[Accepted]

Originally Posted by Ayan2279

Hi Jennifer,


Thanx for the reply.Appreciate it. If I were to break my UG score into Part 1 and 2, it would be around 52% and 62% respectively. A 52% is the second highest passing grade and 62 % is the highest(First Class) as per my University which is very conservative in awarding grades .As already mentioned, I am doing a PG supposed to be finished next year. Will a decent score there strengthen my acads?

I have started volunteering for my company's CSR and teach children in slum. In fact have taken initiative and motivated some people to join along. Also have supported Oxfam and Greenpeace for a long time; although only monetarily.

My target schools are Chicago,Wharton,LBS,Kenan Flagler,Simon/Tippie,Rotterdam,Manchester and I am pretty undecided on Columbia/Darden/Stern. Infact looking at applying to 6-8 schools at the maximum. What would be your take on the list above? Is it out of reach,stretch or realistic?

Please note that I would be applying in 2010, so have around 1.5 yrs to work on my profile.Therefore please answer in perspective of the new information (CRS initiative, PG completion etc.) that I have provided.

Once more thanx a lot. You are doing a great job

Regards
Ayan

Hi again, Ayan. The class ranking does help and I do suggest that you mention that in the application. Also, your grades in the PG will be considered in your academic profile, so if you score well there, that should give you a boost.

Getting a few people to join an organized group is not really leadership. Getting a lot of people to join a specific mission and make a large impact is the kind of leadership the b-schools are looking for. Monetary donations/support don't count for anything in the admissions race, but they are obviously essential and worthy efforts!

I cannot gauge just how reach/stretch/realistic your school choice is without knowing your GMAT score. Also, keep in mind that b-schools are looking for 27 and 28 year olds – no older really (yes, there are exceptions, but this is the general age that they are aiming for), so if you wait another 1.5 years to apply, I am afraid you will be too old (at my calculations, you will have 9 years of work experience then and be around 30, correct?). Obviously, the biggest stretch is Wharton – but some of the work you described in your previous post sounded like a fit there, so it does seem worth it to take a chance if you get at least a 730 on the GMAT. I highly recommend that you apply to a mix of schools - a stretch, a few within your reach, and even a good school that your statistics are "better than" in case luck is not on your side.

Regards,

Jennifer Bloom, CPRW

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[Accepted]

Originally Posted by nittinj

Hi,

I have similar issues with my profile. I am planning to apply this year or may be next year !! I am an engineer and in my past 5 yrs of work exp I have been traveling, working 10-12 hrs a day + 4-6 hrs on weekends + personal social life + getting married ++ ( no complainss though)... frankly didnt left much time and energy to work outside the job...though have been blogging (avg) and worked with a teaching organization for few months but couldnt continute because location changed recently. Currently working in a startup outside my home country with major business challenges and even more hectic job schedule in past 3 months!!

I am wondering do b schools really/ under all circumstances require social service/ extra curriculars ( though I had loads of them while at college but 5 years now) outside job !!

Thanks
NJ

NJ, there are certainly people who get accepted with little extracurricular activity, but the general type of person that these schools are aiming for are concerned and involved citizens. If your work hasn't allowed any involvement, the schools wonder how you could let that happen to you and they also question how much you will contribute outside of class on their campus. So try to get involved!

Regards,

Jennifer Bloom, CPRW

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[Accepted]

Originally Posted by tanPG2009

Hi Jennifer,

I am planning to apply to b-schools this year, my profile is as below:

Education: engineering from IIT, CGPA- 7.1/10
WE: 5 years by Aug 2010
GMAT- 720 (41, 48, 6)
Job profile: have been working as consultant in e-gov, IT strategy and process improvement domains in big4 consulting firms
Extra-curricular- not strong
Post MBA goals: General management, would prefer getting into rotational leadership developmetn programs or corporate strategy group in industry

As of now I am planning to apply to following schools in
1. ISB
2. London Business School
3. Kellogg
4. Tuck
5. Hass
6. Darden
7. Ross
8. Yale
9. Emory

My questions:

A. Is my choice of schools correct, are there any other schools to which I should apply in addition to these. Would appreciate if you can give ur comments schools wise

B. Will I fall in typital IT professional category.

C. As I don't have exceptional leadership experience outside work, will it effect my overall application to these schools. If yes, how should I overcome this. Is it okay to show in application that I will be looking at improving my participation in extra-cul and community services during the course of program??

Thanks in advance

Well, TanPG, it depends on what kind of consultant you are and what you've been able to accomplish. If you are helping the clients with strategy and helping your company grow its reputation, then great and the school choice is appropriate. If you are a typical IT consultant, then you are going to have a harder time differentiating yourself from everyone else in that field.

If you have exceptional leadership at work, then it is less necessary to show exceptional leadership outside of work, but most schools are going to want to see extracurricular involvement of some kind to show that you'll fit in and contribute to campus life.

Good luck with the application process!

Regards,

Jennifer Bloom, CPRW

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[Accepted]

Originally Posted by @nee!

REPOSTING it

reason : all posts above my post were answered and the post after were also answered except mine

First of all, thanks for your time and wonderful replies. I am an MBA aspirant and have a few queries. Here, go my details

10th : 85.4%
12th : 92.3%
B-Tech :87.2%

GMAT : Yet to be taken,
Age : 23

Experience: Will complete 2 years this June

Organization: Infosys Technologies
Role : S/W Engr and acting technical lead


Leadership and community services:
1.
a) Was Class Representative during engg for 4 years
b) School Captain
c) Was Sercretary Of Mechanical Engineering Association
2. Trained in BOXING,KARATE
3. Participated and Lead a team of 5 in national Symposiums organised by reputated colleges during Engg.
4. Was head of Personal Relations and Organizer of the Technical Symposium organised by us(my college)
5. Member of ECO club,dealing with environmental based problems.
6. Is a member of Canteen Committee at work place
7. Partcipate in community services organized by my organization.
8. Regular blood donor. Need based as well as in camps(But dont have certificate for all)
9. Joined an NGO and doing good work there.


Awards/Recognition/Certificates:

1. Several awards related to work from my Company.
2. Blood Donationation certificates
3. Won many prizes, certificates from IITs in ROBOTICS competitions conducted at national and international level.
4. Volunteer certificate for organising events in college.
5. Paper Published in International Journal.
6. Diploma in SPANISH.


My Queries:

1.Could you please let me know the the B Schools out of GLOBAL TOP 30 schools which provide 100% Loan?

2. Suppose, if I get a score of 740 or above then what are my chances in top 20 B-Schools if I target MIT, Chicago, Columbia, Yale, Duke, Tuck, Ross, Boston,? I see my carrer in Sales and Marketing/ Finance.

3. Can you please suggest other reputated schools where my chances are bright?

4. What more can I do to substantiate my profile?

5. Having a work-ex of just 2 years, shall i wait for 1-2 years n get a 3-4 year exp to get into TOP 20 Schools ?

I know it's hard to keep track of posts and answers, but that's Pagalguy's setup. I had actually not answered posts after yours ;-).
I hope you find my response from earlier today to your post - I think it's on page 71.

Regards,

Jennifer Bloom, CPRW

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[Accepted]

Originally Posted by sinhamrigank

Hi Jen,

At the outset, let me give you a snapshot of my profile:-

Workexperience

In numbers: I would have around 5 years of work ex in Fall 2010 with 3 years in Bahamas and about 2 years in Middle East. (5+ years with BIG 4 firms)

In terms of quality: Of the 5 years, the past 2 years in Bahamas have been excellent in terms of the quality of work experience I have had. Apart from being a core team member of 2 of my firm's Global Priority Accounts, I have taken significant initiatives in these teams (eg. spearheaded efforts to have a tool in place for data management which helped the team reduce approx 50% of the time spent in previous years on data management; trained both by Firm's and my client's team on hands on use of the tool, etc) As such even in this economic turmoil when there has been layoffs all across the spectrum including my own firm, the executives really appreciated my contribution and I was promoted recently (note that I compete with not just my peers at my location but two other location offices, i.e. Cayman Islands and Bermuda). In terms of collaboration and teaming, the past 2 years have indeed been incredible experience (I am the only team member based in the Bahamas office, with the rest of the team geographically spread across Americas and I would have some good stories about collaboration and teaming)

Academics:
GMAT: 700 (Q 48, V 36); AWA 6
Undergrad: Bachelors in Commerce (Pass) - On the lower side (approx 55%)
TOEFL: 110
Chartered Accountant from India

Extracurriculars
Never been a part of any big Not for profit name & i sincerely believe that empaty need not necessarily comes from joining a big time NGO. However I do have some real stories about my "giving back" to the community. On the other front, I have been an active member of "Outreach events" on behalf of my firm where I visit local schools and colleges (in Bahamas) to educate young children about our profession, our firm etc.

Also, at my firm, I am an appointed (by the Partners/Executives) member of the "People Advisory Board" from Bahamas office wherein we act as the voice of the employees to the Senior executives in the firm (Just to mention that the Bahamas office is a part of the NY Financial Services office)

Personal
I come from not so great background. Born in a lower middle class family, my 1st school in India had no desks and benches. Also, I had to shoulder my family's financial responsibilty at a young age (actually when Iwas doing my nder graduation). As such (whether I suceed in MBA or not, I have come a long way). So I do have a decent story to tell on my personal front too.

What i am looking for:
An MBA school with a strong team based approach. My future career plans are to get into strategy consulting.

As scuh my target schools are:
Kellogg (Dream) - (almost done with my initial draft essays)
Duke
Darden- (almost done with my initial draft)
McCombs (not sure)
I need to pick up 2 more schools within my reach. Also I was initially planning to apply to Wharton, but I realize I do not have the necessary numbers in my profile.

I intend to visit these schools before I apply so that I could let them know what kind of person I am and how do I fit in.

My queries are
1) Could you comment on my oevrall profile?
2) Any comment on my choice of schools and any suggesstions on any other schools
3) How realistic, in your view, are the schools I have chosen.

Many thanks indeed!

Best regards
MS

Hi, MS. I am afraid that a 700 GMAT from India may not be competitive enough for Kellogg. I suggest you boost that by around 30 points if you can. Kellogg is going to want to hear a lot of personal interaction examples - how your mindset and people skills were essential to wooing both clients and teammates. If you have those examples, then your application has a shot. Duke, Darden, and McCombs should be a bit less competitive, but they will all want to hear about how you have surpassed the norm for your industry.
USC and Arizona State are two programs you may want to consider adding to your list: each has a very strong teamwork focus, and your stats make them seem like a good fit for you.

Regards,

Jennifer Bloom, CPRW

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[Accepted]

Originally Posted by humblewinner

Hello Jennifer,

I work for a small company, and I just got a significant promotion in terms of title from being a team lead to that of a senior manager. But because of the bad economic scenario, I wasnt given a hike in pay.

My current salary is significantly lower for the title by industry standards. Should I be concerned and ask for a lower title than the one offered.

Or Should I be addressing this disparity somewhere.

Or Can I ignore and apply.

Thank you very much for your suggestions.

The top b-schools are looking for people who seek out extra responsibilities and advancement. While they will wonder about the lack of a pay hike, I am sure they will be more interested in you with the promotion than without it. Take a couple of lines to explain why the promotion came without a hike in pay and when, if ever, you are meant to earn the pay increase.

Regards,

Jennifer Bloom, CPRW

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[Accepted]

Originally Posted by the_hate

Hello ma'am,
Kudos for great work...

I'll post my profile first and then my questions:

Profile:
10th- 82%
12th-80.6
B.Tech- 77.2%

GMAT- 750(qa-50, va-40) ; AWA - 5

Work ex- will complete 2 years in november '09. 1 year in a top software firm of India(as a software engineer) and 1 year in one of the top coaching institute of India for MBA having almost 130 branches(profile: Center Head).

Achievements/Positive points about my profile:
1) Meritorious student throughout schooling
2) Senior Diploma in Hawaiian guitar.
3) Was part of managing committee of my annual function in college.
4) My college has a rural internship. It's aim is to explore how can we bring change at grasroot level using IT(was a life-changing event for me)
5) Won IEEE organized state level paper presentation contest.
6) Was knowledge manager of my team in s/w firm. Responsibilities included organizing knowledge transfer so that all learn from each other and realized role of communication in a firm.(can properly elaborate in essay)
7) Center head of coaching. Responsibilities include marketing, handling the faculty,workers,students. Learnt a lot. Meeting new people, saw education system first time from top rather than bottom as a student.what are flaws,good points of same..meeting people..arranging for seminars...have to make strategies like which colleges to target for which exam/courses..when to target...again can elaborate properly in essay..used few innovative ways of marketing the product..
8 ) started a free batch for physically challenged and poor students who have the potential to be the best but have limited opportunites as training instis don't provide special facilities in tune for these people...

can elaborate on the above points in essays...

My queries:
Given my sort of weak profile, do i stand a realistic chance of making the cut for top 5(or top 10 b-schools)? I'm planning to apply to all ambitious univs for me..even if I don't make it this year..it would be fine..but if I have no realistic chances of converting(say less than 10%chance) these univs, then would drop the plan.

i) what are my chances of converting top 5 b-schools (a rough idea)
ii) Chances for ISB,NUS and NTU
iii) would my work-ex in education sector help me differentiate myself from IT junta...as my education and half of work ex is in IT sector? How to go about achieving this?
iv) Can you please suggest me few colleges that can give me a good scholarship/waiver? Will think of apping to these after some research.

Thanks for your kind help.

Regards,
Abhishek

Hi, Abhishek. No, I don't think you stand much of a chance with the top 5 programs or with ISB, NUS, or NTU yet. You seem like a guy with a lot of brains who needs to now find a way to apply them and make an impact in the business world. Certainly if your goals are in education, then that will differentiate you, but you will need to show passion, direction and the business side of the endeavor to get the b-schools interested.
There are very few scholarships to top business programs and they are usually offered to applicants who have truly exceptional levels of leadership and impact. Take the next few years to become one of them ;-)

Regards,

Jennifer Bloom, CPRW

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[USS]

Hello Jennifer
I am an MBA aspirant and have recently taken the GMAT . I had previously posted a query in this thread but I think some how you might have missed it and so I am posting it here again. Before posting my query I would like to state about myself briefly.

Acads:
-Class X -90 %
-Class XII - 76%
-B Tech in Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture from the Indian Institute
of Technology ( most coveted engineering institutes of India )
- Undergraduate GPA 8.65 on a scale of 10 .
- GMAT score 760 ( VA-41, QA -50 ) AWA -6

Extra curricular :
Very ordinary in the sense that I only participated in few events and have no awards
Have attended NCC ( National Cadet Corps ) Annual Training Camp while in college

Job Experience :
- 3 years in the marine /shipdesigning sector
- My profile though is more on the technical side since it's in the nature of
the shipbuilding /designing industry that to attain a responsible
managerial post one needs good amount of experience.
- Presently I am a Team Lead in the design department in my organisation.

I want to request you to please give a judgment on my selection of B schools. As of now I have selected NUS , INSEAD and ISB for application. Do you think my profile is sufficient for these B schools . Also I would like to know your suggestion regarding other B Schools that you think would be appropriate in my case . I am also thinking of the London Business School but would like to know your view before moving forward . Also I would request you to give me tips about how to boost my profile .Please Suggest.

Regards

[GMAT09_ASPIRANT]

Hi Jennifer,

I have one major doubt...
I have done good amount of voluntary work and Social service,have coordinated as well as organised a lot of events at the school and college level....
but I don't have any proofs or certificates for the same...

I do have certificates for whatever competitions I took part in and won....
But I don't have ny certificates or proofs for the other contributions as mentioned above...
so How should I incorporate them in my application and how do the schools take such stuff...
So in short,what is the imporatnce of such a statement like I worked with 3 voluntary organisations for teaching blind children etc...if I cannot support it wid a document??

I have a 2 yr work ex in IT..would be 3 yr by the time I plan to join the B school(i.e,Aug 2010)...

Thanks,
Your advice will be really valuable..
Neha

[sharatkumar518]

Hello Jennifer,

Thanks for replying all the queries patiently.

This is my profile in brief

10,12th: 91,89 %
Btech IIT kharagpur Electrical; 7.1/10
Work exp: 3 years. With an American MNC(Mentor Graphics). Work is more on technical side with minimal client interactions. There were no foreign travels to client's place(there were some for training). I have a really good record here.
GMAT : 720
Extra-curriculars are very less.


1> Can you name a few univs which tilt their scale a but in favor of people comming from tech background. I am looking at top - 30 universities.
2> This might sound strange, though I am very sure I want to join an MBA programme this year, but confused why I am doing so and how I'll portray this to the universities. Any link to applications will help me a lot.
3> A brief explanation about the opportunities and options after MBA will also aid resolving my predicament.

Thanks in advance