plzzz help me out

Question

Hi all
i am 23 yr old indian. i am a Chartered accountant( equvi to American CPA) by profession. i am presently working with GE CAPS as Asst. manager. i have around 15 months of workex till now and plan to apply 2 following schools in fall 07.

 harvard/stanford/wharton/GSB/columbia/nyu stern/mit sloan

 Apart from this i am also doing my ICWAI final(equi to UK CIMA)
 I am also a certified assesor by CII ( confederation of indian industries) and a certified treasury manager by catalyst consulting group.
i have ok extra curiculars/community services.

i also have certification from NSE( national stock exchange of india) in derivatives and capital markets.

my Gmat score is 740.

now my question 2 all u gurus is

by the time i will be applying my exp wud be 2 yrs and the time i wud be joining these schools my exp wud be around 3 yrs. is it too early for these schools. i have 3 yrs of articleship exp during my CA days.

plzzz comment on my profile having regard 2 my target schools and what shud i do 2 make my profile even more suitable for these schools.

regds

Sudhir

scottshrum · Answer

I think you have a shot, but I'd recommend at least another year of experience. Also, nothing about your profile really stands out as unique, so your extracurriculars/community service/hobbies will be important.

Scott

sudhir18n · Answer

thanks a lot for ur prompt reply.

i just wanted 2 tell u about my extracir/ community service

Extra curricular:

Was a school leader and college leader.
 represented my school and college in inter college cricket

Stated a group called "Mavericks" consisting of all F1 fans . i was the one who started it and i am still a member of it.( started it in 2000)

helped our office staff to effectively use the paper.

Is a member of our society committee which helps in the day 2 day management of things the locality.

 Community service 

worked with an NGO in India during the Tsunami in India ( nagapatanam

Stated a group in our locality to help people understand the effective and efficient usage of water and helped in putting thru a rain water harvesting plant in the locality.

worked with a NGO which works for people who have problems related to Eyes.

working with underpriveleged children for their rehabilitation and education


Planning to work with an NGO which works towards AIDS awareness.


hope this will wud give u some idea and help u answer my queries better.

regds
Sudhir

scottshrum · Answer

All of this info is potentially very valuable in setting you apart from other applicants! Don't be afraid to talk about this stuff in your application. Adcomms will tend to be more interested in things like this than your certifications.

The other key thing for you is what you want to do with an MBA. If it's definitely finance, then I think your choice of schools is good. If you're looking to get more into general management or consulting, then also consider schools like Kellogg and Tuck.

Scott

sudhir18n · Answer

thx a lot scott

any particular weakness u c in my profile other than ofcourse the workex

yeah i am very interested in finance wanna be an investment banker adn then after some exp want to come back to India and start my own setup.


 do u think i have a chance this fall 07 to the schools of my choice?


regds

Sudhir

scottshrum · Answer

No, I think your main weakness right now is just your work experience. Also, your career goals (banker, then startup in India) are VERY common these days. Don't go changing your career goals just for that reason, but keep that in mind. I see that type of thing very regularly. 

I think you're still a bit young, but you will probably have a decent shot at at least one of those schools.

Scott

sudhir18n · Answer

i am very happy and delighted with ur fair comments

Anything which u can suggest me 2 offset the weakness suggested by u. i have avery gud quality workex of 3 yrs by the time i will join. and i have decent extra/community services. i have heard the schools like H/S/W and other top 10 have shown their intent and increasing preferring to take younget students. in this context dont u think i can have a decent shot and work ex may not be a very imp thing which the adcomms will consider.

regds

Sudhir

scottshrum · Answer

Well, work experience will always be a very important consideration. Maybe the most important thing. But quality matters more than quantity, so as long as you have "high quality" work experience (e.g., leadership, results), you should be okay.

Scott

sudhir18n · Answer

hi scott,

 i have posted in some other thread on this forum and the reply i got was not encouraging . u know my profile and my extra/community service.
as u know i wud be applying to H/S/W/COLUMBIA/ CHICAGO/MIT/NYU/TUCK/KELLOG.

what do u think are my chances of atleast getting an interview at each of these schools provided i write decent essays. i wanna know this bcoz i dont wanna put in the effort in getting in a college which u guys think will not in any ways call me for an interview. i wud rather invest that time and money in some other school where i have a decent chance of getting in. 

do u think any of these schools can be a safety school for my profile or u wanna suggest any other.

please hep me out with these .

i am so distubed with the comments of some people on this forum.

plzz help me decide

regds

Sudhir

PS: i got the reply as H/S chances are low, W/K /chigaco...... rest are fair NYU/Yale its decent,

scottshrum · Answer

I would never call any of these a safety school for anyone. (I define a "safety school" as one where you have a very good or excellent chance of being admitted.) Of the ones you listed, NYU and Columbia may be your best bets. 

Also, Rochester, Cornell, and Indiana are very good schools in finance. I think your chances would be better at these schools. (That doesn't mean you shouldn't apply to the other schools you mentioned.)

Keep in mind that it's VERY difficult to get into the top ten schools... They typically have acceptance rates in the 10% - 20% range. So don't be discouraged! 

Scott

sudhir18n · Answer

hii scott,

nothing much to ask u as i have already done that in all my earlier posts.

Just wanted 2 ask u do u honestly think that i can make it 2 to any of the schools i have mentioned and how can i increase my chances if there are at all at these schools
were shud i work on and how 2 present my profile in a better way.

regds

Sudhir

scottshrum · Answer

I think that if you're clear about your goals and can distinguish yourself from other, similar-sounding applicants, your chances of getting into at least one of those schools are good. But spread your bets, and don't just aim for the top 5!

Scott

sudhir18n · Answer

Hi scott

just wanted to inform u that in my earlier posts i mentioned that i am pursuing my ICWAI Final(equvi to UKs CIMA) , i cleared that exam and one more thing .

i am going 2 finland for a couple of months for transition of new business. i was selected among 2000 people in our company and the transition will involve moving out the whole work which those guys were doing there for so many years back 2 india . its generally pretty difficult 2 transist a new business as it involves learning new things and people are not interested 2 share it with you because at the end of it they wud loose their jobs, so we have convince those guys and learn work from them.

Now my question is whether this experience( both work wise international and cultural) would be any help 2 me in my profile.

and how can i make this unique exp more appealing to the adcoms

regds

Sudhir

scottshrum · Answer

Sounds like a great experience. It's potentially very valuable since it can help set you apart from other applicants. In terms of how to present it, the key will be showing adcomms was you learned from the experience. Getting selected is great, but even more interesting will be what you did and learned from the experience.

Scott

sudhir18n · Answer

Hi scott


Thanks a lot for ur prompt reply( as usual)

i wanted to ask u a favour of shortlisitng colleges based on my profile and were i have atleast a decent change of getting out.

As u know i wanna work for a I BANK /M&A /PE

please do the help . it wud be great if u can limit the list to 7/8

regds

Sudhir

Ps: please give ur rating if u dont mind on whch schools i have decent chance.

scottshrum · Answer

If you're really interested in banking and finance, then consider these schools:

*Will be tough, but aim for at least one or two of these*
- Wharton
- Chicago
- Sloan

*Still challenging, but a bit easier to get into*
- Stern
- Columbia

*Other good schools to consider -- not "easy" to get into, but more like safety schools*
- Rochester
- Carnegie Mellon

Scott

sudhir18n · Answer

Hi Scott....
Here i am again...i again have a small question for u...
As u know.. I am interested to get in to I banks after my MBA...
How do rate a MS finance....how good is it and how recognised is it when comparred to an MBA...will it help me in getting into an I bank and is there any differentiation from the recruiters ( in terms of position offered ) ...

Kindly help me out with this,,,recently a colleague of mine got into LBS Masters in finance...he suggested me with this,,,

hoping for a qucik reply as usual from u


regds
Sudhir

scottshrum · Answer

It depends on what exactly you want to do in finance. An MS in Finance will probably lead you to a more specialized career, while an MBA will allow you to get into finance but possibly take on a wider variety of roles. I'm biased, but I'd recommend getting an MBA unless you want to REALLY specialize in a specific aspect of finance.

Scott

plzzz help me out

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