[Accepted]

Originally Posted by quantcheck

Hi Jennifer,

I am currently working as Senior Automation Engineer in a Software MNC in India.
I have a experiance of 24 months(2yrs).

I would be seating for GMAT by Oct 2008. And plan to pursue my MBA in any of top B-schools in 2010-2011 as by then my work ex would have become 4years.

I have technical expertise in my field and have played technical as well as managarial role in my projects. I have lead a team of 2-10 in various project. And have also
understood the business perspective of my clients in the domain I have worked.
I firmly feel that I can make an impact in Customers Business and make an lasting
impact in IT services field.Thats why I want to pursue my MBA in Systems or IT field.

And one big negative in my Profile is my Acads:

10th - 88%
12th - 57%
B.E - 68%

For my poor acads, I am giving more then 100% in my professional life.
In my job I have done various certifications.
I am a HP Accredited Integration Specialist.
Istqb certifies Tester.
and Oracle Certified Associate.

In Extra Curriculars: I have been associated in Socio Intellectual Group.
I have won many prizes in Debating.In school I was into Dramatics.

In Community Service, though I have done few things in my Schools days, but nothing specific.I would like to know...What should I be doing to increase it.
And how do we show...the degree of community service to the B-schools.
Are the Essays only place where we right, or They Judge from the Interview or is there
any proof that we have to show.

Do these certifications help in negating my poor show in 12th.
What else can I do to better my chances. Or my acads will come on my for ever!!

Hoping to get ur frank feedback on all my queries.

Thanks in advance.

Hi, Quantcheck. Well, the first thing you need to do is forget about high school. It is irrelevant. The only academic information that the MBA programs are interested in is university, GMAT, and any further degrees. So, my first piece of advice is prove your intellectual ability by earning a 750 or higher on the GMAT.

Community service is a key piece of the puzzle, but not just tutoring someone one on one or supporting a student's education with a financial donation. The top schools are looking for extracurricular leaders, people who can organize a team and inspire them to produce an impact. The essays are one area where you can detail these, but there is also a section of the application forms that allows you to fill in organization names and impact. Most schools do not ask for any kind of supporting information, but MANY programs now do background checks on all accepted students and any misrepresentation would almost certainly be discovered during that time - and any offer would be rescinded as a result - so be honest.

If you are not able to show academic ability (through that high GMAT or additional courses after graduating) and superior leadership ability and impact (both at work and in the community), you may want to consider applying to a less competitive program that would also position you for management roles, MIT's SDM program and the like specifically pop to mind.

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
jbloom@accepted.com
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[Accepted]

Originally Posted by suvidhstrikes

Hi jennifer

thanks for the earlier response.
i just wanted to update you on my achievements, work ex and the GMAT score (which i recieved yesterday) and have your view on my chances vis-vis my earlier questions and profile mentioned earlier


GMAT score(1st attempt) 740 (QA 49, VA 41) AWA 6/6

extra currics:
in school: house captain, school vice captain,, cultural activites captain, captain of the school football and cricket teams, captain of the school quizzing and debating teams...won a lot of inter school(city level and regional level) competitions in all of the above

College: Member of cricket, football,basketball,athletics team. member of dramatics, debaters and quizzers club(executive body)....captain of the college fashion show,quizzing,debating and dumb charades teams(again won a lot of inter college(both city level and national level) competitions

Also twice winner of natiional student management games( once 1st and once 3rd) organised by all india management association, in a simulated business strategy exercise called "Chanakyaniti"

Winner of Jagriti India scholarship awarded by the speaker of Lok Sabha(Indian parliament), Sh. P.A.Sangma

Member of a theatre group called "chandigarh mafia" or 2 years, n did theatre and street plays duing that time


Professional experience:
1) started my own event management company "eventizers", to organise stage shows, exhibitions etc in chandigarh and ran it successfuly for 1.5 years
2)Joined a plywood manufacturing firm as a sales representative and within six months made area sales manager and in another year Regional sales and marketing manager(entire north india) handling a team of 40 people.Worked for a total of 3 years for this organisation.
3)Worked as a faculty at T.I.M.E.( a bschool entrance prep insititue) and went on to become the marketing manager there as well...worked for a total of 10 months
4) Joined career launcher(another Test prep organisation) as a quantitative abilities faculty and within 3 months become the youngest ever centre head of the organisation handling a team of 30 people and taking care of the sales, marketing, operations, HR and academic issues of the a profit centre worth yearly revenues of more than 4 crore INR and along with my team mantained a growth rate of over 25% over the next 2 years.



As far as my future goals are concerned, i see myself either getting into management consulting or Investment Banking

Could you please advise me on the B schools i should be targetting out of the list given below, based on my profile above and if you could also tell me that if after mentioning the above mentioned if i have a better chance at cracking any of these bschools(since your earlier advice was to not target bschools in the top 25, but that is actually where my focus lies,so kindly advise and if possible , at the earliest since i intend to apply very soon)


My list of colleges which have confirmed that the 3year degree wont be a problem and that my work ex( most of which is before i completed graduation ) would be accepted are:

1. Kellogg
2 Harvard
3 Yale
4. Wharton
5 Tuck
6 Chicago GSB
7 Stanford
8 Fuqua
9. Darden
10 NYU Stern
11. Drucker
12 INSEAD
13. HEC France
14. IESE spain
15 Melbourne business school


out of these, i have already gor my GMAT score sent to
kellogg, INSEAD, HEC, Tuck and MBS

hoping for an early reply

warm regards
Suvidh Arora

Hi, Suvidh. Yes, I do see more leadership and impact now! The only thing that concerns me is stating that your career goal is in finance since you seem to have no background in finance. I think the management consulting field would be better for your applications since you can show a direct connection between the types of project management and strategy that you have been doing.

I do think it is important for you to show community leadership, if possible, to add to the college involvement, but yes, you do seem like you have a shot at the schools in your list. In my opinion, you should focus on your ability to immediately step into an organization and lead it to exceptional growth.

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
jbloom@accepted.com
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[Accepted]

Originally Posted by raj_deb

Hi Jeniffer,

I had one quetion regarding extra currciculars. What is menat by this term in the context by Bschool admissions? Do the foll classify as extra curricular:

paragliding over the weekends
supporting an orphanage monetarily and in kind over the years

Is one expected to prove the above if put down in one's essays as extra curricular? As I do not know how to prove the above.

Pls help.

Thanks,
Raj

Hi, Raj. Certainly paragliding is a nice touch since it shows you have the risk-taking personality that the top b-schools are looking for. The monetary contributions are wonderful and obviously totally needed by the world of suffering in which we live, but they are not helpful on the MBA applications. Instead, I would rather see you building a team of volunteers from scratch to make a real impact on the lives of orphans or some other community concern that you feel passionately about. The key is to demonstrate that you have the vision and leadership ability to inspire others to achieve results - even when they don't have to answer to you.

No, you don't need to prove anything, but most top B-schools conduct full background checks on their admitted students before the school year begins and will rescind their offers if they uncover any untruths. Keep that in mind and tell only what you really did.

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
jbloom@accepted.com
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[Accepted]

Originally Posted by arunsdevine

Hi!

The following is my profile:

Engg Grad - NIT Surathkal(Top 10 in India) -3.8/4 GPA
2 years Work Ex at Samsung India
Responsibility: S/W Engineer
Multiple Business Trips To South Korea

Achievements at work:
1) Developed components that have earned rave reviews in the world's tech press
2) Initiatives taken to successfully develop and sustain a culture that fosters innovation within the team
3) Recommendations to evolve a direction for the team to work towards.

Extra Curricular Activities at College:
1) Convenor, Publicity Committee, for both the Technical Fest and the Cultural Fest of the college. Both events budgets are to the tune of 17-20 lakhs.
2) Core Member of the students' chapter of Institution of Engineers'. This chapter conducts two 3-day events per year, and the events showcase various technical and personal attributes of the college students.

I am taking my GMAT on May 17.

The following is what i would like to know from you:

1) What is the band of B-Schools(Asia, Europe, US) that i should be focussing on, given that I will be applying later this year?
2) What are the kind of things that I need to do between now and the time I do send my applications, so that i can give a significant fillip to my prospects?
3) What would be a decent GMAT score?

Ideally, I would like the B School to be in the global top 30. But I do not know anything about my prospects.

Hi, Arunsdevine. You have great academics and I suspect that your GMAT came out in the 700 range. A good GMAT score for an Indian applicant needs to be over the average of the schools to which he is applying. So if the average score is 650, an Indian applicant should really earn at least a 700; if the average at the program is 700, then an Indian applicant really needs to score around 740 or higher. That's one part of what it takes to position yourself among the top of the Indian applicants. (Unfortunately, without your score, I cannot really start throwing out names of programs for you to apply to.)

You are still young and, therefore, I am not seeing the type of leadership since graduation that many of the top schools are looking for. Since you are a relatively recent graduate, you can certainly still draw on your record of leadership in college, but the top schools are seeking continuing leaders, so my first recommendation would be to continue building that record of leadership in the community.

Your initiative to build a culture of innovation at work is definitely intriguing. If you have already been able to bring about an increase in innovation that is quantifiable and with business impact, then this is just the type of leadership that the top schools are seeking.

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
jbloom@accepted.com
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[Accepted]

Originally Posted by sanket11

really#. Educational Background:
B.E. Production from Pune University in First Class with Distinction in Sept.2005. ( Top 15% in Class of 70)

GMAT: Yet to be taken. Confident of 700+ with 12 months of preparation.

#. Professional Exp:
2.5 years in Manufacturing Consulting Firm as a Sr.Consultant with 1 promotion.

• Small sized hence lots of Leadership Roles & opportunity to communicate to Top Management in all 8-9 consulting assignments.
• Experience of handling a team of 3-4 analysts over this period.
• Handled productivity improvement consulting assignments in reputed companies like Honda, Mahindra, Kirloskar, Gabriel, ITC, etc.
• Improved productivity in each of the consulting assignment by at least 20 %.
• Millions $ of saving for each client with Manpower reduction in each assignment.

Currently working with Mahindra International as an Assistant Manager. ( 2 Months)

• The Leadership roles & Team work: Leading a team of Industrial Engg Responsible for complete manpower planning for the Greenfield plant of Mahindra (investment of Rs.4000 cr). Youngest in the project team to handle a team of 3 people.
• Some of the initiatives with impact on the way things are done. Measurable outcomes.

Extracurricular Activities:

• Conducted Yoga, Meditation & Pranayama Training Programs for company consultants in previous company.
• Authored 6 articles on Mahindra’s Intranet i.e. internal communication site on subjects like Lateral Thinking, Philosophy, and Manufacturing related.
• Planning to write a small book about my personal exp/ Learning in life till now in next couple of years.
• First Level Reiki Course, practicing the same.

Community Services:

• Affiliated with Vipasyana Meditation Centers.
• Counseling to Poor children in schooling at hometown.
• Taught Pranayama to children in my Building & many others (Intangible benefits to all).
• Involved in corporate social responsibility programs organized by the company.
• Planning to set up a small library for the sum children in Pune.
• Planning to set up two small libraries in hometown for underprivileged children.
• Contributing to complete education of one child for a period of one year through a scheme of compan

Other Qualifications:

Cerified BASIC MOST® Applicator by H.B. Maynard Cop, USA.
Certified MINI MOST® Applicator by H.B. Maynard Cop, USA.

Future Goals: Planning to apply for MBA in Nov.2009 (4 years of exp at the time of application at 4.5 years at the time of joining for MBA).

Target Schools: Top 10 US

After MBA: Management Consulting.

Quesions:

• Looking at the overall profile, Can you pls tell me where should I need to improve to further strengthen my application considering that I have 1.5 years before I apply in Nov.09? How can best utilize this time?

• Is my profile competitive enough for Top-10 US B-schools? Which schools I should be looking for?

• One of the areas I believe is the lack of International Exp. I just wanted to ask that one to one interactions with the teams from Korea, US can be considered as International Exp.? Can I portray learning from this as some amount of Int. Exp?

• Is there anything common in prior exp. which these consulting firms look for? Which kind students are generally placed in these firms? will that manufacturing\ mfg. consulting background OK for Management consulting?

Thanks in advance. Sorry for the long post.

Hi, Sanket11. The top global management consulting firms are seeking analytical professionals who know how to transfer their insight to a team to produce quantifiable results. You can look at the Career websites of all of the top management consulting firms for more insight into some of the career paths of their consultants.

I would definitely like you to concentrate on gaining international leadership experience (but yes, I would count leading a Korean team from your base in India as international experience) as the start. We see your technical and analytical ability from what you've described so far in your post, but we also need to see the way you interact with others and persuade, cajole, and push them to join you in executing your vision.

I see a lot of independent extracurricular activities so far in your background and not many examples in which you needed to lead others to execute your vision. We need to see how you do that, and ideally, we would just see more involvement with groups instead of the extracurricular activities that make you seem a little bit too independent (and not as group oriented as the top programs would like).

My biggest piece of advice is that you should not get caught up in the technical innovations that you have devised, but rather emphasize the way you have worked with people to bring those innovations to generate the greatest business impact.

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
jbloom@accepted.com
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[Accepted]

Originally Posted by harishshaha

Dear sir,My nephew is interested to get admission in PGDBM(Family Business) of the Narsi Monji Institute of Management studies,Mumbai(NMIMS).However one question in the application form is bothering him. please help him.Question: Your Views about the current Indian and world business scenario?Thanking you,Yours faithfully,harishshaha.

Hi, Harishshaha. This question sounds like it is seeking some insight from your nephew on India's role in the world economy, where he fits into it, and what trends he is expecting in the coming years. Not an easy question and certainly a difficult test of his business acumen and ability to recognize India's unique role in global business. A good essay will bring examples from your nephews life and perspective to support his beliefs/arguments.

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
jbloom@accepted.com
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[Accepted]

Originally Posted by sid6376

Hi jennifer,
i understand this might be a little too early for me to ask these questions but since i am seriously looking to plan my career round an mba degree not too far in the near future, i had a set of questions to ask you.
i am just out of college and till now i have had a good academic record (7th in a class of 192 in graduation).i am employed at one of the largest software firms in the world, but my job is completely technical. i also hope to secure a decent score to prove that i can cope with the academic part of my mba course.

i want to target Indian School of Business and the thing is i dont have much leadership skills to show on my resume apart from co-ordinating for technical benefit of the students at college. The thing is i dont really believe in doing community work and do not want to do them just to get an admission into a good colege as i am sure i will be caught out at that. Is it a big deciding factor on a business college's part to have students with a bend towards social activities?
I will be really grateful if you could reply
Thanks a lot,
Siddharth

Siddharth,
The top global business programs believe that business leaders are and should be shaping tomorrow's world. For this reason, they like to see a history of that kind of community influence in their applicants. If you really aren't interested in serving the community in any way, then you do not share these schools' vision.

My suggestion is for you to find something that you do care about. If it is just profits, then you may want to just pursue the Master of Science in Finance - these programs are much more focused on selecting students with exceptionally analytical minds and abilities, not necessarily community-minded individuals.

If you are able to identify some part of the world - politics, education, poverty, the disabled, public health, etc. - about which you do feel passionate, then dive into that area and make a difference. The key isn't just to add some extracurricular effort to your resume; the key is to demonstrate that you are passionate and able to lead people to share that enthusiasm to make an impact.

Finally, you may also be able to demonstrate at least some of the non-work leadership that the top business schools are seeking by demonstrating leadership in a sports team. While it isn't changing the world, it is non-work leadership, and that is often enough to show that you possess the passion they are seeking.

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
jbloom@accepted.com
Accepted - Helping you write your best!

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by underdog_09

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks for helping out guys like me who are confused about various aspects of MBA admissions.
Yet another common question from my side.

My profile is:

1. Percentages in 10th and 12th class: 87%+ (used to top the school, 1st position throughout)
2. B.Tech (Electronics) from a state university: 3.5/4 GPA
3. Work ex of 4.5 years(Infosys+Oracle) : Senior Engineer in the role of a Project Lead
4. Have learnt classical music and am pursuing it as a hobby
5. Took lot of initiatives in college and school e.g. founded cultural committes, represented college in national level tech fests etc.
6. Have been a volunteer in both Infosys and Oracle helping blind, HIV+ive etc.
7. No onsite experience except 1 month visit abroad for meeting higher management recently.

I understand it is a fairly common profile (Indian, IT, Male).
Currently I am in the process of shortlisting colleges.

Was wondering which kinds of colleges should I apply for?
Also, is it possible for me to switch to finance domain post-MBA given that I have no experience on finance domain?

I would be grateful if you could advise me on these.

Regards,
P

Hi, Underdog.
Yes, it is a common profile from what you've told me so far. To differentiate yourself from the rest of the guys like you, you will need to show that you are a leader with vision, not just a techie with technological ability.

One factor that you didn't mention is your GMAT score. Your GPA puts you in the running, but your GMAT is used to gauge your academic ability against all other applicants. My suggestion for Indians with IT backgrounds is to apply to schools where your GMAT exceeds the average.

I strongly recommend that you read The Techie's Guide to MBA Admission since it covers a lot of the details of how to differentiate yourself. I apologize for the blatant self-promotion (I wrote it), but I believe you will find it helpful as you begin to formulate your plans.

In terms of the move to finance: I know that many admissions committees smirk at applicants with absolutely no finance background and their desires to switch to this industry. I suggest you gain some experience in finance first before you state that this is your goal: earn the CFA, pursue a finance role, launch your own investment portfolio, etc. These are just some of the ways to wipe that smirk off of the ad com members' faces.

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
jbloom@accepted.com
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[bullsEYE2007]

Hello Jennifer

Last week only I went to some agency where guys from Manchester Metropolitan and Notingham trent Univ were present. they reviewed my profile and asked me to send a completed form with SOP and Recos and they will give me an admit for MBA

My profile
10th 75% 12th 68%
BE Civil Engg 63% All in Pune univ
10months exp as site engg
and 2 yrs with MBA coaching institute as Project leader
Didnt gave any of GMAT or IELTS as of now

I want to the status of UK B school i tried to find out some rankings but didnt get the substancial info as to go for it or not

Can u help me to sight actual senario in UK and after passing out from UK Bschool
Also suggest any other good Bschool from where i can get the admit with my profile

Thanking you..

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by bullsEYE2007

Hello Jennifer

Last week only I went to some agency where guys from Manchester Metropolitan and Notingham trent Univ were present. they reviewed my profile and asked me to send a completed form with SOP and Recos and they will give me an admit for MBA

My profile
10th 75% 12th 68%
BE Civil Engg 63% All in Pune univ
10months exp as site engg
and 2 yrs with MBA coaching institute as Project leader
Didnt gave any of GMAT or IELTS as of now

I want to the status of UK B school i tried to find out some rankings but didnt get the substancial info as to go for it or not

Can u help me to sight actual senario in UK and after passing out from UK Bschool
Also suggest any other good Bschool from where i can get the admit with my profile

Thanking you..

Hi, Bullseye. It sounds to me like you have to do some more research. I would begin by reviewing the Financial Times' rankings, paying particular attention to the areas of percentage employed after three months, value for money, and aims achieved for both of these schools. After you have a good sense of these statistics, I recommend you contact each program and ask for names and contact information for a few recent graduates from India. Call these individuals, ask them about their recruiting challenges and how the schools themselves helped them through the process.

My feeling about both Lancaster and Manchester is that they are programs with a solid education but a less-known reputation. In other words, if you are seeking a name on your resume, it will be harder to achieve there, but if you are, say, joining a family business or able to return to your current employer with the knowledge you have gained from the program, then your education will certainly prepare you.

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
jbloom@accepted.com
Accepted - Helping you write your best!