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

[MBA Mission]

Thank you for your inquiry.

I am a little perplexed by your profile. You are running a successful firm that is getting national attention and you want to go back to school to become a consultant? What are your plans for your firm? Generally, entrepreneurs love the entrepreneurial life and will do anything to maintain it. This is not to say that an MBA can’t be helpful to them, but most don’t write about wanting to join the world of consulting. I see this as being an obstacle, unless it is really logically explained. What is your angle here?

Further, despite the comments of others, we are just not seeing the numbers for Indian candidates with MBAs. Having consulted with three top-ten schools, we have one that can't allow students with MBAs into their program, one that does it every few years and another that hasn't done it in years. I don't have the whole story on this but it seems unlikely to me that HBS, Stanford or Kellogg will be options, though I hope that you can prove me wrong. I do think that if these schools were to make an exception, they would do it for a formidable entreprenur.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

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

Originally Posted by sarfraz_y

Dear Jeremy

Appreciate all the help you are providing us mba-hopefuls with. Here's a brief profile of my background. I'll ask my question at the end:

- 28 / Male / India / Entrepreneur
- BCom with 75% marks from Sydenham College, Mumbai Univ. (one of the best in town)
- MMS (MBA with a different name) in Finance from one of India's best business schools - JBIMS, Mumbai (2003 batch)
- Post MBA 15 months with Tata Consultancy Services as Assistant Business Analyst in New Delhi
- Quit TCS to launch a startup that I've been running successfully for the past 4 years. Incidentally it's a venture in the Pet (dogs, cats) industry and is the only company of its kind in India and has received extensive media coverage both on TV and in print.
- Active Extra curriculars - Held leadership positions in diverse clubs in college from Dramatics to Poor Students Education Relief
- Chairperson of the placement committee at JBIMS
- Actively involved with an animal welfare NGO for the past 15 months
- GMAT score of 740

I am very clear on why I wish to pursue another MBA and my career direction post MBA (which incidentally is to get into Management/Strategy consulting with Mck, BCG, Bain) and I should be able to express this clearly in my essays. I'll also be able to explain what I plan to do with my startup if I join B-school.

Now I am only looking at applying to the following 5 schools - Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Kellogg & INSEAD. I am not interested in applying to any other schools since I already have an MBA and am doing reasonably well for myself so I only want to go to the schools of my choice else I would continue with what I am doing at the moment.

With this information, could you please answer the following questions for me:

1) Do I stand a chance at any of the schools of my choice?
2) If Yes, then in which school or schools do you think I stand a stronger chance?
3) Any aspects of my application that you feel I should pay extra attention to, in general or with regards to specific schools?
4) Any other school that you think I should apply to (given my career focus- Consulting/Big 3)?

Thanks a lot for your help.

Sarfraz

[jgp777]

Hi Jeremy,

My profile is as follows:
GPA: 7.5/10
BTech Computer Science & Engg - IIT Kharagpur 2005
Work Ex as of today 3.2 yrs at 2 large telcos - Verizon and Bharti Airtel.

Started out as a system developer and became a system analyst in under one year. Was working on a project that gave $20m savings to Verizon.
Got a good offer as an Asst Manager at Bharti airtel in 2007, which was a direct entry into management especially managing a partner team(s).
Current Role: Enterprise Architect - managing partners like IBM, Oracle etc
My current role is very close to a technology consultant where we raise red flags, advisories and share best industry practices. Also, involved in the planning and strategy of the company and to help the company invest in the right way over the next 5 years.

GMAT score: 710 (49Q, 36V), AWA 5.0

Recommendations: CIO & Chief Architect, Vice President - whom I work directly for.

My short term goal - get into management consulting
Long Term goal - Become part of the leadership team in a large company.

What are my chances of getting into: Columbia, Chicago GSB, INSEAD, Yale & Kellog?

What should i concentrate on my essays.

Thanks, expecting a quick response from you.
-JP

[anbamuthan]

Hi jeremy.

Thanks for the initiative and your efforts. I am sure they are very helpful.

I am an Army officer with three years of service. I will be completing my mandatory five years in 2010 and I am planning to hang my uniform after that. I intend to pursue an MBA from any of the top B school in the US. I have got combat experience by means of leading men under fire since i have spent most of my time in an active counter insurgency area. I am responsible for military operations in an area of around 50 square km and command about 100 men. I do not have any international exposure, but served in the remotest of places in India. GMAT is yet to be taken, but pretty confident of a decent score. (say around 700) Academics not so good but have managed first class. (70%) About the accomplishments on the professional front and community service, a decoration for gallantry is on the cards + done well in Military course with good gradings to speak about + active involvement in Military civic action programs.

Although i have done some research on google, hands on experience is more reassuring. Pls answer my queries on the following.

1. How much value does military experience command in top US schools? Also which of the top ones are "military friendly"? What is the scope of an applicant with military background among the competitive Indian applicant pool?
2. I dont have any brand/blue chip to talk about. My brand name would be Indian Army Hope it will be of value? Pls advise.
3. I hold a three year bachelors degree in physics. Which of the top 10 accept a three year degree?
4. Will my lack of international exposure be a hindrance?
5. Financing the MBA. Loan options?
6. As of now, i have my mind on Stanford and tuck. What would be the other options? Post MBA, I want to get into consulting.
7. Is it possible to transition into consulting with the kind of background i have?
8. Is TOEFL waived if the medium of instruction for UG degree had been english?

Any tip to translate my background into an effective application essay will be very helpful.

Thanks in anticipation.

Regards
Anbu

[hprasanna84]

Jeremy,

I guess you missed my query(post 639 on page 64). Quoting it below...
Please respond to it when you find time.

Regards,
Prasanna

Originally Posted by hprasanna84

Jeremy,

I'm an Indian IT applicant(Oh no..not again!). I gave my gmat last week and scored a 660.

My profile:

B tech Computer Engg- 3.5 GPA from a decent institute
GMAT - 660(Q-48, V-33) AWA-5.0
Work ex - IT - 3.5 yrs(by dec '08 ) with a giant MNC.
Worked with top clients(America online, GE). 6 months overseas exp. I've been leading a team of 6 for the past 2 years. Technically not very challenging but my current project has provided decent scope to prove my leadership abilities. Was the youngest module lead in my project.Currently onsite leading an integration effort.

Decent community experience. Been involved with a scholarship program for the under privileged. Not very active due to frequent travel. But whenever I find time I do house visits, talking to the parents of the kids applying for scholarship and participate in disbursing funds and evaluating their financial claims.

I'm looking to move into IT business development, technology consulting or project management with an offshoring perspective.

My worry is my Gmat score, especially my verbal score. I'm really confident of my verbal ability and I think I can address this to a certain extent in my essays. I scored the 99th percentile in CAT(exam to gain entry into the top Indian MBA programs);. Moreover, my hobbies include crosswords and reading and these are, IMO, fair indicators of my verbal ability.

But I'm not sure if essays alone can be used to convince the ad com. Will I be compared with other Indian IT applicants(read: 700+ gmat scores)? Even if I do manage to secure admission, I'm wondering whether my gmat score will be a weak link when it comes to getting financial aid.

I'm looking at Tepper, Krannert, Darden, Smith(Maryland), UC Irvine(Merage),Carey and TAMU(mays). (Generally schools with good technology presence)

Please evaluate my profile and target schools and let me know if it would make sense to apply this year. If not would a better Gmat score improve my chances of admission and scholarship in further rounds this year? Also, will a good toefl score help offset my poor gmat verbal score??

[carl]

Hi Jeremy,

Before penning down my broad list of queries,I'd like to say that I appreciate your initiative in starting such a good thread to answer the queries of the prospective MBAs like me.

Coming to the my question(or questions!!), the following is a brief profile of mine:
Work Exp - 2+ years in a reputed MNC
GMAT(2nd attempt) - 710(V40, Q49, AWA 5.5)
Xth - 82.2(CBSE)
XIIth - 96.9
B.Tech - 7.66 (NIT)
Extracurriculars - 8/10 ( Self-rated )
My fields of interests are Operations, Marketing and Finance(In that order)

Considering this profile, could you please suggest the B-schools I could apply keeping my chances of getting in as realistic as possible. I have shortlisted the following as of now:
1) HBS
2) Stanford
3) Yale
4) Tuck
5) Wharton(??)

I'm really not able to proceed any further as I'm not able to finalize my list. Also, I would like you to consider that I definitely need some kind of funding for my MBA coz I have not saved much
Please help me out here
Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Carl.

[MBA Mission]

Thank you for your inquiry.

Because you are interested in Media, your choices with respect to the American schools are somewhat limited. Columbia, NYU, UCLA and USC all have standout programs in this regard. If you can effectively parlay your new media story, you could have a chance at these schools, with USC being somewhat safe, UCLA and NYU being competitive and CBS being a reach. You will have to quickly show yourself as a cutting edge, driver of change, in order to grab hold of the imagination of the admissions committee and then keep their attention with your plans going forward. Thereafter, you will need to diversify your story and show accomplishment in your other areas – the Green Rating Project seems like an excellent cutting edge showpiece.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

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

Originally Posted by ganeshnkulkarni

Thanx for a great initiative.

My doubt is @ my stretch, realistic and easy schools. I intend to go for General Management with focus on entrepreneurship. The industry I am looking at is Media/Entertainment/Technology. Also, my focus will be Asia-Pacific in long term. What can be my choices?

Here is my profile -
GMAT - 680 [41 V, 41 Q]
Percentage score: 68% [First class with distinction]at B.E.
Class Rank: Not sure [but was in top 8/top 10]
Undergraduate University: Bachelor of Engg. from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University (not really a well-known one, but everything in India is very competitive - I had 93% marks in 10+2)
3 years of work experience [Strategy and Change Management]: Started as trainee manager, now working as Asst. Manager; Was in direct contact with MD for most of the projects; was a member of core team which was entrusted with initializing and managing change from a print media company to a multimedia company; was sent abroad for new media workshops and seminars; completed Dale-Carnegie leadership training in company's first batch as youngest team member, taken some important corporate initiatives etc. - in sum, I have a work profile which I can bank on
Extracurricular Activities: Lots of sport and cultural activities - National Cadet Corp 'B' certificate holder (second highest of 3); Best Sportsman Award; Worked on some student committees in college etc.
Community Service: I was Regional Volunteer for Green Rating Project - a UNDP funded national level project to assess environmental impact of various industries. This stint was not a long term but was important and was undertaken by CSE a internationally recognised NGO. - I am also active in an alumni group which works for networking, fundraising, supporting etc. activities.
After graduation, I appeared for Civil Services exam - I was into it for about 3 and half years - could not clear it but cleared 2 of the 3 stages of exam. I don't know whether to term this bad or good. Good part is- out of more than 150,000 candidates who appear for this exam every year, only about 1000 can make it to 3rd stage. My concern is that for this period, I can't claim any work experience.

Thanks to you in anticipation.

[MBA Mission]

Thank you for your post. You spend a considerable number of words below expressing your anxiety around your GMAT score. With regard to Tepper, Krannert, Smith, Irvine and Carey, your GMAT score should be competitive (a bit low for Darden but not unacceptable). You will need to really focus on your professional experience – your leadership and international experience – coupled with your volunteer experience which seems more profound than you realize (house visits!) I would not hold back if I were you…

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

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

Originally Posted by hprasanna84

Jeremy,

I'm an Indian IT applicant(Oh no..not again!). I gave my gmat last week and scored a 660.

My profile:

B tech Computer Engg- 3.5 GPA from a decent institute
GMAT - 660(Q-48, V-33) AWA-5.0
Work ex - IT - 3.5 yrs(by dec '08 ) with a giant MNC.
Worked with top clients(America online, GE). 6 months overseas exp. I've been leading a team of 6 for the past 2 years. Technically not very challenging but my current project has provided decent scope to prove my leadership abilities. Was the youngest module lead in my project.Currently onsite leading an integration effort.

Decent community experience. Been involved with an scholarship program for the under privileged. Not very active due to frequent travel. But whenever I find time I do house visits, talking to the parents of the kids applying for scholarship and participate in disbursing funds and evaluating their financial claims.

I'm looking to move into IT business development, technology consulting or project management with an offshoring perspective.

My worry is my Gmat score, especially my verbal score. I'm really confident of my verbal ability and I think I can address this to a certain extent in my essays. I scored the 99th percentile in CAT(exam to gain entry into the top Indian MBA programs);. Moreover, my hobbies include crosswords and reading and these are fair indicators of my verbal ability.

But I'm not sure if the ad com can be convinced just by the essays. Will I be compared with other Indian IT applicants(read: 700+ gmat scores)? Even if I do manage to secure admission, I'm wondering whether my gmat score will be a weak link when it comes to getting financial aid.

I'm looking at Tepper, Krannert, Darden, Smith(Maryland), UC Irvine(Merage),Carey and TAMU(mays). (Generally schools with good technology presence)

Please evaluate my profile and target schools and let me know if it would make sense to apply this year. If not would a better Gmat score improve my chances of admission and scholarship in further rounds this year? Also, will a good toefl score help offset my poor gmat verbal score??

[MBA Mission]

Thank you for your post.

This is a question that I have asked directly to admissions officers and have heard contrary responses. Many say that they are open, but there is very little evidence of this in their decisions. I am pleased that you have some anecdotal evidence for Wharton, Yale and LBS. I would welcome any additional anecdotal responses. This is a valuable topic that will add potential opportunities for many people.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

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

Originally Posted by sarfraz_y

I thought it was quiet common for students, specially those having an MBA from an Indian b-school, to go for a second MBA from an international school like a Harvard or a Wharton. In fact I know of innunmerable people who have an IIM/work ex/foreign b-school MBA profile.

Even right now two of my seniors from JBIMS, Mumbai are pursuing their second MBA at Wharton and I know of two others, one who's been at London Business School for a year and another who's just started off at Yale. Majority of the Indian students at IMD, Lausanne already have an MBA & the case at INSEAD is also not very different

I had also checked with Harvard, Wharton & INSEAD and they said they were absolutely open to people pursuing their second MBA, as long as they could explain their motivations for doing so which is hardly difficult. I mean everything about an international MBA is different right from the Curriculum to the Teaching Structure to the Batch Profile to the Employment Opportunities.

In fact for some reason admissions consultants are the only people who are not sure of or aware of this fact. I spoke to 4 of them out of which 3 said that I was not eligible to apply to any school in the US which is absolutely incorrect.

[meister730]

hey,
i have done my masters in biotechnology and bioinformatics,and now i want to pursure MBA.i wanna know whether i should do my MBA from abroad or india itself?...is their any difference in that?....thnx

regards
vijay

[MBA Mission]

Sid,

Thank you for your inquiry.

Congrats on your whopping GMAT score. I think that your success at schools like Cornell, Haas, Duke, Stern, Cambridge and Chicago will hinge on your ability to convey your commitment to your family firm and the opportunities that lie therein. AdComs are favorably predisposed to family businesses; a family business means that you are employable upon graduation and that you will most definitely have a leadership position in the firm. So, you should really consider this angle and if you can address it and show that you have thus far accomplished in your existing career, you should be competitive at most of your target schools. Unfortunately, I don’t see the “wow” accomplishment that is necessary for Stanford.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

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

Originally Posted by gargsiddharth

Hi Jeremy,

thanks for taking out time to answer queries here. here is mine: -

my profile: -

GMAT -770

1. schooling from Delhi.
10th class 2000 - 74.8 %
12th class 2002 - 77.8 %

2. B.E., MIT, Manipal 2006
Agg. - 84.8%
Scored 4.0/4.0 in 5th and 8th Sem.
descent extra curri including some organizer roles + paper presentation + robotic competition + won national level business plan making comp

3. working in a major IT company since June 2006
Associated with Social service group in Office, Red Cross and Ashya Akruti, an NGO.
Total work experience till date - 26 months

4. Have been involved in family business of construction company.

i intend to return to India to join family business.

i am considering Cornell, Stanford.

i need advice which one to choose among following (where do i stand a chance ?). i want course good in finance and entrepreneurship.

wharton, Haas, Duke, Stern, Chicago GSB, Cambridge (1yr)

kindly send in your views.

thanks and regards,
Sid