Last visit was: 21 Apr 2026, 07:03

It is currently 21 Apr 2026, 07:03

Toolkit

Practice Tests

Business School and MBA

Ask Admissions Consultants

Ask mbaMission

GMAT Club Daily Prep

Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.

Go to My Error Log Learn more

Request Expert Reply

Confirm Cancel

Apr 23
When to Stop Studying for the GMAT and Start Working on Your MBA Application
10:00 AM EDT
-
10:30 AM EDT
Admissions committees evaluate the GMAT/GRE in context — your background, your representation in the applicant pool, the strength of everything else in your file. The same score works for one candidate and falls short for another with identical numbers.
Apr 23
ISB Interview Call Guarantee Module
12:00 PM PDT
-
01:00 PM PDT
Inquire for a free profile evaluation and guarantee statement for possible admits and scholarships!
Apr 24
Live Coffee Chat- MBA profile enhancement: How to fix your gaps in 4 months
08:30 PM IST
-
09:30 PM IST
Join us for a Live Coffee chat with Jenifer Turtschanow where we talk about enhancing your MBA profile and fixing gaps in just 4 months.

Back to Forum

Create Topic

Welcome to Ask mbaMission

1 2 3 4 5 6

mbaMissionBrianE

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 10 Jun 2011

Last visit: 10 Dec 2012

Posts: 306

Own Kudos:

[3]

Expert

Expert reply

Posts: 306

Kudos: 44

[3]

14 Jun 2011, 08:33

Kudos

Bookmarks

Welcome to the "Ask an Admissions Consultant" forum! We at mbaMission are delighted to offer our advice and perspective as you work your way through the MBA application process.

If you have a question for one of our consultants, please start a thread below, summarizing the question or topic in your subject line (e.g. "Profile evaluation" or "Waitlist advice needed"). In your question, please provide detailed information to help the consultants give you a robust answer. One of our consultants will answer your question within a couple of days.

For more guidance, please visit mbaMission’s blog. Here you will find essay analyses for many of the top MBA programs, interviews with admissions directors, and regular essay and application tips, as well as a schedule of our frequent free online and in person seminars on topics ranging from School Selection, to Essay Writing, to in-depth focus on specific schools’ applications. We also have written Insider’s Guides, which give insight into the true character of top business schools, as well as other application guides you may find helpful.

- The mbaMission team

shreyasbabu

Joined: 09 Jul 2011

Last visit: 16 Jul 2011

Posts: 6

Kudos: 0

09 Jul 2011, 03:41

Kudos

Bookmarks

hi ,
i'm shreyas babu from Bangalore ,India.
i have done my 3 year full time diploma program in planning and entrepreneurship at which specializing in marketing and finance in indian intitute of planning and management, Bangalore of which affiliated in IMI, Belgium.i'm just a fresher, i would to do higher studies,
so please suggest ideas what i can do like Msc in finance or direct MBA in some decent university.

getdeepace

Joined: 10 Oct 2011

Last visit: 12 Oct 2011

Posts: 5

Kudos: 0

10 Oct 2011, 08:34

Kudos

Bookmarks

hello ,
i am a final year student of computer science engineering ,from india. plz tell me :
1. i want to pursue one year accelerated mba in hedge funds . i don't have any undergraduate degrees or certificates in business . so am i eligible to do so ?
2. what are my chances of getting admission and scholarship in following colleges ?
London Business School, UK
Insead France / Singapore
IE Business School Spain
Iese Business School Spain
IMD Switzerland
HEC Paris France
Esade Business School Spain
3. what are the requiremens for getting admission and "scholarship " in
these above colleges and which will be better for a foreigner like me to pursue mba in hedge funds ?

Hswm

Joined: 22 Sep 2012

Last visit: 09 Feb 2013

Posts: 5

Given Kudos: 1

Concentration: Entrepreneurship, Finance

GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V40 Verified score

GPA: 3.5

GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V40 Verified score

Posts: 5

Kudos: 0

22 Sep 2012, 17:04

Kudos

Bookmarks

Gmat 710
Phd engg from top 10 US univ
Btech, iit
10 yrs work ex in top brand company, middle management

Applying to hsw, mit

tyagigar

Joined: 11 Jul 2013

Last visit: 26 Nov 2023

Posts: 24

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 35

Products:

Posts: 24

Kudos: 9

20 Nov 2013, 00:23

Kudos

Bookmarks

hi,
i gave my gmat on sunday : i scored 650 , previous attempt ( 660)
what went wrong: quants ( 49) verbal ( 30).

nationality: indian
work ex : 3.4

i was constanly scring 680-720 in manhatan test and also in gmat prep ;

actually after doing quants duing the break i lost 1.5 min, i tried to ignore it but may be it had a phycological effect.

i had applied to these colleges :

darthmouth ( tuck)
duke ( faqua)
booth
yale
kelly( indiana)

i want to appear again :

i have few question;
1 for round 2 by what time can i appy in time
2 if i go for round three by what time should i appear , and what kind of score i might need,

3 do you think applying in round three will make it very difficult.

i want to reappear because i know i can do much better.

please guide

regards:
willdoitanyhow

anika001

Joined: 08 Apr 2014

Last visit: 19 Apr 2014

Posts: 5

Own Kudos:

Posts: 5

Kudos: 1

08 Apr 2014, 00:16

Kudos

Bookmarks

plz tell me, for round 2 by what time can i appy in time i need a urgent answer this question.....

designaweb1

Joined: 30 Apr 2014

Last visit: 24 Jul 2014

Posts: 3

Kudos: 0

13 May 2014, 00:03

Kudos

Bookmarks

Thanks

yashaban

Joined: 17 May 2014

Last visit: 22 May 2014

Posts: 4

Kudos: 0

22 May 2014, 09:56

Kudos

Bookmarks

I have an option of doing an International MBA from either European School of Business,Reutlingen,Germany or Nyenrode Business Universetit,Netherlands.Which would you suggest considering future Job prospects and Country growth?

mbadream123456

Joined: 25 Sep 2014

Last visit: 28 Jan 2015

Posts: 1

Kudos: 0

25 Sep 2014, 20:04

Kudos

Bookmarks

GMAT SCORE: 660 (Q50, V30, IR: 8)
Citizen: Indian
Age: 26
Class X: 89%(CBSE Board)
Class XI : 85% (CBSE Board)

Under Graduate:
• Bachelor of Engineering (B.E), Mechanical Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, GPA: 7.39/10
Work Experience:
• Working at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (A Fortune 500 Company) as Assistant Manager, Marketing for Lubricants.
• Profile: Marketing Lubricants to Bazaar (through Distributors) and Direct industrial customers (B2B).
• A total of 4 Years work Experience as of Sep’14.
• Consistently achieved monthly targeted sales and increased sales revenues by 15% year on year with an estimated Turnover of 55 crores / anum ;
• Was instrumental in striking a deal for trials with a customer using Wartsilla Engines which finally lead to receiving an OE approval for supply of MAK lubricants to all Wartsilla Engines all over India. The only PSU to have got the approval.
• Was selected to present the Best Marketing Initiative at an all India meet of BPCL
• Represented BPCL at AIMA (State Level)
• Was selected for a paid internship program from TATA steel in the year 2009.
Extra Curricular:
Sports:
• Was the Basket Ball University Captain which represented at East Zone Inter University ( Universities from 7 States participated in the Event) and Runner Up at the event “Spardha’10” held at IT BHU
• Gold medalist in Javelin at university for three consecutive years
• Represented my School in sports level athletics in 4*100 meter relay and Basketball
Leadership:
• Was the School pupil leader in the year 2006
NCC:
• Was the NCC commander at University in the year 2008
• Awarded “Sahara Scholarship” in the field of NCC in the year 2002
ART:
• Conferred with the title of “Kalai Ilamani” by Tamil Nadu Government for the contribution to the field of art.
Event Organizing:
Have conducted several corporate level events handling a team and anchored several cultural and official events
Future Plan:
• Trustee at a trust founded by me in the year 2014. Future plans to motivate potential candidates towards innovative initiatives and promote implementation of innovative models.
Kindly evaluate my profile and suggest B-schools. Looking forward to the top 30 B- Schools (FT Rankings).

GoonerGalactico

Joined: 08 Nov 2013

Last visit: 02 Aug 2015

Posts: 34

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 13

GMAT 1: 730 Q50 V40 Verified score

Posts: 34

Kudos: 26

24 Oct 2014, 10:21

Kudos

Bookmarks

Hello mbaMissionBrianE,

Could you please evaluate my profile? Thanks!

profile-evaluation-187381.html#p1432610

vbandyo

Joined: 22 Nov 2015

Last visit: 26 Dec 2015

Posts: 17

Given Kudos: 23

Posts: 17

Kudos: 0

22 Nov 2015, 14:07

Kudos

Bookmarks

Hi my name is vedatrayee, fom Mumbai, India and I have completed my graduation(B.Des (4 yrs degree)) from National Institute of Fashion Technology, India in Jewellery Designing. I have almost 3 years work of experience.I'm yet to give my GMAT exams. I plan to pursue MBA full time in retail /retail goods or luxury goods? Is that a good field given my background and which universities provide best courses in this field.?
require assistance.

mbaMissionKate

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 01 Apr 2015

Last visit: 20 Aug 2025

Posts: 1,474

Own Kudos:

230

[1]

Given Kudos: 22

Products:

Expert

Expert reply

Posts: 1,474

Kudos: 230

[1]

03 Dec 2015, 15:52

Kudos

Bookmarks

Hi Vedatrayee,
Yes, I think your experience in fashion and jewelry design will be quite attractive and applicable to the retail industry. Is your work experience full-time, or internships during college? Keep in mind that most full-time MBA programs like to see 3-4 years of full-time work experience, and increasing leadership experience too. Of course the GMAT is an important first step because it will tell you a lot about the range of schools you can be targeting. Typically the best schools for luxury retail are in Europe (HEC Paris, London Business School) or NYC (NYU Stern, Columbia). These are all very competitive programs. I've also heard Fisher (at Ohio State) has a good Retail focused MBA. You could also look at schools that are really strong in general marketing, like Kellogg, Duke, UCLA, UNC, Ross. These are just some ideas to get you started! Definitely focus on the GMAT first and demonstrating strong leadership at work and in your extracurriculars.
Good luck!

vbandyo

formerconsultant

Joined: 17 Oct 2015

Last visit: 27 Feb 2016

Posts: 22

Kudos: 0

04 Dec 2015, 05:14

Kudos

Bookmarks

Would really appreciate your thoughts on my odds at Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, MIT, Haas, Ross, and UT Austin McCombs.

- EDIT: left my job in Oct 2015 - I was told by someone else that in such a situation, it's not worth applying to any schools with a <15% admittance rate - would you agree?

- TBD GMAT (taking it in 2 weeks) - assuming I will get > 700
- 3.79 GPA from H/Y/P, double major in Economics and Political Science

- Worked for 6 years in Big 4 (PwC/Deloitte) strategy consulting group, focused mainly on healthcare innovation; 2 of those years were spent in a selective (10% admittance) internal digital health incubator as a product manager for health and wellness solutions
- Promoted to Senior Associate (entry level MBA position, frankly not uncommon at my firm)

Extracurriculars:
- Co-founded and chaired committee to train employees in developing habits that maximize productivity, well-being, and help them work in alignment with their values
- Selected for 2 years in a row to mentor junior consultants
- Outside my firm, lead / facilitate NYC chapter of national organization that brings in experts on behavior change to help people develop sustained habits

Goal: work in a product or strategy role at an innovative organization aimed at making people healthier or happier (health tech company or innovative healthcare provider system). (I'm also very interested in cleantech and sustainability, but have comparatively less experience in that, so won't be part of my story)

- 29-year-old Indian-American male

Thanks very much!

praveen1810

Joined: 18 Jun 2015

Last visit: 24 Jan 2017

Posts: 7

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 22

Schools: McDonough '19 Ivey '18

Posts: 7

Kudos: 1

11 Jan 2016, 08:26

Kudos

Bookmarks

Hi Team,

GMAT of 720 and a 100 in TOEFL.
X / XII / Grad
91/ 93 / 65

2012-15 - I've close to 3.5 years of IT exp. Oracle Apps SCM Functional Consultant.
2011-12 - An entrepreneurial stint(a small BPO) before I started working.
2007-11 - BTech Graduation in ECE (JNTU-Hyderabad)

Do I stand a chance of getting a scholarship?
I'm scared to invest 50 Lacks for an MBA, for I've learnt Indians may find it difficult to find jobs owing to Visa Problems (since no STEM for MBA Degree). How true is this?
I'm fairly decent in Academics, I've scored 95-97 percentiles many a times in CAT/XAT exams. If we're in the top 30% of the class and socialize well, can we be sure of getting a job?
I'm sorry this looks stingy but this is important, for earning bucks is one of the primary reason I'm choosing a foreign MBA. I don't mind choosing a college of lower ranking as long as getting a job post MBA is not a problem.

Thanks,
Praveen

Juve29

Joined: 30 Jun 2016

Last visit: 25 Jul 2016

Posts: 6

Kudos: 0

30 Jun 2016, 18:00

Kudos

Bookmarks

Hi everybody!

I do really need a feedback on my profile. I want to go for mba and want to understand what level of b-school I can count on.
Im 27 and holding a Russian passport, have 4,5 years of working experience, but1,5 years I had been working before graduating from uni despite working full-time.
Got my bachelor degree in management from economic faculty of Lomonosov Moscow State University and MSc in Energy,Trade and Finance from Cass Business School London both with merit.

All of my jobs were linked to Oil and Gas, firstly I worked 1,5 years for Gazprom subsidiary in Moscow where I was in Commercial and Project Management Departments and later after my masters I moved to oil trading where I worked as Analyst in Moscow rep office for Swiss based commodity trader for 1,5 years and afterwards went to Dubai to small bunker trading house with only 4 people in the office for also 1,5 years. I stuck in the position of Financial Supervisor and want to do MBA for career progression.

my goal is to switch to finance/consulting, would be ideal to get to the mentioned fields but still be linked to Oil&Gas or commodities (like trade finance or Oil&Gas consulting) or to go to one of the Oil&Gas Majors.

I haven't taken GMAT yet but hope to get 670-710 range, that means that I am planning take test until getting the mentioned score.

Looking mostly for European school, LBS MBA is a first choice but also considering for LBS MIF as an alternative because it seems reasonable for me to get derivatives and risk management specialization to pursue my goal (and it is one year program being an advantage from my point of view). But still have doubts may be to go for one-year MBA rather than MIF (like Oxbridge or HEC Paris).

Another consideration is about whether it is worth it to go back studying again as it is not very common to have MBA in commodities sector and just to keep on working.

I would really appreciate your feedback/comments/suggestions

Many thanks

NYCBS19

Joined: 21 Apr 2016

Last visit: 13 Jan 2017

Posts: 22

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 11

Location: United States

Products:

Posts: 22

Kudos: 20

Updated on: 19 Dec 2016, 08:42

Originally posted by NYCBS19 on 23 Jul 2016, 17:25.
Last edited by NYCBS19 on 19 Dec 2016, 08:42, edited 1 time in total.

Kudos

Bookmarks

---------------

mbaMissionKate

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 01 Apr 2015

Last visit: 20 Aug 2025

Posts: 1,474

Own Kudos:

230

[1]

Given Kudos: 22

Products:

Expert

Expert reply

Posts: 1,474

Kudos: 230

[1]

26 Jul 2016, 18:46

Kudos

Bookmarks

Hi 18967mba, thanks for reaching out!

Your work background sounds very interesting and quite unique for b-schools -- that should be great!

Yes, your GMAT is not great for Columbia and your low quant will be especially concerning given that you have a less traditional background. Definitely give GMAT another shot, or maybe even two. I think the benefit of applying early decision is important for you. So if you have to, I would go ahead and apply, retake the GMAT shortly after, and use the optional essay to tell them you will be retaking the GMAT on x date. But, I do think you still have time to do a bit of both before the October deadline. So I might start working on your application and plan to take the test again in September. If it goes well, submit! If not, submit anyway and plan to take it one more time in late October after you submit.

As far as a specific score, 680+ is where I'd like to see you for Columbia, ideally 700+. And you definitely need a stronger quant score, ideally in the 45-47 range.

Good luck, and keep us posted if we can help with anything else!
Kate

18967mba

Hello mbaMission (mbaMissionBrianE and/or mbaMissionKate)!

I just took the GMAT for the first time today, and honestly, disappointed with my score (630, Q40, V35)... I was hoping to apply early decision to Columbia GSB but not sure if that goal is still attainable

Background: I work as an apparel fashion designer for a very well known, luxury fashion brand here in NYC and have about 6 years of work experience. I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Fashion Institute of Technology (one of the premier fashion schools). 3 back to back promotions in the past 3 years. International education and some international internship experience as well.
HOWEVER... I don't have a 'math' background- the last 'real' math I did was in high school and maybe a class here in there while at FIT.

I definitely plan to take the GMAT again but application deadlines for CBS early decision are around the corner! Do you recommend I focus on my application first and submit that with the (dismal) score I have currently (maybe explain in my additional essay that I plan to retake the GMAT)... and once that is done, I get back to getting that GMAT score up...? Or the other way around... Both are a priority.. but I'm torn about what to tackle first!!

Also, what score do you think I will be 'safe' with? 700 I am assuming?

Thanks so much in advance!
Hoping for any guidance!

NYCBS19

Joined: 21 Apr 2016

Last visit: 13 Jan 2017

Posts: 22

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 11

Location: United States

Products:

Posts: 22

Kudos: 20

Updated on: 19 Dec 2016, 08:43

Originally posted by NYCBS19 on 26 Jul 2016, 19:35.
Last edited by NYCBS19 on 19 Dec 2016, 08:43, edited 2 times in total.

Kudos

Bookmarks

----------

mbaMissionKate

-----------

18967mba

------------

mbaMissionKate

mbaMission Admissions Consultant

Joined: 01 Apr 2015

Last visit: 20 Aug 2025

Posts: 1,474

Own Kudos:

230

Given Kudos: 22

Products:

Expert

Expert reply

Posts: 1,474

Kudos: 230

28 Jul 2016, 13:56

Kudos

Bookmarks

Yes, it can be tough to balance both so if you end up needing to prioritize, I think applying earlier would be better.
Good luck!
Kate

18967mba

Thanks so much Kate!

I'm working on that score! :read

Doing the application along with studying will be quite the task, hope it works out

Thanks again for your advise!

mbaMissionKate

18967mba

djk342

Joined: 08 Sep 2016

Last visit: 24 Feb 2017

Posts: 2

Kudos: 0

20 Sep 2016, 10:31

Kudos

Bookmarks

Hi,

This is Deep. I am seeking for your career counselling advice because my career is at quite an unusual state at this point.

I did my B.Sc and M.Sc in Chemistry from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India and pursued Ph.D. in the same in the University of Saskatchewan, Canada in 2011. But in early 2016 (after 4.5 years into the program), due to my mother's sudden death, my dad's illness and other family issues I had to get back without finishing my Ph.D. (my supervisor was obviously not willing to let me have a year-long leave, which was the only option for me to take care of my dad and the family issues). After getting back to India, the industry jobs seemed to be not well-paid, since they were considering me as a Masters fresher.

This is why I am considering an option of doing MBA, preferably from abroad (US or Europe) with a GMAT score around 700 (projected based on recent mock tests) and will be appearing in Dec. 2016. This is intended to get better job opportunities later.

My academic background:
10th standard (2002): 86%,
12th standard (2004) (science): 88%,
B.Sc (Chemistry) (2008): 59.5%,
M.Sc (Chemistry) (2010): 66%

My questions:

1. Since most of the US universities prefer to have students with post-grad work experience, where do I stand considering I don't have a full-time experience? Although I used to be a graduate teaching assistant in Canada for 4.5 years and also a graduate research assistant in the department (have got best teaching assistantship awards, publications in US journals).

2. Does this international exposure give me an edge in getting admission when I apply to the US/European universities for a 2-year full-time MBA degree?

3. Alternately, would you suggest the one-year MS in Management Studies, considering that might be a better fit with my science background? I am willing to find a connection in my next job after graduation when I prefer a management position in the pharmaceutical industry with the extensive experience in organic chemistry/pharma research. Or maybe an MS in finance?

Many thanks in advance, looking forward to your invaluable opinion.