ashaker wrote:
Need your professional advice on this,
I took the GMAT in Jan 2007 and got a pretty good score at 770. I was planning to apply for admission into programs starting fall 2008.
I just got offered a promotion in my company, moving from sales to ops and supply chain management, getting the opportunity to manage a team of 5 ppl..and a larger bottomline. the role itself provides deeper experience in south east asia. The extra money will also be quite handy..but nothing that will help offset the cost of an mba substantially.
Here is the catch. I have not revealed to my company yet that I plan to do an mba.. If I take up this role in september, it is going to be very difficult to get a good recommendation from my new boss or my old one for applications in october.. ..also..i feel morally very obliged, coz the new boss did fight a pitched political battle for me.. I can also rely on a good recommendation from the new boss a year down the line..
My questions are as follows
1. If I Postpone the MBA to look for admission in fall 2009
- will my score be considered recent enough in 2009 ?
- does my application look significantly better with one year of managerial experience ?
2. If i quit now, and bum around for a year (want to spend some time travelling and writing, always promised myself i would spend a year doing that ) , would that hurt my mba application (which i would submit this october)
3. Would a shorter MBA program in Insead or IMD make more sense one year down the line vs the american two year program ?
Hope you can guide me !
PS : i had put up my profile here earlier..do refer to it if possible. i would really like your views on how much the promotion would improve the application.
ashaker,
Sorry for the late reply; GMAT Club has been behaving strangely for me recently. Regarding your questions:
1. Yes, it will. GMAT scores are valid for 5 years. Yes, I think the managerial experience would be a big plus.
2. Spending a year "bumming around" would weaken your application, yes. Spending it doing something unusual (e.g., social impact + international) that's connected to your long-term goals and that involves leadership would not hurt you and could help you stand out.
3. That depends on your post-MBA goals, where you want to work after the MBA, your age right now, and above all where your career is at the time you apply (i.e., maybe you don't plan to make a career switch and the two-year interruption would really set you back at your company). The 2-year degree gives you internship opportunities, which can be key for people looking to make career switches.
Good luck,