[sssiva03]

Hi all,

Stanford is one the best B-Schools in the world. I hope most of the PGs will have a dream of getting in.

I think this is the right time to start this thread.

I have started preparing for my GMAT already.

Let this place serve as a platform for us to reach our goal.

Thanks,
- Shiva.

Here is my profile.

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Education :

B.E ( CGPA : 8.91 )
XII ( 92 % )
X ( 94 % )

Work Ex. :

I graduated in 2006.
worked for an MNC for 16 months.
Then switched to Amazon.com . working here for the past 4 months. I started a team here @ Amazon. Handled all project management stuffs.
Got a call from Google . Will be joining after few months.
By the time I join MBA, I will have almost 3 years of Work exp and will be working in Google.

Extras :

I am a part time entrepreneur. I was running a website for some days, after which I dropped it to get more expertise on business terms.
I used to do a lot of freelancing.
Will do a lot of informational blogging.
Served as the 'Secretary' of a Student club during UG.

Expected GMAT score : > 750

--------------

Negatives :

Low work exp. ( ~ 3 yrs )
Not from a reputed College for UG.
No NGO stuffs
No much international work exp. ( have went once for a 3 week period for training )

---------------

Can any one please help me find whether I can get an admit in Stanford GSB. It is my dream school. What are the things I need to improve to make my profile look good.

[eng_harsh]

Originally Posted by sssiva03

Here is my profile.

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It is my dream school. What are the things I need to improve to make my profile look good.

Your credentials do look impressive. However, having said that MBA game contains a lot more variables. You need to ask yourself some questions.

1) Have I done justice to my jobs? 3 companies in 2 years?? Brand names are important, but this shows the lack of clarity in goals. Do think twice before switching again if you want to do an MBA, as this thing will not go down well with adcoms.
Secondly, you won't be able to show any career progression with this. Do you think 6 months in Amazon and 6 months in Google are sufficient so that someone can contribute meaningfully to the company.

2) Start thinking about stories - Why you need an MBA? Why you need it now? What kind of leadership experience have you demonstrated in your career. Doing some Project management activities does not constitute Leadership experience. You need to lead a team or a project may be - not necessarily directly but you may be working with them and bring some tangible results that fit into a companies strategy.

3) Building soem websites and all doesn;t really matter much until and unless you build something like Pagalguy

I think you can build a great profile if you tread in a right direction. All the Best!!!

[sssiva03]

@ eng_harsh

I will take that with a pinch of salt. Your points are very clear. I need to think about these. Thank you very much for your suggestions.

@ Harsh

But I do have some questions. Can you please throw some gyan on that.

- I see many people getting admits in Stanford with just 2+ yrs of exp. I don't think every one would have got a chance to prove their leader ship in that short time. What else would have helped them to get in ? ( I believe not every one will be like our pagalguy )

- When I apply, I will be still in my second company ( Amazon.com ), In that case, will I have higher chances to get in.

- In what ways brand names will help in admissions.


- Shiva.

[eng_harsh]

My responses inline:

Originally Posted by sssiva03

@ Harsh

But I do have some questions. Can you please throw some gyan on that.

- I see many people getting admits in Stanford with just 2+ yrs of exp. I don't think every one would have got a chance to prove their leader ship in that short time. What else would have helped them to get in ? ( I believe not every one will be like our pagalguy )
Remember, you are from ultra competetive Indian/IT/Male pool. There profiles were like: working in IB, or in Strategy consulting in Mckinsey, or Manager in some steel plant, or running a startup succesfully.
You need not lead a team directly to show leadership experience. It can be a project that you initiated which helped your company to save $$$, or working with disparate teams under extenuating circumstances for a project.

- When I apply, I will be still in my second company ( Amazon.com ), In that case, will I have higher chances to get in.
Being in one company does not help you gain an admission, however, changing the companies will hamper your chances, until you did some superman job in 6 months.

- In what ways brand names will help in admissions.
Contrary to what people say, Brand names definetely help in the admissions.
They are not required, but if you have done a very good work in a big branded name it helps a lot. This adds a lot more credibility and Woh factor to your profile. Having said this, you can get the Woh factor also by working in a startup where you can take many more responsibilities. So, it's possible to get in from any place, but depends on how you present your case. See the thing is when you say - I work for Google you automatically get some headway with a postive bias from a person while reading the app. But if rest of the app doesn't support it then it is much more difficult.
Hope it helps.
- Shiva.

[desiinindia]

Originally Posted by eng_harsh

My responses inline:

This is a weak profile. You will not get admitted to stanford.
Sorry to pull the rails under your ride.

[sssiva03]

Originally Posted by desiinindia

This is a weak profile. You will not get admitted to stanford.
Sorry to pull the rails under your ride.

Can you please explain why ? So that I can improve.

[desiinindia]

Originally Posted by sssiva03

Can you please explain why ? So that I can improve.

Clearly you have nothing great under your belt. Forget about great. Nothing even that clears the min threshold.

Your best bet is Emory, Kelley, Purdue et al.

I guess you get an idea of the difference in the schools I am suggesting and what you are aiming for.

No high GMAT will save you for a ride to HSWKMIT

[sssiva03]

Originally Posted by desiinindia

Clearly you have nothing great under your belt. Forget about great. Nothing even that clears the min threshold.

Your best bet is Emory, Kelley, Purdue et al.

I guess you get an idea of the difference in the schools I am suggesting and what you are aiming for.

No high GMAT will save you for a ride to HSWKMIT

Just curious to know, What are the minimum requirements for HSWKMIT.

[absolutearoma]

Originally Posted by sssiva03

Just curious to know, What are the minimum requirements for HSWKMIT.

Don't pay any attention to him. In the world of MBA forums you will find many such trolls.

Back to your original post. Stanford is the toughest nut to crack out of all of them. The company brand name counts for a LOT. So will your GMAT. I agree with everything Harsh has said...and i am afraid at this point your profile is a little weak for Stanford. Do not switch companies too much, take initiative for projects and show results. You really need good EC to seperate you from your tough pool. Find out 1-2 activities that you love/care about and dedicate enough time in them to show progression. Good luck

[desiinindia]

Originally Posted by absolutearoma

Don't pay any attention to him. In the world of MBA forums you will find many such trolls.

Back to your original post. Stanford is the toughest nut to crack out of all of them. The company brand name counts for a LOT. So will your GMAT. I agree with everything Harsh has said...and i am afraid at this point your profile is a little weak for Stanford. Do not switch companies too much, take initiative for projects and show results. You really need good EC to seperate you from your tough pool. Find out 1-2 activities that you love/care about and dedicate enough time in them to show progression. Good luck

You say I am a troll. but you have said the same thing- weak profile.

One needs to have balls to state the fact straight on. Guess you never been in the army.