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Sep 1309:30 AM EDT
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Top scores are possible when you enroll in a powerful EA course, taught live online + 6 months access to TTP OnDemand video courses included! Perfect class schedule and easy course access for working professionals. Class starts Sundays Sept. 13th.
Sep 1612:00 PM PDT
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Grab your favorite beverage and spend time chatting with Melissa Rapp, Associate Dean of Graduate Admissions, and Brian Mitchell, Associate Dean of the Full-Time MBA Program. The topic for this Coffee Chat is Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Sep 1712:00 PM EDT
-01:00 PM EDT
Virtual Roundtable Discussions connect you with prospective students, admissions team members, and student ambassadors. Ask questions, explore the student experience and life in Bloomington, and learn about the MBA program, Kelley culture, and admissions.
Sep 1708:30 PM UTC -05:30
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We’ll discuss how top programs in these regions differ in terms of career opportunities, international exposure, location, and post-MBA prospects, and what applicants should consider when building a well-balanced global MBA shortlist.
Sep 1806:00 PM PDT
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Inquire for a free profile evaluation and guarantee statement for possible admits and scholarships!
Posts: 747
Updated on: 10 Jan 2024, 08:42
Originally posted by myEssayReview on 23 Aug 2012, 11:53.
Last edited by kirstik on 10 Jan 2024, 08:42, edited 18 times in total.
Last edited by kirstik on 10 Jan 2024, 08:42, edited 18 times in total.
A Dedicated and Personalized Consulting Service for Applicants
Dear GMAT Club Members,
It is our pleasure to welcome myEssayReview to the GMAT club Forums
Want to get into your dream school without spending thousands of dollars; TRY myEssayReview!!
Starting at $2,199 (exclusive GMAT Club pricing) for 1-school package that includes guidance for finalizing schools from your list of shortlisted schools , a comprehensive review of all essays (up to 4) required by a school (2-4 edits), resume construction (2-4 edits), up to two letters of recommendation (1-2 edits), interview prep, and waitlist management (if required). Learn More
About myEssayReview
Founded in 2011, myEssayReview is a simple, dedicated, personalized, and affordable B-school consulting service that prides itself in helping hundreds of applicants gain admission into top B-schools worldwide.
When you work with myEssayReview, you don’t just work with a good consultant, you work with the best– Poonam, the founder of the company and one of the few certified Individual Admission Consultants worldwide. Poonam’s dedication and commitment to her work has made 95% of her students come back to work with her again for multiple schools.
You may contact Poonam at [email protected] for a free profile evaluation with no financial obligation.
Please join us in welcoming Poonam Tandon, founder of myEssayReview, and wish her Good Luck!
Dear all,
I am excited to be a part of GMAT community, and I sincerely hope to be a helpful resource for MBA applicants.
I am a Ph.D. in English with three decades of teaching experience in both India and the US. As an English teacher, I have helped thousands of students write/refine their academic and personal statement essays and secure fellowships .
In 2011, I founded myEssayReview with the belief that all applicants possess unique perspectives and life experiences that set them apart. Therefore, I consistently aim at translating their uniqueness into compelling and persuasive admission essays. I am a full time consultant and am passionate about my work. I take pride in saying that 90% of my students have been accepted into top schools such as LBS, Chicago Booth, Darden, UCLA, MIT, Ross, Kellogg, ISB, CMU, Manchester, Haas, Duke, Emory Columbia, Cornell Darden, Kelley, Ross, Kellogg, UCLA, Yale, Haas, CMU, Emory, Cornell, Ivy Richards, Rice, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Wisconsin etc. My students with high GMAT scores (typically 700+) have not only secured admissions but also fellowships from schools such as Darden, Kellogg , Emory, Cornell, Duke, IE, CMU, Ross, UC Davis, UCLA, Yale, Ivy Richards, and Tippie. Some of my students, with scores between 610 – 680, have secured admission to prestigious schools such as Kellogg, LBS, Booth, ISB, CMU, Manchester, Haas, and Duke. I am delighted to say that I have also helped many reapplicants get admitted to their dream schools such as ISB, Chicago Booth, Columbia and Maryland.
How do I work?
A big part of my counseling is storytelling. I will assist you on the path to reflection and discovery I will pull the right stories out of you and help you showcase them well to bring out your best personal and professional self. I will not generate the content for you but will help you find your own voice. After you sign up with myEssayReview I will thoroughly review your resume and the first draft of the essay and will schedule one hour skype/telephonic meeting to discuss your resume (your career progression, biggest accomplishments, skills, interests etc.), brainstorm ideas/stories to be incorporated in your essays, discuss my suggestions/feedback on your essay(s), and also answer/clarify any questions or doubts you have for me. This will be followed by up to 4-comprehensive critiques and edits until a polished, refined product is created that showcases your candidacy in the best possible manner. During the entire process, I will work with you to highlight those aspects of your personality that you yourself may were not be aware of. Looking at the final product, most candidates get so thrilled that they say that they couldn't believe their essay would turn out so well.
I believe that every customer deserves the best. Hence, I do not segment the packages into Silver, Gold, or Platinum. I will provide you the same level of service regardless of whether you purchase a single essay or a 3-school package. I would go above and beyond to ensure that your application showcases your candidacy in the best light.
My life-long association with students in India and the US as a teacher, and with applicants from all over the world as a consultant has provided me with a unique insight into strengths and weaknesses of applicants from diverse ethnic backgrounds which helps me in guiding them accordingly. Working with me will remind you of your experience of working with your most favorite teacher who had a genuine interest in ensuring your success and was always willing to go an extra mile to ensure the same.
I am so looking forward to being in this unique “classroom” of GMAT Club that has offered me an opportunity to communicate with students from all over the world. Please feel free to send me your profile for a free evaluation. I will be more than happy to fulfill your request and answer your queries regarding your candidacy.
Lastly, I am proud to be one of the few Individual Consultants of the prestigious organization AIGAC (Association of International Graduate Admission Consultants). So when you work with me, you can be rest assured that you are working with one of the few certified consultants in the world with a proven track record.
Looking forward to working with you all,
Poonam (Founder and CEO of myEssayReview)
Sign up with myEssayReview (only $1,299 for 1-school basic package).
myEssayReview - A personalized and dedicated consulting service
Email:[email protected]
Services Provided
myEssayReview offers a variety of packages to choose from.
1. Essay Review Packages:
- Essay Packages: Save $50 with code
- 1 Essay (up to 4 edits) - $449
- 2 Essays (up to 4 edits) - $649
- 3 Essays (up to 4 edits) - $849
- 4 Essays (up to 4 edits) - $1049
- 5 Essays (up to 4 edits) - $1199
- 6 Essays (up to 4 edits) - $1349
- 1 School Package - $1499
- 2 school package - $2199
- 3 School Package - $2799
- 4 School Package - $3399
- 5 School Package - $3999
- 6 School Package - $4499
- 1 School Package - $2299
- 2 school package - $2999
- 3 School Package - $3699
- 4 School Package - $4299
- 5 School Package - $4899
- 6 School Package - $5499
Basic School Packages: Save $100 with code
Comprehensive School Packages: Save $100 with code
*Comprehensive School package covers Guidance for finalizing schools from your list of shortlisted schools , a comprehensive review of all essays (up to 4) required by a school (2-4 edits), resume construction (2-4 edits), up to two letters of recommendation (1-2 edits), interview prep, and waitlist management (if required).
2. Individual Packages Save $50 with code
- 1 Resume (2-4 edits) - $449
- 1 Recommendation Letter (2- 4 edits) - $399
- Interview Prep (30 minute mock interview + feedback) - $499
- Waitlist Strategy - $399
- Ding/Rejection Analysis - $499
- Hourly Consultation - $ 399/Hour
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Posts: 747
Hi all,
These days most of you are busy putting together your thoughts/ ideas for your essays.Here is an article I wrote some time back that may provide you helpful tips in drafting your essays.
Here it is:
How to Write Compelling Admission Essays?
“Why was I dinged?” is the question that often confuses and torments some applicants when they do not receive the coveted acceptance letter from the schools they had applied to . Well, one of the key reasons of getting a rejection letter is – poorly-written essays . Undoubtedly, essays are a critical part of your application package that gives the Ad Com a sense of who you are, so you need to invest your time to reflect on your life for your unique personal and professional attributes and then illustrate those qualities by real life examples.
My article titled ” Application Essays : Mistakes you should avoid “ discusses some common mistakes made by applicants with their admission essays. Here are some suggestions to address those mistakes.
1. Start Early :
Do not procrastinate. Start early, so you have enough time to plan, draft and revise. Essay writing is an acquired skill and you need TIME to attain perfection in this skill. If you are a working professional and are planning to apply to 5-6 schools, you need to start working on your essays at least 3-4 months before the deadline. In order for you to provide the Ad com a complete picture of your unique personality by answering all the essay questions effectively and precisely , you need to do introspection for the personal and professional qualities that define you and your life experiences that illustrate those qualities and then think of ways to connect those stories to your essay themes. This planning takes ample time and sow ill the next stages of writing , namely drafting, revising, and editing, so it is advisable to start working on essays well ahead of time.
2. Provide real-life examples:
Essays are NOT extended resumes, so do not elaborate and EXPLAIN your resume through your essays. Answer your essay question through real -life examples and let your voice come through your essays. B-Schools want to know you through your essays, so do not hesitate to share your personal experiences/stories that illustrate your personal and professional qualities unique to you. In order to make your essays convincing and persuasive, you must connect your essay themes to your life experiences. Therefore, do not shy away from providing specific details about their life experiences because you do not want to be impersonal while writing your Personal Statement or Personal essays. Below is an example of an interesting beginning in response to a question about ‘life outside work environment ‘wherein the applicant begins to narrate about his/her love of cricket.
Example:
“It had been a hectic week of planning promotional material for new project launch, and I was looking forward to watch a sensational cricket match between India and Sri Lanka with a bunch of friends over the weekend.”
3. Answer all parts of the essay question :
Break down all parts of the essay question and try to give equal footage to all of them. If the question has three sections, answer all of them. Prepare an outline before writing. Rewrite and make sure you have satisfactorily answered all the sections of essay question.
Example:
Question no. 4 in the Personal Statement of MiF LBS has 7 parts, and the applicant is likely to miss 1-2 parts of it. In order to avoid that, I recommend numbering all the parts of the question and then answer them one by one. After making sure you have satisfactorily answered all the questions, delete the numbers.
4. Be Specific:
Read the essay question carefully and answer it precisely The ‘how’ part of your answer is as important as the ‘what’ part. This is what will bring out your personal and professional qualities.
Example #1 if you are discussing your accomplishments or failures / setbacks, do not forget to describe how you navigated through different situations and what you learned from them.
Example # 2 : While answering ‘Goals’ question, it is not enough to discuss your academic qualification, your career history, your short term goal, and long term goal only. The Ad Com also want to know what passion drove you to your chosen field, how you pursued your interest/passion and progressed along your career path, why you believe that with your current skill set and potential , an MBA is the next logical step in your career path, and most importantly, how an MBA from X School is your best bet at this time to help you achieve your goals.
The following opening sentence about the applicant’s passion for finance is bound to draw the reader into his/her story.
Example:
“My love and passion for finance dates back the time when I was only 13 years old and would ponder at the stock prices in the newspaper for countless hours.”
5. Demonstrate your impact:
Do not forget to state what impact/ contribution you are going t o make to the school. Whether the essay question requires you to discuss your contribution or not, make sure to briefly state what value you will be adding to the school. For example, while answering a ‘Goals’ question, it is imperative to add a concluding sentence or two about the specific contribution you will make to the school even if the essay question doesn’t require you to do so.
Example :
“I am confident that with my academic potential, team-working abilities, innovative spirit, and leadership skills , I will add significant value to UCLA community.”
6.Edit for Grammar Errors:
In case you slept through your English class ,get your essays edited for sentence structure, punctuation, grammar and spelling errors. These errors are poor reflections on your candidacy and can jeopardize your chances of admission despite your great GMAT score , GPA and work experience.
In order to bring variety to your writing, try to write a mix of simple, compound and complex sentences . Do not write extremely lengthy sentences stretching 4-5 lines; they are bound to annoy the reader.
7. Stick to word limit :
Stay within word- limit) and try to be as precise as you can (5% over or below word limit is considered ok). Admission officers have thousands of applications to review, so they don’t like to be frustrated with essays filled with overly lengthy paragraphs or sentences that they need to read 2-3 times to make sense of. They want to evaluate you for your ability to make your point in a concise manner. Also, exceeding word limit reflects your unwillingness to follow the guidelines.
Summary:
To sum up, when writing your application essays, make sure to give yourself sufficient time to brainstorm, draft, revise and edit your essays. I strongly recommend giving yourself at least 2-3 months’ time to be able to create compelling essays for one school only . You should think through the essay prompt and provide specific answers substantiating it with relevant real life examples that help to set you apart from other applicants. Do not skip any part of the essay prompt, and stay within word limit. And lastly and most importantly, make your essays error- free , precise and easily comprehensible.
These days most of you are busy putting together your thoughts/ ideas for your essays.Here is an article I wrote some time back that may provide you helpful tips in drafting your essays.
Here it is:
How to Write Compelling Admission Essays?
“Why was I dinged?” is the question that often confuses and torments some applicants when they do not receive the coveted acceptance letter from the schools they had applied to . Well, one of the key reasons of getting a rejection letter is – poorly-written essays . Undoubtedly, essays are a critical part of your application package that gives the Ad Com a sense of who you are, so you need to invest your time to reflect on your life for your unique personal and professional attributes and then illustrate those qualities by real life examples.
My article titled ” Application Essays : Mistakes you should avoid “ discusses some common mistakes made by applicants with their admission essays. Here are some suggestions to address those mistakes.
1. Start Early :
Do not procrastinate. Start early, so you have enough time to plan, draft and revise. Essay writing is an acquired skill and you need TIME to attain perfection in this skill. If you are a working professional and are planning to apply to 5-6 schools, you need to start working on your essays at least 3-4 months before the deadline. In order for you to provide the Ad com a complete picture of your unique personality by answering all the essay questions effectively and precisely , you need to do introspection for the personal and professional qualities that define you and your life experiences that illustrate those qualities and then think of ways to connect those stories to your essay themes. This planning takes ample time and sow ill the next stages of writing , namely drafting, revising, and editing, so it is advisable to start working on essays well ahead of time.
2. Provide real-life examples:
Essays are NOT extended resumes, so do not elaborate and EXPLAIN your resume through your essays. Answer your essay question through real -life examples and let your voice come through your essays. B-Schools want to know you through your essays, so do not hesitate to share your personal experiences/stories that illustrate your personal and professional qualities unique to you. In order to make your essays convincing and persuasive, you must connect your essay themes to your life experiences. Therefore, do not shy away from providing specific details about their life experiences because you do not want to be impersonal while writing your Personal Statement or Personal essays. Below is an example of an interesting beginning in response to a question about ‘life outside work environment ‘wherein the applicant begins to narrate about his/her love of cricket.
Example:
“It had been a hectic week of planning promotional material for new project launch, and I was looking forward to watch a sensational cricket match between India and Sri Lanka with a bunch of friends over the weekend.”
3. Answer all parts of the essay question :
Break down all parts of the essay question and try to give equal footage to all of them. If the question has three sections, answer all of them. Prepare an outline before writing. Rewrite and make sure you have satisfactorily answered all the sections of essay question.
Example:
Question no. 4 in the Personal Statement of MiF LBS has 7 parts, and the applicant is likely to miss 1-2 parts of it. In order to avoid that, I recommend numbering all the parts of the question and then answer them one by one. After making sure you have satisfactorily answered all the questions, delete the numbers.
4. Be Specific:
Read the essay question carefully and answer it precisely The ‘how’ part of your answer is as important as the ‘what’ part. This is what will bring out your personal and professional qualities.
Example #1 if you are discussing your accomplishments or failures / setbacks, do not forget to describe how you navigated through different situations and what you learned from them.
Example # 2 : While answering ‘Goals’ question, it is not enough to discuss your academic qualification, your career history, your short term goal, and long term goal only. The Ad Com also want to know what passion drove you to your chosen field, how you pursued your interest/passion and progressed along your career path, why you believe that with your current skill set and potential , an MBA is the next logical step in your career path, and most importantly, how an MBA from X School is your best bet at this time to help you achieve your goals.
The following opening sentence about the applicant’s passion for finance is bound to draw the reader into his/her story.
Example:
“My love and passion for finance dates back the time when I was only 13 years old and would ponder at the stock prices in the newspaper for countless hours.”
5. Demonstrate your impact:
Do not forget to state what impact/ contribution you are going t o make to the school. Whether the essay question requires you to discuss your contribution or not, make sure to briefly state what value you will be adding to the school. For example, while answering a ‘Goals’ question, it is imperative to add a concluding sentence or two about the specific contribution you will make to the school even if the essay question doesn’t require you to do so.
Example :
“I am confident that with my academic potential, team-working abilities, innovative spirit, and leadership skills , I will add significant value to UCLA community.”
6.Edit for Grammar Errors:
In case you slept through your English class ,get your essays edited for sentence structure, punctuation, grammar and spelling errors. These errors are poor reflections on your candidacy and can jeopardize your chances of admission despite your great GMAT score , GPA and work experience.
In order to bring variety to your writing, try to write a mix of simple, compound and complex sentences . Do not write extremely lengthy sentences stretching 4-5 lines; they are bound to annoy the reader.
7. Stick to word limit :
Stay within word- limit) and try to be as precise as you can (5% over or below word limit is considered ok). Admission officers have thousands of applications to review, so they don’t like to be frustrated with essays filled with overly lengthy paragraphs or sentences that they need to read 2-3 times to make sense of. They want to evaluate you for your ability to make your point in a concise manner. Also, exceeding word limit reflects your unwillingness to follow the guidelines.
Summary:
To sum up, when writing your application essays, make sure to give yourself sufficient time to brainstorm, draft, revise and edit your essays. I strongly recommend giving yourself at least 2-3 months’ time to be able to create compelling essays for one school only . You should think through the essay prompt and provide specific answers substantiating it with relevant real life examples that help to set you apart from other applicants. Do not skip any part of the essay prompt, and stay within word limit. And lastly and most importantly, make your essays error- free , precise and easily comprehensible.
Posts: 6
Do yourself a favour - start your essay writing process NOW and connect with my Essay Review TODAY!
Even though I belong to the non-IT cluster of India and have a unique profile, I knew that my chances of getting an admit from a global B-school were slim because of my non-competitive GMAT score. The only way I could turn the tables around was to take expert guidance and write impactful essays.
I did my research and shortlisted 4 B-school admission consultants (including my Essay Review) in the initial round. Next, I spoke to all the consultants (or their representatives). After talking to the consultants, I ranked all the 4 consultants and finally decided to enrol with my Essay Review because of 3 reasons:
- The fact that I would be working with the CEO of the company - Poonam (and not part-time writers or freelancers or representatives)
- Competitive rates of my Essay Review compared to the other consultants
After my telephonic discussion with Poonam, I was convinced that I was making the right choice and decided to purchase a three-essay package from my Essay Review.
We started our journey with Manchester Business School. Poonam’s initial suggestions for the first essay were mind-blowing and set the ball rolling for all the remaining essays. These suggestions were simple, yet super-effective. They allowed me to channelize my thoughts in the right direction, select the best stories and showcase my candidacy in the best manner to the school.
Most importantly, Poonam provided very valuable insights on how to structure the essays. I loved the way she guided me on how to structure essays to develop a coherent structure. For example, she suggested that I should segment the essay into multiple sub-segments and build a structure around each sub-segment keeping in mind that the question is answered holistically. This was a great advice and I followed this advice diligently in all the essays.
The turn-around time of the edits was perfect and very similar to the timelines in which the fast-paced corporate world operates. All the critiques/edits and reedits were provided within 24 hours as promised on the website and as per our initial discussion (before the start of our assignment).
I was very impressed with the quality and professionalism of my Essay Review. It has a very lean and smart operating model. No fuss, no hierarchy. Poonam is the single point of contact and this makes a huge difference. She will guide you at each and every step. She is the director of your movie and knows each and every scene about the actor (the student in the case). She will ensure that the movie would entertain the audience (the B-school in this case) and would be a blockbuster.
The overall experience with my Essay Review was very good and I would definitely recommend its essay editing services to potential B-school applicants.
Yes, I have received an admit from Manchester Business School. So even if you have a not-so-great GMAT score, focus on your essays. How can you do that? Seek expert guidance from Poonam. Do yourself a favour - start now and connect with my Essay Review today!
Even though I belong to the non-IT cluster of India and have a unique profile, I knew that my chances of getting an admit from a global B-school were slim because of my non-competitive GMAT score. The only way I could turn the tables around was to take expert guidance and write impactful essays.
I did my research and shortlisted 4 B-school admission consultants (including my Essay Review) in the initial round. Next, I spoke to all the consultants (or their representatives). After talking to the consultants, I ranked all the 4 consultants and finally decided to enrol with my Essay Review because of 3 reasons:
- The fact that I would be working with the CEO of the company - Poonam (and not part-time writers or freelancers or representatives)
- Competitive rates of my Essay Review compared to the other consultants
After my telephonic discussion with Poonam, I was convinced that I was making the right choice and decided to purchase a three-essay package from my Essay Review.
We started our journey with Manchester Business School. Poonam’s initial suggestions for the first essay were mind-blowing and set the ball rolling for all the remaining essays. These suggestions were simple, yet super-effective. They allowed me to channelize my thoughts in the right direction, select the best stories and showcase my candidacy in the best manner to the school.
Most importantly, Poonam provided very valuable insights on how to structure the essays. I loved the way she guided me on how to structure essays to develop a coherent structure. For example, she suggested that I should segment the essay into multiple sub-segments and build a structure around each sub-segment keeping in mind that the question is answered holistically. This was a great advice and I followed this advice diligently in all the essays.
The turn-around time of the edits was perfect and very similar to the timelines in which the fast-paced corporate world operates. All the critiques/edits and reedits were provided within 24 hours as promised on the website and as per our initial discussion (before the start of our assignment).
I was very impressed with the quality and professionalism of my Essay Review. It has a very lean and smart operating model. No fuss, no hierarchy. Poonam is the single point of contact and this makes a huge difference. She will guide you at each and every step. She is the director of your movie and knows each and every scene about the actor (the student in the case). She will ensure that the movie would entertain the audience (the B-school in this case) and would be a blockbuster.
The overall experience with my Essay Review was very good and I would definitely recommend its essay editing services to potential B-school applicants.
Yes, I have received an admit from Manchester Business School. So even if you have a not-so-great GMAT score, focus on your essays. How can you do that? Seek expert guidance from Poonam. Do yourself a favour - start now and connect with my Essay Review today!
Posts: 61
Thanks...
Posts: 747
With all the Round 3 applications submitted, it is that time of the year when I revel in the success of my students who so enthusiastically shared with me the news of their success. Also, it’s time to begin preparing myself for the next application season. As I take this year’s case studies with me into the next application season and build on those, I would also like for you to gear up for the Fall.
We all know that MBA application process is a time -consuming and challenging journey. If you are planning to apply in Round 1, NOW is the time to begin this journey. By planning ahead and starting early, you can make this process not only rewarding but enjoyable as well. You will thank yourself later for starting early.
Here is the step by step plan you can follow before the schools begin releasing their questions in June/July.
1. Conquer the GMAT:
First and foremost, get this biggest hurdle in your journey out of your way. GMAT is the biggest parameter you will need for making a list of your target schools. Most of you must already be preparing for it, and this sure will make your life easier later. For example, if you take your GMAT now, and do not get your desired score, you still have time to retake it before you begin focusing on other parts of the application package (school selection, resume, essays, and recommendation letters). Tackling both GMAT preparation and essays, recommendation letters, resumes with deadlines drawing close, and that too with the work pressure hanging like Damocles sword on your head, will put you under tremendous pressure, making it extremely challenging for you to produce quality work. Currently, I am working with a candidate who is simultaneously working on essays as well GMAT prep, along with his professional commitments. Obviously, he is not able to give his hundred percent to essays and requires frequent ‘wakeup calls’ from me for emailing me updated drafts of his essays. By planning ahead and allowing yourself sufficient time, you can avoid this unnecessary stress.
2. Begin Your School Selection Process:
You have got the GMAT out of your way by earning your desired score. Now begin researching your target schools. With proper planning, research and initiative, you can definitely pick out schools that will align with your credentials and aspirations. For school selection, you will have to consider many factors e.g. geographical location, loans, scholarships, key projects/courses, employment reports, and companies that are regular recruiters over the years. You should keep in mind the following criteria during your school selection process.
Look at MBA rankings:
Based on your profile (work experience, industry, GMAT, goals, interests etc.), you should look at MBA rankings (US News, Financial Times, Business Week, etc.). This will give you some understanding of a group of programs that are strong in your field and where you are also competitive. Also, you will be able to categorize them into dream schools, reach schools and safety schools.
Find your ‘Fit’:
Do your research and decide on which schools are the best ‘fit’ for your credentials and aspirations. You should research faculty, curriculum, student groups, clubs, and organizations that match your interests and goals. You may also try to read everything published by the schools. Try to find answers to the questions: “Will this school help me meet my objectives (in the areas of education, networking, and career)?” “What will I contribute to the school community?” “Will I be a good ‘fit’ for this school?” and so on. Based on this research, you should be able to shortlist some schools.
Talk to Alumni and other experienced people:
Along with your research, you should also start reaching out to people with MBA experience: colleagues, friends, current students and alumni, etc. This will help you determine if their perspectives and experiences align with your findings or not. But make sure to talk to multiple Alumni because individual feedback may be biased. You can use the relevant information in your Goals essay and later in the interview to answer the question ‘why our school?’
Visit Schools:
Attending MBA fairs, school information sessions, and school visits will provide you relevant information on your shortlisted schools. Attend a class or two, meet with a faculty, talk to students, and take a tour of the campus. In other words, get a feel of the school and see if you want be a part of this community or not. Again, while answering “Why our school?’ part of the Goals essay, you can cite interesting aspects of your visit (e.g. class visit, meeting with faculty, information session etc.) to demonstrate your preference/ interest for this school.
Visit Forums:
Discussion forums are wonderful platforms where you can post your specific queries about school search or any other question regarding MBA admission process and get expert advice from admission consultants. Also, you can share your views/ experiences with other students who are active on these forums and are also finding their way around like you. I would suggest that you create a separate word document for each shortlisted school and write down the aspects of each school that you like (e.g. specific classes and professors, student groups, companies that recruit there etc.) and how that program will help you reach your career goals.
I am sure all this home work will prepare you well and give you enough confidence to finalize your list of 6-7 target schools.
3. Build Your Resume:
Now that you are ready with your list of target schools, it’s time to work on constructing your résumé. MBA résumé is very different from a job résumé, so you will need a significant amount of time and effort in building it. MBA résumés are brief and concise stories of your skills, interests, experience and key accomplishments. Here I would like to quote Ross Admission Director Soojin Kwon, “For me, the résumé is just as important as your essays. Think of it as a trailer of the movie about you.” By making an engaging trailer ( résumé ), you are building Ad Com’s interest in your movie ( essays and recommendation letters).
4. Reach out to recommenders:
It’s also time to approach your recommenders. If you are applying to many schools, your recommenders will need time to work on those recommendation letters. They are busy people, so you may want to apprise them of this favor you would expect from them in the near future. I would encourage you to request a meeting with each of them to discuss the key themes you would like to showcase in your application. Also, your recommenders need to understand that they will not be using the single template for multiple schools because schools have their own set of questions that they expect the recommenders to answer with specific examples from the applicants’ work life.
5. Brainstorm stories for Essays:
After having accomplished all this, you may be wondering “My target schools have still not released essay questions. What do I do now?” Well, before B-school roll out their essay questions, you may begin brainstorming your ideas/stories for essays. Even though B-schools change their essay topics from one year to another, there are going to be concepts that are the same among business schools. For instance, all schools will expect you to write your goals essay, so take your time to identify your short term and long term goals. Make sure your goals are realistic as well as ambitious. Also, start thinking of your greatest leadership experiences, accomplishments, your background, life experiences, your greatest strengths (and weaknesses, too) and how these will help you add value to your target school.
Some of the most common themes you can organize your thoughts on are:
Why do you want to pursue an MBA?
What is your career goal post-MBA?
Where do you see yourself 5-10 years from now?
How will you contribute to MBA classroom?
Why are you interested in the program?
What are your biggest accomplishments and why do you view them as such?
By establishing your stories in advance, you will already have some raw material in hand which you can develop, edit and tailor to individual essays for specific programs. When the candidates sign up for my services in the summer, I require them to fill out a questionnaire of 25 questions pertaining to their goals, accomplishments, background , cultural experiences, strengths and weaknesses etc., so when the essays come out, we are able to use most of this material for specific essays for their target schools.
Thus, by planning ahead, you can make your MBA application process enjoyable and productive. Of course, you can teak the above plan as per your individual needs, circumstances, and preferences; however, the key is to strategize and plan ahead.
Good luck
We all know that MBA application process is a time -consuming and challenging journey. If you are planning to apply in Round 1, NOW is the time to begin this journey. By planning ahead and starting early, you can make this process not only rewarding but enjoyable as well. You will thank yourself later for starting early.
Here is the step by step plan you can follow before the schools begin releasing their questions in June/July.
1. Conquer the GMAT:
First and foremost, get this biggest hurdle in your journey out of your way. GMAT is the biggest parameter you will need for making a list of your target schools. Most of you must already be preparing for it, and this sure will make your life easier later. For example, if you take your GMAT now, and do not get your desired score, you still have time to retake it before you begin focusing on other parts of the application package (school selection, resume, essays, and recommendation letters). Tackling both GMAT preparation and essays, recommendation letters, resumes with deadlines drawing close, and that too with the work pressure hanging like Damocles sword on your head, will put you under tremendous pressure, making it extremely challenging for you to produce quality work. Currently, I am working with a candidate who is simultaneously working on essays as well GMAT prep, along with his professional commitments. Obviously, he is not able to give his hundred percent to essays and requires frequent ‘wakeup calls’ from me for emailing me updated drafts of his essays. By planning ahead and allowing yourself sufficient time, you can avoid this unnecessary stress.
2. Begin Your School Selection Process:
You have got the GMAT out of your way by earning your desired score. Now begin researching your target schools. With proper planning, research and initiative, you can definitely pick out schools that will align with your credentials and aspirations. For school selection, you will have to consider many factors e.g. geographical location, loans, scholarships, key projects/courses, employment reports, and companies that are regular recruiters over the years. You should keep in mind the following criteria during your school selection process.
Look at MBA rankings:
Based on your profile (work experience, industry, GMAT, goals, interests etc.), you should look at MBA rankings (US News, Financial Times, Business Week, etc.). This will give you some understanding of a group of programs that are strong in your field and where you are also competitive. Also, you will be able to categorize them into dream schools, reach schools and safety schools.
Find your ‘Fit’:
Do your research and decide on which schools are the best ‘fit’ for your credentials and aspirations. You should research faculty, curriculum, student groups, clubs, and organizations that match your interests and goals. You may also try to read everything published by the schools. Try to find answers to the questions: “Will this school help me meet my objectives (in the areas of education, networking, and career)?” “What will I contribute to the school community?” “Will I be a good ‘fit’ for this school?” and so on. Based on this research, you should be able to shortlist some schools.
Talk to Alumni and other experienced people:
Along with your research, you should also start reaching out to people with MBA experience: colleagues, friends, current students and alumni, etc. This will help you determine if their perspectives and experiences align with your findings or not. But make sure to talk to multiple Alumni because individual feedback may be biased. You can use the relevant information in your Goals essay and later in the interview to answer the question ‘why our school?’
Visit Schools:
Attending MBA fairs, school information sessions, and school visits will provide you relevant information on your shortlisted schools. Attend a class or two, meet with a faculty, talk to students, and take a tour of the campus. In other words, get a feel of the school and see if you want be a part of this community or not. Again, while answering “Why our school?’ part of the Goals essay, you can cite interesting aspects of your visit (e.g. class visit, meeting with faculty, information session etc.) to demonstrate your preference/ interest for this school.
Visit Forums:
Discussion forums are wonderful platforms where you can post your specific queries about school search or any other question regarding MBA admission process and get expert advice from admission consultants. Also, you can share your views/ experiences with other students who are active on these forums and are also finding their way around like you. I would suggest that you create a separate word document for each shortlisted school and write down the aspects of each school that you like (e.g. specific classes and professors, student groups, companies that recruit there etc.) and how that program will help you reach your career goals.
I am sure all this home work will prepare you well and give you enough confidence to finalize your list of 6-7 target schools.
3. Build Your Resume:
Now that you are ready with your list of target schools, it’s time to work on constructing your résumé. MBA résumé is very different from a job résumé, so you will need a significant amount of time and effort in building it. MBA résumés are brief and concise stories of your skills, interests, experience and key accomplishments. Here I would like to quote Ross Admission Director Soojin Kwon, “For me, the résumé is just as important as your essays. Think of it as a trailer of the movie about you.” By making an engaging trailer ( résumé ), you are building Ad Com’s interest in your movie ( essays and recommendation letters).
4. Reach out to recommenders:
It’s also time to approach your recommenders. If you are applying to many schools, your recommenders will need time to work on those recommendation letters. They are busy people, so you may want to apprise them of this favor you would expect from them in the near future. I would encourage you to request a meeting with each of them to discuss the key themes you would like to showcase in your application. Also, your recommenders need to understand that they will not be using the single template for multiple schools because schools have their own set of questions that they expect the recommenders to answer with specific examples from the applicants’ work life.
5. Brainstorm stories for Essays:
After having accomplished all this, you may be wondering “My target schools have still not released essay questions. What do I do now?” Well, before B-school roll out their essay questions, you may begin brainstorming your ideas/stories for essays. Even though B-schools change their essay topics from one year to another, there are going to be concepts that are the same among business schools. For instance, all schools will expect you to write your goals essay, so take your time to identify your short term and long term goals. Make sure your goals are realistic as well as ambitious. Also, start thinking of your greatest leadership experiences, accomplishments, your background, life experiences, your greatest strengths (and weaknesses, too) and how these will help you add value to your target school.
Some of the most common themes you can organize your thoughts on are:
Why do you want to pursue an MBA?
What is your career goal post-MBA?
Where do you see yourself 5-10 years from now?
How will you contribute to MBA classroom?
Why are you interested in the program?
What are your biggest accomplishments and why do you view them as such?
By establishing your stories in advance, you will already have some raw material in hand which you can develop, edit and tailor to individual essays for specific programs. When the candidates sign up for my services in the summer, I require them to fill out a questionnaire of 25 questions pertaining to their goals, accomplishments, background , cultural experiences, strengths and weaknesses etc., so when the essays come out, we are able to use most of this material for specific essays for their target schools.
Thus, by planning ahead, you can make your MBA application process enjoyable and productive. Of course, you can teak the above plan as per your individual needs, circumstances, and preferences; however, the key is to strategize and plan ahead.
Good luck
viditjindal
Joined: 28 May 2013
Last visit: 01 Dec 2014
Posts: 10
Concentration: Strategy, Entrepreneurship
Schools: ISB '16 (D) NUS '17 HKUST '17 Duke '17 (S) Ross '17 Darden '17 McCombs '17 Goizueta '17 Kelley '17 Johnson '17 (D) CBS '17 Tuck '17 (S) Kenan-Flagler '17 Tepper '17
GMAT 1: 680 Q49 V34
GMAT 2: 710 Q50 V36
GPA: 3.2
WE:Information Technology (Energy)
Schools: ISB '16 (D) NUS '17 HKUST '17 Duke '17 (S) Ross '17 Darden '17 McCombs '17 Goizueta '17 Kelley '17 Johnson '17 (D) CBS '17 Tuck '17 (S) Kenan-Flagler '17 Tepper '17
GMAT 2: 710 Q50 V36
Posts: 10
Profile Evaluation needed.
Following are my details. I am still researching about the MBA colleges.
After MBA, I am interested in working as MC.
Long term goal, Expand family business.
My GMAT score is 710.
Experience 50 months.
Age - 26
I am an engineering graduate in IT from top Indian university National Institute of technology Karnataka.
CGPA - 7.63/10
Following are my details. I am still researching about the MBA colleges.
After MBA, I am interested in working as MC.
Long term goal, Expand family business.
My GMAT score is 710.
Experience 50 months.
Age - 26
I am an engineering graduate in IT from top Indian university National Institute of technology Karnataka.
CGPA - 7.63/10
Attachments
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mshrek
Joined: 12 Nov 2012
Last visit: 04 Dec 2017
Posts: 154
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, Technology
Schools: ISB '18 (A)
GPA: 2.7
WE:Analyst (Computer Software)
Schools: ISB '18 (A)
Posts: 154
Hello,
Please evaluate my profile:
Pool: Indian Male/28yrs/Single/IT
Academics: Electrical engineer from IIT
GPA: 6.57/10 (not good as per IIT standards)
Extra Curricular:
College:
1.Few positions of responsibilities(head/sub-head) in cultural/technical fests and alumni meet at college.
2.Won few awards in intra college level socio-cultural competitions.
3.Won gold in intra IIT table tennis competetion(freshers), represented my hostel in different sports activities.
High School: won few olympiads at state level and national level. Represented school at national level painting competetion
Work Experience: 6years (2 years in BFSI, 2.5 years in Automated trading firm, 1.5 years in big data analytics firm)
Work Profile:
- No international experience but coordinated among teams spread across different demographies
- Worked mostly in high-tech domains
Area of interest : Finance, strategy, consulting, high-tech
Gmat: 710 (Q 51 V 34 ) IR :8
Volunteer Work: Few at organizational level for underprivileged kids (for 2 years). But currently not involved in any NGO/CSR activites.
Founded a start-up for artists( as I am passionate about the use of technology in arts)
This was my 3rd attempt at GMAT. Although I could have done better, esp. in verbal , I am in no mood of a retake now. I am pretty much exhausted by my work load and family life.
Target B-schools : Chicago booth/Kellogg MMM/UCLA/Duke/Cornell/Darden/Ross/Tuck
Thanks in advance for your help.
_________________
Please evaluate my profile:
Pool: Indian Male/28yrs/Single/IT
Academics: Electrical engineer from IIT
GPA: 6.57/10 (not good as per IIT standards)
Extra Curricular:
College:
1.Few positions of responsibilities(head/sub-head) in cultural/technical fests and alumni meet at college.
2.Won few awards in intra college level socio-cultural competitions.
3.Won gold in intra IIT table tennis competetion(freshers), represented my hostel in different sports activities.
High School: won few olympiads at state level and national level. Represented school at national level painting competetion
Work Experience: 6years (2 years in BFSI, 2.5 years in Automated trading firm, 1.5 years in big data analytics firm)
Work Profile:
- No international experience but coordinated among teams spread across different demographies
- Worked mostly in high-tech domains
Area of interest : Finance, strategy, consulting, high-tech
Gmat: 710 (Q 51 V 34 ) IR :8
Volunteer Work: Few at organizational level for underprivileged kids (for 2 years). But currently not involved in any NGO/CSR activites.
Founded a start-up for artists( as I am passionate about the use of technology in arts)
This was my 3rd attempt at GMAT. Although I could have done better, esp. in verbal , I am in no mood of a retake now. I am pretty much exhausted by my work load and family life.
Target B-schools : Chicago booth/Kellogg MMM/UCLA/Duke/Cornell/Darden/Ross/Tuck
Thanks in advance for your help.
_________________
C'est la vie
Posts: 747
Hi Vidit,
I am sorry for the delayed response. With Round 1 deadlines 4-8 weeks away, it is busy time of the year.
Anyways, thanks for sharing your profile details with me. Here is my assessment of your profile:
Academic Capacity: Good ( 700+ GMAT score + 7.63 CGPA)
Work Experience: 4 years at BHEL. You have not provided any details of the position you have been working at , and the promotion/promotions you have received during these 4 years. So I do to get an understanding of your career progression. You also have worked as a consultant in your family business for one and half year on part time basis until December 2013.
Accomplishments/ leadership Experiences: Your resume shows some accomplishments and also some leadership roles you have handled
Extracurriculars: Your ECs are impressive.
Career Goals: You need to be more specific about your short term career goal. Your long term is to expand your family business. so why did you stop working for your family business?
Overall, on the basis of the details you have provided, I would say ,you have a good profile.
Good luck,
I am sorry for the delayed response. With Round 1 deadlines 4-8 weeks away, it is busy time of the year.
Anyways, thanks for sharing your profile details with me. Here is my assessment of your profile:
Academic Capacity: Good ( 700+ GMAT score + 7.63 CGPA)
Work Experience: 4 years at BHEL. You have not provided any details of the position you have been working at , and the promotion/promotions you have received during these 4 years. So I do to get an understanding of your career progression. You also have worked as a consultant in your family business for one and half year on part time basis until December 2013.
Accomplishments/ leadership Experiences: Your resume shows some accomplishments and also some leadership roles you have handled
Extracurriculars: Your ECs are impressive.
Career Goals: You need to be more specific about your short term career goal. Your long term is to expand your family business. so why did you stop working for your family business?
Overall, on the basis of the details you have provided, I would say ,you have a good profile.
Good luck,
Posts: 747
Hello Mshrek,
I am sorry for the delayed response. With Round 1 deadlines 4-8 weeks away, it is busy time of the year.
As you are aware, you belong to the most competitive applicant pool. Here is my assessment of your profile:
Academic Capacity; You have good GMAT, but average GPA
Work Experience: Six years of work experience is good but it doesn’t tell me anything about your career progression
Accomplishments/ leadership Experiences: Again, you have not provided any details of your greatest hits at work.
Extracurricular/Volunteer work: You participated in ECs in college, and also have some community service involvement in the past. Currently, you are not involved in any community service activities
Career Goals: You have not provided any information on your goals.
Target B-schools: Without having more details of your work experience, it is difficult for me to comment if you will be competitive for your target schools or not.
Good luck ,
I am sorry for the delayed response. With Round 1 deadlines 4-8 weeks away, it is busy time of the year.
As you are aware, you belong to the most competitive applicant pool. Here is my assessment of your profile:
Academic Capacity; You have good GMAT, but average GPA
Work Experience: Six years of work experience is good but it doesn’t tell me anything about your career progression
Accomplishments/ leadership Experiences: Again, you have not provided any details of your greatest hits at work.
Extracurricular/Volunteer work: You participated in ECs in college, and also have some community service involvement in the past. Currently, you are not involved in any community service activities
Career Goals: You have not provided any information on your goals.
Target B-schools: Without having more details of your work experience, it is difficult for me to comment if you will be competitive for your target schools or not.
Good luck ,
vaggar4
Joined: 30 Mar 2014
Last visit: 21 Dec 2017
Posts: 143
Status:Retaking GMAT
Location: India
Concentration: Technology, Human Resources
Schools: Mason '17 (A$) Katz '17 (WL) Jenkins FT'17 (D) Weatherhead '17 (WL) Merage '17 (D) Terry '17 (D)
GMAT 1: 610 Q49 V24
GPA: 3
WE:Information Technology (Human Resources)
Schools: Mason '17 (A$) Katz '17 (WL) Jenkins FT'17 (D) Weatherhead '17 (WL) Merage '17 (D) Terry '17 (D)
GMAT 1: 610 Q49 V24
Posts: 143
Just gave my exam yesterday and got 600.
Not shocked as I was getting scores between 580 and 620 in MGMAT and GMATPrep tests.
Last GMATprep i got 670 Q50 V31.
My Experience of GMAT:
I felt that Quant was really easy and similar to GMATPrep. But verbal was tougher than GMATPrep and MGMAT tests.
SC was tricky, CR was the toughest and RC was medium. Just 1 RC was hard, rest 3 were medium.
Although I am planning to retake it in 2 months and apply in R2, but please let me know which schools are mod, ambi, etc. and other than these schools if there is any school which suits my profile and GMAT score.Below is my profile snapshot:
10th: 78%
12th: 85%
B.Tech. : 69%
5.5 years of work exp in IT company(Ranked as 14th in Fortune 500 companies list), headquartered in US.
Male Indian IT Guy
Not associated with any NGO though i run my own website for health awareness and cancer prevention and promote it through facebook.
I used to run my own website and I am an ethical Hacker and used to run my own website for ethical hacking but its closed now. not sure if it will help me or not.
My Target schools are Schulich, University of Illinois Urbana Champaghne, Carlson, Fordham, UIC and Depaul.
Thanks.
Not shocked as I was getting scores between 580 and 620 in MGMAT and GMATPrep tests.
Last GMATprep i got 670 Q50 V31.
My Experience of GMAT:
I felt that Quant was really easy and similar to GMATPrep. But verbal was tougher than GMATPrep and MGMAT tests.
SC was tricky, CR was the toughest and RC was medium. Just 1 RC was hard, rest 3 were medium.
Although I am planning to retake it in 2 months and apply in R2, but please let me know which schools are mod, ambi, etc. and other than these schools if there is any school which suits my profile and GMAT score.Below is my profile snapshot:
10th: 78%
12th: 85%
B.Tech. : 69%
5.5 years of work exp in IT company(Ranked as 14th in Fortune 500 companies list), headquartered in US.
Male Indian IT Guy
Not associated with any NGO though i run my own website for health awareness and cancer prevention and promote it through facebook.
I used to run my own website and I am an ethical Hacker and used to run my own website for ethical hacking but its closed now. not sure if it will help me or not.
My Target schools are Schulich, University of Illinois Urbana Champaghne, Carlson, Fordham, UIC and Depaul.
Thanks.
Posts: 37
Hi Maam,
I am posting my stats over here for an evaluation from your side for the range of schools both in US and UK where I may be competitive. My targets are top 10 in the US and top 5 in the UK. However I would like you to guide me in choosing the appropriate " realistic schools" and if possible advise on the mitigating factors for attaining so.
Also I would like to point out that I have just started working so you could probably evaluate without the work ex part although rest assured I am trying mighty hard to put my work ex at credible standings.
As you can see below there is a rough 1.5 year gap after my graduation although this time was used to pursue something which would help me with respect to my long term goal in finance field.
Long Term goal: To start my own firm in Financial services.( Either in Dubai or India )
My Brief Stats are as follows:
UG: Btech NIT Calicut( Tier 2 Engineering College India ), GPA: 6.95/10, Highest GPA was 8.8/10, Class rank: 17/42, No of Distinctions in class( GPA 8 and above): 8
GMAT, GRE: Yet to give I am contemplating something around 700 or 720.
Actually my story goes as follows..
Before entering college I had to drop a year during my 11th grade because my dad got a transfer to a different part of the country & after completing my 12th grade I again took a year off for the purpose of coaching myself for the prestigious IITJEE exam.Thus as you can seen I was about 20 years old when I entered college.
I graduated from a tier 2 Engineering college in India ( NIT), however I had serious health issues during my first year of college and hence i couldn't attend classes for half of the semester..( I received 7 F grades because of this..).I had a medical treatment from a pediatrician who advised me some period of rest before returning to college, hence I can provide some reasoning for this in my Essays as well as in some recommendation letters from some of my professors who know me quite well. Towards the end of my college I had began to do a bit of financial modelling and with sufficient interest I had taken up my final year thesis with a professor of my college for a financial modelling and optimization project.
I became interested in this field and again took up another 2 finance project under the same professor, all based on higher degrees of financial modelling and optimization ( He is now an Assistant Professor at IIM Indore). Since I needed time to put myself into this track I had to devote near to around 8 months solely for making out these thesis and subsequently publishing them into an International Finance Journal. These 3 projects have now been published.. Very Happy I have plans also to present them in a national or an international conference.
After 8 months of research in finance i decided to spend some time in doing social cause work and for around another 7 months was actively working for 3 to 4 NGOs( 1 international and the rest having offices abroad) in the field of Child rights, Environment protection etc..helping them with fundraising and campaigning. I was also subsequently offered to become a campus ambassador for a micro finance NGO in helping them find investors for the firms operations.( I am presently doing this apart from my full time work.
Most of the NGO work had specific outputs such has raising huge funds, roping in large no of investors, raising awareness on child rights to a larger section of the society etc.
Also the entire episode with the NGO's helped me realize and attain interpersonal skills such as pitching, managing investors etc.. which i am sure has incorporated itself into my work skills.
Thus after 1.5 years after graduation I joined for a job in Dubai at a reputed I bank.
Along the way I have taken CFA level 1 and 2 and FRM level 1 and 2 as well. Also I am planning to take up GRE Math ( apart from GMAT) as well some UC Berkeley extension courses to help rectify my academics.
Can you tell me whether I can make a shot to the top 10 schools with this profile or what steps are required for the same.
Hope you can help me out.
I am posting my stats over here for an evaluation from your side for the range of schools both in US and UK where I may be competitive. My targets are top 10 in the US and top 5 in the UK. However I would like you to guide me in choosing the appropriate " realistic schools" and if possible advise on the mitigating factors for attaining so.
Also I would like to point out that I have just started working so you could probably evaluate without the work ex part although rest assured I am trying mighty hard to put my work ex at credible standings.
As you can see below there is a rough 1.5 year gap after my graduation although this time was used to pursue something which would help me with respect to my long term goal in finance field.
Long Term goal: To start my own firm in Financial services.( Either in Dubai or India )
My Brief Stats are as follows:
UG: Btech NIT Calicut( Tier 2 Engineering College India ), GPA: 6.95/10, Highest GPA was 8.8/10, Class rank: 17/42, No of Distinctions in class( GPA 8 and above): 8
GMAT, GRE: Yet to give I am contemplating something around 700 or 720.
Actually my story goes as follows..
Before entering college I had to drop a year during my 11th grade because my dad got a transfer to a different part of the country & after completing my 12th grade I again took a year off for the purpose of coaching myself for the prestigious IITJEE exam.Thus as you can seen I was about 20 years old when I entered college.
I graduated from a tier 2 Engineering college in India ( NIT), however I had serious health issues during my first year of college and hence i couldn't attend classes for half of the semester..( I received 7 F grades because of this..).I had a medical treatment from a pediatrician who advised me some period of rest before returning to college, hence I can provide some reasoning for this in my Essays as well as in some recommendation letters from some of my professors who know me quite well. Towards the end of my college I had began to do a bit of financial modelling and with sufficient interest I had taken up my final year thesis with a professor of my college for a financial modelling and optimization project.
I became interested in this field and again took up another 2 finance project under the same professor, all based on higher degrees of financial modelling and optimization ( He is now an Assistant Professor at IIM Indore). Since I needed time to put myself into this track I had to devote near to around 8 months solely for making out these thesis and subsequently publishing them into an International Finance Journal. These 3 projects have now been published.. Very Happy I have plans also to present them in a national or an international conference.
After 8 months of research in finance i decided to spend some time in doing social cause work and for around another 7 months was actively working for 3 to 4 NGOs( 1 international and the rest having offices abroad) in the field of Child rights, Environment protection etc..helping them with fundraising and campaigning. I was also subsequently offered to become a campus ambassador for a micro finance NGO in helping them find investors for the firms operations.( I am presently doing this apart from my full time work.
Most of the NGO work had specific outputs such has raising huge funds, roping in large no of investors, raising awareness on child rights to a larger section of the society etc.
Also the entire episode with the NGO's helped me realize and attain interpersonal skills such as pitching, managing investors etc.. which i am sure has incorporated itself into my work skills.
Thus after 1.5 years after graduation I joined for a job in Dubai at a reputed I bank.
Along the way I have taken CFA level 1 and 2 and FRM level 1 and 2 as well. Also I am planning to take up GRE Math ( apart from GMAT) as well some UC Berkeley extension courses to help rectify my academics.
Can you tell me whether I can make a shot to the top 10 schools with this profile or what steps are required for the same.
Hope you can help me out.
Posts: 747
Hi Jairam,
I apologize for the delay in response.
Thanks for providing me details of your profile. Here is my quick assessment of your profile.
Academic Capacity: You have not yet taken your GMAT.
Given your academic performance in college (some F’s due to ill health early in college) and academic gap, you will need to aim for a high GMAT score ( 720+) to prove your academic prowess and your ability to handle academic rigor of MBA.
Work Experience: You mentioned that you have just started working, so you may want to work for at least 3-4 years to get good professional experience under your belt. Try to look for leadership opportunities at work so your career progresses at a faster rate than your peers. Accomplishments at work are necessary to build a strong MBA application
Community Service: You have good community service experience. Continue your involvement in voluntary activities as much as your work allows you to. Also, you have big beast to conquer- GMAT, and you need time and dedication for that.
I am glad that you are taking steps to improve your profile. However, I feel top 10 -15 schools will be a stretch for you, so I suggest you extend your choice to top 30-40 schools.
Good luck,
Poonam
I apologize for the delay in response.
Thanks for providing me details of your profile. Here is my quick assessment of your profile.
Academic Capacity: You have not yet taken your GMAT.
Given your academic performance in college (some F’s due to ill health early in college) and academic gap, you will need to aim for a high GMAT score ( 720+) to prove your academic prowess and your ability to handle academic rigor of MBA.
Work Experience: You mentioned that you have just started working, so you may want to work for at least 3-4 years to get good professional experience under your belt. Try to look for leadership opportunities at work so your career progresses at a faster rate than your peers. Accomplishments at work are necessary to build a strong MBA application
Community Service: You have good community service experience. Continue your involvement in voluntary activities as much as your work allows you to. Also, you have big beast to conquer- GMAT, and you need time and dedication for that.
I am glad that you are taking steps to improve your profile. However, I feel top 10 -15 schools will be a stretch for you, so I suggest you extend your choice to top 30-40 schools.
Good luck,
Poonam
Posts: 37
Hi Poonam,
Thank you very much for my profile evaluation.
A little sad to see that I cant target for top 10. Could you tell me any mitigating strategies so that I could infact make an effort to the top 10 schools.
(Is the present evaluation done excluding my GMAT and Work Ex..?)
Would high GMAT Score or Good Work Experience do the trick..? Or should I go in for an alternative transcript, such as UC Berkeley Courses or take another 1 year masters course?
What do you think is exactly pulling me off the list? Hope you can solve my queries and help me out.
Thank you very much for my profile evaluation.
A little sad to see that I cant target for top 10. Could you tell me any mitigating strategies so that I could infact make an effort to the top 10 schools.
(Is the present evaluation done excluding my GMAT and Work Ex..?)
Would high GMAT Score or Good Work Experience do the trick..? Or should I go in for an alternative transcript, such as UC Berkeley Courses or take another 1 year masters course?
What do you think is exactly pulling me off the list? Hope you can solve my queries and help me out.
Posts: 747
HI Jairam,
First of all, I would encourage you to get out of "top 10 school" fixation. You can a build promising career with a degree from top 30 schools as well. Your priority should be to determine which school is your best fit and is well aligned to your goals and interests .
As for now, I would sugegst that you focus on two things:
1. Work towards getting a strong GMAT score
2. Acquire 3-4 years of good professional experience by seeking more responsibilities at work and getting promotions ahead of your peers. Professional accomplishments are key to strengthening your profile and increasing your odds for good B schools.
Good luck,
Poonam
First of all, I would encourage you to get out of "top 10 school" fixation. You can a build promising career with a degree from top 30 schools as well. Your priority should be to determine which school is your best fit and is well aligned to your goals and interests .
As for now, I would sugegst that you focus on two things:
1. Work towards getting a strong GMAT score
2. Acquire 3-4 years of good professional experience by seeking more responsibilities at work and getting promotions ahead of your peers. Professional accomplishments are key to strengthening your profile and increasing your odds for good B schools.
Good luck,
Poonam
Hello!
Please evaluate my profile
29
Dual citizenship - Israel/U.S
Gmat - 700 (46Q\40V)
Bachelor's in Accounting and Journalism from Hebrew University
GPA 3.48
made deans list for the year of 2011
Won a national Social Entrepreneurship competition and founded a non profit (sustainability) while in school
Passed all 5 CPA exams on first trial (some of the exams had lower than 20% success rate for first timers)
Work experience:
Served for 3 years in the army as a combat medic, was awarded an excellence award during that time.
Worked 2 years as a strategic consultant in a local but selective firm that specializes in public administration
currently working full time at Ernst and Young as a CPA
Part time business dev and marketing at family business (art)
extra curricular:
Volunteers at the local chapter of an international non profit as a Digital consultant,
Mentors a startup in a local accelerator
Runs Marathons
meditator
Schools
Haas, MIT Sloan, Yale SOM, Johnson
Reach-Stanford GSB
Thank you for your help!
Please evaluate my profile
29
Dual citizenship - Israel/U.S
Gmat - 700 (46Q\40V)
Bachelor's in Accounting and Journalism from Hebrew University
GPA 3.48
made deans list for the year of 2011
Won a national Social Entrepreneurship competition and founded a non profit (sustainability) while in school
Passed all 5 CPA exams on first trial (some of the exams had lower than 20% success rate for first timers)
Work experience:
Served for 3 years in the army as a combat medic, was awarded an excellence award during that time.
Worked 2 years as a strategic consultant in a local but selective firm that specializes in public administration
currently working full time at Ernst and Young as a CPA
Part time business dev and marketing at family business (art)
extra curricular:
Volunteers at the local chapter of an international non profit as a Digital consultant,
Mentors a startup in a local accelerator
Runs Marathons
meditator
Schools
Haas, MIT Sloan, Yale SOM, Johnson
Reach-Stanford GSB
Thank you for your help!
sattyajmba
Joined: 06 Apr 2015
Last visit: 13 Jan 2017
Posts: 7
Location: India
Concentration: Strategy, Technology
GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V48
GPA: 3.76
GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V48
Posts: 7
Hello Sir. I am Satyajit Chaudhary from India. I am a pass-out of IIFT Delhi 2012 batch (a Top-10 Indian B-School), currently working in Cognizant Business Consulting. I am in a tricky spot right now in my life & could really use some advice. In my 3 yrs in the industry, I have realized that my MBA degree lacks a global perspective & is pretty India-centric. As such, I was pondering over a 2nd MBA, a global one from a FT Top-25 B-School. I appeared for GMAT just to test myself & surprisingly scored 760 (Q-51,V-41, IR-8, AWA-6). But I got to know from different articles that US B-Schools don't usually prefer candidates in their early 30s or those with an MBA already. Unfortunately, I fall in both of those categories. That has left me completely confused. My profile-
Class X Board Exams- 92%
Class XII Board Exams- 92%
Graduation - B.Tech in Electronics & Communication - 82.9%
MBA - 3.4 on a scale of 4
Work Ex- 4.5yrs, currently working in Cognizant Business Consulting
Will be 32 by the time I join
Now more than a profile evaluation, I would like to know straight from the horse's mouth if such a profile can make it to a Top B-School, if such a profile has any prospects in the gruelling admission process. Wanted to know what you think of the prospects of such a client. Any help will be much appreciated...
PS- Scouring through forums, I see so many from India applying for their 2nd MBAs in their 30s (this is such a widespread phenomenon here). A lot of them must be getting through or else why would they keep on applying? So is this stigma really that prevalent?
Class X Board Exams- 92%
Class XII Board Exams- 92%
Graduation - B.Tech in Electronics & Communication - 82.9%
MBA - 3.4 on a scale of 4
Work Ex- 4.5yrs, currently working in Cognizant Business Consulting
Will be 32 by the time I join
Now more than a profile evaluation, I would like to know straight from the horse's mouth if such a profile can make it to a Top B-School, if such a profile has any prospects in the gruelling admission process. Wanted to know what you think of the prospects of such a client. Any help will be much appreciated...
PS- Scouring through forums, I see so many from India applying for their 2nd MBAs in their 30s (this is such a widespread phenomenon here). A lot of them must be getting through or else why would they keep on applying? So is this stigma really that prevalent?
Posts: 747
Hello Eladavid,
Thanks for sharing your profile.
You have strong acads. You have entrepreneurship experience when you were still in school which is impressive. You have 3 years of military experience where you won awards and 2 years of experience as a strategy consultant. In addition, you are also involved in your family business in marketing and business development area. All this combined together makes you a strong candidate with varied work experience. You have strong EC’s as well. In short, you have an impressive profile for your target schools.
Now you need to decide why you want to do an MBA? What are your short term and long tern goals? The schools need to know how they can help you achieve your goals. Get started, put together your strongest hits/ accomplishments/ leadership roles and translate them into stellar essay that impress the Ad Com. You have military experience , so the Ad Com would want to know in what ways those experiences were unique. And lastly, even though 700 is a good score, it’s always better to get 730+ score. So if you want , you can retake it .
We can discuss in detail if you email me at [email protected]
Best,
Thanks for sharing your profile.
You have strong acads. You have entrepreneurship experience when you were still in school which is impressive. You have 3 years of military experience where you won awards and 2 years of experience as a strategy consultant. In addition, you are also involved in your family business in marketing and business development area. All this combined together makes you a strong candidate with varied work experience. You have strong EC’s as well. In short, you have an impressive profile for your target schools.
Now you need to decide why you want to do an MBA? What are your short term and long tern goals? The schools need to know how they can help you achieve your goals. Get started, put together your strongest hits/ accomplishments/ leadership roles and translate them into stellar essay that impress the Ad Com. You have military experience , so the Ad Com would want to know in what ways those experiences were unique. And lastly, even though 700 is a good score, it’s always better to get 730+ score. So if you want , you can retake it .
We can discuss in detail if you email me at [email protected]
Best,
Posts: 747
Hello Satayjit,
Thanks for sharing your profile. Congrats on your stellar GMAT on first attempt.You have strong academics.
A lot of 30+ candidates are hesitant about applying, but I don’t think you will be rejected simply because you are 1-2 years older than your class mates. Harvard and Stanford may not be easy while MIT, Duke, Darden can be friendlier to post 30. You should be able to explain why MBA now ( In your case, why second MBA?)
You have answered the question about second MBA yourself . A lot of people are applying because they feel the first MBA didn’t fulfill their needs . The key is to convince the Ad Com about your need to do a second MBA.
From the details you have shared, it’s very difficult to say if you will be competitive for top 10 schools. I need to know more details about your work experience, career growth, promotions, leadership roles , EC's etc.
For more discussion, you may email me at [email protected] .
Thanks for sharing your profile. Congrats on your stellar GMAT on first attempt.You have strong academics.
A lot of 30+ candidates are hesitant about applying, but I don’t think you will be rejected simply because you are 1-2 years older than your class mates. Harvard and Stanford may not be easy while MIT, Duke, Darden can be friendlier to post 30. You should be able to explain why MBA now ( In your case, why second MBA?)
You have answered the question about second MBA yourself . A lot of people are applying because they feel the first MBA didn’t fulfill their needs . The key is to convince the Ad Com about your need to do a second MBA.
From the details you have shared, it’s very difficult to say if you will be competitive for top 10 schools. I need to know more details about your work experience, career growth, promotions, leadership roles , EC's etc.
For more discussion, you may email me at [email protected] .
Posts: 28
10th: 86%
12th: 83.4%
GRADUATION
B.Tech. in Computer Science from IP University, Delhi with an aggregate score of 72.6% (First Class)
GMAT: 740
WORK-EX:
Working with Samvardhana Motherson Group (SMG) (World’s 5th largest group) for past 2 years as a Software Engineer. Involved in different roles for 2 years. Was a JAVA developer for the first 12 months and worked on a project related to automobile industry wherein we tracked all the activities of major automobile players (like Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagen etc.) and their manufacturing plants. In this project I proposed a module which involved scanning of invoices, of which I proposed the algorithm, to potentially reduce the effort at customer’s side. This brought a business of 60.2 Million INR to organization. Received Star Performer of the Year award for the initiative taken.
In lieu to this initiative taken, after 1 year in the organization, I was shifted to Business Intelligence Team to use the critical data like revenue; budget etc. of the organization to track down the lacuna’s to suggest possible changes to be made for organization’s benefit. Working under this team, I proposed the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) which shall mitigate the re-work done in few teams in the organization. Upon review it was implemented in the organization. I inked down the proposed SDLC and got it converted in form of a research paper, published in a prestigious journal.
Total Work-Ex at the time of ISB 2016-17 application will be 2 years 8 months.
OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE
Went with project leader and other team members for installation and demo of the project to the client for duration of 3 months in Hungry during my tenure as a JAVA developer in initial 12 months
ENTREPRENEURSHIP EXPERIENCE
In last year of under-graduation, founded a tech company along with 2 friends, to develop websites and applications ranging from android to ecommerce website. The company is registered in the name of www[dot]crebertech[dot]com. The company generated a revenue around INR 1 lakh. Currently serving as the business head in the startup.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR
I have categorized extra-curricular into following categories.
Scholastic Achievements:
• Have 5 research papers being the 1st author published in prestigious journals with a high impact factor. For one of the research paper published, was selected as a reviewer at the same journal (Science Alert) where mostly doctorate and post-doctorate professors are selected.
• Was selected to represent my school in a competition of Mathematics and English conducted by University of New South Wales.
• Winner of 3 state awards in technical events conducted at Delhi College of Engineering (DCE). Runner-Up in 4 technical events conducted at Delhi College of Engineering.
Dramatics
• Winner in 1 competition and runner up in other organized in IGIT.
• Played Football at National Level. Represented Delhi and scored a hat trick and helped team to reach semi-finals. Was also adjudicated Man-of-the-tournament by sports head of IIT during an intra-college football tournament in my college.
• Organized literary events during college fests in the year 2011-2012-2013. Recoded higher participation with each successive year.
Debating and Literacy
• Winner of 3 State level debate competitions organized at Delhi College of Engineering.
• Winner of 3 State level extempore competitions organized at Delhi College of Engineering.
• Winner of 3 State level essay competitions organized at Delhi College of Engineering and 1 essay event organized in my college.
• Contributed to college and school magazines and remained an active blooger in my organization monthly newsletter.
Social Initiative
• Involved with an NGO for past 3 years. Working as a treasurer now. During my time I organized events to raise fund for the NGO and used the same money to prevent cow smuggling and prevent slaughtering of cows in the small villages of Haryana.
• A short 3 months internship at AIESEC under the program Iccha, to help slum children identify the basic cause of malaise. Helped them identify major pollutants and areas acting as a breeding ground of mosquitoes. Drafted a survey on the area visited and was adopted as a blue print by the local residents to palliate the waste.
• Worked for 5 months at Children Home, Delhi Government foster home to orphan kids. Provided pedagogy to students and was involved in various teaching drives organized at foster home during those 5 moths.
• Active member of CSR committee of my organization. Awarded for an active role in donation and social drives.
My target schools are Yale, Booth, Ross, Anderson, Tuck, Stern, Hass, Insead, Kellogg, ISB, Stanford GSB, LBS, Tepper and Johnson. Is it too ambitious or can I count some of them as moderate ? if yes, which one ?
12th: 83.4%
GRADUATION
B.Tech. in Computer Science from IP University, Delhi with an aggregate score of 72.6% (First Class)
GMAT: 740
WORK-EX:
Working with Samvardhana Motherson Group (SMG) (World’s 5th largest group) for past 2 years as a Software Engineer. Involved in different roles for 2 years. Was a JAVA developer for the first 12 months and worked on a project related to automobile industry wherein we tracked all the activities of major automobile players (like Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagen etc.) and their manufacturing plants. In this project I proposed a module which involved scanning of invoices, of which I proposed the algorithm, to potentially reduce the effort at customer’s side. This brought a business of 60.2 Million INR to organization. Received Star Performer of the Year award for the initiative taken.
In lieu to this initiative taken, after 1 year in the organization, I was shifted to Business Intelligence Team to use the critical data like revenue; budget etc. of the organization to track down the lacuna’s to suggest possible changes to be made for organization’s benefit. Working under this team, I proposed the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) which shall mitigate the re-work done in few teams in the organization. Upon review it was implemented in the organization. I inked down the proposed SDLC and got it converted in form of a research paper, published in a prestigious journal.
Total Work-Ex at the time of ISB 2016-17 application will be 2 years 8 months.
OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE
Went with project leader and other team members for installation and demo of the project to the client for duration of 3 months in Hungry during my tenure as a JAVA developer in initial 12 months
ENTREPRENEURSHIP EXPERIENCE
In last year of under-graduation, founded a tech company along with 2 friends, to develop websites and applications ranging from android to ecommerce website. The company is registered in the name of www[dot]crebertech[dot]com. The company generated a revenue around INR 1 lakh. Currently serving as the business head in the startup.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR
I have categorized extra-curricular into following categories.
Scholastic Achievements:
• Have 5 research papers being the 1st author published in prestigious journals with a high impact factor. For one of the research paper published, was selected as a reviewer at the same journal (Science Alert) where mostly doctorate and post-doctorate professors are selected.
• Was selected to represent my school in a competition of Mathematics and English conducted by University of New South Wales.
• Winner of 3 state awards in technical events conducted at Delhi College of Engineering (DCE). Runner-Up in 4 technical events conducted at Delhi College of Engineering.
Dramatics
• Winner in 1 competition and runner up in other organized in IGIT.
• Played Football at National Level. Represented Delhi and scored a hat trick and helped team to reach semi-finals. Was also adjudicated Man-of-the-tournament by sports head of IIT during an intra-college football tournament in my college.
• Organized literary events during college fests in the year 2011-2012-2013. Recoded higher participation with each successive year.
Debating and Literacy
• Winner of 3 State level debate competitions organized at Delhi College of Engineering.
• Winner of 3 State level extempore competitions organized at Delhi College of Engineering.
• Winner of 3 State level essay competitions organized at Delhi College of Engineering and 1 essay event organized in my college.
• Contributed to college and school magazines and remained an active blooger in my organization monthly newsletter.
Social Initiative
• Involved with an NGO for past 3 years. Working as a treasurer now. During my time I organized events to raise fund for the NGO and used the same money to prevent cow smuggling and prevent slaughtering of cows in the small villages of Haryana.
• A short 3 months internship at AIESEC under the program Iccha, to help slum children identify the basic cause of malaise. Helped them identify major pollutants and areas acting as a breeding ground of mosquitoes. Drafted a survey on the area visited and was adopted as a blue print by the local residents to palliate the waste.
• Worked for 5 months at Children Home, Delhi Government foster home to orphan kids. Provided pedagogy to students and was involved in various teaching drives organized at foster home during those 5 moths.
• Active member of CSR committee of my organization. Awarded for an active role in donation and social drives.
My target schools are Yale, Booth, Ross, Anderson, Tuck, Stern, Hass, Insead, Kellogg, ISB, Stanford GSB, LBS, Tepper and Johnson. Is it too ambitious or can I count some of them as moderate ? if yes, which one ?
Posts: 747
Hi Vipul,
Thanks for posting all the key details of your overall profile . It was my pleasure reading them. All the aspects of your profile ( academic ability, international experience, entrepreneurship experience, EC's ( sports, dramatics, debates, research papers, voluntary work) are so strong that any school will love to have you if you present your story in an effective and convincing manner.However, your selection of schools will depend on what your goals are and which schools will best fit your goals and interest .
Good luck on your application.
Poonam
Thanks for posting all the key details of your overall profile . It was my pleasure reading them. All the aspects of your profile ( academic ability, international experience, entrepreneurship experience, EC's ( sports, dramatics, debates, research papers, voluntary work) are so strong that any school will love to have you if you present your story in an effective and convincing manner.However, your selection of schools will depend on what your goals are and which schools will best fit your goals and interest .
Good luck on your application.
Poonam
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