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

[hikumar]

Dear Jennifer,

Can you please reply to my previous post.

thanks & regards
Kumar

[get2set2go]

Hi Jennifer,

This is Vishnu.

Below is my profile:

1) Education : Btech Computer Sciences

Always in the top 10% of the competition.

2) Work experience :

Started career with my one of the leading Indian IT service providers
I have worked in diverse fields such as Strategy ( in house Group), project execution, pre sales across various geographical regions such as the India, United Kingdom and the United States of America while working with them.


Received various performance recognition awards and was consistently rated as Star performer. Played a key role in developing a 10 million dollar business of theirs.

Since then i moved to an IT consultancy here in US .I played an important role in setting up a practice of theirs. off late working with a start up as a contractor to gain enough exposure to the world of start ups in the bay area. I have been working with them for the last 6 months. I am working with them in the role of program analyst.

3) GMAT Score : 740 ( 50Q,40V)

4) Hobbies : Script writing . Scripted a lot of plays both at the school and the college level.

5) Social Service : Worked as a volunteer for a blood bank. I have volunteered for Red cross here in the US for about a couple of times.

6) passion and Career Goal : Strategy ( Management Consulting)

What are my Stretch Schools ( I have a decent chance)?

What are my safe schools ?

If I plan to apply for the class of 2010, what should i do in the next one year to bolster my application to schools like Duke,Darden.


Thanks a lot in advance!

[trex08]

Hi Jennifer,

I am one of the applicants targetting Asian and UK school for MBA will have 4 years experience again from IT but a varied role. I have given my GMAT its on the lower end.

My query is how do I begin the entire process though its a silly question. I am just researching on the schools currently. I have not made my resume and essays are far away. Still hopfull of making round 1 of most schools.
Do you have any piece of advice as to where to begin with writing good essays?

Regards,
trex08

[mba_2010]

Hello Jennifer,

I am planning to apply in top Indian and European 1 year MBA programs. I have around 9 years of experience in telecommunication product development and GMAT is 700 (V - 38, Q - 48 ), AWA 4.00.

I know my GMAT is in ballpark and AWA is low. Most of the colleges I am planning to apply do not require TOEFL but do you suggest taking TOEFL to explain low AWA score? Someone suggested me taking TOEFL and using additional essay to explain low AWA score.

Looking forward to your response.

Thanks,
Rajat

[agent.smith]

Hi Jennifer,

I am planning to apply to INSEAD.IE ,IESE,HEC,IMD for fall,09.

I have following scores- GMAT 730(40V,49Q)
TOEFL 103/120.

Education:

Bachelor's in commerce(Honore) - B.com(H) ,First division
Masters in Computers - MCA , First division

Professional Experience

Industry - IT
Work ex - 4+ till this date.

I have 4 year of professional experience till date working in software MNC's in India.I am working in role of a team lead for quite some time and involved in providing technical guidance to team members and general team management. (which i understand in common)

I have recently conceptualised a product idea ,proposed it to my seniors.They liked it and I was entrusted to build a team and implement the idea.We did created prototype. It was launched in market and comapny get a order from big US bank.Will this count as leadership/initiative experience and will act as a differentiator among IT pool applicants?

Global expereince:

Also,I am regularly engaged in client interaction (clients based in US and canada).I have 8-9 months of experience working abroad in Australia,too.

Entreprenurial experience

Also ,I have co-founded a small IT company last year and I work for it on part time basis. It is a registered company and we have 10-12 employees in devleopment and marketing.

Extra curricular

As far as extracurricular is concerened,

I have won merit award at state level exam.

I voluntarily work at a local charitable trust (administartive work and helping in carrying out health programmes like pulse polio,awarness , blood donation camp) and can get reco letter for same.

Also I am involved in CSR activities in my company itself(where I work full
time)


Goal

If I project that my short term career goal is private equity ,will that go against me as I am from IT background.(though i believe it might not as I have bachelors degree in commerce)

Please provide you fedback on my profile.


Best regards,
agent.smith

[urefriendforeve]

Hi Jennifer,

I would like your opinion on the following two questions

1) It is very commonly asked from a candidate to explain his/her reasons for doing MBA. What kind of an answer is expected in this case? As i see it, one gets into MBA to open up new career opportunities and also pick up business concepts(especially someone who is from a non-commerce background), and each school has career services who do assist in helping the student figure out what is the best fit for him/her. On the other hand during MBA application procedure, I have found that its never enough to site "into MBA to open up new career opportunities and also pick up business concepts" as a good enough reason. Ofcourse one must know the direction one wants to take, especially a reason for choosing MBA over other specilization and post graduadion courses, but is it really required to know the exact very thing that one wants to do as an MBA.

for example, my response to this question would be " I want to get into an MBA program for academic exposure to business concepts- of which i have very little knowledge of. And post MBA i would like to work in the Automotive High Tech sector and look to roles that help in integration between relevant stake holders(Auto oem's-suppliers-software co's).

However without sounding rigid, in reality i am open to the high tech sector in general. Would admitting this be a sign of a person who does not have focus? Especially because its easy for the admissions committe so say that unfortunately we do not cater to the auto high tech sector speficially, where as its just my first preference and i am willing to compromise on it. Broadly speaking getting back into the high tech sector would be my goal, but as a matter of preference i would like to be involved in the auto side.


2) Very briefly - i have a gmat score of 710 with 5 yrs of experience post graduation. Will not get into further details as i understand this is not the forum.

I would like your recommendation on the schools that i can look at with regards to my interest post MBA(if you find my reasons for MBA compelling enough to answer this question)
Look foward to your response to my "very long" post.

Many thanks
Nishant Khanna

[arkajitr]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[runaway21]

Hi Jennifer,

I am looking forward to US B-Schools and ISB.

1. Please let me know if I at all stand any chance in ISB.

2. As far as US B-school goes, I am keen on applying to UNC, Purdue, Texas-Austin, UIUC. I am looking for an MBA in Information Systems. Please let me know on what do I need to concentrate as I start writing my essays.

Personal Background
Age – 25, Male

Educational Background
SSC: 85.5%
HSC: 85.6%
BE: 80.1% (B.E Civil from a reputed Engineering College in India)

GMAT
700 (Q50-V35 AWA 6.0)

Work Experience
4yrs in IT Consulting
1.5 Yrs: IT Major in India
After training joined as a QA. Worked with clients such as Microsoft Corporation. As a fresher started as a team member and later on became a module leader within 6 months. Worked in diverse cultural groups. Gained experience of face to face Client interaction.
2.5 Yrs: One of Big 4 consulting firm
Working as an IT consultant in the Performance Improvement unit. Worked as a project lead in 3 projects. for US-Clients. I became a subject matter expert and have been recommending clients in setting up different QA processes.

Extra-curricular and Community Work

Have Co-founded an NGO 3 years back after passing out of college with the aim to help the underprivileged students across different states in India. Right now the NGO has been registered and has more than 200 direct beneficiaries. We regularly track the progress of the students by visiting the places and providing them with information and guidance other than monetary assistance. Our one-time initiatives include programs that we take up during floods or other natural disasters.

I am into public Speaking. I have co-founded a Toastmasters Club in my organization. Have taken up leadership Roles to create the platform where co-workers can hone their public speaking and leadership skills. Played part in membership building activities, marketing and currently I am the “Vice-President Education” of the Club. Also involved in networking with a number of Toastmasters Club and organizing Speech Contests.
I have undergone training in Indian Classical music under eminent personalities with International fame. I have completed formal training in Indian painting.


Sports, Hobbies
Played TT and attended several state organized coaching camps but didn’t pursue after High School.
I travel a lot. Trekking (Himalayan Range mainly) is one of my hobbies which helped me a lot in self development. I love reading.


Concerns:
Competition from Indian IT Fraternity. I haven’t worked outside India though I have handled US Clients directly during 90% of my work life.



Thanks..

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by arunsdevine

Hi Jennifer,

I intend to pursue an MBA in Europe to develop the game of soccer in India. I do have convincing reasons on how that MBA would help me achieve my vision. But, I have never been part of my school or college soccer teams.
My background in soccer is restricted purely to my passion for the game, which I have demonstrated in writing articles about the game in a few popular web sites, and reading up a lot in books related to the game.

I am curious to know whether what I have demonstrated, will suffice to sell my application to some of Europe's top 10 B schools. If not, I am interested to know about the kind of things I should do, to convince the adcom of my passion for my goal.

My other details are as follows:
GMAT: 700/AWA: 4.5
Graduated in Engg from NIT Surathkal(one of the best institutes in the country), GPA: 3.8/4.
Work Ex: 2 years at Samsung India Software
Intl Experience: 8 months.
Extra Curriculars:
College:
- Have led a team of 10, on two occassions, as part of the college's technical and cultural events' publicity efforts.
- Organized various events for students within and outside the college.

Work:
- Delivered motivational talks to my team mates. The quality of the results can be assented by the boss through the recos.
- Trained my team mates on developing their creativity. Results include usage of such techniques in every activity taken up by the team.

Hi, Arunsdevine. Thank you for your patience - I went on a vacation and it is time for me to catch up!

Your goals sound inspiring, but you must do a lot of research to prove 1) your career path is something that is possible (ie., others with similar backgrounds to yours have gone on this type of mission and made it work), 2) and MBA degree is the essential next step to reaching this goal and why, and 3) you will be able to tailor the specific programs to which you are applying to your educational goals.

I can certainly tell you that the schools will want to see leadership in a sports or educational organization in your past to prove that you have what it takes to reach the type of impact you and they are seeking from their graduates. The leadership and impact, from what you wrote so far, do not seem to be on the level that are neccessary yet.

My advice is for you to get involved in a national sport education organization and begin making the type of impact you are hoping for. This will prove to the MBA programs that your goal is attainable and you are the man for the job.

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

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by hikumar

Hello Jennifer,

I got two questions :

I have put my brief profile below.

(1) Based on my profile, which all B-schools should I target ?
I am only looking for schools among top-20 in US and among top-10 outside US , but not able to decide which ones among those. And don't want to waste my time & energy on those which are above my potential. ( I know theoretically everyone stands a chance everywhere, but I want to be somewhat practical here )

(2) As I am from a IT background, and have a domain knowledge of financial softwares. To me the most obvious choice after MBA comes a consulting job. ( either core financial consulting, or a techno-functional financial consulting kind of role )
Can you guide me what all options I can have after MBA ( with my background) ?

thanks in advance

regards
~kumar


My Profile :

Personal Details
Age – 31 yrs
Male, Indian Citizen, Married
IT Professional

Academics

Class 10th – 80% , CBSE, 1993
Class 12th – 82 %, CBSE, 1995 ( school topper )
BSc (H) Physics – 83 % , University of Delhi , 1999 (college topper all three years)
MCA - 78 % , Dept of Comp. Science, University of Delhi, 2002

GMAT Score - 710

Work Experience – 6+ yrs ( as of now )


Working with one of the world’s top applications company, as Development Manager, managing a team across different geographical locations.

Domain – ERP ( mainly worked on financial modules )
Customer Interaction – During past six years got ample opportunities to interact with customers, to customize/ personalize/ enhance the product to suit customers’ requirements and business practices.
Also I am member of various groups at my organization to define divisional Processes & Standards, build Design Patterns, and also a subject matter expert (SME) for few technical areas responsible to help others learn the technology


Extra curricular activities –


Various prizes and award in painting, yoga, athletic, NCC & quiz etc during school level and also during graduation and post graduation level.
Active member of physics society at my college, during graduation
Placement coordinator at Dept of Comp. Science, during 2001-02
Active member of various clubs at my company, through which I am regularly involved in many employee events as well as community services.
Done theater workshop with one of the famous director

Hi, Kumar. I like your management experience but your age does concern me. Many schools are interested in 28 year olds and feel that at 31 you just won't fit in (or be as recruitable). Programs that are strong in finance/finance-technology and more flexible about age like NYU, Simon, UCLA, Chicago, and UT-Austin, should yield better odds for you. Also, I suggest you consider the European programs - which are much more flexible about age – like INSEAD, LBS (though LBS is probably the greatest risk of this bunch since it is a bit more conservative about age), IMD, and IE.

Best of luck with the applications!

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted – Helping you write your best!