I am interested in giving SEBI officers exam inthe feild of legal stream. Can u please suggest me some book dat will be helpful for me. In clearing the paper with gud results. Please let me know as soon as possible!!::cheers:

I'm in my third year right now and preparing for CAT.I plan to write CFA L1 in dec. or at max June 2011(in case i fail in end time prep. due to other commitments at the same time like CAT,SNAP,GMATetc.)...In short i plan to be done with all 3 levels within first 3-4 years of my job so that it help me to get a good b school(aiming for GMAT)...As CFA is globally recognized and accepted hence i just wanted to know,how big a tilt can it provide in my application for a good b school abroad?I've a tight budget of around 30-40L but won't mind taking a loan for another 10-20L in case i get a decent b school.I'm pretty good in studies and have good academics.I've a big tilt towards finance and wish to have my masters there.I'm planning for a full time MBA only.Kindly inform me about how much a consideration can a CFA provide for my application and please also name a few institutes where i've hold a realistic chance of getting in.

Trying to get in touch with Jeremy. But wasn't sure if this thread is still active.

Hi Jeremy...I am applying for fall 2010 intake batch...please evaluate my profile below :
GMAT Score - 660 (Q49, V31, AWA 5.0)
Age - 26years
5 years experience in Telecommunications sector till Sep 2010.
International Exposure - Yes
Excellent in extracurricular activities, social activities and sports.
B.Tech : NIT - (4 Years) in India
GPA - 67%

I am planning to apply for following colleges. please let me know if my profile fits for these colleges.
Darden
Oxford
Judge
Manchester
Insead
Fuqua

Also pls suggest me some safety school?

Hello Jeremy,

Are 5 years old extra curricular activities at under grad college worth mentioning in resume/essays !

Will 5 years old not so good GPA be considered a set back despite a 700+ GMAT and good work experience !

Is failing in an undergrad course a cardinal sin for b school applicant though cleared the second time with good grade but no other exam taken in past 5 years except GMAT ?

Regards,

Hi Jeremy,

I am an aspirant of Full-time MBA from the Ranked/Reputed B-Schools
in UK (Manchester/Cranfield/Warwick/Lancaster/Imperial).
I have a 'Not so known' profile (like the IIMs), so I am concerned
about my chances for selection.

Well, I am a Post-Graduate Doctor (Physiotherapist), with 3.4 yrs
of Self-employed/Entrepreneurial Experience (I have my own clinical setup).
My profile
BPT (Bachelor of Physiotherapy) from Apollo Hospitals-60%
MPT (Master of Physiotherapy) - 75.7 % (Gold Medal)
10th - 70% 12th - 68%
3.4 years in Medical-Healthcare/Services - Consultant Dr/Entrepreneur
Excellent Extra-curriculars
Decent Social/ community work
Scheduled my IELTS & GMAT in Jan & Feb 2010. How much shall I aim my GMAT Score?
I'm finding a bit difficult to score 680-700+, as I dont have a sound Maths background (Medical).

As I see that PG is the Best source for interaction & getting
first hand (ACTUAL) informations regarding the MBA, so guys,
your guidance & help might be a great motivation, for
this greatest move of my career.

Cheers,
Dr Saurabh.

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

Hi ,

I am in the process of applying to various schools for 2010-11,and oddly enough,the essays that I am getting stumped by are the "goals" essays. Thing is,I am currently working as a business process consultant ,which counts as a strategic activity ,however,the lack of mba prevents me from joining the big 4 strategic consulting firms,which ,happens to be my goal...to say that my goal is to continue in strategic consulting being a broaaaaad ,vague term,could you give me any advise on how to best articulate my goals?

also,one of my extracurriculars was starting up a campaign which was run by a few other volunteers (friends and family) targeted towards helping the poor.However,there is no proof that I started this campaign,except for a few brochures I printed to seek help..will such extracurriculars be acceptable?

Many thanks for your help.

hello guys, i am appearing for the GMAT on Nov. 12 2009 and am looking at either going for a MBA or MFin course. i would like to know my prospects based on my profile thru ur expert guidance.

Age: 25 (Business consultant in Shipping)
Acads: BTech in IT in 2007 with 77%.
Work Ex: 3.5 years (1 years in india as a consultant, started a small firm undertaking outsourcing.
2.5 years as business consultant in Denmark in the healthcare and shipping industries, worked for A. P. Mller, the largest shipping company in the world). Knowledge of various shipping activities including shipbroking, container chartering, shipbuilding etc.

Can speak Danish (degree from language school) apart from English, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil.

Extra curriculars: i am good at singing (many foreign languages)
have travelled extensively, over 30 countries including the North Pole.
Will be going to Antarctica in Nov. 2009 for 15 days as part of a climate change expedition.
Member of AIESEC, World's largest youth organization and have been part of their numerous international conferences.

I have recently been laid off from my current work due to the financial crisis and have decided to use this time to prepare for the GMAT. i would request your guidance and advise on the prospects.

Current GMAT score range in practice tests - 680-700. My career interests post MBA are in Strategy consulting and entrepreneurship. Based on these criteria, i am looking at applying to any 6 out of the univerities mentioned below:

dream - harvard, wharton.
ambitious - MIT, CGSB.
practical - LBS, INSEAD.
probable - Oxford & Duke.

regards,
anant

Hi,
I wanted to know if I should leave out the things that I cannot prove (extra curriculars) from my application.
There are certain activities like working on the organisation team of certain events, social work organised by students, etc. which I will not be able to prove as I do not have a certificate and can't really give a reference for as the work was organised by the students.
Many of these activities would make my application stronger but I do not know how I could possibly prove them.

Thanks in advance!

Jeremy with your permission I want to reply to this post.. Correct me If I am wrong anywhere..

I just want to say few things for you. Don't ever think what b-school admission people want you to write in your post MBA goals. If you are honest to yourself, then you should be honest to them too about your goals.

Admission team are just their to help us out to reach our goals in life. Its just they want to make sure that whatever you want to achieve from your education, their school should be able to provide.. If you believe that MBA can help you in your goals to pursue Music, then you should have that much confidence that you can convince them also about your way to achieve your goals. I will just say be as much passionate about your belief as you are about Music...

There is no particular goal in life which guarantees you seat in B-school.. and the same time there is none which can make admission people reject you.. Its just that you yourself and they should be convinced that path you want to follow to achieve your goal is correct one(whether its MBA or any other path)...

As far as your previous experience, I dont think you should feel negative about it.. there is always something which a person learns when he puts in effort somewhere.. you would have got chance to network with people in your last job so you can highlight that.. Ya you might not have industry exposure where you finally want to go, but there are so many other cases where a person wants to shift from Technology company to Investement Banking Firm.. Just show your passion and clarity in path you are talking...

Adcoms are old or young, they are understanding and intelligent people.. They know different people have different aspirations... If MBA at dere school can help you, then they dont bother about whether you are taking a conventional career or you are rebel...

This thread's been tremendously enlightening!
Now,here I go with the questions :
1. Should I be really honest in telling the Adcom about my future goals ? They may mistake me for a guy who's not serious about MBA .They may think that if he wants to eventually pursue music,then why the hell is he coming to a B-school ?On the contrary,they might love me for being a guy who can add a lot of diversity to their school and who has the guts to venture into an altogether different field and face the uncertainty instead of "settling down".Your opinions required .
2.As you'd ve come to know,my future career goals are absolutely different from my pre-MBA job profile.How do I present my case ?I can't even say that I learned so and so at CSC coz it ain't gonna be of any help in the future..
3. Or should I be NOT honest to the Adcoms by NOT telling them the real story for the fear of being interpreted as "no logical connection between the past and future.Not sure why he wants to do MBA,if he wants to pursue music" and take the simple path of telling them that I want to get into consultancy ,say in one of the Big fours ?
4.Do the Adcoms appreciate people who can think differently or will they raise doubt over the unconventional career path one may choose post MBA ?I assume most of them would be in the older age group and might not appreciate a rebel.

I'd be highly obliged if you can pitch in your valuable suggestions.

Hi Jeremy,

Even I want to know your response on the questions asked by "msrrautela" because even I have almost the same profile and history (Into music from a long time.. not really learnt it but REALLY Passionate about it!! and want to take up music at the end ....) And after MBA I see myself working for Sony or Universal studios or more broadly ...in the Entertainment industry....
Now the problem as I see is " I have 3+ years of IT Exp with an MNC and I am an Indian and I want to switch my career post MBA".
It seems all the factors are actually working just against ....
I am planning to apply for Fall 2010...
Please answer the below questions.they will really make things more clear....

@msrrautela - Thanks a lot for your post!!!



Now,here I go with the questions :
1. Should I be really honest in telling the Adcom about my future goals ? They may mistake me for a guy who's not serious about MBA .They may think that if he wants to eventually pursue music,so why the hell is he coming to a B-school ?On the contrary,they might love me for being a guy who can add a lot of diversity to their school and who have the guts to venture into an altogether different field and face the uncertainty instead of "settling down".Your opinions required .
2.As you'd ve come to know,my future career goals are absolutely different from my pre-MBA job profile.How do I present my case ?I can't even say that I learned so and so at CSC coz it ain't gonna be of any help in the future..
3. Or should I be NOT honest to the Adcoms in telling them the real story for the fear of being interpreted as "no logical connection between the past and future.Not sure why he wants to do MBA,if he wants to pursue music" and take the simple path of telling them that I want to get into consultancy ,say in one of the Big fours ?
4.Do the Adcoms appreciate people who can think differently or will they raise doubt over the unconventional career path one may choose post MBA ?I assume most of them would be in the older age group and might not appreciate a rebel.

It'd be highly obliged if you an pitch in your valuable suggestions.

This thread's been tremendously enlightening!
I would really appreciate if you can help me.
Boy,I'm in a huge and unusual dilemma.Here we go with a interesting lowdown on it:
I'm a freestyle rapper,composer,guitarist and a singer.I have a rockband (my bro is a drummer in the band).In the long term, I want to pursue music because this is what pumps my adrenaline and this is want I want to dedicate my life to.To me, it is not just a hobby,but a passion,or even more than that,a religion .But since I'm not one of those who ve been playing music right from their childhood ,and got introduced to this during my college days,so I still have way to go to make it big on the professional scale(my rap and some other compositions have received rave reviews,btw).But I know for sure this is what I want to dedicate my life to coz I enjoy doing it,am good at it and can be "great" at it.I just can't visualise myself sitting in an office and doing a job.Since I need to network with the right people in this field,so post MBA I would like to work in companies such as Sony BMG, Universal music etc.However,my past work experience is in IT(worked at CSC for 2 years).However,this june I quit my job as I could no longer bear the monotony and boredom in office and decided that I could no longer bear the torture.Currently,I am working for an NGO(as an unpaid volunteer) and teaching MBA aspirants(to keep the money pouring in).I am very strong on the extracurricular fronts also(gold medallist in semi-cross country race,basketball tournament winning team member,headboy of school etc).Very strong Undergraduate G.P.A too and lots of other things which may impress the Adcoms).GMAT score-720.Now,here I go with the questions :
1. Should I be really honest in telling the Adcom about my future goals ? They may mistake me for a guy who's not serious about MBA .They may think that if he wants to eventually pursue music,then why the hell is he coming to a B-school ?On the contrary,they might love me for being a guy who can add a lot of diversity to their school and who has the guts to venture into an altogether different field and face the uncertainty instead of "settling down".Your opinions required .
2.As you'd ve come to know,my future career goals are absolutely different from my pre-MBA job profile.How do I present my case ?I can't even say that I learned so and so at CSC coz it ain't gonna be of any help in the future..
3. Or should I be NOT honest to the Adcoms by NOT telling them the real story for the fear of being interpreted as "no logical connection between the past and future.Not sure why he wants to do MBA,if he wants to pursue music" and take the simple path of telling them that I want to get into consultancy ,say in one of the Big fours ?
4.Do the Adcoms appreciate people who can think differently or will they raise doubt over the unconventional career path one may choose post MBA ?I assume most of them would be in the older age group and might not appreciate a rebel.

I'd be highly obliged if you can pitch in your valuable suggestions.

mbaMission (MO) Says

The verbal score will not keep you from going to b-school...but if the rest of your story (leadership, extracurriculars, etc) lacks the wow factor, you should definitely broaden your list and look at schools outside of the top 5.

Hey Monica,

I am back with new a question. As I work my way through the applications, I have one major doubt in my mind. I have gone thru various websites that advice a style of writing, what to include and what to omit in the different essay questions. Now, if everyone has a special style of writing, and nobody knws what works, then how is this going to work??...are the websites just guessing??...or shud an applicant certainly follow those rules and write accordingly??..if one does hire a consultant, wudnt the application style be a stereotype then??

I guess thts too much to answer :)!!!


Thanks a zillion!!!

H

Hello Jeremy,

I plan to do MBA from the top 10 B schools in US.My interest areas are finance and entrepreneurship.I have entered in 3rd year of my graduation and shall be applying for programs like HBS2+2 and Reliance Stanford scholarship.Kindly evaluate my profile for the same.

Thanks,
rebeller

Profile :
10th : 94.5%
12th 82 %
IIT 5560 AIEEE 3560
undergrad Btech in Information Technology IIIT-A

Achievements:
(1)Won third prize at India Innovation Pioneer's Challenge organized by Indo US Science and Technology Forum,Intel and DST,India.
(2) Won 1st prize at BIZCOMP 2009,the national business plan competition organized by DST ,Government of India defeating teams from IIM-A,C and IIM-L
(3) Scholarship and recognition from government for exceptional performance in computer science in 10th.
(4)Initiated inter community networking amongst the institute students and alumni by making an interactive forum managing and coordinating with 8 students.
(5)Amongst student organizers of science conclave -a congregation of Nobel laureates (6)Organizer of college coding competition and moderator of college fest blog .
(7)Won awards in inter college debates,quiz competitions ,puzzle contests,poetry and participated in various dramatics events.Main anchor at the Foundation Day event of college.
(Opera campus ambassador and a Microsoft student partner.

Other experiences:

(1)Associated with college student initiative for educating nearby slum children,Teach India campaign and Rotary Foundation .
(2) Internship with a Open source company-Twincling,Hyderabad.

Future plans:

(1)I shall be appearing for NSE finance certifications and shall be giving FRM next year.
(2)Working on a web based startup with MBA graduates from top 10 Indian Bschools.

Shortcomings:
(1)I feel lack of international exposure can be a hindrance .
(2) GPA is pretty average

Other Queries:
(1) Should I be doing internship in finance firms or in top tech companies like Microsoft , Adobe,Opera etc. so to boost my chance for these programs ?
(2) Kindly apprise me about programs similar to HBS2+2 offered by other top US B schools.

Thanks for your suggestions. My apologies for not replying early as I was on vacation.
I would definitely work towards improving my community leadership profile.
Post MBA, I am actually looking forward for a general management / strategy consulting role with a mix of finance. After discussion with my seniors and peers, who already completed their MBA, I found that one of the major drawbacks they faced during their MBA studies was their limited knowledge of finance. I studied CFA to learn finance and make myself prepared for MBA. Also, I invest regularly so such studies help in that too. Also, CFA would broaden my scope post MBA.

I have one more question:
1. Lately, I was extensively reading about INSEAD and I think it fits my aspirations to move into consulting. Also, at my age, ROI with respect to INSEAD is good compared to US business schools. What do you think about my fit for that school?

Thanks

Your community leadership is light and I recommend that you not only volunteer, but take on a leadership role in an organization or cause that you are passionate about. Also, continue to take on challenging projects at work. I think your four promotions are evidence of your progression, but you want to ensure that you continue on that trajectory. Lastly, completing the CFA Level 2 and achieving a stronger GMAT score should help your profile. Are you planning to pursue a finance role after business school? I assume that is why you are going for the CFA.

Keep in mind....HBS and Stanford are trending younger, so you will be on the older end of the spectrum for those programs. Schools like Haas and Tuck (among others) tend to have more experienced applicants.

Hope this helps!

Hello,

Appreciate your help in providing us with your valuable insights. Please evaluate my profile and answer some of the questions which I have on the same.

Academics: BE (IT) from a locally well known university - scored 76.9% (Honours i.e. 1st Class), which gets converted to a 3.5 GPA.
CFA Level 1 certificate holder(June 2009). Planning for CFA Level 2 in June 2010 (don't know whether I'll be able to prepare for it due to R1 application prep timelines and other professional commitments)

GMAT: 720 (Q50, V34)(Appeared 2 years back). Studying to appear again to crack 750+. Pretty sure I can do that.

Work experience: 5+ yrs (will be 7 by fall 2011) with one of the largest software companies companies in India. Got 4 promotions in 5 years. Current role business analyst (project execution in compensation management and data analysis) in an international assignment. Have worked with four different clients in four different continents in as many years with 2 international assignments in last 3 years. Awarded thrice for my work.

Extra curriculars: Pretty good in sports. Specially passionate about a single sport which I have represented successfully in school, college and company level (involved in this sport at my international assignment location also). Also into arts (painting and cinema).

Leadership skills: Good record in both professional and personal (setting up a local club for the same sport)domains.

Community Service: Volunteered foundation work in college and company level. Specially volunteering to educate economically depressed children (a small incident in my life changed my perspective to poor children). This community service is at present halted due to my international assignment, which is going to continue for another 1 year.

Post MBA, I'm targeting a strategy consultant / general management profile with a mix of finance. Planning to apply Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, Wharton, Tuck, Duke, Stern and Kellogg. All in round 1 2010. I have not thought of R2 till now.

Please let me know which part of my profile needs further improvement, which part I should concentrate to improve further and whether I'll be a fit for the schools I am looking for. Your opinion will be really worth for me.

Thanks

PROFILE
GMAT : 720

GPA:- No idea, because New Zealand (NZ) universities do not give GPA but I have been among toppers and I have average of 80% score in my 3 years graduation.

Age:- 26 Years, Male

Academics :


I graduated in Accountancy and Finance major and completed my Masters in Tax studies from University of Auckland (New Zealand). My university is currently ranked amongst top 50 universities worldwide and its the only university offering Masters in Taxation degree in NZ.

I am a NZ qualified Chartered Accountant from New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (NZICA) which is recognised in US as equivalent to CPA.

I am also a member of Finsia (Financial Institute of Australasia) which is a reputed Financial body in Australasia.

I have done my secondary education from India and completed my bachelor degree and Masters degree from NZ.

Work Experience :

I have almost 4 years of experience in Accounting, Finance and Tax consulting.

I have been working full time and studying full time, can you please advise me if the full time experience while doing bachelor degree is counted for MBA application.

I have been continuously promoted in my career. Now working as Manager in the Tax division and leading the technical division of the firm. I do presentation on behalf of firm with major clients and also responsible for in-house training.

I also started my own tax consulting practise 2 years ago and now I have a client base of almost 150 clients. There are two full time employees working for my own consulting practise. I guess this shows the entrepreneur and leadership skills.

Extra-curricular :

Almost one year volunteer work experience in supervision of a non-profitable organisation. I oversee the accounting system for the organisation and conduct an internal audit and report to the trustees of this charitable trust. Managerial level work.

Created a special interest group of 8-9 tax professionals to meet and discuss latest changes in tax legislation on regular basis.

Won several debates, quizzes and events at school.

Played senior Cricket at district level at tender age of 14 years.

Target School:-

First Preference:- Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, LBS, Insead, Booth

Second Preference:- Kellogg, Tuck, Oxford, Cambridge, Stern, Ross


I would like your views on the following :

1) I have decent story to write based on my sporting career, starting up my own tax consulting practise and creating 2 employment, applying from New Zealand, policy developing experience for my employer etc.

2) As per my understanding, all the top B-Schools consider variety while selecting the class, Does it helps applying from NZ where there are hardly any students who apply for MBA?

3) Highlight the weak links in my profiles so I can fill the gaps?



Your help is highly appreciated.

Regards

MBA Aspirant

hi Jeremy

i would be having 3 years experience by may next year. i'm from SCM field. its a software company though.
after my mba i would like to stay on in the SCM field. preferably not software though.

i have pretty good academic stats with distinction and other extra curricular activities.

have acquired domain certification in the scm product which i'm working on.

would like to know wat my chances are for LBS mba.

how would you compare it to HEC and ERASMUS.

Other than, MBA, do you think the masters in management course is a worthy venture for a guy with 3 yrs experience.

what are the chances of getting a scholarship if i apply before the second deadline.

what universities do you think i would have a chance of getting a call.
Currently i've shortlisted ( ambitious and realistic chances )
LBS, LSE, Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick, Cranfield and Liverpool.

How good are the last two universities..

plz do reply

Hi Mission MBA team,
Kudos to you for the great work you have been doing.
I'll be aplying for fall 2010 for MBA. Post MBA i'm looking for a Consulting profile
Gmat : 720 (Q:48,V:41,AWA:4.5)
UG : 70% BE Comp Sci from NIT level institute
Wrk Ex : 3 yrs (3.8 by i quit) in IT- top 2 Indian IT firm,primarily Application development though have been involved in lot of Reasearch and Analysis. Involved with Eco Club, another CSR initiative, Party manager at Unit Level.
Extra Curriculars : Editor in Chief- College Chapter of IEEE,lead technical event organizer at college fest,Executive board of Envirovision club at college

With Consulting as my prime aim, i'll like your suggestions on College list. Right now i'm woking on Ross,Duke,UNC-KF,Emory. I would like to know which among following would be good safe bet, Georgetown,Kelley,Owen,BU. Is there any other program that i should consider with Consulting in mind.

Thanks

Hi MBA Mission team,

Thanks for answering our queries on our future (literally :-P)

Please find my profile below:

School - 94% and ranked 600 in my state for college admissions.

College - BTech from IIT Kharagpur.
Got a CGPA of nearly 8.
Was a department topper throughout my 4 years stay.
Also received a medal from the Mining institute of India.

Work ex - 4 years in IT () from WIPRO. Will be nearly 5 years when I join.
But I consider having a good career progression and also doing a variety of roles.
I started as a software engineer. Within 2 months of joining the project, I was sent to Belgium to work as a Technical Coordinator for my module. After about 2 years, I became an offshore module leader leading a team of about 3.
In my latest project, I was again a technical coordinator and was involved in planning and developing a whole module leading a team of about 7.

I had received an appraisal rating of Outstanding for the last two years. Also I won an award recently (Performance Excellence award) and had won another one earlier about 2 years back. I had also received numerous commendations/appreciations from my clients.

International exposure:
I had spent nearly 1.5 - 2 years outside India as part of my job. Equal parts of it in Europe and in US. Most of the time was spent as a coordinator, but I had also done some technical roles in-between.

Also, I went on a Euro trip :-P covering nearly 10 countries.

Gmat - 740 (Q - 50, V - 40). I had given Gmat in 2008 but didnt apply for 2009.

I am Ok in extra curriculars, but everything I did was in College. I participated in Table tennis, acting in Dramas.

My weak-point in Community service and maybe extra curricular.
Whatever community service I did/do, I dont want to put them in my application. I simply dont want them to be a reason for considering my application.



I am planning to apply to fall 2010 and only for 1 year courses. My questions:

1. Looking at my profile would you say, that I can consider the top 10 - 15 colleges for applying.
I had shortlisted Insead, IMD, IE (spain) and Queen's (Canada) for applications and have HEC Paris as a back up. Do you consider these as a reasonable choice considering my Profile.

2. What can you say about Quuens and HEC Paris.

Thanks in advance for considering this post.

Hi,
I have already given my GMAT and am currently in the essay writing phase. Any suggestion/tip/advice is highly solicited.

Schools aiming for in order of preference(my reason in bracket) :
LBS(global leadership, very strong in consulting, Presence in London),
HBS(general management and leadership focus, strong in consulting(and everything else), exceptional alumni network and plus its HARVARD ),
Insead(Very Strong Alumni NW in Consulting(specially in McKinsey), general management, 1 yr),
Cambridge(1 yr, strong in consulting, lots of hands on consulting exp due to vicinity to entrepreneurial hub of cambridge) and
ISB(India ).
Will consider Stanford, Sloan and Tuck later.

Interested in Consulting(Management/Strategy) no interest in finance(though no pre-conceived notions, MBA can do funny things to you )

Gave GMAT last week : 730(50, 38 ). I know, not a very strong score, but will have to suffice.

Above Average Acads
10th:81.2%,
12th:88%,
Engg from BIT(top 10-15 engg colleges in India):81.5%(3.5/3.6).

Very strong extra curricular(Long list of certificates in Debate, Elocution, Dramatic(acting, directing plays in school and college), etc.....).
Avg in Sports(Table Tennis, new found fascination for Golf)

Social Contribution: Have done a lot of teaching(Pro Bono of course) as a kid, in college and while at work. Even now in a foreign country where people dont speak my language, I teach the kids of my english speaking colleagues. Strongly believe education being the stepping stone to success. Dont find the idea of giving out stuff for free appealing. So not too much in favor of food for homeless kinda social service. Sorry!

WorkEx : I am 25 and I have 3 yrs of workex now and I am going to apply for Fall 2010.
Got place in my current company straight out of college. I've been exploring new opportunities within the company since.
Started off as a good Indian in the SW business.
1. While in India, serviced Vodafone Germany as tech architect(Steady progress, first in entire batch to be promoted).
2. Consulting exp in Australia(3 months then came back to India) and currently
3. Currently SW/Business Consulting for Telia Sonera in Norway. Position was for a guy with 7 yrs exp. Very challenging profile. Got lucky with the job as some other guy with my name applied for it and I got interviewed by mistake... that went well, so I am here he is not

Got top grades in every evaluation so all in all, workex is good.

Need suggestions on
1. Choice of schools. Is it comprehensive or have I missed out on some schools I should be considering? I am not too much into the "I wanna go to the US" so that is not my criteria.
2. Word limit in the essays is killing me. Should I focus on more number of accomplishments and leave them open ended to be discussed in interviews(If I land one) or should I take one or two accomplishments and furnish them with excruciating detail?
3. Recommendation letter: One is a supervisor from my company and the other one from the Client manager. I could climb higher up in the client corporate echelons if need be. Should I get recos from the CTO or the manager's reco is good?
4. Points that you think I should highlight in my Essay that could help bolster my candidature.

Thanks a lot in Advance!

thanks a ton for the feedback...

Hi Monica,

Thanks for your feedback & assessment !
More details on my profile below :

Work-Experience
Domain : Oil & Gas Consultancy (A company that is into Engineering, Procurement & Construction of Oil & gas Plants) - I work with one of the world leaders in this domain
Started off by working fulltime as a Process Engineer (That is, a member of one of the technical disciplines) at my company's operating centre in Abu Dhabi, UAE (which I suppose ought to be considered International experience since I am an Indian national and was brought up & educated in India).

Over the last year or so, I have had short assignments in the Paris operating centre of our company, at Doha (Qatar) and in offshore platforms in the Arabian Sea. In the latter assignments, I have served first as the Lead Process Engineer (That is, leader of the team comprised of engineers of my discipline) and thereafter, as the Project Coordinator (which is my current assignment).
As the Project Coordinator, I lead a team of 30+ engineers/designers of various disciplines and am the principal focal point when it comes to dealings with the clients on our project.
I envisage that in the near future, I will move into a full-time project management role.

Extra-curriculars
Of my extra-curriculars & scholastic awards, the most recent ones are of 2007.
The community activities are current, that is to say, I am actively engaged in them.

Perhaps you could clarify how recent an extra-curricular achievement would need to be in order to be considered "relevant" by the Adcom ?

Cheers!
Shubhankar

Hi Shubhankar85,

Thanks for your questions. I think your grades and 760 GMAT score are strong. The 4.5 on the AWA isn't a deal breaker. It's pretty much the minimum score that doesn't raise a red flag! Regarding the amount of work experience - HBS and Stanford are trending younger so 3.5 or 4.5 years of experience upon matriculation is pretty average. However, INSEAD's class tends to be more experienced. I do think the quality of work experience is more important than the quantity of work experience for a lot of programs. Those that have a track record of initiative, impact and leadership, can gain admission to some top programs despite limited experience. I do think your international experience is a differentiator, however it is difficult to judge your impact based on the information provided. Can you provide more information about your career progression/impact? Also, are your extra-curricular and community activities current? Do you have a leadership role?

Hi Monica,

Firstly , I would like to mention that I have been following this thread for over a year now and have found each and every response of yours helpful in some way or the other.

I will be applying to B-schools in the US/UK/Spore an India for FALL 2010. Would really appreciate it if you could evaluate my profile and answer a few questions of mine.

Acads:

Xth-78.0%
XIIth- 67.8%
BE - 83%

GMAT- 700 (48/38 ) 83%ile each AWA- 4.5
TOEFEL-108(IBT)

Professional Experience:
I work with Infosys Technologies Ltd and have 2 years and 2 months of
work experience till date. As part of my job I provide technical consulting to units within and outside the company. Although I am not expected to perform tasks other than software development and performance tuning, I always made it a point to take a step further and perform business building tasks as well. They would include building long-term relationships with the clients I worked with, marketing the skills available in my team and being the single point of contact for any technical and design issues related to the database. This extra initiative that I took has resulted in my team bagging new deals worth millions of dollars and more projects for the team.

As a recognition of this , I have been sent to the UK to handle all the databases and their related tasks of a leading transport services company on my own. As a part of this assignment , I have to design the security system for the entire organization and work closely with the CIO of the company for the same. This has allowed me to move to the next level in terms of responsibilites and not just work on projects designed by managers but provide the design and strategize in terms of risk/performance of the project. Although I have been in the UK for only 2.5 months now , I have had alot of interaction with the client team members who have also appreciated my efforts in building the security system, which has direct visibility of the MD of the company.

Extra Curriculars:

I was a house captain back in school and have led my team of 40 students in various competitions and cultural programmes. I am an avid reader and love writing. Me and a four other friends started an online collaborative reviewing site a couple of months back. This site caters to reviewing products and services related to finance/startups/automobiles/books/electronic gadgets. We started off only because we loved writing but that in turn turned out to be a possible value add to the users of the web. This propelled us to strategize and market the site through various channels .That has given me a glimpse of how the online business world works and in turn made the site quite popular within a very limited span of time. I lead the team when it comes to content management and future strategies. We are looking to go a step ahead and provide professional reviewing services in future in the above mentioned categories.

I have played tennis at club level back in school/college and won a few tournaments as well. I love singing and although not a trained singer, I have performed in my college cultural events.


Future Goals:

I am looking to pursue a career in strategy consulting/ general management.

Questions:

1. I am looking to apply to Ross, Virginia, Tuck, MIT, Mcombs, ISB,NUS,Nanyang,NYU and Judge School of Business,Cambridge. Please let me know what chances do you think I stand at these schools.
2.Do I need to do any revision in terms of the list of schools that I have mentioned? I have also taken a few safe schools such as North Carolina, McCombs,Ohio state and Kelley.
3. I would be grateful if you could tell me what would be a safe bet and a competitive/far reach for me with respect to my profile.

I do understand that my GMAT score is quite low and so is my AWA , but I had given my GMAT in rather trying circumstances , considering that I had to move to the UK at that time and the workload being quite demanding. The workload is still quite high and prevents me from retaking the GMAT , as I would have to compromise with my application then.

Please advise on how do you think I can make my application look competitive from all the information I have given you.

I would be delighted to provide you with any further information that would assist you in evaluating my profile.

Thanks alot in advance.

Prasad

Hi,

I wanted to know whether TOEFL is mandatory for Ross.
It is mentioned on their site that if the medium of instruction has been english for undergraduate study then TOEFL is not required. However some of the people who have applied to Ross before told me that you still have to take the test if you have studied in an Indian university.
Can anyone please shed some light on this?

Also wanted some advice about when to apply. The round 1 dates are mostly in October. However that might be slightly sticky for me. Are the chances of getting through much reduced if one applies in Round 2?

It will be great if someone could review my profile and suggest colleges where I have a good chance of getting through.

My profile:
Business development manager at an Information Security startup - primarily engaged with clients in the BFSI domain.
I have previously ran my own software startup for 10 months (before recession forced us to close down). Was a finalist in IIMC business plan competition.
Prior to that I have worked as a design engineer in a leading semiconductor company.
My gmat score is 710.
Very active in extracurricular activities in college (board member of multiple student clubs, part of band, quizzing etc.)
No official experience in community service but have done things in personal capacity.
Avid traveller.


Thanks in advance!

Hi there...you should aim to achieve a score that is at least in line with the average score of your target programs. You should also aim for a relatively even score on the verbal/quant sections. Typically, 80th percentile on each is the benchmark to shoot for!

Hi,
Thanks a ton for replying to my query.
I will go by your suggestion and give another try at GMAT.
What minimum score do you suggest I must aim at to make my profile healthier and sure shot profile so that I get into a comfort zone for the further processes.
admission processes.

Awaiting your candid reply,
Thanks & Regards,
Muddassir

Thanks for your questions. Your undergraduate grades are a bit below average. Although your GMAT score is high, you will need to show that you can handle the rigor of the MBA program. Why did you switch to the nonprofit sector? How does that relate to your career goals? You will need to make sure this is logical to the admissions committees. Regarding your questions, while you can differentiate yourself because of your nonprofit background - leadership, initiative, and impact is key. I do think the 1-10 programs will be a reach for you. 11-20 might be a safer bet. But again this depends on your actual impact which is difficult to judge based on the information provided.

Hope this helps!

Hi Jeremy and the rest MBAMission team,

A big thankyou for helping the people here. Am posting my profile. Kindly provide ur inputs.

MALE 25yrs old, India
GMAT: 770 (Q50,V44, AWA 5)(Aug '09)

Education:
B.E. (Production Engineering) National Institute of Technology (NITs were formerly known as RECs and are the most reputed engineering colleges in INDIA after IITs)(60.11%, 2006)

Twelfth Standard (CBSE Board, 63.8%, )

Tenth Standard (CBSE Board, 78.2%, )

Work Ex: will be than 3.5 years by Fall 10.

Java/J2ee programmer, 2.5 Years, MNC (left in march 09)

No onsite, one team award, did not work in a specific domain. Worked for clients in Credit Card and Asset Management business.

shifted to non-profit sector. Currently employed with an NGO and teaching English language part-time at few places

Project at NGO: to establish a vocational rehabilitation centre for handicapped children. Budget Rs. 1 crore approx. Project will go on for the next two years.

EC:
During college:

1. Event Management for College National Level Events
2. Event Manager for a stock market simulation game
3. Editor and marketing manager for a bi-weekly campus magazine
4. Attended a 100 hrs programme in basic French

During work life:

1. Community Work: Alongside working in IT , for over an year i led the efforts of a team of 5-6 members as the Centre Lead of Thane Chapter of an NGO working for education of under-privileged children & general welfare of the poor. (the team comprised of other techies, housewives, senior bank managers and senior crew members of international airlines)
2. Teaching kids under the age of twelve for over a year.
3. Planned & organized a free general health check-up camp for 150+ construction workers (July 2008 ).

General:

Languages: English, Hindi, French (Basic)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTIONS:

I want to major in General Management and/or entrepreneurship.

Post MBA career goal is to get into top 4 consulting firms in strategy/mangement consulting

Questions:

1. Which are the best B-Schools i can target (US or non US)?i.e What schools would you recommend (STRETCH and REACH)?


2. Since i'm looking for what would be called a proper career switch, what is the most imp thing that i should keep in mind while selecting a B-School to apply to?

3. Please comment on my possibilities for these five: Ross/MIT/Wharton/Darden/Tuck

4. I'm especially interested in INSEAD/IE/ISB. How big a deterrent will lack of leadership in workplace be as far as these schools are concerned? What else do i lack in profile to crack INSEAD and how can i make up for it?

REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE HELP!! THANKS!

Thanks for your questions. Your GMAT score, first class achievement and top 3 ranking in secondary school shows a trend of academic excellence. Your career progression also sounds strong, based on your promotions. Your community service is light, and you can consider including these in your data forms, but my guess is that they are not strong enough fo essay topics. Regarding your questions:

1. After looking at some stats I find that MIT, Kellogg and Tuck have some of the best percentage of consulting placements. Is this a known trend or these stats are very dynamic?
There are other programs with strong consulting placements as well. Finance and consulting tend to be the most popular career paths for MBAs.

2. Do you know why Stanfords avg work experience is much lesser than others. I could not get Harvard's stats, but is it similar to Stanford?
Both Stanford and HBS have trended younger. If you search the class profiles for each (on the school's website or BusinessWeek), you should be able to locate the average years of work experience. This trend may be as a result of the increased competition between b-schools and medical and law schools.

3. Does Columbia's ED agreement stand true for Indian B schools as well?
Yes, the agreement is for all applicants.

4. Which schools are known for good scholarship grants?
I am not familiar with programs that are known for scholarship grants. Scholarships are typically based on need and merit.

5. Between Booth and Kellogg, If I had a choice that I could only apply for one of the school in R1 and the other in R2, which one would be better?
You will need to determine which program is the best fit for you. Neither is "better".

Hope this helps!

Thanks for your help here for everyone. I am having trouble figuring out some things and I am hoping that some objective response will help. Some data on my profile -
- In top 3 always in school
- First class in undergraduate.
- Maths olympiad silver medalist.
- GMAT 760 (50,41)
- An active sportsperson.
- A guitar player. Numerous intercollege events.
- Community service - Just couple (Feeding homeless, sponsoring a child) Should I even mention them in my app?
- In IT services. Progressed from software developer, team lead, onshore coordinator to project manager and technical consultant. Progression quicker than peers because of my skills and abilities displayed at work.
- I have been working in US for the last 3.5 years and a total of 5 years of work ex. I plan to go into consulting after B school.

Now some questions -
1. After looking at some stats I find that MIT, Kellogg and Tuck have some of the best percentage of consulting placements. Is this a known trend or these stats are very dynamic?
2. Do you know why Stanfords avg work experience is much lesser than others. I could not get Harvard's stats, but is it similar to Stanford?
3. Does Columbia's ED agreement stand true for Indian B schools as well?
4. Which schools are known for good scholarship grants?
5. Between Booth and Kellogg, If I had a choice that I could only apply for one of the school in R1 and the other in R2, which one would be better?

Hi Ashish,

Thanks for your questions. Your TOEFL seems to be below the minimum score most schools require. In addition, your AWA score is below 4.5 which might raise a red flag. I recommend retaking the exam to improve your scores (for U.S. programs). As for your experiences, the NGO you co-founded in college could add an interesting aspect to your application. Do you have any current community leadership roles as well? You have also managed a small team which is a positive sign. However it is difficult for me to judge if you have done your job well. Impact, initiative and leadership will be important. If you have leadership stories to convey in your essays, I do think you can be competitive at Emory, Smith(Maryland), UNC-KF,McDonough, and McCombs.

Hi MBA Mission Team,

Could you please evaluate and suggest me.

PROFILE
GMAT :710(49,38,4.0)
TOEFL:99(iBT)

Work Ex: 4 yrs IT consultancy(Telecom)
IT professional(Telecom Domain) with 4 years of exp with leading Indian MNC(Leadership in Telecom services segment). Have diverse experience in application development, System test and application support for our clients(Biggest telecom companies from US and UK). Have a leadership role in bringing up and managing a small team for the module. I feel biggest drawback could be lack of international experience and I somehow try to fill the gap by my experience of working in cross border team(US/EU/Indian).
Acad: 69% in BE(Electronics and communication) from a reputed Govt. College(non IIT/NIT)
EC: College captain position in college and founding member of a NGO group.Have long list of achievements and participation to speak about.
Please suggest the top rated programs with an emphasis on technology management. I want to go into technology/IT consulting post MBA. I have secured an admit for fall 2009 from Carlson(couldn't enroll owing insufficient funds) and looking for fall 2010 now.
My Q's:
1. From my preliminary research, I zeroed in upon below. Could you please rate my selected colleges in terms of reputation of the program and my competitive edge in each.
Competitive: Ross, Emory, UCLA(Anderson), Haas and Cornell.
Fair : Smith(Maryland), UNC-KF,McDonough, McComb.
2. If my TOEFL score (99) be a blocker/deterrent at any stage on my application.
Much appreciate early response.
Ashish

Thanks for your question. Your grades are fine and the overall GMAT score is fine. You should measure your score against the average score for your target schools to see where you stand. While your verbal score is low, I'm not sure what the percentile is. Is it below 80%? I do think its a positive sign that you earned a 6.0 on the AWA which can substantiate your verbal skills. Your story sounds interesting: Microsoft is a respected brand and you mentioned that you have done well. Your extra-curriculars, NSE exams, and community work also rounds out your profile. I do think you could have a shot at the 15-20 U.S. programs. Good luck with the application process!!

Hi Jeremy.

Fascinating thread with a ton of info.
Would like your take and opinion on my profile as well.

Acads

Xth-85% state board
XIIth-90% state board
Engineering- 70% from the best college in Mumbai University (but not an NIT/IIT)
GMAT-710 ( Q-51 V-34 AWA-6.0 ) ( do you think i should take the GMAT again? )

Work ex- 2 years and a month as of today with Microsoft India. No international experience but have worked extensively with Redmond counterparts. Have done extremely well in job and have tons of instances to demonstrate the same.
Extra curriculars- lots of stuff in college, was the chief event co-ordinator in my college festival which had a substantial budget. In addition can play the keyboard and guitar. Have lots of certificates in quizzing, other events etc.
Social front- Have taught under priviliged children and have posted creative solutions to many social problems on many forums however have not managed to get any of these implemented or do anything tangible yet. Am working hard on this front. Do you have any suggestions here?
Finance- Have taken 10 NSE(National stock exchange) exams on a variety of topics to bring out diversity in profile. Also am an active trader in the stock markets and do pretty well for myself.

Also have exhibited creativity by coming up with slogans, making posters, organizing fun events etc. in office as well as college although i dont know how to put these down.
I would say my biggest strength is coming up with new innovative ideas.
I have a lot of material to write about but am confused as to what to include and what to leave out.


Schools-

ISB
NUS
NTU

plus 3 other US schools ( this is the part im most confused about and need your help, do i stand a chance to make it to the top 15-20 Bschools? )

My aim is to get into a consulting job in the tech or financial sector.

Thanks in Advance,
Anirban

Hi Shubhankar85,

Thanks for your questions. I think your grades and 760 GMAT score are strong. The 4.5 on the AWA isn't a deal breaker. It's pretty much the minimum score that doesn't raise a red flag! Regarding the amount of work experience - HBS and Stanford are trending younger so 3.5 or 4.5 years of experience upon matriculation is pretty average. However, INSEAD's class tends to be more experienced. I do think the quality of work experience is more important than the quantity of work experience for a lot of programs. Those that have a track record of initiative, impact and leadership, can gain admission to some top programs despite limited experience. I do think your international experience is a differentiator, however it is difficult to judge your impact based on the information provided. Can you provide more information about your career progression/impact? Also, are your extra-curricular and community activities current? Do you have a leadership role?

Hi MBA Mission Team,

I had posted on this thread more than 2 years ago, and now am back again with more to ask you!

PROFILE
GMAT : 760 (Quant - 51, verbal - 41, AWA - 4.5)

Work-experience :
About 2.5 years at an Oil & Gas Consultancy in the UAE with short stints in Paris and offshore platforms in the Persian Gulf !
I have been working predominantly as a Process Engineer on most assignments and Lead engineer and Project Coordinator on certain projects.

Academics :
Bachelors Degree in Chemical Engineering
GPA of 9.41 (On a 10 point scale) at National Institute of Technology, Trichy.
Good grades at high school as well (Although I believe that isnt a difference-maker)

Extra-curriculars :
Lots of awards won at scholastic events, olympiads & talent search exams.
Editor of my department's annual magazine while at college.
Won awards at debates, quizzes, case-study contests etc.
Certified First-Aider
Member of WWF Passport, participating in online campaigns for preservation of environment/wildlife
Volunteer for a website that posts inspirational videos aimed at inspiring people either for improving the lives of people around them or to participate in a noble cause

Hobbies

I am an avid gamer on the Xbox 360 & PC. Write reviews of games & participate in gaming forums on several websites.
Used to write blogs. Have taken a rather long break from writing blogs though !
Love travelling - Have been to places in Egypt, France, Oman, Bhutan apart from lots of destinations in India & the UAE. will be heading to Cyprus next month !


I am aiming for some darn good colleges - Insead, Harvard,Wharton,Stanford, ISB, & the likes.

I would like your views on the following :

1) Based on my profile, do you think I could consider applying for these schools for the class entering Fall 2010 (or equivalent ?) or should I wait one more year. To put my question in more specific terms, should I be applying with 3+ years of work-ex (Which would mean that I have about 4 years of work-exp at the time of admission) or I could give it a shot with my present work-experience ( ~ 2.5 years ) ?

2) How much of a difference does that additional year of work-experience make to my prospects of admission ?

3) Since I am considering some really tough/competitive B-schools, do you notice any weak links in my profile ? Or anything specific which you could advise that would add value to my candidature ?

4) Could the low AWA score of 4.5 prove to be a deal-breaker ?

Thanks for your time !

Cheers
Shubhankar

Thanks for your question. While your GMAT is strong, your undertraduate grades are a bit below average. Your MS grades are fine however. I think your work experience is lacking the "wow" factor you need to be competitive at top programs. In addition, your community leadership experience is relatively light. I don't think you are comeptitive at the schools listed. You can either consider waiting a couple of years to apply or applying to schools in the 10-20 range.

Hope this helps!

Hello Monica and MBAMission Team,

Thanks for the wonderful job you are doing of guiding students like me. Here is my profile:

BE (Electronics) Mumbai University: 61%
MS (Computer Engr) (USC): 3.65/4.0
Gmat: 730 (Q 49, V 42)

Work exp. 3 yrs software engineer (developer)with Cisco, San Jose

At acads I have shown a steady upward curve all through the years. And really excelled during MS, choosing a diverse breadth of courses and performing well. And acads are not really my concern.

At work, I have had limited opportunities to lead a team or interact with a customer. Also, no promos till date to show, but promos are slow to come in my company. However worked and delivered on 3 different projects.

On the extra curricular front, however, I have been the captain of my soccer team consistently at school as well as at a local league in the bay area, with the team composing of players from different backgrounds and ethnicity. (Does that count towards leadership experience?)

Aim is to do marketing/entrepreneurship at top schools in US. Targeting HBS, Stanford, Wharton, Kellogg, MIT Sloan. How does this profile look for these schools? WHat are the gaps you see?

Thanks,
J.A.

Thanks for your question. Your grades are strong, but yes, the GMAT is a bit below average. What has been your degree of impact at work? Have you earned promotions, been assigned to special projects, earned recognition for your leadership? These elements will better help me judge your competitiveness.

If your professional and community leadership experience is strong, you can consider targeting U.S. schools in the 7-15 range. A lot of this also depends on your personal story which is difficult to judge via the forum.

Hope this helps!

Hi

First of all I would like to thank you for helping & guiding us so much.Please evaluate my profile and suggest me which schools I can apply for fall 2010.

10th - 89%
12th - 96% ( Was a state topper)
Received few scholarships in school
College - Engineering (electronics) 83%
It is one of the best college in our state.
GMAT - 710 (QA-50, VA-36) AWA-4.5

I am working for one of the Big 4 consulting firms since last 3 years as a ERP consultant. Work includes technical and business consulting, continuous interaction with clients,leading small teams in many projects. Never travelled out of India for any assignment. But worked for a German client in a project.
Planning to start a recruitment consulting firm along with two other people.
Extra curricular activities:
Outside office I work for a community service organization. We are trying to help children of sex workers with better life and education. I donate money & sometimes go and spend time with them.
Hobbies: dancing (trained classical dancer), travelling, reading books, blogging

Post MBA I would like to continue in consulting & after few years want to start my own consulting firm.

With this poor GMAt score I am really confused which school to try. No chance of taking GMAT again due to hectic job schedules. Can you guide me about 5-7 US colleges where my chances of getting admission is quiet high.


Thanks in advance

Your community leadership is light and I recommend that you not only volunteer, but take on a leadership role in an organization or cause that you are passionate about. Also, continue to take on challenging projects at work. I think your four promotions are evidence of your progression, but you want to ensure that you continue on that trajectory. Lastly, completing the CFA Level 2 and achieving a stronger GMAT score should help your profile. Are you planning to pursue a finance role after business school? I assume that is why you are going for the CFA.

Keep in mind....HBS and Stanford are trending younger, so you will be on the older end of the spectrum for those programs. Schools like Haas and Tuck (among others) tend to have more experienced applicants.

Hope this helps!

Hello,

Appreciate your help in providing us with your valuable insights. Please evaluate my profile and answer some of the questions which I have on the same.

Academics: BE (IT) from a locally well known university - scored 76.9% (Honours i.e. 1st Class), which gets converted to a 3.5 GPA.
CFA Level 1 certificate holder(June 2009). Planning for CFA Level 2 in June 2010 (don't know whether I'll be able to prepare for it due to R1 application prep timelines and other professional commitments)

GMAT: 720 (Q50, V34)(Appeared 2 years back). Studying to appear again to crack 750+. Pretty sure I can do that.

Work experience: 5+ yrs (will be 7 by fall 2011) with one of the largest software companies companies in India. Got 4 promotions in 5 years. Current role business analyst (project execution in compensation management and data analysis) in an international assignment. Have worked with four different clients in four different continents in as many years with 2 international assignments in last 3 years. Awarded thrice for my work.

Extra curriculars: Pretty good in sports. Specially passionate about a single sport which I have represented successfully in school, college and company level (involved in this sport at my international assignment location also). Also into arts (painting and cinema).

Leadership skills: Good record in both professional and personal (setting up a local club for the same sport)domains.

Community Service: Volunteered foundation work in college and company level. Specially volunteering to educate economically depressed children (a small incident in my life changed my perspective to poor children). This community service is at present halted due to my international assignment, which is going to continue for another 1 year.

Post MBA, I'm targeting a strategy consultant / general management profile with a mix of finance. Planning to apply Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, Wharton, Tuck, Duke, Stern and Kellogg. All in round 1 2010. I have not thought of R2 till now.

Please let me know which part of my profile needs further improvement, which part I should concentrate to improve further and whether I'll be a fit for the schools I am looking for. Your opinion will be really worth for me.

Thanks

Thanks for your question. While I am not familiar with the Business Analytics track specifically, I will comment on your profile. Given that you currently have only two years of work experience, the quality of your experience will be important. It is a positive sign that you are now handling projects independently and mentoring new joiners, but make sure you can show impact at work. You mentioned that you are working with Melbourne counterparts. Do you travel internationally as well for your job? You also didn't mention any community leadership roles, which is an important aspect of the your candidacy. If you don't have the career leadership stories to highlight in your application, I think that the US schools you've listed might be a reach right now, but with an additional year of work experience and community involvement, you could be in a better position to apply.

I hope this helps!

Hi,

Great work.. You guys have been of gr8 help to all of us..

I have the similar question and want to take your opinion on my selection of schools...

I am particulary interested in Business Analytics, so have been looking for the electives related to my concentration in different US colleges.

My GMAT score: 710
Quants: 50
Verbal: 35
AWA: 5

Acads:
Graduation: (7.56/10) National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli(Among top 10 Engg College)
AIEEE- All India Rank 730 (Top 0.5%)
10th - 89.6
12th - 83.3
Work exp will be 3 years by Fall 2010 in a Australian Bank as Test Analyst in its Software firm

I have been involved in quite a few Event Management activites at college like organising Technical Festival, Department Symposium etc etc.. Won in few technical and mathematical events...
My Hobbies include photography, dance, organising events etc..

At company, I have initiated few Process Improvement Initiatives for which I got awards as appreciation.. Have been closely working with my Melbourne counterparts... Lately, I have started handling independent projects where I have been guiding new joinees... Additionally getting few Test Lead opportunities too...

I was quite inclined towards those schools which have the electives I want and generally offer scholarship to students:

Thats how I have sent my score to following schools:
1. Virginia(Darden)
2. Emory
3. Indiana(Kelley)
4. Ohio(Fisher)
5. NUS Singapore(one Asian MBA)

I am inclined to return back to India after my MBA, so looking as much as possible for scholarship..

What do you suggest which other schools should I include as other schools which offer the electives for Analytics are:
MIT, Chicago, Duke, Michigan, Anderson, Warwick, Maryland, Rochestor, Katz, Mays, Hough, Foster, Purdue etc..

If you can help me out to finalise my list with any of the above colleges or any other which you think I have missed out, it will be great...

Thanks a lot..

Thanks for your question. We specialize in the top U.S. and European programs so I am not familiar with many of the programs on you list. I will comment on your U.S. list. I think your 78% in undergrad is strong and your impact at work is strong as evidenced by the awards and promotions. Your community leadership is also good. The GMAT score is below average. Do you think you can do better? I believe Ross will be a reach, but Duke and Tepper are reasonable choices.

Regarding application rounds, we recently blogged about this topic on our site (http://www.mbamission.com/blog/2009/08/18/mission-admission-round-1-vs-round-2/). In your case, it might be best to wait until Round 2 if you decide to devote your time to retaking the GMAT.

Hope this helps!

Hi,
Thanks a ton for replying to my query.
I will go by your suggestion and give another try at GMAT.
What minimum score do you suggest I must aim at to make my profile healthier and sure shot profile so that I get into a comfort zone for the further processes.
admission processes.

Awaiting your candid reply,
Thanks & Regards,
Muddassir

Yes, there are many different rankings with different methodologies. In general, I am referring to the BusinessWeek rankings.

Hope this helps!

MBA Mission team,

Have a very general question.

We all talk of top 10, 8-15, etc. I have seen ratings given by 5-6 publishers (avbl from wikipedia). Each of them differs and many cases differs by a huge margin like school no 4 in one rating would be school no 17 in another rating.

How does one read all these ratings?

I understand that each rating has a different methodology. They cud be based on placements, infrastructure, industry interface, etc. Yet without getting into such details if one wants to see which school is good taking into all major parameters, which rating would you recommend?

When you speak of top 10, 8-15, etc. which rating are you referring to? If you have a rating of your own, could you please share it for the benefit of everyone?

Many thanks

Hi Sourya,

Actually, Stanford is looking for a diverse applicant pool, so the technical profile is not an advantage. Yes, there are fewer seats and it's extremely competitive. If you decide to apply, you should consider it a reach.

Good luck with the process!

Thank you for replying to my second question on this thread. I just have one more:

Some people have advised me to apply to Stanford as well considering my Risk Analyst profile and Stanford's preference for technical profiles. However, I researched that the school has comparatively less number of seats. What would you advise considering my profile in its entirety?

Regards,
Sourya Biswas,
Manager - Risk Analytics,
Citigroup.

Thanks for your question. We specialize in the top U.S. and European programs so I am not familiar with many of the programs on you list. I will comment on your U.S. list. I think your 78% in undergrad is strong and your impact at work is strong as evidenced by the awards and promotions. Your community leadership is also good. The GMAT score is below average. Do you think you can do better? I believe Ross will be a reach, but Duke and Tepper are reasonable choices.

Regarding application rounds, we recently blogged about this topic on our site (http://www.mbamission.com/blog/2009/08/18/mission-admission-round-1-vs-round-2/). In your case, it might be best to wait until Round 2 if you decide to devote your time to retaking the GMAT.

Hope this helps!

Hi Monica
First of all hearty thanks to you for taking all the pains in reading and posting replies.
My Profile:
Xth91.73%
XIIth-- 87.3%
B.E (Biotechnology)- 78.0%
Founder student president of department Student council
Executive committee member and Editorial chief of IEEE student branch
College magazine, college cultural fests book fairs, debate club etc
GMAT- 680 (QA-47, VA-34, AWA 5)
Work-ex: 3yrs in IT-Software
Nominated for most promising fresher
Awarded On the spot award for outstanding contributions to the project
Awarded most valuable player for the development centre (approx 6000 employees work in this DC)
Short onsite stint ( 10 days at Switzerland for requirement gathering)
Doubly promoted as a Tehnology analyst from software engineer due to company re-organization.The promotion being based on my performance over past two and half years.
Currently lead a team of 8 resources to cater to the support for the corporate governance internal application having an user base of 100,000 users.
Also involved in design and development of code changes suggested by corporate governance, corporate planning and Finance team.

CSR: Notebook distribution drives, clothes collection for poor, facilitator for student visits to campus so as to seed early interests in IT sector among bright students.
Post-MBA Focus: General Management/Corporate Governance/Strategy/Operations
Target schools:
India
ISB
USA
Tepper
Ross
Duke university
Singapore:
Nanyang
NUS
UK
Said
Lancaster
Warwick
China
CIEBS
HongKong UST
Switz
IMD
Canada
Rotman-Toronto
Is my GMAT score good enough or do I need to improvise upon my score?
What do u feel are chances at these univ.?
Do you suggest any additions/deletions to this list?
Will it be better to apply in R1 or R2?
Thanks in advance.
Looking forward to hear from you.
Appreciate your help a lot

Thanks for your question. We specialize in the top U.S. and European programs (i.e. INSEAD and LBS), so I am not familiar with the programs you've listed. I do think your grades and GMAT are fine. However, the community leadership is a weakness. Regarding your work experience, managerial experience isn't required. Leadership potential can be shown by highlighting any new ideas/initiatives that you brought to your company, performing beyond your title, earning early promotions, mentoring others, etc. You've led a team and mentored others which is a positive aspect of your profile.

Hope this helps!

Hi ,
Here is my profile.
Indian, Male, 28
GMAT : 720 - Q50,V38
Experience - 6 years in IT, Product Development. Lead a team of 3-4, mentored as well. No managerial Experience.
Acads : 70% - BE in Computer Science, NIT.
ECs - below average.
I am looking for a MBA program with a focus on Product Management/IT Consulting. Would like to move into a product management or a consulting role in IT post MBA. Also I am looking for a one year course (12-18 months, preferably in UK).
Could you please suggest a few stretch schools and a few other schools that I can apply this fall.
I am looking at Said, Judge, NUS as of now.

Please advice.