Ask Jennifer@Accepted.com: Application-writing advice for the best global B-schools

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by NYMonsoon

Hi Jennifer,

I have just one question for you - Should I apply to Harvard for R2 2008-10 round. I have started my application but I would appreciate it if you could evaluate my profile and offer some honest feedback. Harvard is the only school I am considering in the US this year.

I finished my high school in Mumbai, India before pursuing my bachelors from a highly ranked engineering college in NY. I graduated in May 2007 and have 6 months work ex in consulting as a business analyst.

ACADEMICS

• 10th - 94% - Rank 2 in school
• 12th - 93% - Rank 1 in school; Valedictorian
• Undergrad : 3.53/4.00 (New York)
• GMAT : 760 (Q50V42); 5.5 AWA

WORK EX

6 months in consulting with a Fortune 500 firm, based out of NYC

LEADERSHIP

• Co-Founder of Engineers for a Sustainable World (my school's chapter)
• Vice president - Projects

I was a co-founder of this organization and as Vice President responsible for managing all the projects undertaken. I represented my college in UT-Austin, for the annual ESW conference. When I departed the organization we were engaged with a village in Nigeria, to provide easy access to clean, filtered drinking water.

• Co-Chairman - School of Engineering Dean's Advisory Council

I was the co-chair presiding over a group of 20 individuals representing each of the departments in the school of engineering. I managed a budget of $10,000 and organized several events like the Engineering Discovery Fair to help freshmen choose their majors and the Annual SoE BBQ for over 1000 people.

• Resident Assistant - Residence Life Staff

Responsible for the safety and well-being of over 100 residents and for creating and maintaining an environment conducive for learning and collaboration.

Community Service

• I have taught Math and Science to groups of at-risk students from middle and high schools
• I also tutored college students with difficult courses and conducted preparatory workshops for groups of over 150 students.

I am fluent in three languages and I have had a plethora of internships giving me exposure in strategy, banking and technology.

My reason for only applying to Harvard is the emphasis that the school places on individual aspirations and passions over work-ex and such (given the move to encourage college juniors and seniors to apply). I am very passionate about working with developing economies particularly in the areas of education and health-care. I am hoping that by articulating my passions and emphasizing my career goal of assisting developing economies create robust educational systems and improve their health-care system, I will be able to compensate for my lack of work experience. The problem with my current job is that neither will working for an extra year or two give me relevant experiences or skills that I need, nor am I very passionate about the industry I currently am in. I might be a long shot, but the more I think about it, the more I convince myself that this is the right time for me. And I want to make this shift as early as possible.

NYMonsoon,
Passion, leadership, and exceptionality are all it takes to get into HBS. They really do mean it that the years of full-time work experience are not the most important factor. If you can prove that you step into every environment and make a significant impact, and if you can show multiple examples of significant leadership, then you stand a very good shot at HBS. The worst that can happen is they can tell you to keep up the good work; even a rejection is not a kiss of death: wait a couple of years and you can apply again with a clean slate - and an even stronger resume.

Best of luck with the application!

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.
Don’t miss these upcoming chats at Accepted:
Wharton – on the interview process with Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Thomas Caleel: Thursday November 15 at 6:00 PM GMT
Haas – with Director of Admissions Peter Johnson: Tuesday November 20 at 6:00 PM GMT
Fuqua – with Assistant Dean of the MBA Daytime Program Liz Riley Hargrove at 6:00 PM GMT

[mbabuster]

Hi Jennifer,

I have just one question for you , What are my chances of getting into these colleges :-

Cornell University
University of Texas--Austin (McCombs),
MIT
Indiana University--Bloomington (Kelley)
INSEAD
New York University - Stern
UCLA

My Profile :

Academics :

10th CBSE - 86%
12th CBSE - 88% - Rank 1 in school; Gold medalist
Undergrad : 86% (VTU Bangalore ) - Rank 1 in college
GMAT : 700 (Q48V3; 5 AWA
TOEFL(iBT) 113

Work Ex :

5 years in IT consulting , specifically in ERP solutions ,mostly in SAP, I am a techno-functional consusltant based out of Iowa ,US. I have more than 3 years of international experience , have worked out of europe for one year and the rest in US. My employer is a leading IT firm in India.

I lead a team of 5-10 people which design and develop IT solutions. I have considerable business consulting experience in the field of Supply chain. My primary responsibilities include design ,development ,implementation and maintenence of SAP applications for clients. I have been nominated for awards at my company for exceptional performances.
Have very good recommendation letters from both my reporting superiors and clients.

Applications : I have already applied to Cornell University , MIT , Stern and Kelly and would like to know my chances at these colleges.

[narcissus.echo]

Hello Jennifer,

Where can I find the compilation of the colleges ( lets say the first 100 atleast as per the FT list) and the courses which they are best at... something like LBS has a strong Business Strategy course, etc.

If I avail the services of accepted.com, will my editor/guide help me choose a college ?

Kind Regards,
echo.

[narcissus.echo]

Originally Posted by narcissus.echo

Hello Jennifer,

Where can I find the compilation of the colleges ( lets say the first 100 atleast as per the FT list) and the courses which they are best at... something like LBS has a strong Business Strategy course, etc.

If I avail the services of accepted.com, will my editor/guide help me choose a college ?

Kind Regards,
echo.

I was aiming for beginning of 2009 or late 2008 for admission to INSEAD, LBS, Warwick and Schulich.
I will have 9 & 1/2 years of experience and 32 by then. Is age a barrier ?

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by mbabuster

Hi Jennifer,

I have just one question for you , What are my chances of getting into these colleges :-

Cornell University
University of Texas--Austin (McCombs),
MIT
Indiana University--Bloomington (Kelley)
INSEAD
New York University - Stern
UCLA

My Profile :

Academics :

10th CBSE - 86%
12th CBSE - 88% - Rank 1 in school; Gold medalist
Undergrad : 86% (VTU Bangalore ) - Rank 1 in college
GMAT : 700 (Q48V3; 5 AWA
TOEFL(iBT) 113

Work Ex :

5 years in IT consulting , specifically in ERP solutions ,mostly in SAP, I am a techno-functional consusltant based out of Iowa ,US. I have more than 3 years of international experience , have worked out of europe for one year and the rest in US. My employer is a leading IT firm in India.

I lead a team of 5-10 people which design and develop IT solutions. I have considerable business consulting experience in the field of Supply chain. My primary responsibilities include design ,development ,implementation and maintenence of SAP applications for clients. I have been nominated for awards at my company for exceptional performances.
Have very good recommendation letters from both my reporting superiors and clients.

Applications : I have already applied to Cornell University , MIT , Stern and Kelly and would like to know my chances at these colleges.

Hi, mbabuster. Your chances sound good at these schools. You have the things I like to see: GMAT of 700 (or above), sound work and leadership experience, and good academics. The keys that I cannot comment on would be demonstrating real leadership and business impact at work, and of course, leadership or at least activism in the community. If you haven't gotten involved in the community since college, take the time to find an area that matters to you and make a difference. It can make all the difference in the world in your application.

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.
Don’t miss these upcoming chats at Accepted:
Fuqua – with Assistant Dean of the MBA Daytime Program Liz Riley Hargrove at 6 PM GMT on November 29th
Insead – with MBA Admissions Manager Cassandra Pittman at 6 PM GMT on December 3rd
LBS – with Acting Associate Dean David Simpson at 6 PM on December 12th

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by narcissus.echo

I was aiming for beginning of 2009 or late 2008 for admission to INSEAD, LBS, Warwick and Schulich.
I will have 9 & 1/2 years of experience and 32 by then. Is age a barrier ?

Hi, Narcissus. Business Week online has a feature to search top programs by field (it's called "Best Schools by Specialty" on the left sidebar), but it is slightly limited in scope to just the top few programs. Also on BW you can look in the profile for each school and see where they think their specialties lie (and what the age range is for their students).

For real insight, I recommend you contact students and alumni at each of the institutions you are considering to hear what they say about these fields and how their program positioned them to succeed in them. Yes, Accepted editors help guide your school choices based on your profile and educational needs.

Age can definitely be a barrier, but not just because you are 32. At any age applicants need to prove that they will fit in on campus and are making a correct decision about which degree they want and why now is the time to pursue it (why not a few years ago and why not pursue an EMBA in another few years). No age is an automatic admit or deny; every applicant must prove that he is pursuing this education at the right time for him.

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.
Don’t miss these upcoming chats at Accepted:
Fuqua – with Assistant Dean of the MBA Daytime Program Liz Riley Hargrove at 6 PM GMT on November 29th
Insead – with MBA Admissions Manager Cassandra Pittman at 6 PM GMT on December 3rd
LBS – with Acting Associate Dean David Simpson at 6 PM on December 12th

[shaky_143]

hi jenifer,

I have completed my engineering in computer science in 2005 and since after I am working with a nationalized bank as an IT officer . So after completion of 1.5 years of my job i think it would be a better advantage for me to have an MBA degree in my profile.

but i am confused that whether my experience is going to give me benefit ?
please help me that if i choose IT in MBA is it worthwhile .

I am anticipating ur response.

shakti

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by shaky_143

hi jenifer,

I have completed my engineering in computer science in 2005 and since after I am working with a nationalized bank as an IT officer . So after completion of 1.5 years of my job i think it would be a better advantage for me to have an MBA degree in my profile.

but i am confused that whether my experience is going to give me benefit ?
please help me that if i choose IT in MBA is it worthwhile .

I am anticipating ur response.

shakti

Yes, Shaky, you are still very early in your career; I can see why you are unsure of whether you need the MBA. An MBA degree will only help you if you are interested in guiding the company/bank in its direction, penetrating new markets and becoming a leader in its primary field. Similarly, if you envision yourself leaving the bank and taking a leadership role in an IT company, guiding it in developing new products and leading it to global recognition and profit, then an MBA is the degree that will prepare you for the strategic analysis and the leadership essential to managing these types of global operations.

On the other hand, if you are content rising the ranks of IT and have no aspirations to guide companies, then you will have no need for an MBA. You may need to pursue a graduate degree in computer science to gain increasing responsibilities, but the MBA will not be of much benefit.

Since you are at the dawn of your career, I suggest you take the time to assess what you like about your job and continue to take on additional challenges. If you find that you are most happy when solving technical issues, then you will not need an MBA. However, if you find that you are eager to lead increasingly larger teams and guiding the direction of companies instead of remaining in IT, then you should begin looking into MBA programs. Don't worry; you have time!

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.
Don’t miss these upcoming chats at Accepted:
Fuqua – with Assistant Dean of the MBA Daytime Program Liz Riley Hargrove at 6 PM GMT on November 29th
Insead – with MBA Admissions Manager Cassandra Pittman at 6 PM GMT on December 3rd
LBS – with Acting Associate Dean David Simpson at 6 PM on December 12th

[madaan_amit]

Hi Jennifer,

Hope you are doing well.

As I stumbled upon this thread, by its name it suggests that this would be the place to get application writing doubts clarified.

I am work in sales and marketing in India's largest car company, and want to take up entrepreneur role in long term after a good exposure in branding.

I am applying to UNC kenan flagler as it is one of the few schools that is good in marketing and entrepreneurship.

My question is the Second Essay of application.
"Describe the major obstacles or challenges you have faced in pursuit of your goals. Tell us how you addressed these challenges and how they have shaped you."

here I have given a detailed view of my goals in essay one and what I have being doing to work towards those goals. Can i write about totally personal goals of my life here and steps I have taken for those and how my professional goals will aid in achieving part of my personal goals.

Also would like ur comments whether my profile is suitable for this school:

My profile here:

Undergrad: IIT Madras (GP of 7.5)
GMAT : 770 (AWA 4.5)
Work Ex : 30 months as on date, marketing and sales initially, and added business development in Apr 06
achievements at work: other than growth in revenue, development two new sales channels
Extracurricular Under grad: Coordinator for publicity, General Secretary of Mechanical Engineering association- organized a lot of events, technical festival
Community work, 9 yrs before college (governor's award), 2 yrs in college, volunteered for an NGO after college for one yr, started a chapter of NGO in a village close to where I live.

Thanks in advance

[karan_taneja18]

Hi Jennifer

I thank you for taking such an initiative and replying to incessant questions sometimes on the same topic !

Please evaluate my profile :-

X- 82 %
XII- 80 %

Engineering - 67 %


GMAT - 700 (Q-48, V-37)


1.5 yrs of experience as a SAP consultant in one of the leading IT companies in India, I was handling the responsibilities of a SAP Administrator single handedly in my project , and have lead teams of small sizes around 1-2
I guess my work experience is a bit on the lower side and it would serve me better to concentrate on FALL 09 than FALL 08, In your opinion what should I do in the meanwhile to build up my profile. I would be really frank here and say that my Community Service Records is nothing to be spoken of, In extra curriculars , bits and pieces but not significant achivement in any particular field. I would really appreciate if you could guide me as to how can I build a solid profile in the next year?