Ask Jeremy @ MBAMission.com - What it takes to get to the best global business school

[docmba]

Hi I am Doctor from Kerala, I have a job experience of 6 months working as an Asst Surgeon in a Rural PHC, i have consistently scored more than 60% marks during my M.B.B.S. I also have scored 82% marks in my 10th std and 84% in my 12th std and was involved in a lot of extra curricular activities at school level, there wasnt much in college since there weren't much activities as such. I was the school captain and the best outgoing student in my school. i have participated in lots of community works during my M.B.B.S and my work as an Asst Surgeon including being involved in the work during two viral fever epidemics in kerala in 2006 and 2007.At present I'm preparing for GMAT. i would like to know what score in GMAT is required to secure an admission in ISB and whether my 6 months work experience is enough.Is it true that even though ISB prefers candidates with 2 years of experience , it will consider applicants with lesser work experince in exceptional cases.

[addiegloriam]

Hi

I am new to this forum and to pagalguy for that matter ..........

have a few questions .........

How does one compare an Oxford or a Cambridge with say an INSEAD ......pros , cons etc ..

Hw much weightage is given to one's GMAT score , i know that most schools refer to the GMAT score as just one criterion but still ........

I am 26 / M / Non IT (for the first time in my life i think that this might be an advantage for me) ......

I already have a prior MBA from a top Indian school .......

Will have around 42 months of work ex by the time i start wid my MBA (36 months Intl Exp) ........

Work for a trading company that primarily deals with agricultural commodities .............

Have worked in more than 7 countries (mostly in Africa and South America) .....

Manage a work force of 85 employees and a business worth $50 Million......

Good Acads (not spectacular) - 10th standard - 80% , 12th standard - 87% , B.com (hons) (Delhi University) - 61% , MBA - 7.5 / 9 (GPA) ............

Good extra co ( I have been an avid quizzer , have learnt jazz dance fr over 3 yrs and done professional theatre for over 3 years) .....

Now , the weakest link in my profile , my GMAT score - 660

Hw much is the low score going to impact my chances ?? .....

I am not averse to taking the stupid exam again if need be........

Plz advise ????????????????? Should i go ahead wid the apps .........

I am looking at INSEAD , LBS , HBS (not necessarily in that order) .......

USP - I have handled teams of more than 80-90 employees and have been heading a product out of a country for the past 2 years , also my african experience is something that makes me different from others .......atleast that's what i assume .......

[barkers]

Hello Jeremy,

I need some information regarding the HULT MBA (Boston), which has started its new campus in Dubai. Can you tell me about the placement opportunities after MBA from HULT? (If you have any idea)

My profiles is


GMAT- 560 awa 4/6 (I am retaking the GMAT exam on Dec29th)

TOEFL -- 95(ibt)

Work Experience of 4.5 years by August 2008.
International experience 2 years (in UK for past 1.5 years)

Good Number of Extra curricular Activities


I am looking for doing 1 year MBA from either Indian MBA college and college in USA which could give me funding. Funding is the major problem for me.

CAn you please suggest me which colleges should i look for , so that i can be more practical ?

[shreyash_d]

Hello Jeremy,

I am a novice to the world of Foreign B-Schools. My work experience is as follows
21 months work in a software MNC
16 months in my Family Business related to manufacturing of Auto Parts. It is a small scale setup started by my father.

I have given the aptitude tests of some of the top Indian B-Schools. But the Group Discussion and Personal Interviews r due for March/April. Recently, I had a chat with a gal studying in one of the topmost B-Schools in India. Nd she found the program to be academically oriented with very less value addition. Apparently, since Indian B-Schools take in freshers as well, many of them cram to get good scores. This was shocking and not something I am looking for in a B-School.

Secondly, Many B-Schools in India dont take Work-Ex in Family Business in the right spirit. I think B-Schools in the West have a totally reverse attitude. Since, M.B.A is a significant and once in a lifetime investment. I wanna explore all the avenues (foreign B-Schools) before finally making a call.

Can u lend me more insight as to
1) Global B-Schools with significant learning coupled with decent placements nd packages.
2) Any good one year program that fits the bill.
3) I have nt given the GMAT and vil b able to give it only after March / April. What would be the best time to give it and get into a B-School at the earliest. What r the scores v r looking at ?
4) Investments to be made.

Thanks,
Shreyash.

[mohit@bits]

hi

myself in final year b.e(eee) bits pilani
cgpa- 8.3/10
10th- 91%
12th-97%

placed in a mnc with a package of 5.4 lacs

can u tell me what does it take to get into top us b schools for people like me .
how much expereince i will have to gain to be right for top b schools

[Aqua4]

Hi Jeremy,

I am and m planning to take GMAT somewhere around march -april, 08 and will be trying for next fall i.e 2009. Here is my profile detail, Kindly give me a feedback on it and how can i develop it during the next 12 months which i have :
Professional :
Working with a top MNC as a software engg for the last 1.5 yrs ( Me too an IT guy)

Total experience will be 3 yrs when taking admission.

Academics :
B.Tech in Mechanical engg - 74.3% (aggrergate degree)- from a top 15 Engg institute in India.
Generally in the top 15-20 of the class throughout the 4 yrs.
Have been a topper at school level from the beginning.

Also I took a drop yr ( sabbatical) to prepare for my engg entrance exams(Will i need to explain this to adcomm?????)

Extracurrics:

They are very good but only at the school and college level.( I have been President of the student club at the college also at school level, organized various inter and intra collegiate functioans and fests)

Professionally I haven't done much as my hectic work schedule didn't permit me to do something of this kind.

But now I am taking time to go to work with an NGO which works for the underpriviledged kids and teach them.
also will be taking time off for my passions like singing, music and dramatics(Do you think these will be thought upon by the adcomm??)

Kindly guide me how should I develop my profile during the next 12 months....as I am planning to apply to only a few schools like HBS, Stanford, Wharton, Tuck,LBS etc.

[jimmorrison]

Hi Jeremy,

My profile-

GMAT-740
graduated from a top 10 engineering college in india
WE-3 yrs by 2008
presently working as a sr. consultant

what do u thing would be my chances in top 30 schools in usa.

I am planning to apply to cornell .
Pls assess my chances and suggest a few good bschools in the us

thanks in advance!!

[john_almighty]

Hi Jeremy,

I am 26 years old
I have an undergrad in engg from India and a masters in comp sc from oxford univ.
2 years work exp as a Business Analyst in an Investment Bank in London
planning to give GMAT this year and apply to only LBS, Harvard, Stanford and Wharton...... I don't intend to study anywhere else as I am quite happy with my work and I want to do an MBA in finance with some strategy management as well so that I can come back to an investment bank with a background in maths and CS and education in finance as well.

if i do get a 720+ in GMAT with very good SOPs and Reccos ...... what are my chances at these BSchools.

Does doing courses like FRM and CFA help your application if you are applying for a Fin course in a B School


Thanks for your time
Regards

John

[MBA Mission]

Thank you for your inquiry.

Your story certainly is distinct and your selflessness in leaving the steady technology world where you seemed to be a rising star to champion the cause of others will be deeply respected. Your professional experience and success within it (promotions in both IT and the non-profit world), combined with a solid GMAT and other leadership activities (orphanage) should give you a shot at the top-schools, despite middling grades. Still, Harvard and Stanford are definitely not sure things and I would consider other to-schools with non-profit orientations. Yale and Haas spring to mind….

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission

Originally Posted by ploneman

Hi Jeremy,

Reading this thread has been really insightful.

I am an MBA aspirant for fall 2008. I am keenly looking at the top schools in the US because of the kind of work they have been doing in the social/non-profit sector and the availability of loan forgiveness programs which allow me to get back to the non-profit sector once i am through.

My profile :

Academic History
X = 85.2% (mumbai)
X11 = 74.4% (mumbai)
B.Tech Comp Sc = 68.3% (CUSAT, kerala)

I was placed with cognizant, chennai while in college. In IT world lingo that I rarely use now, I was lucky to get into a high value J2EE development project. My ability to quickly learn on the job gave me an opportunity to perform most functions in the s/w development life cycle. I was coding major business functionalities, was part of the build team and was deploying our application at onsite and in various test environments, coordinating with onsite etc. While I was initially overjoyed by the high learning curve, I soon realised that I was missing out on my LIFE. On one hand I was doing everything that senior programmers on our team were doing (they were definitely much more experienced) but on the other hand I didn't see myself doing this for 4-5 more years. Onsite with this job profile just didn't excite me even with the money involved.

Even with six and a half days of 16-18 hrs work, I managed to squeeze out my sunday afternoons to volunteer at orphanages! Soon questioning the effectiveness of our volunteering (playing with the kids is fine but are we improving their chances in life) and recognizing the connect i was able to make with these children (I didn't know tamil back then) I knew I had to do something for them. I got interested in the development sector, but i had one fundamental restriction, I decided that i would chase all dreams as long as I am financially independent and my work should be sustainable ie I should be able to build a career.

Soon I discovered an emerging set of ppl called "social entrepreneurs." (Did some serious reading to learn more about them) I was attracted to the concept of business driving social change. The sector seemed to provide me with what I was searching for - meaningful work, some serious learnings on business, passionate workgroup, social impact though it was financially a strain for me but it still allowed me to be independent. Did some more research, found out about an international organization called Ashoka that supports outstanding social entrepreneurs, found a social entrepreneur in chennai and jumped the IT bandwagon 15 months after joining.

I have spent the last two years working for a non-profit run by an Asoka fellow. Here I not only got exposed to the development sector but also got hands on experience in rural india. Have dabbled in rural marketing (taking innovative products to the rural customer) and executed projects (including planning, budgeting,preparation of annual plans and reports for donors etc) in the villages of eastern UP, Northern Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Managed partnerships with some big indian firms, both "for profit" and "development oriented", with whom we implemented these projects. I have lead teams of two in each of the project areas.

I have since been promoted. Presently I lead a team of two and help out extensively in setting up and running of a unique rural retail initiative that my firm is pioneering! Again this is happening in the villages of Tamil Nadu.

I have held administrative responsibilities, been actively involved in recruiting my team members in project areas and been awarded for excellent performance from my firm.

I have already spoken to my project manager at my IT firm and the CEO (an Ashoka fellow) of my firm (I report to him) and both have agreed to give me references.

I plan to attend one of the top US b-schools, given my focus on non-profits and development. I have given my GMAT and scored a 700 (QA 49/89%, VA 35/75%, AWA 4.5)

I have played football (also for my univ), volley ball and table tennis for my college and have a decent extra-curricular record! (Was active during school too - I am president scout, highest honor a scout can get in India, Been the school captain and represented the school in Football, Table tennis, quizzes, theatre, debates etc)

And even with my very hectic travel schedules I still volunteer with the orphanages I had started out with.

With my average acads in college, can i target stanford, harvard, kellogg etc?

cheers

[nv2007]

Hi Jeremy,

I have been working with an Indian IT major for the last 2.25 years in a mainframes project.

My GMAT score:
Total - 700/92%
Verbal - 38/84%
Quants- 48/85%
AWA- 5.5/83%

Applied to- Boston, Illinois(UIUC), Katz, Paul Merage(Irvine)

Academic background:
Engineering (Chemical) - Average 80%+
Std 12th - 89%
Std.10th- 87%

Extra curriculars:
Won a number of debate competitions in school, college.
Particpated in Technical paper presentation competitions while in college.
participated in marathons,
programs where it is required to visit villages for teaching school children.
have worked a bit for HelpAge India while in school.

Professional achivements:
Was chosen to lead a 4 member team after only a year's experience.Have been awarded by mu business unit for my mentoring and strong analytical skills.

Do I stand a chance at the above 4 colleges?

Thanks,
NV2007