Dear Jennifer,

Thank you so much for taking time out for answering our questions.

Here's my Profile:

GMAT: 740 (49Q, V41)
Education: Bcom (3 yrs Indian degree - 79%)
Extracurricular: Good (Student elected Class Representative for all three years; Managing and organizing college vs. inter college extracurricular activities)
Work Ex: 2.5 yrs Full time in a BPO - Started working during my undergraduate ( that adds another 2 yrs Part time). Have grown tremendously in the business. Got four promotions in less than 4 years of work in the same company. I am currently a training manager and have been involved in delivering soft skills and product training throughout my career.

I was employed throughout my undergraduate study.

Community: Have been taking weekend classes for school children for two years now. I also conduct sessions on soft skills for local college students from time to time.

I got rejected at ISB without an interview. Goizueta has waitlisted me. Kellogg ha waived my interview. I am waiting to hear from Simon and currently working on my application for UNC Kenan Flagler.

Could you please let me know what you think are the weak links in my profile that I can address, and any suggestions on how I can convert the Goizueta waiitlist in to an admit will also help.

Best,
DreeemMBA

Hi Jennifer@Accepted.com,
i might be considered slightly old (at 31) trying for YaleSOM, but nwt i do need your valuable feedback.
wk ex-11 yrs (psu/nonIT)
gmat-660 (v-34, q-47)
ec-very good
ug gpa-2.7
grad gpa-3.0
hs-91%
Now, what i would want to request from you is that would i be able to make it for fall12 with what i have right now? my gmat prep wasn't that well this time around & could take it again, sure to touch 720 or so.
which other schools do you recommend in its league for me, since i don't have much time to retake gmat for applying in rd 2, where i could make it.
thanks
reg

Hi Jennifer,

I am planning to apply this year. My background is as follows:

Class X: 91.2%
Class XII: 89 %
Undergrad/ Post Grad: IIT Delhi (GPA 8.1/10) - Biotechnology
GMAT: 730

Work Experience
2 years in pharma consulting company - Work on analytical models, sales forces.Clients are big 5 pharma majors
2 Years - worked on my own start up in analytics space
Achievements: Year 1 Revenues - Rs 13 million, current team size 15 people, some big client names and reputed relationships

What chances do you think I have at Harvard, Stanford, LBS, INSEAD and Kelloggs?

These are my 5 preferred schools.

Thanks a ton in advance for your advice!!

Hi,

I am really disappointed with the recent results with not even a single admit . Please could you help me understand my weak areas. My profile :-

GMAT :- 760/4.5
Work Ex:- 10 years Position Project Manager , currently delivery manager (awarded corporate level for improving delivery processes and results) Salary is slightly low due to not changing jobs.
Eduacation :- B.E. Meerut Univ. 70.65% ,XII 65.2% and X 76%
EC:- Chess , Rotary club awards for medical camps and involvement with a microfinance firm in 2009, investments in real estate and stock markets.

The results :-

Ding w/t interview:- INSEAD, IIMA PGPX, Cambridge

Ding after interview:- IIMB EPGP, IIMC PGPEX, ISB.

Hi Jennifer,

Please evaluate my profile as per the details below.

Nationality : Indian
Gender : Male
Work Experience : 4 years 4 months
My first company was a US based IT services company ( 3 years )
I am working with an Indian IT Services company as a Consultant.
My domain was 'US Healthcare insurance'
2 months of International experience
Participated in recruitments for my company

GMAT : 690 ( Q 49, V 35). AWA : yet to get the scores

Academics:
Dual Degree from BITS, Pilani, India (ranked 3rd best college in India)
B.E (Hons) Mechanical & M.Sc (Hons) Chemistry

GPA: 6.7/10
Good academics till High school.

Extracurricular:
Coordinator for department association at college, organized events around the year.
Organised events at work.

Recommendations:
Can get very good recommendations from Managers both at my current and previous companies

I am currently looking for MBA programs with focus on IT Consulting.

Please let me now the schools in the US and Canada that I should be targeting. I am planning to apply for R2.

Many thanks in advance

Hi Jennifer,

I want to make a career shift from financial statements auditing to corporate finance.
My profile
Work experience
April 2008 - Oct 2010 (30 months) - promoted after 18 months
Worked with Deloitte (Mumbai) in Audit and assurance division which included following key job responsibilities:
a) lead and coached audit teams ranging from 2 to 5 resources
b) manage 3 clients - handle statutory audits, consolidations, certifications, identifying business opportunities
c) offer process improvement suggestions to clients

April 2005 - April 2008 (36 months)
Full-time (post graduation) internship with Deloitte. This was mandatory under CA curriculum. Non-managerial position. Selected for secondment to Middle East (4 months)

Education
US CPA - cleared all papers in one sitting
Chartered Accountant (India) - All levels cleared in the first attempt
Bachelor of Commerce (University of Mumbai) - 79%
XII - 87% ( 13th rank )
X - 86%

I have scheduled GMAT in January 2011 and wish to apply (US Bschools only) for Fall 2011 admissions.
Please evaluate my profile and it will be great help if you can suggest specific schools which are best 'fit' in your opinion.

Many thanks.

Dear Jennifer

Request you all to analyse my profile. Which colleges from India, USA, Singapore are in my reach? Is it worth Joining Institutes like SP JAIN Dubai/Singapore, Great Lakes chennai. Please comment also suggest if any other college woth joining for me at this score :(.

Gmat - 640 (Q - 49, V - 27, AWA - 5)
Current CTC : 6.75 Lacs/year

I am an Indian Male and by Dec 2010 I will have a total experience of 51 Months in IT industry.

Work Experience - My experience includes 9 Months of international experience(Saudi Arabia) . Type of work is software development, technology consulting centered at business i.e. IT strategy, IT transformation etc.

Current Employer: 3 i Infotech
Previous Employer: TATA Consultancy Services

Undergrad Grad - Bachelor of Engineering ( Electronic and Communication) with 72.9% (3.65 GPA).

12th- 74.2 %
10th-74.2 %

Work Achievements:
1. Got GREAT TEAM CARD from Client for an extremely successful release of Targets First Grocery Distribution Center. This complete application was designed and developed and tested by me and my Project Lead.
2. Continuously Rated 4 in my organization (Rating 4 can be given only to maximum of 20% top performers in the team).
3. I Completed IBM DB2 UDB 700 certifications with 98 percent.
4. I Completed IBM NCFM certification with 94 percent.
5. Rated as High Performer by HR Team in Chennai.
6. In third yr of my career I trained 4 individuals for a period of 8 months.

At work Place:
1. I was one of the most active participants of PATHSHALA initiative - An initiative of TCS Chennai to educate poor children.
2. I was among the organizers of RTSC studio - A platform to share movies with associates.
3. I was the Lead of Canteen Committee.
4. I am active member of MAITREE - This is Part of TCS dedicated to CSR Activities.


Other than work Achievements:
Worked for a Network marketing company with a thought of utilizing my weekends, created a team of Size 300 and earned a considerable amount of money.

Extra curricular activities - Active during school participated in various debate and extempore competitions and won prizes. Part of 2-3 clubs and organized multiple events in my organisation.

Aspiring to move towards business development. Would like to pursue MBA in Marketing.

Dear Jennifer

My Profile:

10th- 78 %
12th-64%

Grad: L.L.B Hons(5 years course)
Final Year: 68 %(3rd in a class of 60)
Average percentage of all my 5 years - 63 %

Work ex:

Past:
"Associate" at an UK Law firm's office in India, consultancy and litigation in Insurance and Dispute Resolution-----6 months(may 2009 to Oct 2009)
Current:
"Head Counsel" handling the entire Litigation department for a Trade Union, practicing in HR and Labour Laws before the Industrial Tribunals and High Courts-----1 year (Nov 2009 to today)
***As a practitioner have been retained by the International Union of Food for one of their matters in Goa

Queries:

1. How badly will my chances be affected by my low acads, considering the B-Schools usually take into consideration GPA on a 4.0 scale? Although i have been regularly in the top 20's?

2. In May next year i will be completing two years of work-ex, so when should I plan giving the GMAT as well as applying to B-Schools?

3. I do not belong to usual IT-Male Background which is dominant in B-schools. will it affect my chances? I do not have any experience in the field of Business.

4. What score should I look at in the GMAT? and which colleges should i target?

5. What about my recommendations? Is it fine to give only work recos or academic recos are a must?

Hope you would help me out

Regards

THE_LION_KING

Jennifer - Thanks for your helpful answers. Cheers!

Hi again, Pjman. Your GPA is not terribly low in the Indian scale, and the schools will judge you on that scale (not in comparison to US GPAs). Your 760 GMAT does compensate for any concerns they may have about your education, but if you have time, you may wish to enroll in some master's-level courses to prove you have the academic ability the top MBA programs will like to see.
Best of luck!
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted-Helping you write your best!

Dear Jennifer,


Here goes my profile:

X ICSE : 90 %
XII ISC: 86.3%
BE (2007) VTU(Bangalore) : 76.03%
GMAT Score: 690 (V:35, Q:48 AWA : 5.0)

Professional Experience: 3yrs experience in a leading Telecom Company. Have 6 months onsite experience in China. After 6 month of software development, I joined the presales team to demonstrate my project for some of the leading Indian Telecom Operators. After that I have led a team of 10 members for the deployment of my project. Currently I am leading another team for the Managed Service project in the client side (a leading telecom operator). My responsibility is customer interaction, leading team and providing solution to client. For the second project I have built the team from scratch.

By Aug 2011 I will be having an experience of 3 years 10 months.

Awards : 1. Table Tennis 2. Distinction Awards in College 3. Best Contributor Award from both my employer and Client(almost 5)

EC: Played Table Tennis in state level and have been captain in the school team. Have taught poor people in my locality during my school days and still continue whenever I get time.

Post MBA Goals: Management Consulting (preferably Telecom but not rigid about it). Over the long term, will like to open my own consulting firm.

Below are the colleges which I have planned to apply:
Duke
Tepper
Emory
UNC
Cornell
Washington, Olin
ISB
NUS
Nanyang



Can you please help in evaluating my profile and breakdown my schools as per the chances of getting accepted.

I would appreciate, if you can select few more schools for me based on my profile and goals.

Thanks in Advance!!

Regards.
Sandip

Hello Jennifer,

Thank you for helping us out with your profound experience in this area.
This is my second season of applications and I think I am stronger this time
in some areas but not so much in others. Last year I applied to Darden, Tuck and Ross (all in R2) and Duke (R3) but was not able to get past
interviews in any of them. As I don't think my profile has significantly improved in the past year, I am thinking of applying to few US BSchools
this year that may be better suited to my profile. I am a 27 yr old Indian male and will complete 6 years with a leading Indian IT org working for
a Credit Card client in the US. Here are what *I think* are my positives and negatives:

Positives:
1. Good grades in high school (topper throughout). 100% score in Physics and 91.33% aggregate in higher secondary state level exams.
2. GMAT score of 770
3. 3.5 years of international experience in US on client site
4. Good analytical skills - extensively involved in process improvements and streamlining
5. Different kind of roles I have assumed at client location (not limited to technical tasks and programming). My work in the US was more about
coordination, communication, consulting (for one year) and now around managing the revenue forecasting and invoicing aspects of our service based engagement, have assisted in pre-sales activities, some work in business development area (creating RFP responses)
6. Positive attitude, good written communication, highly motivated
7. Won competitions in singing till undergrad and continue to sing at events/competitions


Negatives:
1. Need to improve my verbal communication skills
2. Minimum ECs other than singing, no volunteer work after graduation
3. Although I have played a variety of roles interfacing with clients, I have been promoted only once yet. (My performance evaluations have been
consistently top rated though.)
4. Lack of diversity in terms of employee/client - I have only worked with a single employee and a single client so far :(
5. probably some more I cant think of right now

My short term goal is to enter into Product management / Consulting (preferably software) and then after about 7-10 years start my own software product company that creates applications for PCs/mobiles/tablets. My 'reach' goal is Brand management but with my background in the tech industry, I don't think that is very plausible. I primarily want to build my marketing and entrepreneurship skills with the MBA and plan to work in the US for at least the first 5 years. Could you please suggest 3-4 US b-schools which are realistic considering my profile (in order of the chances)? Apart from the safe schools, I am considering applying to Duke (re-applicant) as I liked the school during my visit last year. Thanks for your insightful advice.

Hi, Abouttime. If you were invited to interview with all of the schools you applied to last year but did not earn any offers, then it sounds like the interview is the issue. So while I do encourage you to diversify the programs you apply to this year, I also recommend boosting your interview skills.

The top programs that you applied to use the interview to figure out if you will make a good fit with the program and whether you will be recruitable when you graduate.

To demonstrate fit:
1) know not just details about the program but how they link to your past and future
2) look like and behave like their students - dress nicely, walk and speak with confidence, be handsome (this one is hard to dissect, but I suggest you sit in the B-school hangout and look around to determine how others carry themselves and speak)

To demonstrate recruitability:
1) be able to speak persuasively and with confidence
2) be attractive and dynamic (again, look around the B-school hangout and you'll see what this means more clearly)
3) be realistic about the positions that you are a good fit with and be able to speak convincingly about how you will contribute to those organizations

Certain styles that are perfectly appropriate and attractive in India may not fit into an American venue as well (long hair, facial hair, styles of dress, etc.). We can judge this mentality, but it won't get anyone into a top b-school, so do your best to look the part.

I recommend reading Accepted.com's ebook on interview preparation and we also conduct mock interviews to ensure that your answers are doing you justice. I know this sounds like a shameless plug, but my clients all feel much more confident about their interview potential after this preparation.

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

Hi Jennifer,

Just need a brief evaluation of my profile and its relative strength.

I had taken GMAT a few days back and got 660(QA-49,VA-32) as my score.

I am working as an Area sales manager in a telecom MNC for the past 15 months.

I intend to apply to the likes of NUS,ISB etc for the session starting in 2011.Since I want to specialize in marketing, I am also interested in schools like Booth and others which are marketing-centric.

My profile:
I ve done Eco(H) from the University of Delhi and Master of Business Economics(specialization in marketing & quantitative techniques in business) from the same university. So, I do have a good understanding of management as well as my career goal.

Between my years at the University, I interned with the leading consumer goods company in India(a project on rural marketing to be specific) and was awarded a Pre placement interview.
I ve also received the top honour in the sales category in the organisation I am currently working at -in the first year of my job.

Being in sales, i ve led teams of salesmen,'ve experience in setting up the sales infrastructure from scratch,ve launched 2 towns,generated revenues and customer acquisitions in the period I ve worked in.

Apart from that, I am a vocalist, a voice impersonation artist, play a musical instrument and am an avid quizzer with achievements at different levels. I ve also penned columns for an English daily (albeit infrequently).

My query is : How big a drawback will the average GMAT score and the low work ex of 2 years(by April 2011) be , in terms of my chances at securing an interview at the top schools (given good recos & essays)?
Could you also suggest my chances at the top 30 programmes and suggest other good marketing centric B schools ?
Can the fact that I ve written columns for an English daily compensate to an extent for the poor verbal score(blame an off day!)?I do plan to take the Toefl though.

Thank you.

Hi, socialchameleon. I dont see a way around retaking the GMAT for the top 30 programs. A 660 in all likelihood is just not going to get you accepted. A good TOEFL score is essential to proving to the programs that you have the ability to contribute to and benefit from the program, yes, but the GMAT score is part of the schools rankings data, so they really cannot compromise on it.
Two years of experience can be enough, but it will have to be full of exceptional leadership and impact. If you have not yet gained these, then you need to spend some time building a stronger foundation of these types of experiences.
The top US marketing programs are Stanford, HBS, Wharton, Kellogg, Columbia, Michigan, Chicago, UCLA, Duke, and University of North Carolina.

Professionals with sales backgrounds need to demonstrate to the top programs that they have also played roles in steering the branding of their organization and product lines to succeed in earning admission for a marketing-focused MBA program. So try to identify the ways you have done this so far (and build additional experience in this vein to boost your profile).

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

Dear Jennifer,

This is really a great initiative from your end.
I am planning to apply for a 1 year MBA course this year. The colleges under my radar presently are the executive MBA courses from the IIMs or ISB. Please review my profile:

Age 29 years.
Total Work Experience :7 years presently in my family business.
GMAT : 710 ( Quant 50/ Verbal 35) AWA 4.5
UnderGraduate Degree: Computer Science Engineering ( 72 % )
12th : 73 %
Education Other: Attended the six months Young Professional Program at Indian Institure of Management ( Distance Learning ) after my undergraduate degree.
Extra Curricular : Participated in Cricket, Member of Cultural Committee at College. College Level, School Level Certificates in Music/Singing.
Work Experience Details: Our company is a Food Processing Unit involved in Flour Processing and Bakery Product Manufacturing. l spearhead a total of 250 employees across 5 different production units. We clocked a turnover of 70 crores last year.

I am looking for majoring in Entrepreneurship.
Can you please suggest loopholes in my profile? Which all colleges suit a profile like mine ? What are my chances at ISB?


Thanks and regards,

Manish Saluja

Hi, Manish. I find ISB a bit more focused on GMAT score than the programs outside of India, so if you have time you may want to boost your GMAT score. While a 710 is not a bad score at all, it is not differentiating you either.

The biggest obstacle I believe you will find in your applications is in finding suitable recommenders given your role in a family business - your family members cannot be your recommenders. I suggest identifying members of senior management who can provide first-person insight into how you have led, taken initiative, and made an impact on the company. The examples that they share will be essential to proving that you did not just ride your dad's coattails to the top.
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted-Helping you write your best!

Jennifer,

My sincere apologies for back to back posts but I was so engrossed in asking my "toefl question" that I completely forgot to share my profile with you. Here it is and your views/comments on my chances to the top 20 business schools will be greatly appreciated.

Undergraduate Degree - BE (Punjab Engineering college) (72% - my percentage converts to 3.1 on a 4 point scale)

GMAT - 760
Work ex - 4 years in Finance and Consulting (2 years in Mumbai, India and 2 years in London, UK) - I changed my field completely and have never worked in the technical domain - quite contrary to my engineering degree.

Extra - curriculars - not very great during university. I got involved in an NGO in London since Q3 2009) and currently, lead a team of 5 at various events. I have loads of other things to add but they are fairly trivial and very common, so their contribution would be miniscule.

I am indeed worried about my below average gpa. Please advise.

Many thanks indeed for your help.

Regards,
pjman

Hi again, Pjman. Your GPA is not terribly low in the Indian scale, and the schools will judge you on that scale (not in comparison to US GPAs). Your 760 GMAT does compensate for any concerns they may have about your education, but if you have time, you may wish to enroll in some master's-level courses to prove you have the academic ability the top MBA programs will like to see.
Best of luck!
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted-Helping you write your best!

Hi Jennifer,

Trust you are well. I had a quick question and would appreciate if you could answer it. I have 760 on the GMAT. I am not sure how important it is to take Toefl? A number of universities say that "if your undergraduate education medium was english then you are exempt from the toefl requirement". For these universities, I was wondering if taking Toefl and getting a good score could in anyway, add meat to the bone of my application or it doesn't matter, as long as my undergraduation was in English medium?

Many Thanks for your help.
pjman

Hi, Pjman. If you are exempt from taking the TOEFL because your undergraduate degree was taught in English, there is no reason to retake it. The programs only use the TOEFL to determine if you have the ability to follow and contribute to the class discussions and readings, etc. Your GMAT score indicates that you are comfortable in English as well, so you really have no reason to spend time preparing for or taking the TOEFL test.
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted-Helping you write your best!

Hi Jennifer
I am interested in doing an mba in 2011 and have taken the gmat. However, I have limited knowledge about the B-School application process. I would greatly appreciate it if you could tell me how to go about the process, where to start, and how to choose the schools to apply to.

A brief on my profile is as follows:
1. I have a gmat score of 670. Took it in September '09.
2. I have been working in the IT industry for the past 4 years in India. I am not sure if this is somewhat of a disadvantage given the fact that there are millions of candidates from the IT industry. I haven't been in a leadership role, although I have mentored new joinees. The company I work for is a big brandname world-wide (not sure if that helps my profile!).
3. I am inclined towards doing a major in consulting or finance.
3. I have a consistent academic record: 90% score in my 10th, 92% in my 12th, and 9.04 (out of 10) CPI in my Engineering degree.
4. I don't have a record of community service or social service apart from some stuff that we were made to do during school days (I don't think that would count).
5. I don't have anything to show for extra-curricular activites apart from a bit of sports.
6. I play tennis and have led the college tennis team to different tournaments. I passionately follow all kinds of sports!
7. My financial resources are limited. I have to rely on loans and scholarships to meet the expenses.

Jennifer, here's what I would like to know from you:
1. Which B-schools should I apply to?
2. Can you give me a list of schools that have a decent intake of techies?
3. How do I distinguish myself from the rest of the candidates having an IT background?
4. I believe I can improve on my gmat score by 30-40 points if I start preparing again. Do you think it would be worth spending the time and effort in improving the score? Or should I concentrate on the application process, given the fact that the first round of deadlines are around Oct'10.

Looking forward to your reply.

Best Regards
-Bolt

Hi, Bolt.
Im glad to help you start the process. Here are my answers to your questions:
1. Which B-schools should I apply to?
Because you are in a saturated applicant pool, I recommend applying to programs at which your GMAT exceeds their average. Obviously, GMAT is only part of the admissions decision, but from your description of yourself, you have not done much to differentiate yourself in other ways from that pool, so this measure should be a good starting point for you.

2. Can you give me a list of schools that have a decent intake of techies?
The lower ranked programs I like BusinessWeeks and the Financial Times rankings as general guides will accept more applicants from techie backgrounds because of the nature of who applies.

3. How do I distinguish myself from the rest of the candidates having an IT background?
Show interpersonal skills, initiatives you have led, and insight you have contributed to make an impact on your firm and its clients.

4. I believe I can improve on my gmat score by 30-40 points if I start preparing again. Do you think it would be worth spending the time and effort in improving the score?
Improving your score enables you to differentiate yourself from the rest of the applicant pool that shares your background. You didnt mention how old you are, so Im not sure how much more time you have to apply to traditional programs (the US programs like their students to be between 26-28 years old). If you do have another year, I would recommend taking leadership roles at work and participating in one or two sports teams that you love. These will help you demonstrate your passion, energy, and ability to work in a team.

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

Hi Jennifer,
Am quite new to this International MBA section. Please suggest colleges I can target to meet following requirements :

1. Work experience in Finance Risk Management (done with FRM). Presently working as consultant in the same domain and would like to carry in the same/ilar field.
2. Scored 690 (Q51:V32) in GMAT, didn't apply anywhere as I guess I need to prepare for GMAT before writing it one more time.
3. Talking of some 5 choices for MBA Finance, two am very inclined to are ISB/HKUST as both are relatively more affordable and finishes in an year itself.
4. Please suggest some more B schools from US as am new to that geography. Affordability is definitely an issue with my limited savings and resources.

Hi, Illogical.
I believe the top programs in risk management would be Wharton, Chicago, and Columbia, but unless you have excellent experience in the finance field, you may have trouble earning a spot in these top programs (and a 690 GMAT is only average for them, so it will not help you stand out).
More likely choices would probably be Wisconsin, Texas at Austin, and Ohio State. For even higher chances of admission and potential tuition reductions you may want to consider Loyola University of Chicago, Missouri State, St. Johns University, or Bentley College.

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

Hi,

First of all, let me congratulate you on the tremendous job you are doing here.
About my query:
I want to apply to a top tier B school in 2011. I am basically looking at a 1 yr MBA course.
My Profile:
10th Grade: 83%
12th Grade: 81%
BE (Comp Sc) : 54% ( Really screwed this up, because I had a pretty serious accident in my 1st yr of engg)

Work Ex: 5 yrs as of today ( Worked with Dassualt Systemes, SAP Labs and Infosys(Presently working there) )
EC : College level soccer, cricket, and basketball player. Was in the college quiz team too. Was into drama and plays.
GMAT Score: 770 and 6 in AWA.

I have enquired and the schools that do look good for an 1 yr MBA are mainly in Canada, Oxford and Cambridge in UK, and a couple of other ones in Western Europe, such as HEC Paris, IE etc.

Please advise me which school would be good, considering my profile.
I want to become a technical consultant at the end of my course. Finances and work location is no hurdle.

In anticipation,
Warm Regards,
Amar

Jeniffer

Please evaluate my profile and suggest some good colleges for me in US and UK..

Highlights
Qualified B. Tech (Mechanical) from MNIT, Jaipur with over 48 Months of industry experience in Project Procurement, Expediting, Global Sourcing and Project Management.
Currently associated with Foster Wheeler India Private Limited, Gurgaon as a buyerfor IOCL Paradip Project
Demonstrated communication and relationship management skills with the ability to lead and work with cross-functional teams in a cross-cultural environment.
Received ICONS award for Low Cost Country Sourcing of Critical Static Equipment from South Korea
Currently involved in the ordering of Critical R-R Package of IOCL Paradip Refinery and Long Lead items for OMPL MARC Project.
Certified Project Management Associates (IPMA-D Certificate No. D09 2317) by IPMA (International Project Management Associates), Netherland
Academics: X: 84% ( Rajasthan Board) XII: 78% (Rajasthan Board); Engineering: Malaviya national Institute of Technology, Jaipur (NIT Jaipur) with a CGPA of 8.04; GMAT : 700

Work Ex: Aug 2006 to May 2010 - Larsen & Toubro Limited, Vadodara as a Procurement Engineer in suply Chain management for Oil and Gas EPC Projects. Recently joined at Foster Wheeler, Gurgaon as a Procurement Engineer

Few highlights of my work ex at L&T;

1) Developed korea as a strategic location for critical equipment supply and identified and evaluated some key suppliers in korea. Started with the 2 or 3 small orders valued of 3-5 crores. Released the 5 big value orders in last 1 year. Total value 120 crores.

2) Procurement of Critical static equipment for various big projects executed by L&T.; Negotiated and released more than 30 orders during my association with L&T.; I was also involved in the expediting of the orders and ensured the timely delivery of many long lead items.

3) Developed a strong supplier base in india as well as abroad which helped L&T; to be cost effective during their bid for Projects. L&T; got two high value orders in last quarter (1400 Crs and 2035 Crs) and i handled static equipment worth 200 crs each in both the projects.

5) Regular contact with L&T; logistics, supplier for the coordination of transportation of equipment. very important for the Oversize dimentional consignment (ODC).

6) Recveived ICONS awards at L&T; for Low cost country sourcing. Also i am one of the youngest IPMA level D certified by Project management association, Netherland.

7) Worked for ONGC Dahej Naphtha Cracker Proposal for Static Equipments and finalizing the strategy of sourcing from Indian as well as International vendors. Total value of static equipment was more than $100 Million.

Some key achievements

- Formulated the strategies, worked upon them sincerly and results came very much positive in terms of two biggest projects (Worth more than 3400 crores) L&T; got till date amidst the heavy international competition.
- Dealt with a mandatory supplier (SHELL as a Licensor and Dupont as a supplier, the deathly combination) and saved around USD 6 Million for L&T; after negotations and discussion with the supplier for around 6 months.
- Released the single order worth INR 76 crores for the biggest Reactor and Regenerator package in the india with a saving of more than 20 Crores.
- Ensured the delivery of critical equipment in record time thus ensuring the timely completion of projects.

Extra Curriculars

Procurement Co-coordinator for Domino Doc System, Various SOP Audits (Internal as well as External).
Member of Students Chapter of Society of Automobiles Engineers (SAE)
Executive Member of Mechanical engineering society, MNIT, Jaipur.
Participated in various activities during the Company annual day i.e. Dance, Antakshari, Dumb Charades.
Coordinated various games during L&T; sports day 2007
Awarded runners-up in the Dumb Charades competition organized by L&T; Indradhanush
Got 2nd position in the quiz competition organized by Anurag Cultural Society, Lalsot
Awarded first position in district level General Knowledge examination

POST MBA Goal: establish myself as a Management Consultant in the field of Supply Chain Management with a focus on Purchasing, Logistics, Project Risk management & Process improvement.

Hello Jennifer,

Thank you for helping us out with your profound experience in this area.
This is my second season of applications and I think I am stronger this time
in some areas but not so much in others. Last year I applied to Darden, Tuck and Ross (all in R2) and Duke (R3) but was not able to get past
interviews in any of them. As I don't think my profile has significantly improved in the past year, I am thinking of applying to few US BSchools
this year that may be better suited to my profile. I am a 27 yr old Indian male and will complete 6 years with a leading Indian IT org working for
a Credit Card client in the US. Here are what *I think* are my positives and negatives:

Positives:
1. Good grades in high school (topper throughout). 100% score in Physics and 91.33% aggregate in higher secondary state level exams.
2. GMAT score of 770
3. 3.5 years of international experience in US on client site
4. Good analytical skills - extensively involved in process improvements and streamlining
5. Different kind of roles I have assumed at client location (not limited to technical tasks and programming). My work in the US was more about
coordination, communication, consulting (for one year) and now around managing the revenue forecasting and invoicing aspects of our service based engagement, have assisted in pre-sales activities, some work in business development area (creating RFP responses)
6. Positive attitude, good written communication, highly motivated
7. Won competitions in singing till undergrad and continue to sing at events/competitions


Negatives:
1. Need to improve my verbal communication skills
2. Minimum ECs other than singing, no volunteer work after graduation
3. Although I have played a variety of roles interfacing with clients, I have been promoted only once yet. (My performance evaluations have been
consistently top rated though.)
4. Lack of diversity in terms of employee/client - I have only worked with a single employee and a single client so far :(
5. probably some more I cant think of right now

My short term goal is to enter into Product management / Consulting (preferably software) and then after about 7-10 years start my own software product company that creates applications for PCs/mobiles/tablets. My 'reach' goal is Brand management but with my background in the tech industry, I don't think that is very plausible. I primarily want to build my marketing and entrepreneurship skills with the MBA and plan to work in the US for at least the first 5 years. Could you please suggest 3-4 US b-schools which are realistic considering my profile (in order of the chances)? Apart from the safe schools, I am considering applying to Duke (re-applicant) as I liked the school during my visit last year. Thanks for your insightful advice.

Hi Jennifer,

Just need a brief evaluation of my profile and its relative strength.

I had taken GMAT a few days back and got 660(QA-49,VA-32) as my score.

I am working as an Area sales manager in a telecom MNC for the past 15 months.

I intend to apply to the likes of NUS,ISB etc for the session starting in 2011.Since I want to specialize in marketing, I am also interested in schools like Booth and others which are marketing-centric.

My profile:
I ve done Eco(H) from the University of Delhi and Master of Business Economics(specialization in marketing & quantitative techniques in business) from the same university. So, I do have a good understanding of management as well as my career goal.

Between my years at the University, I interned with the leading consumer goods company in India(a project on rural marketing to be specific) and was awarded a Pre placement interview.
I ve also received the top honour in the sales category in the organisation I am currently working at -in the first year of my job.

Being in sales, i ve led teams of salesmen,'ve experience in setting up the sales infrastructure from scratch,ve launched 2 towns,generated revenues and customer acquisitions in the period I ve worked in.

Apart from that, I am a vocalist, a voice impersonation artist, play a musical instrument and am an avid quizzer with achievements at different levels. I ve also penned columns for an English daily (albeit infrequently).

My query is : How big a drawback will the average GMAT score and the low work ex of 2 years(by April 2011) be , in terms of my chances at securing an interview at the top schools (given good recos & essays)?
Could you also suggest my chances at the top 30 programmes and suggest other good marketing centric B schools ?
Can the fact that I ve written columns for an English daily compensate to an extent for the poor verbal score(blame an off day!)?I do plan to take the Toefl though.

Thank you.

Dear Jennifer,

This is really a great initiative from your end.
I am planning to apply for a 1 year MBA course this year. The colleges under my radar presently are the executive MBA courses from the IIMs or ISB. Please review my profile:

Age 29 years.
Total Work Experience :7 years presently in my family business.
GMAT : 710 ( Quant 50/ Verbal 35) AWA 4.5
UnderGraduate Degree: Computer Science Engineering ( 72 % )
12th : 73 %
Education Other: Attended the six months Young Professional Program at Indian Institure of Management ( Distance Learning ) after my undergraduate degree.
Extra Curricular : Participated in Cricket, Member of Cultural Committee at College. College Level, School Level Certificates in Music/Singing.
Work Experience Details : Our company is a Food Processing Unit involved in Flour Processing and Bakery Product Manufacturing. l spearhead a total of 250 employees across 5 different production units. We clocked a turnover of 70 crores last year.

I am looking for majoring in Entrepreneurship.
Can you please suggest loopholes in my profile? Which all colleges suit a profile like mine ? What are my chances at ISB?


Thanks and regards,

Manish Saluja

Thanks Jennifer for your response.

I have recently got an offer from Nanyang Business School for their FT-MBA program and I have accepted the offer. Would be joining the school from 22 July.

Would love to know your opinion on the school.

Thanks.

Regards!!

Hi, NotYetMBA. Nanyang is an excellent program but my understanding is that they do not have heavy recruiting into the Consulting industry. Since that field is your goal, be sure to reach out to alumni and build contacts with the industry on your own throughout your studies to complement the recruiting that is conducted on campus.
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
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Hello,
I have been working in an IT Services company for close to an year now. But I have always had plans for an MBA from an Ivy league college. So I am now planning to shift base to Trading industry and work with a Future s exchange company as a derivatives trader.
Would this put me on track to securing an admission into Bschools as big as Harvard? Well I have not done anything that would help in proving my "Leadership" skills. But I consider myself a fairly level headed bloke who is pretty ambitious.

Hi, Hussar. You will need to translate that ambition into action to convince the likes of Harvard that you are an ideal candidate. I highly recommend The Finance Professional's Guide to MBA Admissions to help you learn about the areas in which you can distinguish yourself from all of the other traders applying to the top MBA programs.
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
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Jennifer,

My sincere apologies for back to back posts but I was so engrossed in asking my "toefl question" that I completely forgot to share my profile with you. Here it is and your views/comments on my chances to the top 20 business schools will be greatly appreciated.

Undergraduate Degree - BE (Punjab Engineering college) (72% - my percentage converts to 3.1 on a 4 point scale)

GMAT - 760
Work ex - 4 years in Finance and Consulting (2 years in Mumbai, India and 2 years in London, UK) - I changed my field completely and have never worked in the technical domain - quite contrary to my engineering degree.

Extra - curriculars - not very great during university. I got involved in an NGO in London since Q3 2009) and currently, lead a team of 5 at various events. I have loads of other things to add but they are fairly trivial and very common, so their contribution would be miniscule.

I am indeed worried about my below average gpa. Please advise.

Many thanks indeed for your help.

Regards,
pjman

Hi Jennifer,

Trust you are well. I had a quick question and would appreciate if you could answer it. I have 760 on the GMAT. I am not sure how important it is to take Toefl? A number of universities say that "if your undergraduate education medium was english then you are exempt from the toefl requirement". For these universities, I was wondering if taking Toefl and getting a good score could in anyway, add meat to the bone of my application or it doesn't matter, as long as my undergraduation was in English medium?

Many Thanks for your help.
pjman

Hi Jennifer,

I am planning to join 2 year Full time MBA this year. Can you please evaluate my profile below for the top B-Schools abroad like Stanford etc.

10th 71.2%
12th 87%
Undergraduate Degree : Electrical Engineering Dual Degree (IIT Kharagpur)
Undergraduate CGPA : 8.96 / 10.0
Received Silver Medal for being Top ranked student in my Dept

Also have a paper published in an IICAI on my project work

Total Work Experience : 2 years (as on August 2010) as Software Engineer in a top Company in Networking domain
Have been awarded various awards of excellence for my performance in the company
GMAT Score : N/A
GRE : 1430 (Quant 800/800, Verbal : 630/800)
TOEFL : 111/120 (gave in 2007)

Extra Curricular Activities:
*Was Student Auditor of my all of residence during my undergrad studies
*Also held the post of General Secretary (mess)
*Had won the best Algorithm Award during Jigsaw event in Kshitij Techno Management fest at iit kgp

I am planning to apply for MBA program in very reputed univs abroad like Stanford, HBS . However, to be frank I am not completely clear regarding the career path (though I prefer finance). Also at present i don't have requisite work ex or much knowledge in the relevant domain.

Can you please advise me on how should I work on improving my profile?

Also does it make sense to apply this year?

I came to know recently about the reliance scholarship for Stanford MBA prog and was looking at the same. Given that the timeline to fill that is very near (1st June), I would appreciate if you could guide me regarding that also (especially the essay question)

Hi, Shas. Well, you have a great foundation; now go forth and lead!
Your GRE score at around the 90th percentile for both Quant and Verbal plus your excellent undergrad scores mean that you have the intelligence to succeed in a good MBA program. However, the question of whether you have the emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills to lead a team or company remains unanswered. Unfortunately, even your undergrad activities do not seem to be about leading people.

To prove that you have these abilities as well, I highly recommend that you pursue opportunities: lead a community effort, take initiatives at work that impact the bottom line and help your company grow, etc. By succeeding in these spheres as well, you will prove that you have ALL of the qualities that the top MBA programs are seeking.

Best of luck in the process!
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
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Hi Jennifer,

My question is regarding universities accepting GRE scores for their MBA programs...What would be an ideal GRE score acceptable to schools like Darden/MIT? (Im guessing Stanford and the likes would not settle for anything less than 1450).
Also,why is that GRE scores are accepted by the top unis(Harvard,Stanford etc) and not by other schools like Tuck,Fuqua,Anderson,Haas etc?

Lastly,I gave my GRE in 2007 and scored a 1340. How would my score be compared with a candidate who has a GMAT score of say 700?

Thanks!

Hi, Jag. Schools are still going to be looking for scores in the 80th percentile and above for the GRE (maybe even 90th percentile and above for the Quant section). The reason some schools began to accept the GRE is to make applying to their MBA programs a bit easier for applicants who would normally only apply to other graduate programs (MPA, MA, etc.). In other words, they are trying to enlarge their applicant pool. This has two benefits for the MBA programs: 1) diversify their classroom learning experience, and 2) raise their rankings by decreasing their acceptance rate.

For the applicant, the GRE is a benefit in that the Quant section is supposed to be a bit easier than the GMAT's. Plus, since the test-taking pool is not as Quant focused as the MBA applicant pool (full of financiers as it is), it presumably could be easier to place in the 80th percentile and above.

According to the Educational Testing Service, which conducts the GRE test, Tuck (listed as Dartmouth University), does accept the GRE (I confirmed this on Tucks FAQ page as well). I suspect that as the schools become more used to the GRE test and its scores, more of them will begin accepting it.

Best of luck with your applications!
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
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Hi Jennifer
I am interested in doing an mba in 2011 and have taken the gmat. However, I have limited knowledge about the B-School application process. I would greatly appreciate it if you could tell me how to go about the process, where to start, and how to choose the schools to apply to.

A brief on my profile is as follows:
1. I have a gmat score of 670. Took it in September '09.
2. I have been working in the IT industry for the past 4 years in India. I am not sure if this is somewhat of a disadvantage given the fact that there are millions of candidates from the IT industry. I haven't been in a leadership role, although I have mentored new joinees. The company I work for is a big brandname world-wide (not sure if that helps my profile!).
3. I am inclined towards doing a major in consulting or finance.
3. I have a consistent academic record: 90% score in my 10th, 92% in my 12th, and 9.04 (out of 10) CPI in my Engineering degree.
4. I don't have a record of community service or social service apart from some stuff that we were made to do during school days (I don't think that would count).
5. I don't have anything to show for extra-curricular activites apart from a bit of sports.
6. I play tennis and have led the college tennis team to different tournaments. I passionately follow all kinds of sports!
7. My financial resources are limited. I have to rely on loans and scholarships to meet the expenses.

Jennifer, here's what I would like to know from you:
1. Which B-schools should I apply to?
2. Can you give me a list of schools that have a decent intake of techies?
3. How do I distinguish myself from the rest of the candidates having an IT background?
4. I believe I can improve on my gmat score by 30-40 points if I start preparing again. Do you think it would be worth spending the time and effort in improving the score? Or should I concentrate on the application process, given the fact that the first round of deadlines are around Oct'10.

Looking forward to your reply.

Best Regards
-Bolt

Hi Jennifer,
Am quite new to this International MBA section. Please suggest colleges I can target to meet following requirements :

1. Work experience in Finance Risk Management (done with FRM). Presently working as consultant in the same domain and would like to carry in the same/ilar field.
2. Scored 690 (Q51:V32) in GMAT, didn't apply anywhere as I guess I need to prepare for GMAT before writing it one more time.
3. Talking of some 5 choices for MBA Finance, two am very inclined to are ISB/HKUST as both are relatively more affordable and finishes in an year itself.
4. Please suggest some more B schools from US as am new to that geography. Affordability is definitely an issue with my limited savings and resources.

Hi, NotYetMBA. First, I do think that you should try to boost the verbal part of the GMAT a bit: it will have a big impact on your total score. Even a 20 point boost will put you in a whole different pool of applicants.

I do feel you have a good shot at the top 15 programs and the programs you listed in your post if you focus on a few of the things you mentioned in your summary: 1) the fast promotion (and why), 2) the leadership role you played in establishing the new service line, 3) management of 7 people (not just on the project but in steering their career growth), 4) client relationship building, and 5) the entrepreneurial side of your work and future.

Most of the US MBA programs were able to reinstate their non-cosigner loan programs this year, so you should have a wide selection of options. Also, many admitted students are offered partial scholarships that make those loans much smaller.

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

Thanks Jennifer for your response.

I have recently got an offer from Nanyang Business School for their FT-MBA program and I have accepted the offer. Would be joining the school from 22 July.

Would love to know your opinion on the school.

Thanks.

Regards!!

Hello,
I have been working in an IT Services company for close to an year now. But I have always had plans for an MBA from an Ivy league college. So I am now planning to shift base to Trading industry and work with a Future s exchange company as a derivatives trader.
Would this put me on track to securing an admission into Bschools as big as Harvard? Well I have not done anything that would help in proving my "Leadership" skills. But I consider myself a fairly level headed bloke who is pretty ambitious.

Hi Jennifer,

I am planning to join 2 year Full time MBA in 2011. Can you please evaluate my profile below for the top B-Schools such as ISB, Tuck, Kellogg, Cornell?

Total Work Experience : 4 years (as on July 2010) in a top Indian IT company
Total International Experience : 1 year 2 months in Sweden
GMAT Score : 750 (Q:51, V:40) (Second Attempt) and 670 (Q:49, V:31) (First Attempt), AWA: 5.5
Undergraduate Degree : Electrical Engineering
Undergraduate CGPA : 8.44 / 10.0
Professional Excellence : Awarded as the "Most Valuable Player" in the business Unit in a quarter in a Financial Year. I was the co-ordinator in the project which was awarded as the "The best project" in the business Unit in a quarter in a Financial Year.
Academic Excellence : Ranked 3rd in High School Exam in the school and secured highest marks in Mathematics in the High School.
EC Activities : Nothing much (This is the biggest weak point I believe in my profile). Used to play basketball in the school level but ultimately did not continue.

Work Experience Details: I joined as a trainee in my company and in a span of 4 years has been promoted twice to Tech Analyst currently. In these 4 years, I have played multiple roles in my projects ranging from developing applications to mentoring my team members. During my professional stint in Sweden, I was responsible for understanding client functional requirements and providing proper solution to them. I also co-ordinated the project with my team at India. I was well appreciated by my client for my work. Currently my role primarily involves developing my module, managing a small-sized team of 6-7 people and also mentoring them.

I want to do MBA with major in Consulting or General Management.

I will be grateful if you can highlight some of the vulnerabilities in my profile and advice on whether I stand a chance to get admitted in the top B-Schools.


Thanks and Regards
Sandip

Hi, Sandip. Your profile screams very smart guy but Im not seeing enough business impact yet. ISB may well be interested since they do love the high GMAT and undergrad scores, but the other schools you mentioned are going to want to see more business impacts. Your role as Tech Analyst pigeonholes you into the techie stereotype (see the Techies Guide to MBA Admissions for more details). I encourage you to try to shape your company and lead products/services to the market to demonstrate that you have a mind for business.
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted-Helping you write your best!

Hi Jennifer,

I am planning to join 2 year Full time MBA in 2011. Can you please evaluate my profile below for the top B-Schools such as ISB, Tuck, Kellogg, Cornell?

Total Work Experience : 4 years (as on July 2010) in a top Indian IT company
Total International Experience : 1 year 2 months in Sweden
GMAT Score : 750 (Q:51, V:40) (Second Attempt) and 670 (Q:49, V:31) (First Attempt), AWA: 5.5
Undergraduate Degree : Electrical Engineering
Undergraduate CGPA : 8.44 / 10.0
Professional Excellence : Awarded as the "Most Valuable Player" in the business Unit in a quarter in a Financial Year. I was the co-ordinator in the project which was awarded as the "The best project" in the business Unit in a quarter in a Financial Year.
Academic Excellence : Ranked 3rd in High School Exam in the school and secured highest marks in Mathematics in the High School.
EC Activities : Nothing much (This is the biggest weak point I believe in my profile). Used to play basketball in the school level but ultimately did not continue.

Work Experience Details: I joined as a trainee in my company and in a span of 4 years has been promoted twice to Tech Analyst currently. In these 4 years, I have played multiple roles in my projects ranging from developing applications to mentoring my team members. During my professional stint in Sweden, I was responsible for understanding client functional requirements and providing proper solution to them. I also co-ordinated the project with my team at India. I was well appreciated by my client for my work. Currently my role primarily involves developing my module, managing a small-sized team of 6-7 people and also mentoring them.

I want to do MBA with major in Consulting or General Management.

I will be grateful if you can highlight some of the vulnerabilities in my profile and advice on whether I stand a chance to get admitted in the top B-Schools.


Thanks and Regards
Sandip

Hi, Sandip. Your profile screams very smart guy but Im not seeing enough business impact yet. ISB may well be interested since they do love the high GMAT and undergrad scores, but the other schools you mentioned are going to want to see more business impacts. Your role as Tech Analyst pigeonholes you into the techie stereotype (see the Techies Guide to MBA Admissions for more details). I encourage you to try to shape your company and lead products/services to the market to demonstrate that you have a mind for business.
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
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Hi Jenny,

Thanks a lot for helping everybody on this forum. Like everybody else on this forum, I am also an MBA applicant and like most of them I am stuck with my decision-making.

My profile:
Undergraduate degree:Bachelor of Business Studies (University of Delhi, India) - 3year program - 2006 passout - have been amongst top 10% throughout undergraduate degree
Appearing for CFA level 2 exam next month... I hope to be a CFA level 3 candidate while I would write my MBA application
GMAT: 700 (51-Q, 33-V) - Skewed towards Quant
Total Work-ex: 42 months.... 58 months by the time I start MBA

Work Experience
2006: 5 months as a financial analyst in a small business research firm
2007 - till date: Working for biggest management consulting firm in the world.... but my role is not purely consulting its more like supporting client and consulting teams from a fixed location (India) with very limited travelling..

Major Achievements at work
- earned promotion much faster than colleagues
- played a major role in establishing a new service line
- manage the relationship of the company with many database vendors
- currently primary responsibility is to lead a team of 7 people
- recently been chosen to play a lead role in establishing a new office at a new location... this includes playing a major role in hiring people, deciding upon the work that would be handled by office, build relationship with the client to attract more work and ensure that this location show a positive results on P&L; statement... this is more like an entrepreneurial venture...


Part-time work experience
2006 - till date: sparing 6-8 hours each week in helping a friend establishing a education consulting firm... my role is more into giving a strategic direction to the company..
2008 - till date: started an NGO to provide emotional support to people with suicidal tendencies... though I have managed to grow the organization to 15+ volunteers and a good response rate, we are still trying to formalize everything to make this a self-sustaining organization...


My target career path
To start MBA in Sept 2011
Post-MBA industry: Management Consulting
Post-MBA location: Does not matter for the initial 5-6 years (I would prefer to work in 3-4 developed countries at this stage)
After 8-10 years, I plan to start my own boutique consulting firm to provide consulting in corporate finance function

I am looking for following attributes in an MBA program
1. Decent ROI
2. School should provide some form of funding support... or maybe no Co-signer loan.. I would not be able to spend more than USD 50,000 from my pocket..
3. School should preferably have a decent number of international students and faculty..
4. School should have a decent global recognition
5. Preferably case-based teaching. It should have good reputation and network with global consulting companies.
6. It should also have good finance faculty... though I plan to major in strategy, I also plan to take few classes in Corporate Finance and related subjects...
7. Location is not a concern. But my preferred location is Singapore, UK, New York and Chicago.
8. It should have good career services department. I think it would be extremely difficult for me to find a decent placement in a foreign country without a good career services department...



My Questions
- Can I target top 15 global B-Schools??? Do you see a possibility of an admit?
- What safe and dream schools would you suggest for my profile?
- Which school will most fit the attributes mentioned by me above? Can I get into them?
- I am currently thinking on dream colleges - Chicago GSB, Duke, Oxford Said; Safe colleges - NUS (Singapore), Warwick(UK), Cornell(US)... but I would like to understand from you if my expectations are aligned with my ability to get into them...
- I recently got an admit from Melbourne Business School... but I chose to defer it to session starting Sept'11 because I was not very convinced if MBS would suit my long-term vision (given that Australian management education does not enjoy good global reputation)... I also got into Richard Ivey, but I could not afford that school - so chose to leave the offer.......... I hope I have taken a right decision.. Would like to know your opinion on this as well.


Thanks a lot for reading this long post.... and thanks in advance for your reply..

Thanks.

Regards!!!

Hi, NotYetMBA. First, I do think that you should try to boost the verbal part of the GMAT a bit: it will have a big impact on your total score. Even a 20 point boost will put you in a whole different pool of applicants.

I do feel you have a good shot at the top 15 programs and the programs you listed in your post if you focus on a few of the things you mentioned in your summary: 1) the fast promotion (and why), 2) the leadership role you played in establishing the new service line, 3) management of 7 people (not just on the project but in steering their career growth), 4) client relationship building, and 5) the entrepreneurial side of your work and future.

Most of the US MBA programs were able to reinstate their non-cosigner loan programs this year, so you should have a wide selection of options. Also, many admitted students are offered partial scholarships that make those loans much smaller.

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

Hi Jennifer,
It will be great if you can kindly evaluate my profile:

Here is my background info:

Class-Xth Standard - 93.6%
XIIth Standard - 83.2 %
Engineering Entrance Rank - 210.
Graduation (BE)- 81%
GMAT Score - 710

Extracurricular activities - Actively associated with an NGO and helped in developing its volunteer base in certain area. Done some event management for fund raising as well.
I am planning for social entreprenuership.
Played cricket, football in College and Office teams.
Got 2nd Prize in All India Colour contest way back during my school days. (don't know how much relevant this info will be)

Work Exp:
1) Worked as a consultant for 2.5 yrs in one of the big 4 consulting firm. Handled projects both domestic and offshore.Worked in projects in Health Care, Insurance, Government Risk and Compliance, etc.
2) Working in a techno functional role (business analysis as well design of systems and evaluation of products and technology) in an Investment management firm for the last 2+ yrs.

I am planning to apply to ISB and some other top schools like Stanford, Duke, GSB - Chicago, Cornell, etc. Do I really stand much chance in getting into these schools. It will be great if the you can throw some light on my chances of getting into these schools. I am kind of apprehensive about my chances because my score is not in the range of 740+. I do understand the application part will be important but then how important is the score part. Will 710 affect my chance of getting into these schools. Specially I have heard that ISB has an inclination towards having students with high GMAT score.

Looking forward for some advice.

Thanks in advance !

Hi, Papumba. Let me put your list of target programs in order of admissions difficulty (from most difficult to least difficult), then answer your question:

1) Stanford
2) Chicago
3) Cornell
4) Duke
I am not seeing enough impact yet to dream about Stanford. You may have the level of impact required for the remaining three but that depends on the clients you served and just how much you helped them and boosted your firms reputations. The 710 GMAT is certainly an acceptable score if everything else about you screams winner, but if you are only above average in your accomplishments, then you do need a higher GMAT to impress the ad coms and earn a coveted spot.
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
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Hi Jennifer,

Thanks a lot for your insightful comments. I will definitely work on improving myself on leadership front. Meanwhile I have changed my mind about the schools I would apply to. I am not considering Nanyang and HKUST anymore and would be concentrating on.

1) MIT
2) ISB
3) Michigan Ross
4) CMU Tepper
5) Melbourne B School

While you have expressed your views about first two, can you let me know how my chances are at 3, 4, and 5.

And the one Michigan state you mentioned in your reply, is it the same as Umich Ross??

Thanks and Regards,
VS

Hi, VS. The schools in your list are all very competitive. No, I am not seeing enough leadership or work experience in your background yet for these. University of Michigan (Ross) is not the same as Michigan State (Broad), no. For the schools you mention in this list, you need to demonstrate that you have gained exceptional experience and made exceptional impacts. Im just not seeing enough of that yet from your brief description.
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted-Helping you write your best!

Hi Jennifer,

I am planning to join 2 year Full time MBA this year. Can you please evaluate my profile below for the top B-Schools abroad like Stanford etc.

10th 71.2%
12th 87%
Undergraduate Degree : Electrical Engineering Dual Degree (IIT Kharagpur)
Undergraduate CGPA : 8.96 / 10.0
Received Silver Medal for being Top ranked student in my Dept

Also have a paper published in an IICAI on my project work

Total Work Experience : 2 years (as on August 2010) as Software Engineer in a top Company in Networking domain
Have been awarded various awards of excellence for my performance in the company
GMAT Score : N/A
GRE : 1430 (Quant 800/800, Verbal : 630/800)
TOEFL : 111/120 (gave in 2007)

Extra Curricular Activities:
*Was Student Auditor of my all of residence during my undergrad studies
*Also held the post of General Secretary (mess)
*Had won the best Algorithm Award during Jigsaw event in Kshitij Techno Management fest at iit kgp

I am planning to apply for MBA program in very reputed univs abroad like Stanford, HBS . However, to be frank I am not completely clear regarding the career path (though I prefer finance). Also at present i don't have requisite work ex or much knowledge in the relevant domain.

Can you please advise me on how should I work on improving my profile?

Also does it make sense to apply this year?

I came to know recently about the reliance scholarship for Stanford MBA prog and was looking at the same. Given that the timeline to fill that is very near (1st June), I would appreciate if you could guide me regarding that also (especially the essay question)

Hi Jennifer,

My question is regarding universities accepting GRE scores for their MBA programs...What would be an ideal GRE score acceptable to schools like Darden/MIT? (Im guessing Stanford and the likes would not settle for anything less than 1450).
Also,why is that GRE scores are accepted by the top unis(Harvard,Stanford etc) and not by other schools like Tuck,Fuqua,Anderson,Haas etc?

Lastly,I gave my GRE in 2007 and scored a 1340. How would my score be compared with a candidate who has a GMAT score of say 700?

Thanks!

Hi Jennifer,

I am planning to join 2 year Full time MBA in 2011. Can you please evaluate my profile below for the top B-Schools such as ISB, Tuck, Kellogg, Cornell?

Total Work Experience : 4 years (as on July 2010) in a top Indian IT company
Total International Experience : 1 year 2 months in Sweden
GMAT Score : 750 (Q:51, V:40) (Second Attempt) and 670 (Q:49, V:31) (First Attempt), AWA: 5.5
Undergraduate Degree : Electrical Engineering
Undergraduate CGPA : 8.44 / 10.0
Professional Excellence : Awarded as the "Most Valuable Player" in the business Unit in a quarter in a Financial Year. I was the co-ordinator in the project which was awarded as the "The best project" in the business Unit in a quarter in a Financial Year.
Academic Excellence : Ranked 3rd in High School Exam in the school and secured highest marks in Mathematics in the High School.
EC Activities : Nothing much (This is the biggest weak point I believe in my profile). Used to play basketball in the school level but ultimately did not continue.

Work Experience Details: I joined as a trainee in my company and in a span of 4 years has been promoted twice to Tech Analyst currently. In these 4 years, I have played multiple roles in my projects ranging from developing applications to mentoring my team members. During my professional stint in Sweden, I was responsible for understanding client functional requirements and providing proper solution to them. I also co-ordinated the project with my team at India. I was well appreciated by my client for my work. Currently my role primarily involves developing my module, managing a small-sized team of 6-7 people and also mentoring them.

I want to do MBA with major in Consulting or General Management.

I will be grateful if you can highlight some of the vulnerabilities in my profile and advice on whether I stand a chance to get admitted in the top B-Schools.


Thanks and Regards
Sandip