsd_lover
Hi botiv. Good to hear from you. LBS MiF GMAT scores tend to be higher. This is because MiF is presumably a more intense experience.Having said that, if they've asked you to retake, do retake. Dont risk disobeying them (the request is more like an order). This year is far more competitive than last year and your low verbal + AWA is probably a red flag with adcom.

I think you'll be in a great position if you do nail the V and reapply R3(even 35 should see you hope, but aim for 40)..

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bsd_lover, thanks for a feedback! Although my application for 07 intake was for MiF, currently I am considering to apply for MBA. That is why I was (conviniently) inclined to think that what was not acceptable for MiF may be acceptable for MBA. Having said that, I will retake GMAT to make sure I am not unnecessarily risking my chance of acceptance.

I will PM you in a minute - I would appreciate your response to it.
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The London Business School 2009 thread 17 Nov 2008, 04:58
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np - pm me ..
botirvoy

bsd_lover, thanks for a feedback! Although my application for 07 intake was for MiF, currently I am considering to apply for MBA. That is why I was (conviniently) inclined to think that what was not acceptable for MiF may be acceptable for MBA. Having said that, I will retake GMAT to make sure I am not unnecessarily risking my chance of acceptance.

I will PM you in a minute - I would appreciate your response to it.
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aviroop
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The London Business School 2009 thread 17 Nov 2008, 19:24
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got dinged without interview, but got a very strange email from them with the ding.. here is the excerpt..

"Members of the Admissions Committee have now carefully considered your application. It is with regret that I have been asked by the Committee to inform you that they are not able to offer you a place on the MBA Programme this year.

However, the Committee has asked me to advise you that they would welcome a re-application from you in the future when you have a greater number of years relevant work experience. Please note that the Committee asks only a very small number of candidates to reapply in this way.

This invitation indicates their feeling that you show strong promise of being a great London Business School candidate in the future. The MBA Admissions Committee has asked me to advise you that their current decision is final and confidential. Therefore, no appeals can be considered and we are unable to enter into individual feedback."

well i would have only 3 years of WE when I would join school in 09, so I guess that hurt my chance. But I am glad to know that my only barrier to admit is WE.. so I will wait out and then reapply later.

Besides, I am already in PE. I dont know if I should go to school now, given that all the Ibanks and Hedge funds I talk to regularly are laying off people like there is no tomorrow....
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The London Business School 2009 thread 17 Nov 2008, 19:27
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that's odd i'll only have 3 years of experience by next fall and i got an interview...
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The London Business School 2009 thread 17 Nov 2008, 20:24
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hmm, it is possible that i am a career changer (before going to school). i moved from audit to PE in renewable energy & infrastructure. Is that a possibility? mebbe LBS wants me to get a few more years of WE in my new career before I head to B school.
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The London Business School 2009 thread 17 Nov 2008, 21:26
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that's possible. what were your other stats?
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The London Business School 2009 thread 17 Nov 2008, 23:51
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undergrad - civil engineering from india gpa 7.89/10.00
USA -masters in civil engineering with minor in statistics gpa 3.7
USA - masters in engineering management with core focus in operations research gpa 3.5

worked in big 4 accounting for 2 years in their audit and advisory group.. 1 year audit, 1 year business outsourcing consulting in California

now in Singapore working in PE firm in renewable energy, corp fin division as senior associate, mostly in equity research and M&A transaction, plus the regular mingle-dingle with clients and banks to raise equity.

extra curriculars - minor, worked as intern in london in cancer research UK during job transition. looked into non profit sector but did not find good leads. Travel a lot so, tons of international experience and exposure. motorcycling freak and formed a amateur racing team.

gmat - 740 v 44, quant 48
29 m, indian, lived abroad most of my life in asia - Japan, and usa.

my 2 profile weakenesses - already have 2 masters degree (one is engineering mgmt, which overlaps with core B school curriculum, ex courses like accounting, business statistics, financial engineering, project mgmt, risk mgmt), so i look like a degree collector.

lack of work exp - obviously if i had not spent 2 years studying, i could have worked those 2 extra years which are now coming to haunt me!!!!..

speak english (default), japanese, spanish, hindi, bengali, french, broken german and now learning mandarin.

so looking to bulk up on my WE. Seems I will re-apply 2010-2011. Follow up with LBS to get an idea of sorts. Think its a good idea?
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The London Business School 2009 thread 18 Nov 2008, 02:29
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avi - I am really sorry to hear this - low WE has hurt you for sure. But them suggesting that you reapply can only be a good sign. They told me that they'd give me special consideration this year - and they did - its not from a ding template. So, if you're looking for a school that will consider you seriously in a couple of years, LBS will be it. However, I'm sure you'll get into one of the other top schools, you are a top candidate and I'm sad that I wont have you as a class mate:(
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The London Business School 2009 thread 18 Nov 2008, 08:08
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no worries mate..

ya its a blessing in disguise... i will re apply later when things look sane.

btw.. HSBC just laid off a juge chunk of its london i banking division today.... including new folks who joined in from B schools.. its getting nasty out there.
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The London Business School 2009 thread 18 Nov 2008, 10:19
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aviroop
no worries mate..

ya its a blessing in disguise... i will re apply later when things look sane.

btw.. HSBC just laid off a juge chunk of its london i banking division today.... including new folks who joined in from B schools.. its getting nasty out there.
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tough luck Avi, your ding email was far better than mine. They didn't show me any remorse :(

As far as IB goes. Today I am at a client site (large IB division) and I am kidding you not, the crates are out - presumably for staff to put stuff into. It's getting really ugly here in London.
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The London Business School 2009 thread 18 Nov 2008, 21:37
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It is ugly indeed. I left London to go back to Canada where the market is seemingly much safer.
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The London Business School 2009 thread 19 Nov 2008, 03:58
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another brutal and **** day in the markets today - 2 more friends of mine lost their jobs in IB and private banking. Will go out with them for some grief counseling.

I am very good in motivating people and showing them the light at the end of the tunnel. kind of been there and done that already, so I am being a default expert.

I am racking a lot of brownie points in being a good samaritian so heavenly abode is secured. Now time to invest in some beer stocks, drink with my job loss friends and have a devilishly wild Wednesday. At this rate, I am losing more money on beer than on stocks.

bsd - I mite be still in London. And if things work out, I mite look into the part time programs also. So I may not be your class mate, but can still be your city mate. you do the networking for me, I find the party places for you.
buff, gang and other on this board - the same holds for you. If i am back in london, will holla up all of you guys.
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The London Business School 2009 thread 20 Nov 2008, 09:05
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Are any other Americans ecstatic about the exchange rate? $1.4778 USD to 1 GBP. Unheard of. When I was in London a few years ago it was hovering between $1.8 - $1.9. I may actually have to apply to LBS now :)

The fees and tuition for the full 2 years are $67,239. This is a bargain compared to the American schools! It's even cheaper than UCLA's in-state rate.

Does anyone else foresee a huge spike in Round 2 applications due to this?
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The London Business School 2009 thread 20 Nov 2008, 14:51
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That really is an excellent observation (too bad the Australian dollar has gone the other way). You may be right about more applications - not just because of the "bargain factor" but because schools in America are that extra bit tougher to get into this year.

Do apply agold :)

agold
Are any other Americans ecstatic about the exchange rate? $1.4778 USD to 1 GBP. Unheard of. When I was in London a few years ago it was hovering between $1.8 - $1.9. I may actually have to apply to LBS now :)

The fees and tuition for the full 2 years are $67,239. This is a bargain compared to the American schools! It's even cheaper than UCLA's in-state rate.

Does anyone else foresee a huge spike in Round 2 applications due to this?
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The London Business School 2009 thread 20 Nov 2008, 18:08
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agold
Are any other Americans ecstatic about the exchange rate? $1.4778 USD to 1 GBP. Unheard of. When I was in London a few years ago it was hovering between $1.8 - $1.9. I may actually have to apply to LBS now :)

The fees and tuition for the full 2 years are $67,239. This is a bargain compared to the American schools! It's even cheaper than UCLA's in-state rate.

Does anyone else foresee a huge spike in Round 2 applications due to this?
Show more

I was thinking about this as well. If I get into any British schools and decide to matriculate, I was wondering if I can expedite loans and have them disburse immediately in case the exchange rate reverses in the near future.

For once, I'm happy that I'm paid in USD and live/work in Australia and Asia... 8-)
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The London Business School 2009 thread 20 Nov 2008, 18:11
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the pound has been hovering around the 1.5 mark for a month now. But I dont know if this will be an added stimulus. If you are going to study on a student loan, and unless u hedge the pound at 1.47 against the dollar, knowing that 2 years later u will be paying off the loan at that exchange rate, then it makes a great benefit.
Else it doesnt make much sense, since the dollar has to come down once the markets stabilize. And that will wipe out the perceived savings.
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The London Business School 2009 thread 20 Nov 2008, 23:41
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Good point, aviroop -- I'm not 100% sure, but I thought with our American federal and Stafford loans, the amount is loaned and paid back in dollars, even for international schools -- hence the reason I would want to convert to pounds with an early disbursement out to LBS while the rate is as it is. But you're right that if the loan is in pounds, the exchange rate is only going to matter at the time of repayment.
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The London Business School 2009 thread 21 Nov 2008, 09:06
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Another advantage of London at the moment is that the rental market has crashed a bit. I suspect it will be a lot cheaper to rent a flat when people flee the capital.
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The London Business School 2009 thread 22 Nov 2008, 08:17
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Hey Guys,

I just started browsing for lbs application. I am from India, yet another IT guy. This post gave me more insights into lbs application process. Thanks for posting useful information.

I am planning to apply for R2. I am going to start working on my essays. Any suggestions would be really helpful regarding the Essay for International experience.

My profile is :

Gmat score - 640 (v32 q47 awa 5).
work ex - around 30 months, working in a top internet firm.
extra curricular - strong.
Essays/Recos - trying to make them strong.
education - 78/100.

My problem is low gmat score and since I am from india, the applicant pool is pretty large. Any suggestions would be more than welcome.

Anyone else is planning to apply for R2, best of luck.

~ashish
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