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

[shells15]

Originally Posted by Accepted

No, Shells15, you do not need experience abroad to prove that you are an ideal candidate for the top 10 US MBA programs. However, I do think that the European programs may be more strict about this and want to see foreign adaptation (especially a school like INSEAD!). For the US programs, prove 1) that you have excellent leadership and general management abilities and 2) that you have a good reason for pursuing this education abroad, and your chances of admission are excellent.

Go get 'em!

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

Thanks a lot for the advice.
How else can I show foreign adaption other than actually living and working abroad for a while?

[chandu_v]

Originally Posted by Accepted

Hi, P_jez. No, you do not need to talk about your career here. In fact, I believe there are probably very few work-related topics that could answer this question well. Instead, choose a situation in which the challenges and obstacles were many and in which you used innovative methods to overcome them. Then, reflect on how this experience changed your mindset and direction.

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW

Accepted – Helping you write your best!

Hi Jennifer,

Your above suggestion kind of worries me.
In response to "Describe the single event or achievement that has significantly influenced your life." , I was planning to write about a small achievement in my life and a events and intercations related to it. On how that experience has laid the foundation for my ambitions and achievements and has helped in shaping my persionality. It is more about the learnings, realization and experience than about the challenges faced and the methods used.
Please give me your valuable feedback on the same.

Thanks and regards,
Sarat

[eNVious]

Hi Jennifer,

I am an Indian Software Engineer working with an Indian top IT services company. My profile is as follows:
WE: 3 years in Sept,2008
Domain :Insurance
GMAt 700(5.5 AWA), TOEFL : 115
Great academics, particpated and won at College level debate competitions, particpated in paper-presentations hwile at college.
Good work-profile. Started mentoring at a very early stage, have handled reponsibilities of a module leader on various occassions, have been awarded for this. Decent community involvement, have not led in such activities, but have participated with enthusiasm.

Last year, I applied to 4 US schools, out of which 2 i.e UIUC and UCI accepted me while 2 others rejected. However, since scholarships offered were not very attractive , i decided to wait another year before applying again.

I would like to know how suitable is my profile for top 20 B-schools in USA.
Your pointers will be greatly helpful.

Thanks.

[p_jez]

Originally Posted by Accepted

Hi, P_jez. No, you do not need to talk about your career here.

Jennifer, Thanks for the pointers! I've got another one for you though, regarding my profile:

# Indian, Male
# 30yrs, 9.5 yrs work-ex next fall
# Acads - avg, though from NIT Nagpur (in US context, ranked just below Ivies)
# Working in IT, on ERP/CRM. Will have been a Project Manager for almost 3.5 yrs by next fall, PMP certification in 2007
# GMAT 740/6.0 (2008 )
# Have managed initiatives that have directly impacted the bottomline of the organization
# Have managed development of dashboard that enables the CEO to assess Sales VPs' performance (interacted with the directorate office for this)
# Have managed sunset of an organization application
# Short-term goal - to be a Program Manager, Medium-term goal - to be a CIO/CTO

Extra Curricular:
# I've been mentoring colleagues & peers towards earning their PMP credential. Just one success so far, but he happened to be my supervisor in the past.
# I've been involved in connecting college alumni (via our unofficial message board), have been global moderator since past 3 years
# I've been supporting our alumni trust fund for past 3 yrs, though only financially. My annual contribution covers about one semester's tuition for a student, the fund has sponsored 14 students so far. This summer I have started working with the fund's admins to have it registered as a charity organization. I'll be designated a "founder member". Not sure when it'll happen, though - lot of factors are in play.
# Early this year I helped a team member obtain a donation of computers from the organization to setup a computer lab in his village's primary school - personal financial contribution + obtained contribution from peers (for lab infrastructure), and counseling on how to tackle the bureaucracy
# I am an avid motorcycler and hiker, have been to about 35 hikes/fort-visits. I try my best to spread awareness and curiosity about my people's history at work - though this is a very sporadic and informal activity.

Considering my aspirations and my profile, which business school(s) in the US would you recommend?

Thanks!!

[brandmanager]

Hi Jen,

Brand Manager, Here again.Thanks for your inputs,am actually in the process of implementing them.Checked out for Kellogs 1 yr MBA, i would be eligible for the Program, as i have done all 7 of the subjects earlier during my studies-only concern is i would need to brush them up.

Am again posting My profile for your review, but with a different objective.

What are three things in my profile which distinguish me from other candidates, which would assist in my admission.

Education-B.E,Electronics ( 64%),Only saving grace was-got 1st Rank in the university for final Degree Project-98%

Worked for a Year after Engineering-for a small Electrical components Org( Opted it over Infosys),never wanted to be a software Engineer and do a coding job.

Additionally have done 2 yrs Retail Management/Merchandising diploma program from National Institute of Fashion Technology,NIFT,Ministry of textiles(6.6CGPA),NIFT is a Premium College for Fashion Designing Course and related Courses which are related to Textile/Apparel Industry. This program is popularly called AMMM and is reckoned as a premium course, in Apparel/Retail Industry.

Work Ex- Vertical-Lifestyle Retail as well As Services Retailing (Operations,Business development,Marketing).

Worked with No 1 Apparel company of India( which has a Joint Venture with V.F Corp,The largest apparel company in the world-having brands like Wrangler, Lee,Nautica..etc) for International Brands and was Heading an entire Zone in 1.5 yrs time frame,Being the youngest Retail manager in the company(not by age,but by experience),handling 6 states for entire retail set up.Have handleded a big team of over 40 people( including front end sales staff),store managers,executives.A good peoples manager.

Current Profile-Marketing Manager in one of the companies for BP group,for their Service Retail Start Up which is a single store Franchising Business.Portfolio has over 120 retail stores currently.Additional Responsibilty of handling Customer Experience Profile,along with Brand Management,Sales Promotions,Marketing Campaigns,Website Management,etc etc.Have a Sound Knowledge of the Business side,for Retail Set ups


TOtal work Ex, by april 2009-6 yrs

On international exposure front, Been to the US for a month,Holding 10 yr B1/B2.Guess in Sales & Marketing international Exposure is Limited( apart from Dubai etc)

Have won a couple of awards in Retail Ops and Marketing in the organisations have worked for-Have certificates for them.

Additional Work Ex- Visiting faculty for Fashion Retail Management course at NIFT,Associated with 2 of NIFT centres.

Extra Curriculars- President of College-NIFT, Department captain for a couple of sports, Debating etc etc.Master of ceremony for a coupls of events.Lots of involvement in sports.

Worked for Tsunami relief fund for my earlier org,and continue to teach and sponsor 2 young kids of class 4 employees( my house maids children)

Post MBA-want to venture in Retail Consultancy and eventually be an enterpreneur,I want to continue my Hobby/Extra curricular of working as honourary Visiting Faculty in other B-schools.

Request you to suggest which are three things in my profile which distinguish me from other candidates, which would assist in my admission

Eagerly awaiting your response

Brand Manager

[tank_I]

Originally Posted by Accepted

Originally Posted by tank_I
hi jennifer !

I found the thread very informative and appreciate your invaluable advice to fellow aspirants. Can you take a look at my profile ?




10th 93.6% cbse
12th 85% cbse (do they count newhere in the app ?)
Lotsa school level cerificates - NTSE , Maths /physics/chem olympiads, Appreciation for CBSE 10th performance from the Prime minister etc (Do these count ?)

Integrated M.Tech in Mathematics n Computing from IIT Delhi-GPA 5.8
(does a 5 yr. integ masters count as a masters and is it in ne way helpful ?)

Work-ex (26 mths as of date)
* 8 mths in a leading analytics company working in CPG domain for Procter and Gamble - building marketing mix models.

* 18 mths in an outsourcing startup (big names) - Work ranging from analytics to product development to operations support in consumer banking Risk Management. Includes two 3 month onsite stints @ 2 of the top 5 US Consumer banks.
Have delivered some good projects including a Fraud Risk Management project that has been implemented and is set to save the client more than $1MM every quarter.
Currently working in the US Subprime Mortgage division of a bank (Right in the middle of the Storm).

Have done 3 summer internships while in college - in Spain, South Korea n Denmark (do they add value in terms of cultural/int'l exposure ? I have gone backpacking through most of Europe)

Recommendations: 1. Direct Supervisor - with over 30 yrs experience in Indian and Int'l Banking
2. Client VP in a top US Bank (is there a way to leverage the profile of the recommender in the recommendation forms or the optional essays ?)

Community Service: Some work in the field of education for children from economically backward families.
Extra Currics: Avg in college / some work in event organisation (A talent hunt competition) in my hometown.
Languages - Korean (elementary, took a 2 mth course while I ws in Korea), Spanish (picked up from everyday use while I was in Spain and I do listen to spanish music and watch spanish movies a lot, so tht helps), bengali (no bong connection , learnt it in shchool) - Does portrayin as being multi-lingual to an extent help in ne way ?

Expectations - Frankly am yet to decide on whether I am looking for a consulting career or a fin career, and I want to use MBA as an opportunity to help me decide(can this sorta reasoning be helpful or will it show lack of direction ?). Long term career interests -entrepreneurship in India

GMAT - Scheduled for 29th July

The schools that I am looking forward to are
Realistic
1. Tuck
2. Chicago
3. Columbia
Safety
1. Cornell
2. Duke
3. ISB
4. Judge
Stretch(If I crack GMAT 770 + kinds)
1. Harvard
2. Wharton



PS: I am planning to apply R1. Is that Ok or will a R2 (will help me add more work-ex to my story) be better?

Hi, Tank. The only academic statistics that the admissions committees rely on are GMAT and GPA. Yes, your GPA is sad, so you may want to compensate with additional courses or yes, that GMAT of 770 .

So far in your post you haven't really shown me how you have demonstrated your business acumen to make an impact on your companies and clients. The admissions committees are seeking the rare applicants who truly understand how to work with and lead people to exceptional results. You need to think of examples of you doing that either at work or in the community and share the details of how you did it in the applications.

I like the foreign experience and do think it differentiates you, but you will need to demonstrate in the applications that you did more than just spend time in Spain, Korea, and Denmark; we need to see how you adapted to the cultural differences and served as a bridge for others.

To leverage the recommenders' profile, he needs to share his own insight into the impact of other people of your age and role and how you have far surpassed those others. Anything less is really not helpful.

I would recommend that you identify one career goal (for the schools that require that essay) instead of stating that you are undecided (schools like HBS actually do not require that question because they do recognize that there is some leeway during school). Whichever goal you choose, you need to write about how your background and experience has prepared you to succeed in that field.

Statistically, I think R1 is a bit easier to earn an acceptance, but be sure you are ready: with the right GMAT, experience, essays, and letters of recommendation or push it off to R2.

FYI: The programs you listed as safeties are by no means assured admits. You will need to demonstrate to them too that you are truly exceptional since there are so many applicants from India applying with similar backgrounds to yours.

Best of luck,
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.

Jennifer, I finally managed to get a good score on GMAT (780). I read ur other recommendations on essays, portraying my work-ex in the right way and leveraging the recommender's profile.

I think I am a little late for Round 1 deadlines this year. I would still want to go ahead with apping (atleast get in 2 gud applications in R1 - I am thinking of 2 among Tuck, HBS and Chicago GSB). Suppose I am able to get in just 1 good application in Round 1, which one of the three should I target for best possible "ROI"(keeping in my mind my profile and overall propensity to accept candidates in R1)?

[coronet]

Hi Jennifer,

I have just one question regarding the Cornell essays which deal with the following -
1. goals (professional)
2. professional achievement (professional again)
3. challenging time and lessons learnt (??)
4. alternate career (personal)

Question -
I have a great story that talks about my community service and also highlights team building and leadership skills. I would love to share it with the adcomm but there is no scope for that in the essays! How do I leverage this story?
Can the above story be used to answer the 3rd (challenge) question coz though it wasnt exactly a challenging time, it did throw up its share of challenges and I did learn a lot from the experience?

Thanks,
Coronet

(PS: two questions actually but pertaining to the same issue so I guess its alright )

[bc2008]

Hi Jennifer,
I am a chartered accountant with around 4.5 years experience in banking. I recently appeared for GMAT and scored a 750 (Q49,V41) but got a 4.5 on AWA (42 percentile). What are the things which you would suggest for me to keep in mind while drafting my application to international B-Schools

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by rockingDarshnik

Hi Jennifer,

Please evaluate my profile.

My Profile is -
Age - 26 yrs
Gmat - 740


Academics --
Education - 5 year Computer Science M. Tech Dual degree (B Tech + M Tech) from IIT
GPA - 7.78/10
12th - 65%
10th 79%

Work experience - 32 months (as of today)
- first 15 months in a Financial Software MNC. I worked on a tough project for 6 months there, as the project was critical for relationship with client and extremely tough.(manager there will surely mention it in reco)
- for last 17 months, working in a Software Product development MNC. Got promoted in 4 months of joining this company, for exceptional performance (and as the appraisal cycle started then). Also, in the last 6 months I have been working on a critical release of our product. I worked as the lead for release with 2 other team members (though was not designated as such but manager will surely mention it in reco) and successfully released the product. I recently got promoted for work during release.


International exposure-
- did 3 months internship in Germany. Our research team was truly multinational with all 5 people from different nations. (I misplaced the certificate for the internship there, but I can request for it if required)
- worked closely with onsite team in US in first job.
- currently a part of team is based in france and US. I have to interact with them every alternate day.


Leadership -
- the product release which we recently did, was very challenging with tight deadlines. I had to keep the other two team members motivated and really had to talk & listen to them on nightouts after nightout.
- As the first company was a financial software firm, I got interested and did some certifications on finance. Later, I gave the presentations on various aspects of finance world to the company. Those presentations were very well recieved with high attendance, and the initiative was highly appreciated by senior management.
- In my work experience, I have always been given appraisal rating above my peers i.e. other team members with same exp. and designation. (can I put it as a positive point? that I have always shone in my peer group)
- Got employee award 6 months back for going out of way to make client relationship successful. (thats actually the official definition of award)


Other Details -
- I cleared CFA level-1, am a CFA level 2 candidate.
- did some certifications with National Stock exchange india.

Community Service -
- have been teaching at a school for socially disadvantaged people. (honestly I started doing so when I thought about writing GMAT. Before that It never crossed mind)
- I have been playing guitar since college days. I jammed with other band memebers for the last two years. We performed in our Company's annual party. But we haven't reached the level of a professional music band and we jam just to relax ourselves and enjoy our time. I also taught guitar to 2 of my friends for two months.


I want to go for MBA in US universities with major in Finance.

I'm confused if I should apply this year or work on my profile and apply next year. Do you think that I can have a shot at top 15 with this profile? I'm ready to wait till next year if I know I have a realistic chance of making it to top 15 by working on my profile. Can you guide me on this? What possible activities I can do to improve my profile?

Also, As you can see my "Community Service" is very weak? So I'm thinking of not applying to those schools which have an explicit essay question to cover the Community Service? your take on this?

Hi, Rocking. I do believe you are a bit young for the top 15 US schools. The good news is that you have built a great foundation for your application next year (the good GMAT, undergrad GPA, and the 5 years of studies) means you are eligible to apply anywhere.

To improve your profile, you need to spend this year leading larger teams and making larger impacts on your company. Ideally, you would be able to discuss ways in which you made strategic decisions for the firm and convinced senior management to follow your suggestions. The CFA is also good to show your knowledge of finance – unlike many other applicants who are just perceived as chasing “finance” money at the end of the MBA rainbow.

Your community work is nice, but the schools are really seeking community *leadership*, so I would also recommend that you step up to more of a leadership role here – recruiting and guiding others in how to improve an area or the conditions of a group.

Best of luck,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - Helping you write your best!

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by shells15

Thanks a lot for the advice.
How else can I show foreign adaption other than actually living and working abroad for a while?

Shells15, To show your international ability, draw on your experiences collaborating with people from different ethnicities and backgrounds in your own country and with your clients/customers/peers abroad. In my opinion, this attribute is not a must for the top US programs, but is more important to the European ones.

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