MBA Admissions - thread of gyans

[gsudarsh]

Hi,


I am planning to apply for MBA schools in 2009 and I have some queries regarding the same.


My profile is as follows:
Indian / Engineering / IT / male
Experience : 9 (by the time of joining college)
Acads : Excellent.
12th : 96%
Engineering at BITS, Pilani
Work experience : All my 9 years I would have spent in the Automotive domain – hard core embedded systems work. Have been leading teams for the past 4 years.I would have spent around 3 years at the client site performing onsite co-ordination activities.Majority of my 9 years would have been spent more in a technical role rather than managerial role.
International exposure : Around 3 years.
GMAT : Planning to take it in April 2008 and hoping for a good score.


My reasons for doing MBA are as follows:
Planning to switch over to a career in consulting and on a long term planning to be involved in strategy consulting.I know a jump from IT to strategy consulting is very difficult.
Hence planning to move over to roles of technology consulting – either in IT or automotive domain - and then after some experience move on to hardcore consulting work.


So the above mentioned is a brief story of my past and my plan for the future.


Hence my queries are as follows:

1. How difficult is it to switch careers to Consulting ( even if it is Technology consulting) after around 9 years of experience in IT.
2. After technology consulting – How easy / difficult is it to move over to strategy / management consulting?
3. If my interest is consulting – What are the best schools for pursuing the same in the Asia Pacific region?
4. Is it necessary to do an MBA from the US B-Schools to have a good future in consulting? - My long term plan is to pursue my career in India.
5. How big a disadvantage, while applying for b-schools, is the fact that I have spent more time in a technical role rather than a managerial role?

Sorry for such a long post.It shall be of great help if people can share their thoughts on my queries above.

[nagpalkunal]

Hi gsudarsh
My replies are in bold and below your posted data

12th : 96%

(They don't even ask that so you could probably use this to show a pattern of excellence)

Engineering at BITS, Pilani
Work experience : All my 9 years I would have spent in the Automotive domain – hard core embedded systems work. Have been leading teams for the past 4 years.I would have spent around 3 years at the client site performing onsite co-ordination activities.Majority of my 9 years would have been spent more in a technical role rather than managerial role.
International exposure : Around 3 years.
GMAT : Planning to take it in April 2008 and hoping for a good score.

With your experience, the weightage of GMAT and your acads decreases. The idea is that please don't fret over getting a 750+ since you are already pretty strongly placed.However having said that, one of your themes should be your decision to go for an MBA after 9 years of experience. (I am assuming you are applying to US 2 yr MBA programs - this does not hold so true for places like IMD and INSEAD).

My reasons for doing MBA are as follows:
Planning to switch over to a career in consulting and on a long term planning to be involved in strategy consulting.I know a jump from IT to strategy consulting is very difficult.
Hence planning to move over to roles of technology consulting – either in IT or automotive domain - and then after some experience move on to hardcore consulting work.

I think either of the two moves are fairly common and if anything you are going to be yet another Desi engineer with consulting dreams. Beware! this was the feedback to me from a school last year and from an admission consultant and my brother who was in IT after his engineering and eventually did move into Consulting.So you will have to differentiate yourself by way of what you are offering to the school.

1. How difficult is it to switch careers to Consulting ( even if it is Technology consulting) after around 9 years of experience in IT.
Like I said it is pretty common.
2. After technology consulting – How easy / difficult is it to move over to strategy / management consulting?
I would say you can shift straightaway. You are probably being too defensive. I am sure you have had many opportunities in 9 years to make and execute a lot of strategies. Use that to show a logical extension
3. If my interest is consulting – What are the best schools for pursuing the same in the Asia Pacific region?
You should try the executive courses of IIM A/C. MBS is another. ISB a good option too. I dont think the others would do justice to your level of experience
4. Is it necessary to do an MBA from the US B-Schools to have a good future in consulting? - My long term plan is to pursue my career in India.
A US MBA is globally recognised in the consulting world. It sure helps but you can obviously make a mark from other schools as well. INSEAD and IMD for a couple in Europe
5. How big a disadvantage, while applying for b-schools, is the fact that I have spent more time in a technical role rather than a managerial role?
The game is how you project it. A lot of skills come in execution and not in making strategies so you have to weave a case accordingly.

Hope this helps

Cheers

[ZilChaand]

Hi,

I would like you all to analyze my chances... I really need to go this year...

My profile:

Indian/Programmer Analyst/ Female
Work Ex: 2yrs by Fall '08
Academics: 85 school, 93 inter, 82 engineering
GMAT: 720 (49Q, 40V)
Student coordinator for placement division in college, class representative in departmental organization, organized various cultural, literary and technical dos.
Part of team in office for organizing events.
Community service: ever since junior high
Reason for MBA: Business really drives me. I want to be able to set up a firm, contribute my mite to the Indian economy and give back to the society.

I'm planning to apply to Tippie(Iowa), Terry(Georgia), Smeal(Penn), Wisconsin(Madison) primarily because I think I stand a chance in these schools and to get some aid which is important for me.

Chandana

[coolr]

Originally Posted by Abm

Hi,

I am an aspirant for the MBA programme starting 2008. I have about 6 years of IT experience.

Now, I am not sure which specialization will be good for a person with my
profile. I see 3 courses relevant to my profile - General MBA, Strategy,
Technology. I would appreciate some more insights in these streams so
that I am in a better position to decide.

Which specialization will be good for depends on what your interests are, not your profile. People with same "profile" go for different specializations and succeed.
Whatever you choose, you should be clear why you have chosen it. So look at your professional background and your target careers and decide!

[columbia10admit]

Originally Posted by Abm

Hi,

I am an aspirant for the MBA programme starting 2008. I have about 6 years of IT experience.

Now, I am not sure which specialization will be good for a person with my
profile. I see 3 courses relevant to my profile - General MBA, Strategy,
Technology. I would appreciate some more insights in these streams so
that I am in a better position to decide.

that would depend completely on what career and profile you have in mind for after your mba. and also depends on the school you join, some schools aloow the flexibility to not have any concentration, or have as many as u can handle. essentially, pick the courses you think will be relevant to what you want to do later.. not the specialisation.
good luck!

[columbia10admit]

Originally Posted by ZilChaand

Hi,

I would like you all to analyze my chances... I really need to go this year...

My profile:

Indian/Programmer Analyst/ Female
Work Ex: 2yrs by Fall '08
Academics: 85 school, 93 inter, 82 engineering
GMAT: 720 (49Q, 40V)
Student coordinator for placement division in college, class representative in departmental organization, organized various cultural, literary and technical dos.
Part of team in office for organizing events.
Community service: ever since junior high
Reason for MBA: Business really drives me. I want to be able to set up a firm, contribute my mite to the Indian economy and give back to the society.

I'm planning to apply to Tippie(Iowa), Terry(Georgia), Smeal(Penn), Wisconsin(Madison) primarily because I think I stand a chance in these schools and to get some aid which is important for me.

Chandana

dont know much about these schools; but you should look at vanderbilt as a possibility as well.

[columbia10admit]

Originally Posted by gsudarsh

Hi,


I am planning to apply for MBA schools in 2009 and I have some queries regarding the same.


My profile is as follows:
Indian / Engineering / IT / male
Experience : 9 (by the time of joining college)
Work experience : All my 9 years I would have spent in the Automotive domain – hard core embedded systems work. Have been leading teams for the past 4 years.I would have spent around 3 years at the client site performing onsite co-ordination activities.Majority of my 9 years would have been spent more in a technical role rather than managerial role.
International exposure : Around 3 years.
GMAT : Planning to take it in April 2008 and hoping for a good score.

My reasons for doing MBA are as follows:
Planning to switch over to a career in consulting and on a long term planning to be involved in strategy consulting.I know a jump from IT to strategy consulting is very difficult.
Hence planning to move over to roles of technology consulting – either in IT or automotive domain - and then after some experience move on to hardcore consulting work.

your questions have already been answered quite well but i'd like to add:

5. How big a disadvantage, while applying for b-schools, is the fact that I have spent more time in a technical role rather than a managerial role?
its not a disadvantage at all, if you can show steady growth in manegerial areas... if you spent your recent years in a managerial role, you should be fine.
in consulting you need a certain amount of industry knowledge: your deep understanding of the auto industry can be used to your advantage.
in my opinion, a bigger issue may be convincing the ad-com and future employers that you are willing and ready to start afresh in a whole new career, and that you have logical, strong reasons to do so; and also why you need an mba to crack consulting. (u could very well be asked why you didnt leverage yuor extensive experience to move into an auto consulting co, and then to a strat consulting role.)

[mbaAspirant79]

hi guys,

I am just reporting here that essayandsop.com, b-school essay editing ppl in town are actually fraudualent. I paid them money (BIGGEST mistake) to get my essay edited in some discount deal. They edited 2 essays and made them much worse. There were spelling and grammatical mistakes in it. My friends who are in b-school and one of them who is a prof at US univ. told me strictly to not to use essayandsop after reading my essays. But since I have already paid them, I asked them to edit other essays too. To my surprise, after 7 days I got a reply, that your essays are perfect. So no edits.
Here is a summary, I found essayandsop.com as,
Very unprofessional,
they do not provide any contact no. (just email id).
Did not allow me to talk to editor (as claimed in site), poor response time in emails.

I am not sure whether this site has proven beneficial in getting anybody admission. If yes, then congrats, but I will declare this service as bogus.

[virendra.jaipur]

hey ppl n all the PAGAL gurus out there .. pls help me out on this one ..

In India we're a lot of young IT guyz .. the software engineers working at top MNC's .. so evrybody has professional work ex ..

My quest here is whether the global B-Schools accept our professional work ex or they only want a managerial work ex. .. what are the chances of ppl like us ..

Till now I've seen only Nanyang B-School statting clearly about acceptance of managerial as well as professional work ex.
LBS asks for managerial only ..
Can anyone shed some gyan on this .... plz plz plz !!!

[columbia10admit]

certainly not a paga guru but will try to give you my 2paisa bit anyway..
dont agree abt needing managerial wkexp... i have none of that.. and ive got a columbia admit (plus some others too).. i had just over 2yrs wkexp when i started apping and only an undergrad degree from DU.. so i dont think anyone Expected me to have managerial experience..
the point is to show Leadership in some way.. if not at work then elsewhere.. you have to show that youre potential CEO material, know how to be in a team and lead.. and that you've had some leadership experiences outside of work.. maybe in college heading a club, or as simple as being the captain of your neighbourhood cricket team, and sorting out some people-issues! that could be an interesting story and could show an interesting side of you!

Originally Posted by virendra.jaipur

hey ppl n all the PAGAL gurus out there .. pls help me out on this one ..

In India we're a lot of young IT guyz .. the software engineers working at top MNC's .. so evrybody has professional work ex ..

My quest here is whether the global B-Schools accept our professional work ex or they only want a managerial work ex. .. what are the chances of ppl like us ..

Till now I've seen only Nanyang B-School statting clearly about acceptance of managerial as well as professional work ex.
LBS asks for managerial only ..
Can anyone shed some gyan on this .... plz plz plz !!!