[Accepted]

Originally Posted by swetharavi

Hi,

Request you to evaluate my profile and give your inputs. Please do let me know whether the schools I have opted for would be a realistic try or too optimistic. Do suggest schools which I can consider a safe bet too. Would also be helpful if you can evaluate my chances for scholarships.

Indian, Female, Age 24
Undergrad: Engineering (Computer Science), with a GPA of 3.5
GMAT Score: 690 (Overall 88%, Verbal 83%, Quants 79%)
Work Experience: 3 years as Sofware Engineer under Finance domain. Had a sharp growth curve, worked on challenging projects and now leading a team for project design and implementation.
Community Service: Done through my organisation - Eye donation camps and Campaigns for promoting environment awareness.
Extra Curricular Activites: Trained and practise Yoga. Learning dance, performed and organized events at the work place.

Schools under consideration: UTA McCombs/ CMU Tepper/UCLA Anderson/ Duke/ UIUC/ Georgia Tech/ Emory/ Fisher

Thanks!!

Hi, Swetharavi. You are young and I don't see a lot of leadership experience yet in your profile, so I would say UT McCombs, CMU, UCLA, and Duke are all going to be a stretch for you - not impossible, but a stretch. I think UIUC, Georgia Tech, Emory, and Fisher are more realistic. In general, I like Indian applicants to have above the school's GMAT and GPA average, and I think your statistics do fit that criteria for these schools.

To demonstrate leadership, in your applicaiton highlight the examples of when you had to make difficult decisions and unite people that didn't necessarily have to answer to you. Be sure at least one of these examples comes from outside of work so we see how you lead people that really don't have to answer to anyone (volunteers can just choose not to come back), but that can include the Eye Camps that were conducted through work.

As a woman, you have it slightly easier than the men applying because there are simply fewer women vying for spots. I suggest you use LinkedIn and the schools themselves to get in touch with current students and find out about their experiences before b-school (to see how your are similar, to determine in what areas you will need to improve, and to gain real insight into what makes each program special).

Good luck with the applications!

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

[blueblueblue]

Hey Jennifer

This is Rajiv. Hope all is well. Appreciate your response to my earlier query. Have been busy filling in the Cornell and UNC application ever since. I have a few more doubts in that regard.

I wanted to know what format is bested suited when it comes to forming a resume for a B School Application. If you could lay down specific guidelines about the template and structure in terms of what comes first such as educational qualifications or professional work experience, it would be immensly helpful. Also must one add part time work ex in their resume. The reason i ask this is cause form what i can gather, most schools or employers prefer resumes with a length of 2 pages max, with alot of colleges infact insisting on a one page cap.

Since i come from a technical background, i needed your inputs on this front since we guys normally list down our project details and achievements in great detail. How many pages would constitute a good but concise resume and what pointers would you recommend?

I also had a doubt regarding my essays. For Cornell in particular actually. As you are probably aware, Cornell has a 400 word cap for all their essyas. I wanted to know how it would go down with the ad com if i were to exceed that limit by 5% i.e. 20 words. Would that be pushing it or i am safe?

Finally i wanted your take on the following schools for marketing. I thought to give myslef a good shot of getting in this yr, i'd apply to 3 schools in europe in addition to UNC, Indiana, McCombs and Cornell in the States. Wanted your veiews on Manchester, Rotterdam School of Management, SDA Boconi and IESE in Barcelona. In particular, are there any drawbacks about studying in Spain or Italy or the Netherlands because of the language barrier?

As alyways appreciate you taking out the time to answer all queries and thanks in advance.

Cheers
--Rajiv

[sarfraz_y]

Originally Posted by Accepted

Hi, Sarfraz. Yes, I do believe you stand a chance at these schools. I would say the most difficult one would be Stanford and the “easiest” will be INSEAD, but they are all obviously very competitive programs.

These programs are interested in evidence of your leadership of people through difficult situations, so my advice to you is to think about the most challenging situations you faced and how you problem solved and motivated people to work together to tackle them and succeed.

From what I gather, Michigan Ross and MIT Sloan also do excellent recruiting in consulting.

Good luck!

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW

Accepted – Helping you write your best!

Hi Jennifer

Wih reference to my earlier post as things turned out I ended up applying to just Wharton for Round 1 and have received an interview invitation from them scheduled for the 19th of November.

Was just wondering if you would have some tips with regards to interviews in general or Wharton interviews in particular. Incidentally I have scheduled a Hub interview with an Adcom member at New Delhi, India

Thanks
Sarfraz

[askme_scor]

hi Jennifer,
somehow i didnt get the notification that you replied to my post.... so i didnt posted any queries..... btw did you talk to moderators to make it sticky, as far as i know there are alwasy a sub section as "ask the counselor " in most of the other forums like in the gmatclub or beatthegmat forum.... which is always one of the most popular section in those forum.
well now i will be discussing about my profile..... I am giving my GMAT exam on 20th December. If I get the score 700+ then only i will apply to some university for fall'09. Else i wont apply to any B-school for fall'09 and will give GMAT again in January and apply for fall'10 only.
Jennifer, you know my profile more than any other online counsler i have ask about my chances for number of B-schools. so i want to ask you that if i get 700+ score in GMAT in my first attempt, can you suggest me some good B-Schools that i should apply for fall'09 . (not just from the list of schools that i mentioned in my previous posts, but the schools which you think have some good reputation and can be applied for fall'09 ).
Thanks
Priyesh

Originally Posted by Accepted

Hi, Priyesh. I have a feeling that Forum Control and the Powers That Be at Pagalguy would take the requests of multiple visitors (for this to be a sticky post) more seriously than if I request it on my own. But that is a great idea! Keep 'em coming :bigups:

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

[shreyans_nitt]

Hi jennifer,

In last two days, i read almost all the queries of last year for you.

I have 2 simple questions to ask. I am currently a Management Trainee at Britannia Industries Limited. I have a B.Tech from NIT Trichy. 5 months of work ex as of date (dont know if it is called work ex...i have worked in 5 different departments as a part of my training). I plan to take GMAT in August n CAT thereafter and apply next year so that by the time of joining, i have 2 years work ex.

1. Is two years work ex very less?

2. If cost is not taken into account, should one prefer 10-20 ranked US colleges to even IIMs? Ofcourse provided one is getting admission in both.

[aditya83]

Hi Jennifer,

My name is Aditya (Adi for all my friends). I am planning to apply to US B schools for fall 2009.
To run you through my profile

Class X : 85 %
Class XII : 80% (95% PCM)
Graduation : 64% (BE Computers, Sardar Patel College, Mumbai)
GMAT : 720 (VA 40,QA 49)/5.0 (AWA)

Work Experience
I have 3 years of professional experience as a software consultant (3 years and 8 months by the time I join college next year). Currently I am a Project Leader for a team of 10.



Career Highlights

• I led the transition of my previous project from Mumbai to Kolkata and built a new team of 12 at Kolkata.
• My team was recognized by the CEO for its Innovative approach towards problem solving. I also received the ‘Best Performer’ award.
• In my final year of Engineering I developed a game for Reliance Infocomm that was launched all over India. Within a week of launch there were 2, 00,000 hits on the server for the game which translated to 14k USD for Reliance.

Extracurricular Activities

• I am a Greenpeace volunteer and spearheaded a few campaigns at local level for protecting the environment.
• Back in Engineering days I was the co-coordinator for Quizzes and Seminars for my college. I organize quizzes at my workplace as well.
• I have won several awards at intercollegiate level mainly in the field of fine arts.

Hobbies

• I am a guitarist at heart
• I am an avid trekker and a marathon runner.

Post-MBA I aspire to pursue a career in the field of Consultancy .Based on my profile could you suggest a few B schools I should target.
I am considering applying to Ross, Cornell, Darden and NUS. I wonder if my choice of schools is appropriate.

Thanks
Adi

[sandeephrnayak]

Hi Jennifer,
I am Sandeep, an MBA 2009 aspirant.I am working in software industry as Tech leader.

Here is my profile:
EXP : 5years
POSITION : Tech leader
GMAT : 690
Academic : BE 75% (Electronics and comm)
PU and SSLC : 80%+

Leadership quality : Succesfully executed project with a team of 4 in client site (Nokia). Responsibilities included are design, mentoring,release to customer.

Overseas exp : Worked as software consultant in South korea(client Samsung) for 9 month.

Other activity : Volunteer in "Teach India" programme. "Teach india" is programme which focusses on educating underprivileged children.

I am planning to apply to ISB(indian school of business),NUS(Singapore),YALE,GSB(Not sure whether my profile is strong enough for it),DARDEN.
I am very much eager to know about application procedure, essays and SOP.What they expect from essays,SOP and recommendation letter? Whether ESSAYS, SOPS are specific to colleges? As DEC 1st is the appl deadline for ISB. It will be a great help if I get some input regarding essay writing and SOP. Thanking you in advance.

Regards,
Sandeep HR

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by blueblueblue

Hey Jennifer

This is Rajiv. Hope all is well. Appreciate your response to my earlier query. Have been busy filling in the Cornell and UNC application ever since. I have a few more doubts in that regard.

I wanted to know what format is bested suited when it comes to forming a resume for a B School Application. If you could lay down specific guidelines about the template and structure in terms of what comes first such as educational qualifications or professional work experience, it would be immensly helpful. Also must one add part time work ex in their resume. The reason i ask this is cause form what i can gather, most schools or employers prefer resumes with a length of 2 pages max, with alot of colleges infact insisting on a one page cap.

Since i come from a technical background, i needed your inputs on this front since we guys normally list down our project details and achievements in great detail. How many pages would constitute a good but concise resume and what pointers would you recommend?

I also had a doubt regarding my essays. For Cornell in particular actually. As you are probably aware, Cornell has a 400 word cap for all their essyas. I wanted to know how it would go down with the ad com if i were to exceed that limit by 5% i.e. 20 words. Would that be pushing it or i am safe?

Finally i wanted your take on the following schools for marketing. I thought to give myslef a good shot of getting in this yr, i'd apply to 3 schools in europe in addition to UNC, Indiana, McCombs and Cornell in the States. Wanted your veiews on Manchester, Rotterdam School of Management, SDA Boconi and IESE in Barcelona. In particular, are there any drawbacks about studying in Spain or Italy or the Netherlands because of the language barrier?

As alyways appreciate you taking out the time to answer all queries and thanks in advance.

Cheers
--Rajiv

Hi, Rajiv. I'm glad to hear you are moving forward with the applications. To answer your questions:

1) for the resume, it doesn't really matter which comes first (professional or educational). The general rule is that you are a recent graduate and the education is what you want to highlight (as it will be when you are searching for internships and your first job after the MBA), then education comes first. But if you just completed a CFA or another important/relevant certification, you could also make the first section "Education and Certifications" and lead with the CFA, followed by your degree(s).

I have definitely noticed that people from technical backgrounds tend to go into great detail for each project role. You will need to cut that and instead summarize each role in one bullet point. The key is to show the challenges you faced and the quantifiable impact you made in these bullets.

2. Besides ISB, I have found that just about every MBA program is comfortable with the essay length exceeding the maximum by up to 10% (so a total of 440 words for a 400-word essay).

3. My clients who have chosen to attend the European schools have all been happy. The curriculum tends to be very international and the student body diverse, which is what they are looking for. I would definitely recommend taking a crash course in the language of the country where the school is located once you decide to attend – just so you can get along off campus – but on campus, English is the language of choice.

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

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by sarfraz_y

Hi Jennifer

Wih reference to my earlier post as things turned out I ended up applying to just Wharton for Round 1 and have received an interview invitation from them scheduled for the 19th of November.

Was just wondering if you would have some tips with regards to interviews in general or Wharton interviews in particular. Incidentally I have scheduled a Hub interview with an Adcom member at New Delhi, India

Thanks
Sarfraz

Hi, Safraz. I realize that your interview has passed. I hope it went well.

In general, the keys to a good interview are demonstrating that you are a person who is engaging to speak with - the interviewer needs to be eager to sit with you in a class or alumni gathering.

Also, the interviewer wants to be impressed by you, so be sure to focus on the challenges you have faced at work and how you have overcome them to make an impact on your clients, your employer, and your career.

Finally, know everything about this program. Each school is checking to see how much you really want to attend it, and the way to prove your sincere interest is to know the details about the program that differentiate it and make it your ideal program.

For specific details about the interview, be sure to check out Accepted's Interview Database and enter your own experiences when you complete your interviews.

Best of luck!

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

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by askme_scor

hi Jennifer,
somehow i didnt get the notification that you replied to my post.... so i didnt posted any queries..... btw did you talk to moderators to make it sticky, as far as i know there are alwasy a sub section as "ask the counselor " in most of the other forums like in the gmatclub or beatthegmat forum.... which is always one of the most popular section in those forum.
well now i will be discussing about my profile..... I am giving my GMAT exam on 20th December. If I get the score 700+ then only i will apply to some university for fall'09. Else i wont apply to any B-school for fall'09 and will give GMAT again in January and apply for fall'10 only.
Jennifer, you know my profile more than any other online counsler i have ask about my chances for number of B-schools. so i want to ask you that if i get 700+ score in GMAT in my first attempt, can you suggest me some good B-Schools that i should apply for fall'09 . (not just from the list of schools that i mentioned in my previous posts, but the schools which you think have some good reputation and can be applied for fall'09 ).
Thanks
Priyesh

Hi, Priyesh. On Pagalguy's homepage on the right, there is a list of professionals answering questions and my forum is on there, so I think people can find me if they are looking hard enough ;-)

As I mentioned before, you are young and still a bit inexperienced. I could see you applying for some of the programs with lower age averages (Notre Dame, Washington University (Olin), and Boston University) and those that tend to be focused on academic potential (perhaps Oxford) this year. If you do get that 700+, there is no reason not to try at least some of the programs you are targeting.

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