[sai_pec]

is this thread alive

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by charles79

Here's my profile,
age : 29, m
based in India currently.

Xth standard : 86% (95)
xii th std : 82% (97)
M.B.B.S : 60% (04) ( from one of the top ten med colleges of India)

GMAT : 620 Q48 V 27.. underprepared .. am appearing again and am expecting 700+.

*good academics and extra curricular activities in student life.

*organized camps, events, functions in college.

*was a member of student union.

*closely associated with medico social programs at various levels right since my graduation started - till today.

WORK EX:

*three years + in hospitals and nursing homes in India as a doctor or a resident medical officer.

*worked on a couple of government projects on anemia eradication n other stuff

*cleared USMLE exams and received Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), USA.

* Have a few months of experience as a clinical observer in some hospitals in USA.

* Am intensively involved in some social work and some govt. sponsored health projects in India.

* Am very ambitious and have a considerable leadership exp at job n outside.

KINDLY HELP ME WITH THESE DOUBTS

1) Where do I stand currently as a potential candidate and what kinda colleges should I be looking at ??

2) what can I do except improving my gmat score(how much wud be good enuff) to make myself a better prospect?

3) how much more time do I have to make it in 2009 group A) with and B) without a scholarship application ?

Thanks Jennifer!!

Hi, Charles. At this point, you can apply for round 3. This is the most difficult round since many schools just don't have places left, but with the economy in the US going as it is, there may be more available spaces as others find that they simply cannot afford to go back to school now. In any case, I always recommend applying in the third round (except to schools like HBS or INSEAD), since even if you are rejected this year, your re-application will be looked upon favorably next year. The exceptions to this rule are HBS and INSEAD because these schools tend to discourage reapplications.

Since you did not mention your goals, I cannot advise you greatly on school selection. In general, I would say that you should look into schools with strong medical research ties (Duke and UNC come to mind as part of the research triangle, plus perhaps MIT, Carnegie Mellon and Cornell). Your GMAT will have to exceed the school's average in my opinion.

Besides boosting your GMAT, I recommend that you focus on not just where you were involved but where you led: how did you shape groups and increase their influence and impact? These are the examples that need to be highlighted in your application. Since you are already out of school for five years, your examples should not come from your college days.

In most programs, foreign applicants to US schools who wanted to be considered for scholarships needed to submit their applications early. It is probably too late for these applications now for most programs.

I do recommend that you consider Columbia and INSEAD's January intake programs. For these, you are not late but early at this point, so your chances are still good.

Best of luck with the process!

Regards,

Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
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[Accepted]

Originally Posted by drparas4u

Hi Jennifer,

I think I am not that old yet..I am 29 yrs of age and most of the b-schools have a class average age of 28-29. Correct me if I am wrong..

I am looking for one year MBA programs from good schools. Do suggest me few schools?

Thanks a lot.

Hello again, Dr. Paras. The biggest strikes against you seem to be your low GMAT of 650 and a lack of "leadership" in your work. You may be able to boost the GMAT, so that is the first thing I recommend you try to do; otherwise, I recommend you aim for lower-ranked programs.

What may require more time is leadership since college. You graduated too long ago to refer to your college leadership in your application essays. You will need recent examples that demonstrate your people skills and ability to motivate those who do not need to answer to you to make an impact. Even the lower-ranked programs are going to want to hear about this.

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
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[Accepted]

Originally Posted by str1der

Hi,

I am Ankit and am a college senior from India. I would like to inquire about my chances at HBS. I do not have any prior full time work experience. However, I have two internships with start up firms based out of India. They aren't big names but personal growth here has been very good. I am also the founder of my own web and graphic design firm and have hired people after interviewing them for contract based jobs.

Academically, I have 93% in grade 10, 86% in grade 12 (Maths Phys Chem option) and a current percentage of about 66% in Computer Science and Engineering from Panjab University which is highly regarded and well known as you would already be aware of. (It helps when the country's prime minister and one of the best economists is an alumni )

I have also been recognized as India's Youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (when I was 13). I have topped both my schools (changed after grade ten) in English. I have been sub editor of the school magazine, been house captain (in charge of 300 students), served on the executive board of my school's alumni association and taken active interest in social work by volunteering to organize blood donation camps, educating beggars and working with Help Age India.

In college, I have been an active member of the largest student organization on campus and managed funds for a year for the same. I was also the chief strategist for the organization and was instrumental in helping the organization win elections after 4 years of consecutive defeats. I was also selected by a globally renowned consulting firm during recently concluded placements and was in the 2% students selected out of 350. I have also been a member of the internation students organization, AIESEC.

I have a 690 on my GMAT. I would like your opinion on my chances for admission to Harvard Business School, NYU Stern, Wharton and Yale SOM. I have also applied for the MFE program at Said Business School, Oxford.

Thank you for your time and kind regards,
Ankit

Hi, Ankit. You are obviously a smart and accomplished guy. But I'm not seeing enough impact and leadership to convince me that these top programs will want you *yet*. There are very few applicants who are accepted with no work experience since it is extremely difficult to demonstrate the kind of leadership that these programs are looking for without those years in the workplace.

While I am not telling you not to apply, my expectations are low. An MFE or MSc in Finance program may be just the right program for you, since these are much more focused on your quantitative ability and require less proof of leadership than the MBA. These programs may open doors for you in your career, allow you to earn high level leadership roles, and then in three years or so you can apply for those top MBA programs.

Good luck with your decisions!

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
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[Accepted]

Originally Posted by arunsdevine

Hi!

Can you evaluate my chances at US top 10. Specifically: Stanford/MIT/Haas
Applying for program starting in 2010. Given that I have a bit of time, I request you to recommend areas of my profile I should be trying to improve to increase my chances.



My Profile:
Indian/IT/Male/23
GMAT 700. AWA: 4.5
GPA: 3.8/4.0
NIT Surathkal (Top 10 institute in India)
2.5 years (current) in Samsung's R&D center, Bangalore.
Details:
- Evolved an idea from scratch to reality by co-ordinating with multiple teams in India and South Korea.
- Initiated a process to develop my team's ability to innovate, and trained the team, and the 8 months from the start of the program produced 14 patents
- Mentoring of 2 new recruits leading to their induction into the team.
- 8 months in South Korea
Extras:
- Conducted a voter registration drive across Bangalore, already covered an audience of 7500 people, promising to cross 20k by end of February.
- I ve written articles that got published in major web sites.
- Lots of organizing activities while in college. Lead teams of 6/7 people on more than one occassion.
- Graphic design. Output: about 30 posters, 5 brochures, 7 newspaper ads etc.

Goal: I would like to work in the Tech industry post-MBA.

Hello again. These programs are looking for innovation and leadership of innovation. So I would recommend you spend the next two years (yes, I think 24 is still too young for most to attend a US MBA program) building a repertoire of this type of leadership. Leading teams of six to seven people is something many can say - and therefore will not distinguish you in the eyes of the admissions committees. You need to lead teams of 20 or more to make the kind of impression they are seeking.
Writing articles and graphic design are solitary activities, so I recommend you spend the time you dedicate to these activities to instead find ways to get involved on a larger scale and make grand impacts on Samsung and India. This will impress these programs more more.

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
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[Accepted]

Originally Posted by askme_scor

hello Jannifer

Again i have some questions(oops i mean many)... which are the top 5 schools in US for MS Finance course, especially with respect to Corporate Finance.

And hows the reputation of SDA Bacconi, Italy for its MS Finance/ MS Corporate Finance course. Is it worth attending ? is getting job after its completion would be possible within Italy or internationally ?


And also many people are saying that given the current scenario of recession, it is too risky to pursue MS Finance. is it true?

this is just for info (but you can always comment on it ) :
this year I am applying to only three MBA schools (i know my chances are 1% or less due to my work ex, but still taking up chance). these schools are:
M.I.T Sloan
Purdue Krannert
Washington University Olin School.

Regards,
Priyesh Khunteta

Hi again, Priyesh. I answered your question about MS Finance programs at the end of December. The best US programs in my opinion are: Princeton, MIT, Johns Hopkins, UC Berkeley, and NYU.

SDA Bocconi is a great degree for pretty much anywhere in Western Europe. It tends to be less recognized outside of that region.

Be sure to let us all know how you fare with Sloan, Krannert and Olin!

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

[aks_breathless]

hi. thanks for the great work ur doing.

plz tell me if its worth applying in the top5 mba progs.

1. CA (chartered accountancy) rank 20 all india, CFA all levels cleared, b.com 76%
2. gmat 740
3. have two and half years full time articleship experience(compulsory for CA) at a CA firm.
4. leadership- led a team of 5 and had significant contact(face time) with the clients at the CA firm.
5. specialization in taxation.
6. social work- involved in a ngo as a fund raiser for the last 4 years raised upto 20000$
4. currently at a bulge bracket i- bank ( have been there for 1 year )- equity research analyst.


ques??
1. will my full time articleship experience count as work ex?
2. i am interested in buy side asset management in future. is it better to do mba or msc finance?
3. have traded on my own capital&racked up 40% gains on 100k $, should i mention this in my application?

thx a lot.

[kampar50]

Hi Jennifer,

I am planning to enroll for full time MBA in USA. I have 14+ years of experience in IT industry and currently working as Director of a small US based MNC in India. Could you please advice which US schools would take my application seriously for full time MBA

Regards

[sleeper911]

Hi Jennifer,

I am planning for my MBA in UK for Sept 09 intake.

Please find below my profile :

GMAT: 610 ( I know its low but i cant give it again)
3 years work ex .. wil be around 3.8 by sept 09
Industy : Media
Job profile : Sales
Extra Cur: National Cadet corp , Working with NGO on weekends
college events.
do you review SOP also if yes please let me know your email ID.

Regards

Sumair

[sushilbansal]

Hi Jennifer,

I want to apply for an enterpreneuship program. Can you please suggest me the top10 colleges.

My GMAT score is 720
I am IT professional with 3.5 years of experience

And how to respond to the following question:

- Describe yourself