Thanks for your inquiry.

Your work experience seems quite interesting and unique -- conceiving and managing a start-up that has international aspects and then using the business as a tool for social good, by taking on students. Your story has appeal. You are right, there are far fewer Pakistani clients than Indian clients, a relative advantage. Your academics particular your scholarship seem strong, but I am concerned by your GMAT. Is 610 really the best you imagine? If so, I think that a school in the 20-25 range may be competitive for you and everything else would be a reach. Within that range, financial aid may be a possibility, but get that GMAT score up!

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

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Hi jeremy, I am posting my profile in a hope that you can guide me , I am from Pakistan and compare to India in my research i found very little number of pakistani's applying to US B-Schools, is that an edge that i can take advantage of ?

My profile is :

10th : 84%

12th : 82%

Under Grad : BS ( computers ) - 16 yrs education

CGPA : 3.24 - > 75%

IELTS : 7.0

Expected GMAT : 570-610

Work exp:

I am an entreprenuer, Founded and running a software development company ( Welcome To Evizsolutions ) - I passed out in 2004 and since then i am involved in my own business. I started as a freelancer during my university days and was doing 5$ projects now i am having a team of 5 full time employees working for me + few part timers and have formed solid partnerships with a couple of small level companies in usa , canada, uk, thailand, UAE etc etc.

I am involved with the entire process of running my business more specifically, Communication with clients based in US , UK and Thai etc etc , New Business Development , Bids & Proposal writing, Project Management and employees management , Hiring, Firing , Managing Finances etc etc. Also, i am invlolved in STOCK business and do take regular part in IPO's and stock listing subscriptions.

Morover i am also involved in orgranizing low budget Summer Internship program for UNI students and i take 2-3 students every summer to do projects with us. Also mentoring and helping a group of students in establishing thier own software house facility.


I hold BS in computers and was awarded 4 year FULL TUTION FEE waiver for my entire BS degree by Ministry of Science & Tech , Pakistan, it was a national level competition and high scorers were awarded this honour- Besides that i partcipated in school level quiz shows, debate contents and got 1st and 2nd positions in them and was also 1st position holder during my entire school life.

I am looking for MBA in Management, Marketing type of thing.

My basic problem is finances and i am looking for a very large scale waiver, Or TA/GA , scholarship etc etc.

So in your opinion where can this kind of profile can lead me ? If not in TOP -10 , can i make it to something like B-Schools ranked 15-25 or any good Uni's where finance aid chances are very bright


I will be thankful if you can kindly help me out , I am very nervous and don't know what to do now.

Thank you very Much

Hussain

Thanks for your inquiry.

Your GPA really does not concern me because your work experience is sufficiently differentiated and strong. You should be able to leverage your entrepreneurial experience, existing management experience (and the diversity among them) and even your youth, to capture the imagination of the AdCom. Of course, your 720 GMAT wont hurt.

In terms of top-ten schools, Ross and Tuck should be competitive; thereafter, MIT and CBS may be in reach, but the elite of the elite will be a stretch.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

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hi jeremy
Please look at my profile and assess my chances of getting into a top10 school.
Personal Background
Age 23, Male
Born in a business family and first in my family to graduate as an engineer.
Educational Background
I am a Mechanical Engineer.
I graduated in 2005 from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) GPA 3.15
Recipient of Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Award for B. Tech. Session
GMAT
720 (Q50-99%, V36-80%) Overall - 95%
Work Experience
2 yrs in Fortune 500 MNC in Oil and Gas Sector in India. Currently, I am a Marketing Executive looking after channel sales and marketing of lubricants.
Lots of initiatives taken at job to highlight leadership.
I supervise sales of 3 distributors and over 100 Dealers under me.
Two sales assistants and one trainee officer report directly to me.
I am in-charge of one operating storage location.
Given additional responsibility of one metro and one urban area thereby doubling the volume handled for FY 2007-08 as a result of excellent past performance(record double-digit sales growth for 2 consecutive years)
Extra-curricular
Represented my company at National Management Games-2007, a competition for young managers organized by All India Management Association.
Worked as Student Advisor of SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) collegiate chapter at IIT.
I acted as Coordinator of Library Committee at IIT.
Community work
Worked as student ambassador for School of Deaf at Roorkee.
Member of Green Peace India.
Sports, Hobbies
I am a certified NCC and Karate Cadet.
Driving is one of my favorite hobbies.
Entrepreneurship Background.
Assisted my father in running family-owned small scale Iron & Steel business. Successfully managed the production and marketing of different iron and steel products.
Successfully implemented 3 projects in production to increase the productivity in plant and one project in marketing to liquidate excess inventory during slack season.
Career Goals
I want to shift my career from marketing to entrepreneurship. I have developed good networking with my current business partners (Dealers and Distributors), direct clients and colleagues at work. I have learned technical skills during my engineering, and marketing and man-management skills during my professional work experience. I am interested in learning more about entrepreneurship aspects such as opportunity recognition, risk taking, fund raising etc and about financial and HR perspective of business. These skills together will help me in expanding my family owned business. I also want to look at global business opportunities available(for diversification) and global networking through International MBA.
Target schools
Looking for Full time MBA from top 10 US B-Schools. Your advice on schools will also be helpful.
Primary concerns:
Low work experience(quality of WE has been very good and also entrepreneurship background has provided me good exposure ),
Low age (donno wat to do abt it, How can i convince Ad com on that )
and low GPA.
Thanx

Thanks for your inquiry.
It feels good to be positive again! I like your odds at the schools that you have listed - you have a solid GPA and GMAT, international work experience, not just community experience, but social entrepreneurial experience and leadership at work via your 8 member team. Further, you expect solid recommendations and you seem fairly articulate, so you should be able to craft reasonable essays.
I think that Darden and Ross will be competitive and that McCombs and Emory should be, only more so. You will have to be careful to pursue some strategies which allow you to differentiate. I will actually be publishing a piece on this issue next week remind me and I will send you a draft.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission
Read: MBA Mission's Complete Start to Finish Guide

Hi Jeremy,

First of all, accept my heartiest thanks on providing useful insights on various facets of application. I need your opinion on my profile and chances of admits in the schools that I will mention in the post. My profile is as follows:

* 5 Years in IT( A big name in Asia).
* 3.8 GPA from NIT,Surathkal
* GMAT(740/49/42)
* 2 years of work-ex in USA.
* Currently the team-lead of a 8 member team.

* Average community works( Volunteer community activities in US , Worked with CRY in India , Founded a relief fund for Orissa flood during my engineering, organized two blood donation camps during engineering, Volunteered for Kargil-Martyr fund)

* Okie extra-curriculars( District Champion in Badminton, College Badminton Team Captain, Club President during my engineering, University Champion in Chess)

* Short term career Goal : Strategy Consulting
* Schools shortlisted till now: Darden, Ross, Mccombs, Emory
* Will manage good recommendation

Please give me your opinion about my profile and which area do you think could be a potential stopper. If you can also put some light on the the essays of Darden/Ross and their expectations, it will be a great help.

Thanks in advance,
Amit

Thanks for your inquiry.

The substance of your job is what is most important. You will have ample opportunity via your essays, resume, recommendations and short answer forms (within the application itself) to establish that you have managed at a high-level. Your title will not matter what you have accomplished will.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

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Hi Jeremy,

Many IT people like me (and possibly people in other area too) perform a role of manager while their official designation is say, a consultant.

In colleges where they ask for job titles if I mention I am a Senior Consultant but then in the job description essays and the career goals essay if I say I have been performing a project manager's role, is that ok? If not, how do I handle this?

My recommenders (current superviser and his boss) recognize this and are ready to say that I am the project manager in the recos but I just feel it may not be the right thing to do since it isnt my official designation.


thanks in advance

Thanks for your inquiry.

Your publication is a real feather in your cap and we have definitely helped candidates form Cognizant get into top-schools, but what have you done at Cognizant that stands out? How have you differentiated yourself? Further, with limited extras, your GMAT alone can't save the day. If you are targeting, Wharton, Columbia and Chicago, you will need more than a hig-GMAT score. You will need a storyI think that this will be a rough road for you, especially if you are applying in R2.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

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Hi Jeremy,
My name is Chaitanya.

I am planning to apply to US Bschools this fall. It would really help me if you can offer some adivce. Following is my profile and some questions:

Undergraduate degree- IIT Kharagpur, Discipline-Civil Engg, 2001-2005

Undergraduate CGPA-6.74/10( it is considered low or rather pretty low)

Other Undergraduate Academic Achievement:-Published a research paper in a reputed intl. journal("Marine Georesources and Geotechnology", published by Taylor and Francis). The paper was based on my final year project work and my project guide was the co-author.

Work Experience- 2.5 years since June 2005, Organisation:-Cognizant Technology Solutions

Nature of Work- Software developer(No international experience)



Carreer interests post MBA: Finance. I don't plan to work for a long time in US and plan to return to India as soon as I pay off a siginficant portion of my b-school loan.

Extracurricular: Nothing special, was an NCC cadet for 1 year during my stay at IIT, Was with NSS(National service scheme) for another 1 year at IIT. However, this is mandatory for every student of IIT and everybody has to join either NCC or NSS in their first and second year. So, can I even count them as ECs?
GMAT: Planning to take it in December this year.

Schools:I want to targert Wharton ,Columbia and Chicago among the top B schools. What score would be OK to have a shot at these schools given my profile?

Recommendation: I am not sure whether I will be able to secure a good recommendation from my immediate boss. This is because I moved to this new assignment in February only. How much of a drawback is it to not have recos form your current magagers?Should I secure one reco from my IIT professor?

Please let me if there is a hope for me at these schools given my profile. If not then let me know as then I will focus on CAT for getting into Indian mgmt. schools.

Thanks and Regards
Chaitanya Vardhan

Thanks for your inquiry.

I think that you have long odds inconsistent work experience, a 640, no extras and an existing rejection letter. I think that you are targeting the right tier, but this is a tier with which we are not all that familiar. You might consider Indiana, Iowa and Ohio State, but I am not sure that these schools are connected with banks and I am not sure that you will be able to make that transition anyway. Further, I think that you will find it challenging to get a scholarship.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

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Hi Jeremy,

My Profile:

Finished my schooling from J&K; state board of school education. Passed SSC with 71.4% and HSC with 83.83%.
Finished Mechanical Engineering on 15-Jun- 2003 with distinction in final year and first class throughout (61.2% or a GPA of 3.12/4 when compared with the university toppers score).
Joined a manufacturing company on 13-Jul-2003 as a Graduate Trainee and worked there for 13 months. My role in the organization was to do a market research for a product that company wanted to launch in the market. Competitors already had this product in the market. Company wanted to position the product in premium quality segment. Cost of the product was higher than competitors product, but the payback period for product was much lower than competitors product. So I had to collect all the technical/non-technical data about the competitors product installed in client sites of the company and then enlighten the client what all benefits they could reap using our product in the long run.
Joined a small scale business with my uncle on 15-Aug-2004. It was a small grocery based business and I had to handle all day-to-day operations. Handled the business for around nine months when I finally decided to quit.
Joined a reputed Indian IT company as a software engineer on 16-May-2005. Have been working in this organization till date. However, my role has changed from being a software engineer to that of Team Lead. Our team won the best project award for my last assignment. I have taken part in knowledge base building activities in organization. I also keep participating in knowledge sharing sessions
Total experience: 49 month as on 13-Aug-2007
Extracurricular Activities:
o Joined NCC in second year of my engineering and finally earned B and C certificates before completing my term in senior division of NCC. I was also involved in social and cultural activities in NCC. I was involved in adventure sports like trekking and paragliding during this period
o Took part in cultural activities at inter-college level and inter-University level competitions and won laurels all the times
o Presented technical paper at national and state level during my engineering and won a third prize at both the levels
o Took part in sport events held at Hostel level and came out winner in most of the events that I participated in.
Hobbies:
o Reading
o Listening to Music
o Stock market investing
GMAT score: 640
TOEFL (iBT) score: 107
Nationality: Indian
Applying for fall 2008
Want to take up Investment banking, Finance or Consulting as a major
Other considerations: Want complete financing for my MBA using loans, assistanceship, scholarships and by working part time
Please suggest me 5-7 colleges where I can apply and stand a very good
chance of getting in. Last year I applied to just one college (Olin: St. Louis,
Washington University) but my application was denied. Also let me know if
I should re-apply to Olin.

Thanks for your inquiry.
Well, with a 650, a 3.4, typical work experience and some non-descript community service, I think that Duke would be a reach. I can't really comment on Iowa, Illinois, etc., but I would guess that you would still be competitive. You will have to do some homework - these are not our specialty schools. Sorry!
Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission
www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission
Read: MBA Mission's Complete Start to Finish Guide

Hi Jeremy,
I am Raj.
Gave my GMAT today and scored 650 :-(

GMAT - 650 (Q 49 V 2
GPA - 3.4
extra curri - active member of NGO in chennai
work exp - 3.5 yrs in VLSI field. (in three diff. 3 companies)

I am looking f
IOWA
Illinois
Indiana
DUKE
NUS

What are my chances that I would make any one of these....
I am not sure whether I can retake gmat..
Please adviceThanks.

Thanks for your inquiry.
I am always surprised when someone asks me whether a certain career makes sense at a certain school. For example, Can I pursue finance at Kellogg? Can I pursue marketing at NYU? These schools see themselves as being broader than their stereotypes and they want to attract a broader class. If Kellogg truly wanted to be a marketing school, they would market themselves as such why not? They want some outliers to make the class interesting. So, your goal of product management is not outrageous! These schools certainly would not mind if you pursued this field and some might even find it appealing, as they may have read dozens of other consulting or finance applications.

Be yourself dont try to anticipate what the AdCom wants!

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

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Hi Jeremy,
I am interested in General Management in one of the top schools. My profile - 25/M/Indian/770/3yrs of work IT ex.

My work experience has been in a software products company, with a techinical role, except mentoring & cross deptt communications. With the product development experience and with close interaction with the product managers, I want to link my experience with my aspiration for an MBA saying that in the short term, i am looking at a Product management role, and gradually move on to Strategy/Senior management of such a software products company.

My list of schools:
INSEAD, Tuck, Chicago, Darden, Duke, UNC(KF), ISB.

Now, how much sense does it make to say that i looking for a career in Product management from one of these schools??
I guess that Product management is not a very sought after profile as say Consultancy or Finance or Marketting, etc. Am i right??
Or does a General Management/Strategy covers what I am referring as Product Management??

Thanks.

Lokesh,

Thanks for your inquiry.

Clearly, you have a great GMAT score, but what else? You are an Indian male in IT and you have no community service! If you plan to apply in 2009, get involved now or suffer the consequences! I like the fact that you are part of an entrepreneurial environment that should help you. Make sure to really contemplate your leadership experiences within and even document them do not hesitate to ask and take more responsibility. It will be important for you to break the typical mold.

If you can add a significant community dimension in the next year, you should stand a chance at NYU, Yale, Virginia and Duke. HBS, Stanford and Wharton seem like long shots. Chicago and Columbia might be in reach if you can spin a good story clearly, there could be a lot more than meets the eye, especially on the personal side.
Sincerely,

Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission
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Hello Jeremy,
I would to like to know about my chances of getting into good B-schools(Global Top 20,

which should be good/well known for Finance). I'll be highly obliged to you.

Here is my brief bio-data, if I need to put something more, please let me know.


Indian - Male - VLSI Design Engineer - Age 25, will be 27 at the time of application (planning to apply in 2009)
-----------------------------------------------------------------

X - 77.4%
XII - 75.4%
B.Tech(EE), Kurukshetra Univ - 66.7% ~ 2.9/4.0 (percentage seems to be low but was in top 15%)
M.Tech(EE), IIT Roorkee (one of the leading engineering college in the country)- 8.52/10 (top 5% of the class) ~ 3.4/4.0
GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) - 99.26%, All India Rank - 40
(qualifying examination for M.Tech in India)

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

GMAT - 780 (qa-50, va-47), AWA 5/6
------------------------------------------------------------------

Work-Ex (would be 4+ by the time I apply. No international experience till now)
After Bachelors
--------------
Wipro Technologies
Graduate Engineer Trainee - 11 months - VLSI Design - Design & Verification

After Masters
--------------
Tata Consultancy Services
Engineer-Trainee - 7 months - VLSI Design - Design & Verfication

current employer
Tejas Networks (India's first product company) - R & D
Research & Development Engineer - 30+ months by the time I apply. Doing/Learning quality work on cutting edge technology in present company.

moved to this coz it's more or less like a start-up, product company, fewer employees (less than 200 when I joined, now 300), more responsibilty, work in research & development

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

Extra-Curriculars:
Sports (College level: Chess, Atheletics(1500m, 5000m), Placement coordinator during

Masters at IIT Roorkee and organizing member of sport events)
-------------------------------------------------------------------

MBA Area of interest:
Finance (Asset management)
but hav no relevant experience
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Community Service
Active Blood donor
nothing else (will it help if I start community service now, I'll apply in 2009)
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Looking for top 20 B-schools from US and UK with some financial aid. Can I challenge a seat

in any of the following colleges, if not plz tell me where I can. My first preference is

LBS, Chicago, Columbia and Yale.

UK colleges: LBS, Cambridge's Judge BS and Oxford' Said BS

US colleges: Chicago, NYU, Columbia, Yale, Kellog, Tuck, MIT, Michigan, Virginia, Duke.
and Harvard/Wharton/Stanford...but I think that my profile isn't good enough for them.

Thanks & Regards,
Lokesh Sharma

Thanks for your inquiry.

I dont think that I am the best judge of the economic conditions in the UK versus the U.S.

With respect to your schools of choice, I like your extras, especially your rather unusual (at least for business school) journalism experience and your work with the blind. Both of these are standouts, but your work is somewhat cloudy IT and then finance and marketing? Further, your GMAT is unknown, so that further muddles the picture. Assuming you do well on your GMAT (700+) and you can spin a story via your journalism background, you should be competitive at Manchester and Cranfield. Oxford would probably be in reach as well, but I would need to learn more about you.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

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HEllo Jeremy...

I am really impressd with the kid of replies you give people. Detailed and very helpful as i see.

Had a few doubts regarding MBA and what comes after that :)
First of all, is it very difficult to get a job in the UK after an MBA course? Would US be a better choice that way?

Secondly, if i am looking at a school in UK would my profile (detailed below) be strong enough to be accepted by good schools like Manchester, Said, Cranfield etc...?

Age: 25 years, assuming i join by Aug 08
Education: BE
Acads: Decent. Aggregate of 78% in BE.
Work ex: 1 Year in an IT company and 1 year 10 months in a finance and market research firm, assuming i join by Aug 08 (experience in only India)
Extra Curricular: Represented India in the 14 International Youth Leadershoip conference held in Prague, Czech Republic in July 2007
Social: Actively involved in teaching blind students at an orphanage every alternate weekends. Have been involved in one or the other social activity for the past 8 years. Again no certificate.
Extras: I also work as a part-time journalist and write weekly articles to a local weekly. This is beacuse I have a flair for writing. (Okay, right now i am in a hurry and am not sounding my best)
GMAT: HAve to take the exam. Date in September.

Kindly throw some advice my way please.

Thanks in advance.

Thank you for your inquiry.
It seems to me that you have some solid fundamentals - a 770, strong grades, strong career progression with awards and teaching the underprivileged for two years. I think that your candidacy will hinge on if you can differentiate your story. You will need to focus on offering your managerial qualities, not your technical qualities, if you want to be competitive at your target schools. Wharton, Chicago, Kellogg, Sloan and Tuck will all be challenging, but they may be in reach if you can successfully position yourself as a professional. NYU should be competitive.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission
www.mbamission.com
[646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission
Read: MBA Mission's Complete Start To Finish Guide

Hi Jeremy,

I went through the entire thread and found your posts truly insightful. I would like to present my profile to you for your careful scrutiny.

Academics
X- 90.8% (CBSE)
XII- 86% (CBSE)

B.Tech. (Information & Communication Technology) - 3.1/4 (81%)

GMAT
Score : 770 (V:44 Q:51)

Experience
Worked for more than 2 years (3 years by fall 2008 ) in semiconductor industry in Circuit Design in India. Have been pretty successful at work, earning top grades at office and also a promotion. Seen significant increase in work responsibility over the past 2 years as well as have done mentor ship of new trainees. Recently, won an award for my work at office.

Have held a teaching assistant post for a course in Interactive Design in my final B.Tech semester. This opportunity was given only to the brightest in my undergrad school.

Extra-curricular activities
- Not a lot during college. But was a member of various communities at college.
- Wrote a couple of papers at work and a paper at my undergrad school which was selected at the IEEE student paper contest from R10SPC area (ASIA)
- Am the champion of the hardware community at my organization which is a community of 250 members
- Taken up courses in Japanese language and plan to write a certification exam in Dec, 07
- Am involved in teaching under-privileged refugee children through the community service efforts of my organization for the past 2 years.

In my profile, what I see as my most weakest links are the extracurriculars, especially at my undergrad. Also, the number of years of work experience is a little less. I hope to write good essays.

I plan to apply to following schools:
Wharton, Chicago, Kellogs, Stern, Sloan and Tuck.

I wanted to know if my list of schools is realistic and if I have a decent chance of getting through any of them.

I am looking for a MBA and have an interest in the consulting domain. I am not sure whether my past background can be a hindrance and whether my list of schools accurately mirrors my needs and is realistic.

Hope to see a an insightful reply from you soon! :)

Thanks for your inquiry.
I think that you are really stretching yourself by applying now, with just one year of experience and a poor GPA. Why not get some solid work experience, take some supplemental courses and present yourself as a student who has matured, as opposed to an inexperienced candidate with problems? Further, R3 will be extremely prohibitive. I would really reconsider.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission
www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission
Read: MBA Mission's Complete Start To Finish Guide

Hi Jeremy and all,

Thx to all u PG guys for all the help!:satisfie::thumbsup:

Short profile :
21, female, born and lived for 19 years in Ro, went to college in Germany, int University.
work exp - 2 years as a student assistant - clerical issues, customer care stuff like that
- 1 year sales manager

leadership - started and running 2 clubs ( 1 has 4 years1/2 and 2 offices - rethorics for highschool kids, 1 has 1 and 1/2 - sports club) got finances for both ( about 1000 $ )

community service -scout since I was 9 and other activities for at least 2 years each.

So far, so good. the bad part comes now :
i am doing so many activities, including college fuuuun, thus my gpa is not perfect --> about 2.4 US gpa... yeah :((( and it might get better this semester - if I am really good --> 3 US.
GMAT.. there is the only thing that I can improve - planning to take it in February 2008, and I want to apply for R3 at Harvard, Columbia, UPenn and I am not sure about the 4th one, but probably East Coast US. Even though... my globetroter side tells me to go for India

what do you think?
is it possible to get in?

Thank you for your inquiry.
I don't know enough about you to judge your prospects, but strategy is a pretty broad field, so you might consider any good general management school - maybe Darden and Duke as reaches and schools like UNC or Georgetown as competitive schools. It is really hard to tell based on your generalities below. Sorry.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission
www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission
Read: MBA Mission's Complete Start To Finish Guide

Hi jeremy,

u do a great job
simple question

pleasse suggest me a list of schools ,(or atleast where i can get a handle on this info)
a) schools with a good name in strategy in us.
b) One year MBA course worldwide- which are good in strategy.

my profile
5 years sales mangement work-3 promotions,2 companies, 3 stints-no1 manager last year.
gpa 3.0
Engineering graduate- bad acads.
community work-avg
Extra cocurrium- good.

so list of colleges will help me a lot

thanks jeremy

hi,

i m in third year of my graduation (engg.) i have below average acads,please suggest how could i mould my profile so that i can land up in a bussiness school of some repute.
Please guide me ur advise will direct my future.



thanking u in advance !

Hi Jeremy ,

Thanks in advnace ! This is ravi .
I have few very basic questions !
My profile is
GMAT 700 (a 50/v 34):(
Work Ex 7 Years in BARC (Scientist, R&D;)
acads averagge (First >70%)
M.Sc. From IITR (Phy)
Please suggest me which colleges should i target ?
I always got much higher GMAT score in mocks , thats why i opted for MIT, Tucks , Columbia, ISB and Stern. Now i feel that with this score, it will be too optimistic to target these colleges.
now kindly advice me with this profile what should i do ? Shall i target 15-20 ranked schools in us or make a try for europe or else rewrite gmat (please note i am nontechi:)).
Most importantly , being an average salried man , cost is the crucial factor. Kindly make a comment on the financial prospects (fees/loan/scol etc)
waiting for ur reply
regards
urs sincerly
ravi arora

Hi Jeremy,

Before I put forth my query, here's a thanks for responding to our queries!

Well, I am in the process of finalising the schools where I am going to apply and was gathering information about Columbia GSB and MIT Sloan. I am still reading more about these schools, however, I was wondering if you have any info which will help me in my process. From what I've read till now, it seems Columbia is for Finance guys.

Any pointers or factors which I should be considering to make my decision? Excuse me if this is coming as a generalised query but I guess, its because of the mess in my brain!

Thanks,
~a

Hi Jeremy,

I am in the process of applying to some of the US b-schools and was preparing a resume for submitting along with the applications. However I have a few doubts.

1. By Fall 08, I will be completing 3 yrs of work exp. Considering this, will a resume that spans 1.5 pages (font size 11) considered excessive? Should I restrict myself to a strict one page?
   
2. At my workplace, I have got quite a few performance awards. Should I mention them in the resume, maybe under a section called 'Achievements'? I researched on the net and came across a few sample resumes. But none of them had any kind of award listed.
   
3. Also, should I talk about any academic achievement before my undergraduate degree (i.e., achievements in 10th and 12th std)? Again, no sample resume covered anything prior to the undergradauate degree.

Thanks!!

...........

With apologies, if I have already responded, because I recall your profile (the boards can be quite confusing at times!). Your profile clearly is quite strong and the reasons are numerous. I think that your existing MBA from IIM is going to be a liability but at least schools are aware that some Indian candidates get domestic MBAs and then realize the difference and go for MBAs in the states. Clearly, you will need to be very deliberate in terms of why you need ANOTHER MBA and exactly what will transpire in your career going forward - the reader will really need to understand the impact of your degree!
Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission
www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission

Hi Jeremy,

I am an MBA from one of the IIMs ( Indian Institute of Management) and have been working as an investment banker involved in Private equity and M&A; transactions for the corporate finance division of a Big 4 accounting firm in India for the past 4 years. I'll be made an AVP in 1 year Max, so have already crossed the analyt and associate levels in IB . I have done well at the firm and have consistenly been rated among the top performers. . While i haven't had a permanent stint outside india but i do travel frequently to other countries for business.

I am considering applying for an MBA again for various reasons not the least of which is that i feel my earlier MBA was quite premature and honestly, I would like to once again go back to school but in a much more diverse environment than what Indian schools offer. I am considering applications to Wharton/Stanford/HBS/GSBC.. mostly because till now i havent researched much on any other schools

While i feel that the MBA is not that attractive for me in monetary terms since i am happy with what i am being paid , its mainly my urge to go back to school and to take a step back to put things in perspective which is driving me towadrs another MBA.
I would like to ask you how well i would fit with the adcom's requirements for the schoools mentioned above, given my profile. I've listed the important stuff below :

Indian , Male, 26
GMAT : 790
CAT : 99.8

Work Ex : 4+ years in Corporate Finance (M&A;,PE) division of Big 4 accounting firm( 2 years as Associate 2 as Sr. associate, Will be promoted to AVP by the time I apply)

As part of my previous MBA, i interned with the firm and was taken on as a full time employee on completion of the internship. I have worked with corporates of all sizes, Government of India/State government, PE Funds, Investment Banks etc. I've been involved in transactions to the scale of $5 billion. Since teams are usually very small in ivestment banking, level of involvement tends to be extremely high. I've mostly focused on infrastructure and Metals . I've been involved in highly publicized and visible transactions, but i dont think people in the US (specifically the adcom) would be aware of them.

I have always been given significant responsibility, and now I handle entire mandates independently. Travelled extensively in India and also to Europe,US, Middle East for business.

Would be able to secure excellent recommendations from CEO and Managing partners of the firm. Since I have worked with various investment banks/private equity funds, would be able to secure a reco if required from them also.

Previous Education
IIM : top 10% of class
(Spent a term in France on exchange program)

Engg : GPA - 3.3/4 ( From a leading technology school in India)

10+2 - 80% ( Average at best ) Do they even go this far ?

Extra Currics : School/College Level Dramatics, Was usually involved in organizing any big events, editor of magazines for both sschool and college, won international competitions during stay at IIM.

Comm Service: Used to teach/mentor children at an NGO in nearby community, got doctors to hold medical awareness camps there( by involving my brother,who is a doctor , MD from Temple Univ. )

Also, just to make you aware of the alternate route, If i stay with the firm for another 5-7 years, I am confident of becoming a partner. And even if I dont, enough private equity funds / Investment banks are there to welcome seasoned professionals and they'd be willing to pay as much or more than i would get post a Wharton/HBS MBA, that too in india.So in PPP terms, the picture would be better ( And I'm not even counting the cost of an MBA in the US + opporunity cost of leaving the job for 2 years) .

I just mentioned this to drive the point that my decision is not being driven by monetary considerations. Coming to the questions, I'd be happy if you could tell me what areas should i focus on to make my application stronger? Is a previous stint at IIM viewed negatively or positively? And also, do these schools encourage MBA candidates to pursue doctoral studies ?

Cheers
Dude M.

Hi Jeremy,

Ur replies have been awesome...

Please advice me...


My profile:-

10th Std 90%
12th Std 96%
BTech Electrical Engg IIT Madras 8.38/10
CFA Level 3 Candidate
Registered for FRM in Nov
2.2 years of wrk ex as of now with leading consulting firm(ZS Associates) in India,got promoted once.When I join in Aug07 I will have 3 years of wrk ex
Planning to take GMAT in Oct end...hoping 750+(I know its tuf)

I am only keen on applying to any 2 of top 5 B schools in finance. I want to save the three in case I dont get thru this time.I reasearched abt wharton and found that min wrk ex of there 2006 batch is 46 months.:( Is this tru?..Please suggest which top B -schools would be eager to take me given that I don't screws essays/GMAT and which have past history of taking ppl with 3 yrs of wrk ex

Thanks in advance

Hi Jeremy,
I recently came accross a slide show in business week.
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/10/bschools/index_01.htm

It had top 30 US business schools and comments on them. I noted down the -ve comments for he few universities in my list

1. Kelley: Kelley is praised for general education but is found lacking in specialties like consulting and investment banking. Strong regional bias limits recruiting options.
   
2. Texas Austin: Complaints include unresponsive administration and poor career placement for international students. Variety of classes and other resources balance equation.
   
3. Rochester Simon: Quality of education, analytical skill development, and personal attention from faculty is highly rated, but poor showing by recruiters frustrates students.

Reading all this and keeping in mind the possibly impending economic crisis in the US, I am a little confused to apply to these schools or not. Can you plese throw some light on the same ?

My Profile :
GMAT: 710
4 years work Ex, Presently in Oracle,

Hi Jeremy,

I am reposting my profile here as last time around there was some HTML error in the post.

Finished my schooling from J&K; state board of school education. Passed SSC with 71.4% and HSC with 83.83%.
Finished Mechanical Engineering on 15-Jun- 2003 with distinction in final year and first class throughout (61.2% or a GPA of 3.12/4 when compared with the university topper's score).

Joined a manufacturing company on 13-Jul-2003 as a Graduate Trainee and worked there for 13 months. My role in the organization was to do a market research for a product that company wanted to launch in the market. Competitors already had this product in the market. Company wanted to position the product in premium quality segment. Cost of the product was higher than competitors' product, but the payback period for product was much lower than competitor's product. So I had to collect all the technical/non-technical data about the competitors' product installed in client sites of the company and then enlighten the client what all benefits they could reap in the long run using our product.
Joined a small scale business with my uncle on 15-Aug-2004. It was a small grocery based business and I had to handle all day-to-day operations. Handled the business for around nine months when I finally decided to quit.

Joined a reputed Indian IT company as a software engineer on 16-May-2005. Have been working in this organization till date. However, my role has changed from being a software engineer to that of Team Lead. Our team won the best project award for my last assignment. I have taken part in knowledge base building activities in organization. I also keep participating in knowledge sharing sessions
Total experience: 49 month as on 13-Aug-2007

Extracurricular Activities:
Joined NCC in second year of my engineering and finally earned B and C certificates before completing my term in senior division of NCC. I was also involved in social activities in NCC. I was involved in adventure sports like trekking and paragliding during this period
Took part in cultural activities at inter-college level and inter-University level competitions and won laurels all the times

Presented technical paper at national and state level during my engineering and won a third prize at both the levels
Took part in sport events held at Hostel level and came out winner in most of the events that I participated in.

Hobbies:
Reading
Listening to Music
Investing in stock market
GMAT score: 640
TOEFL (iBT) score: 107
Nationality: Indian
Applying for fall 2008
Want to take up Finance as a major during my MBA as I finally want to land in an I-Bank. I don't have any experience in I-Banking though I have gone through a handful of books on Investing like 'One Up on Wall Street', 'Rich Dad Poor Dad', etc. I started investing in stock market from 2004 and since then it has become one of my favorite hobbies

Important considerations while selecting the school: Want complete financing for my MBA using loans, assistance-ship, scholarships and by working part time
Please suggest me 5-7 colleges where I can apply and stand a very good chance of getting in.
My shortlisted colleges are:
1.Carlson School of Management
2.Kelley School of Business
3.Jones Graduate School of Management
4.The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management
5.Brigham Young University (Marriott)
6.University at Buffalo/State University of New York, School of Management, Full-Time MBA
7.University of Kansas, Graduate School of Business, MBA Full-Time
8.University of Oklahoma, Price College of Business, Full-Time MBA
9.University of Pittsburgh, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, Two-Year MBA
10.HEC Montral, Intensive MBA (offered in English)

Please feel free to include the ones which could be a good choice but are not there in my list.

Hi jeremy, I am posting my profile in a hope that you can guide me , I am from Pakistan and compare to India in my research i found very little number of pakistani's applying to US B-Schools, is that an edge that i can take advantage of ?

My profile is :

10th : 84%

12th : 82%

Under Grad : BS ( computers ) - 16 yrs education

CGPA : 3.24 - > 75%

IELTS : 7.0

Expected GMAT : 570-610

Work exp:

I am an entreprenuer, Founded and running a software development company ( Welcome To Evizsolutions ) - I passed out in 2004 and since then i am involved in my own business. I started as a freelancer during my university days and was doing 5$ projects now i am having a team of 5 full time employees working for me + few part timers and have formed solid partnerships with a couple of small level companies in usa , canada, uk, thailand, UAE etc etc.

I am involved with the entire process of running my business more specifically, Communication with clients based in US , UK and Thai etc etc , New Business Development , Bids & Proposal writing, Project Management and employees management , Hiring, Firing , Managing Finances etc etc. Also, i am invlolved in STOCK business and do take regular part in IPO's and stock listing subscriptions.

Morover i am also involved in orgranizing low budget Summer Internship program for UNI students and i take 2-3 students every summer to do projects with us. Also mentoring and helping a group of students in establishing thier own software house facility.


I hold BS in computers and was awarded 4 year FULL TUTION FEE waiver for my entire BS degree by Ministry of Science & Tech , Pakistan, it was a national level competition and high scorers were awarded this honour- Besides that i partcipated in school level quiz shows, debate contents and got 1st and 2nd positions in them and was also 1st position holder during my entire school life.

I am looking for MBA in Management, Marketing type of thing.

My basic problem is finances and i am looking for a very large scale waiver, Or TA/GA , scholarship etc etc.

So in your opinion where can this kind of profile can lead me ? If not in TOP -10 , can i make it to something like B-Schools ranked 15-25 or any good Uni's where finance aid chances are very bright


I will be thankful if you can kindly help me out , I am very nervous and don't know what to do now.

Thank you very Much

Hussain

hi jeremy

Please look at my profile and assess my chances of getting into a top10 school.

Personal Background
Age 23, Male
Born in a business family and first in my family to graduate as an engineer.
Educational Background
I am a Mechanical Engineer.
I graduated in 2005 from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) GPA 3.15
Recipient of Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Award for B. Tech. Session

GMAT
720 (Q50-99%, V36-80%) Overall - 95%

Work Experience
2 yrs in Fortune 500 MNC in Oil and Gas Sector in India. Currently, I am a Marketing Executive looking after channel sales and marketing of lubricants.
Lots of initiatives taken at job to highlight leadership.
I supervise sales of 3 distributors and over 100 Dealers under me.
Two sales assistants and one trainee officer report directly to me.
I am in-charge of one operating storage location.
Given additional responsibility of one metro and one urban area thereby doubling the volume handled for FY 2007-08 as a result of excellent past performance(record double-digit sales growth for 2 consecutive years)

Extra-curricular
Represented my company at National Management Games-2007, a competition for young managers organized by All India Management Association.
Worked as Student Advisor of SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) collegiate chapter at IIT.
I acted as Coordinator of Library Committee at IIT.
Community work
Worked as student ambassador for School of Deaf at Roorkee.
Member of Green Peace India.

Sports, Hobbies
I am a certified NCC and Karate Cadet.
Driving is one of my favorite hobbies.
Entrepreneurship Background.
Assisted my father in running family-owned small scale Iron & Steel business. Successfully managed the production and marketing of different iron and steel products.
Successfully implemented 3 projects in production to increase the productivity in plant and one project in marketing to liquidate excess inventory during slack season.
Career Goals
I want to shift my career from marketing to entrepreneurship. I have developed good networking with my current business partners (Dealers and Distributors), direct clients and colleagues at work. I have learned technical skills during my engineering, and marketing and man-management skills during my professional work experience. I am interested in learning more about entrepreneurship aspects such as opportunity recognition, risk taking, fund raising etc and about financial and HR perspective of business. These skills together will help me in expanding my family owned business. I also want to look at global business opportunities available(for diversification) and global networking through International MBA.
Target schools
Looking for Full time MBA from top 10 US B-Schools. Your advice on schools will also be helpful.
Primary concerns:
Low work experience(quality of WE has been very good and also entrepreneurship background has provided me good exposure ),
Low age (donno wat to do abt it, How can i convince Ad com on that )
and low GPA.

Thanx

Hi Jeremy,

First of all, accept my heartiest thanks on providing useful insights on various facets of application. I need your opinion on my profile and chances of admits in the schools that I will mention in the post. My profile is as follows:

* 5 Years in IT( A big name in Asia).
* 3.8 GPA from NIT,Surathkal
* GMAT(740/49/42)
* 2 years of work-ex in USA.
* Currently the team-lead of a 8 member team.

* Average community works( Volunteer community activities in US , Worked with CRY in India , Founded a relief fund for Orissa flood during my engineering, organized two blood donation camps during engineering, Volunteered for Kargil-Martyr fund)

* Okie extra-curriculars( District Champion in Badminton, College Badminton Team Captain, Club President during my engineering, University Champion in Chess)

* Short term career Goal : Strategy Consulting
* Schools shortlisted till now: Darden, Ross, Mccombs, Emory
* Will manage good recommendation

Please give me your opinion about my profile and which area do you think could be a potential stopper. If you can also put some light on the the essays of Darden/Ross and their expectations, it will be a great help.

Thanks in advance,
Amit

Hi Jeremy,

Many IT people like me (and possibly people in other area too) perform a role of manager while their official designation is say, a consultant.

In colleges where they ask for job titles if I mention I am a Senior Consultant but then in the job description essays and the career goals essay if I say I have been performing a project manager's role, is that ok? If not, how do I handle this?

My recommenders (current superviser and his boss) recognize this and are ready to say that I am the project manager in the recos but I just feel it may not be the right thing to do since it isnt my official designation.


thanks in advance

Hi Jeremy,
My name is Chaitanya.

I am planning to apply to US Bschools this fall. It would really help me if you can offer some adivce. Following is my profile and some questions:

Undergraduate degree- IIT Kharagpur, Discipline-Civil Engg, 2001-2005

Undergraduate CGPA-6.74/10( it is considered low or rather pretty low)

Other Undergraduate Academic Achievement:-Published a research paper in a reputed intl. journal("Marine Georesources and Geotechnology", published by Taylor and Francis). The paper was based on my final year project work and my project guide was the co-author.

Work Experience- 2.5 years since June 2005, Organisation:-Cognizant Technology Solutions

Nature of Work- Software developer(No international experience)



Carreer interests post MBA: Finance. I don't plan to work for a long time in US and plan to return to India as soon as I pay off a siginficant portion of my b-school loan.

Extracurricular: Nothing special, was an NCC cadet for 1 year during my stay at IIT, Was with NSS(National service scheme) for another 1 year at IIT. However, this is mandatory for every student of IIT and everybody has to join either NCC or NSS in their first and second year. So, can I even count them as ECs?
GMAT: Planning to take it in December this year.

Schools:I want to targert Wharton ,Columbia and Chicago among the top B schools. What score would be OK to have a shot at these schools given my profile?

Recommendation: I am not sure whether I will be able to secure a good recommendation from my immediate boss. This is because I moved to this new assignment in February only. How much of a drawback is it to not have recos form your current magagers?Should I secure one reco from my IIT professor?

Please let me if there is a hope for me at these schools given my profile. If not then let me know as then I will focus on CAT for getting into Indian mgmt. schools.

Thanks and Regards
Chaitanya Vardhan

Cleo,

Thanks for your inquiry.

The Admissions Committees understand that some Indian candidates already have Indian MBAs. While I dont think that it is necessarily advantageous, some can get over it, if you have a very strong profile and a clear and identifiable need for greater education. In your case, I am not that confident about your chances. You admit that you have average grades and an undistinguished work history. It would probably take some time for you to build your external leadership via community activities in order to succeed and even then there would be no guarantees. Differentiation is not a simple attribute that can be achieved overnight. It is a point at which someone arrives by living an interesting life and making the most of opportunities on an ongoing basis.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission

Hi Jeremy,

I am planning to do an MBA in the top US b schools in 2009. a brief intro about me. I am an engineer with a MBA degree from a decent b school in India. Have close to 3 years experience as of date. I am yet another IT professional who is currently working in the US. Have decent acads and decent extra curriculars , but nothing really stellar. I am pretty confident that i can score what it takes to get into the top B Schools. But considering that i am yet another IT pro how do i differentiate myself. To be honest i dont think i have any leadership role in my current organisation . what attributes do i need to hone to make a strong claim.

will having an prior MBA be a deterrent?

Looking forward to your advice.

Regards,
Cleo

Hi Jeremy,

My Profile:

Finished my schooling from J&K; state board of school education. Passed SSC with 71.4% and HSC with 83.83%.
Finished Mechanical Engineering on 15-Jun- 2003 with distinction in final year and first class throughout (61.2% or a GPA of 3.12/4 when compared with the university topper's score).
Joined a manufacturing company on 13-Jul-2003 as a Graduate Trainee and worked there for 13 months. My role in the organization was to do a market research for a product that company wanted to launch in the market. Competitors already had this product in the market. Company wanted to position the product in premium quality segment. Cost of the product was higher than competitors' product, but the payback period for product was much lower than competitor's product. So I had to collect all the technical/non-technical data about the competitors' product installed in client sites of the company and then enlighten the client what all benefits they could reap using our product in the long run.
Joined a small scale business with my uncle on 15-Aug-2004. It was a small grocery based business and I had to handle all day-to-day operations. Handled the business for around nine months when I finally decided to quit.
Joined a reputed Indian IT company as a software engineer on 16-May-2005. Have been working in this organization till date. However, my role has changed from being a software engineer to that of Team Lead. Our team won the best project award for my last assignment. I have taken part in knowledge base building activities in organization. I also keep participating in knowledge sharing sessions
Total experience: 49 month as on 13-Aug-2007
Extracurricular Activities:
o Joined NCC in second year of my engineering and finally earned B and C certificates before completing my term in senior division of NCC. I was also involved in social and cultural activities in NCC. I was involved in adventure sports like trekking and paragliding during this period
o Took part in cultural activities at inter-college level and inter-University level competitions and won laurels all the times
o Presented technical paper at national and state level during my engineering and won a third prize at both the levels
o Took part in sport events held at Hostel level and came out winner in most of the events that I participated in.
Hobbies:
o Reading
o Listening to Music
o Stock market investing
GMAT score: 640
TOEFL (iBT) score: 107
Nationality: Indian
Applying for fall 2008
Want to take up Investment banking, Finance or Consulting as a major
Other considerations: Want complete financing for my MBA using loans, assistanceship, scholarships and by working part time
Please suggest me 5-7 colleges where I can apply and stand a very good
chance of getting in. Last year I applied to just one college (Olin: St. Louis,
Washington University) but my application was denied. Also let me know if
I should re-apply to Olin.

Hi Jeremy,
I am Raj.
Gave my GMAT today and scored 650 :-(

GMAT - 650 (Q 49 V 2
GPA - 3.4
extra curri - active member of NGO in chennai
work exp - 3.5 yrs in VLSI field. (in three diff. 3 companies)

I am looking for

IOWA
Illinois
Indiana
DUKE
NUS

What are my chances that I would make any one of these....
I am not sure whether I can retake gmat..
Please adviceThanks.

Hi Jeremy,
I am interested in General Management in one of the top schools. My profile - 25/M/Indian/770/3yrs of work IT ex.

My work experience has been in a software products company, with a techinical role, except mentoring & cross deptt communications. With the product development experience and with close interaction with the product managers, I want to link my experience with my aspiration for an MBA saying that in the short term, i am looking at a Product management role, and gradually move on to Strategy/Senior management of such a software products company.

My list of schools:
INSEAD, Tuck, Chicago, Darden, Duke, UNC(KF), ISB.

Now, how much sense does it make to say that i looking for a career in Product management from one of these schools??
I guess that Product management is not a very sought after profile as say Consultancy or Finance or Marketting, etc. Am i right??
Or does a General Management/Strategy covers what I am referring as Product Management??

Thanks.

Hello Jeremy,
I would to like to know about my chances of getting into good B-schools(Global Top 20,
which should be good/well known for Finance). I'll be highly obliged to you.
Here is my brief bio-data, if I need to put something more, please let me know.
Indian - Male - VLSI Design Engineer - Age 25, will be 27 at the time of application (planning to apply in 2009)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
X - 77.4%
XII - 75.4%
B.Tech(EE), Kurukshetra Univ - 66.7% ~ 2.9/4.0 (percentage seems to be low but was in top 15%)
M.Tech(EE), IIT Roorkee (one of the leading engineering college in the country)- 8.52/10 (top 5% of the class) ~ 3.4/4.0
GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) - 99.26%, All India Rank - 40
(qualifying examination for M.Tech in India)

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

GMAT - 780 (qa-50, va-47), AWA 5/6
------------------------------------------------------------------
Work-Ex (would be 4+ by the time I apply. No international experience till now)
After Bachelors
--------------
Wipro Technologies
Graduate Engineer Trainee - 11 months - VLSI Design - Design & Verification
After Masters
--------------
Tata Consultancy Services
Engineer-Trainee - 7 months - VLSI Design - Design & Verfication
current employer
Tejas Networks (India's first product company) - R & D
Research & Development Engineer - 30+ months by the time I apply. Doing/Learning quality work on cutting edge technology in present company.
moved to this coz it's more or less like a start-up, product company, fewer employees (less than 200 when I joined, now 300), more responsibilty, work in research & development
---------------------------------------------------------------
Extra-Curriculars:
Sports (College level: Chess, Atheletics(1500m, 5000m), Placement coordinator during
Masters at IIT Roorkee and organizing member of sport events)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
MBA Area of interest:
Finance (Asset management)
but hav no relevant experience
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Community Service
Active Blood donor
nothing else (will it help if I start community service now, I'll apply in 2009)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for top 20 B-schools from US and UK with some financial aid. Can I challenge a seat
in any of the following colleges, if not plz tell me where I can. My first preference is
LBS, Chicago, Columbia and Yale.
UK colleges: LBS, Cambridge's Judge BS and Oxford' Said BS
US colleges: Chicago, NYU, Columbia, Yale, Kellog, Tuck, MIT, Michigan, Virginia, Duke.
and Harvard/Wharton/Stanford...but I think that my profile isn't good enough for them.
Thanks & Regards,
Lokesh Sharma

HEllo Jeremy...

I am really impressd with the kid of replies you give people. Detailed and very helpful as i see.

Had a few doubts regarding MBA and what comes after that :)
First of all, is it very difficult to get a job in the UK after an MBA course? Would US be a better choice that way?

Secondly, if i am looking at a school in UK would my profile (detailed below) be strong enough to be accepted by good schools like Manchester, Said, Cranfield etc...?

Age: 25 years, assuming i join by Aug 08
Education: BE
Acads: Decent. Aggregate of 78% in BE.
Work ex: 1 Year in an IT company and 1 year 10 months in a finance and market research firm, assuming i join by Aug 08 (experience in only India)
Extra Curricular: Represented India in the 14 International Youth Leadershoip conference held in Prague, Czech Republic in July 2007
Social: Actively involved in teaching blind students at an orphanage every alternate weekends. Have been involved in one or the other social activity for the past 8 years. Again no certificate.
Extras: I also work as a part-time journalist and write weekly articles to a local weekly. This is beacuse I have a flair for writing. (Okay, right now i am in a hurry and am not sounding my best)
GMAT: HAve to take the exam. Date in September.

Kindly throw some advice my way please.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Jeremy,

I went through the entire thread and found your posts truly insightful. I would like to present my profile to you for your careful scrutiny.

Academics
X- 90.8% (CBSE)
XII- 86% (CBSE)

B.Tech. (Information & Communication Technology) - 3.1/4 (81%)

GMAT
Score : 770 (V:44 Q:51)

Experience
Worked for more than 2 years (3 years by fall 2008 ) in semiconductor industry in Circuit Design in India. Have been pretty successful at work, earning top grades at office and also a promotion. Seen significant increase in work responsibility over the past 2 years as well as have done mentor ship of new trainees. Recently, won an award for my work at office.

Have held a teaching assistant post for a course in Interactive Design in my final B.Tech semester. This opportunity was given only to the brightest in my undergrad school.

Extra-curricular activities
- Not a lot during college. But was a member of various communities at college.
- Wrote a couple of papers at work and a paper at my undergrad school which was selected at the IEEE student paper contest from R10SPC area (ASIA)
- Am the champion of the hardware community at my organization which is a community of 250 members
- Taken up courses in Japanese language and plan to write a certification exam in Dec, 07
- Am involved in teaching under-privileged refugee children through the community service efforts of my organization for the past 2 years.

In my profile, what I see as my most weakest links are the extracurriculars, especially at my undergrad. Also, the number of years of work experience is a little less. I hope to write good essays.

I plan to apply to following schools:
Wharton, Chicago, Kellogs, Stern, Sloan and Tuck.

I wanted to know if my list of schools is realistic and if I have a decent chance of getting through any of them.

I am looking for a MBA and have an interest in the consulting domain. I am not sure whether my past background can be a hindrance and whether my list of schools accurately mirrors my needs and is realistic.

Hope to see a an insightful reply from you soon!

Hi Jeremy and all,

Thx to all u PG guys for all the help!:satisfie::thumbsup:

Short profile :
21, female, born and lived for 19 years in Ro, went to college in Germany, int University.
work exp - 2 years as a student assistant - clerical issues, customer care stuff like that
- 1 year sales manager

leadership - started and running 2 clubs ( 1 has 4 years1/2 and 2 offices - rethorics for highschool kids, 1 has 1 and 1/2 - sports club) got finances for both ( about 1000 $ )

community service -scout since I was 9 and other activities for at least 2 years each.

So far, so good. the bad part comes now :
i am doing so many activities, including college fuuuun, thus my gpa is not perfect --> about 2.4 US gpa... yeah :((( and it might get better this semester - if I am really good --> 3 US.
GMAT.. there is the only thing that I can improve - planning to take it in February 2008, and I want to apply for R3 at Harvard, Columbia, UPenn and I am not sure about the 4th one, but probably East Coast US. Even though... my globetroter side tells me to go for India

what do you think?
is it possible to get in?

Hi jeremy,

u do a great job
simple question

pleasse suggest me a list of schools ,(or atleast where i can get a handle on this info)
a) schools with a good name in strategy in us.
b) One year MBA course worldwide- which are good in strategy.

my profile
5 years sales mangement work-3 promotions,2 companies, 3 stints-no1 manager last year.
gpa 3.0
Engineering graduate- bad acads.
community work-avg
Extra cocurrium- good.

so list of colleges will help me a lot

thanks jeremy

Hi Jeremy,

Just wanted to thank you on the insights you have been providing on the essays. Appreciate your effort.

Hi Jeremy,

Thanks for the honesty - I need more of that.

I have 2 F's - both in non major subjects and in the 1st half of my academic degree.

Community experience: I guess I wasnt clear enough on what exactly constituted community service. As part of my copywriting/creative consultant experience, I worked pro-bono and my work won an international advertising award.

My basic profile however is the same as outlined above. Heavy quant based work-ex, especially during the initial part of my career; differentiated work-ex and experience in leading cross-functional initiatives during the last 6 months. Work impact across 3 countries (Malaysia, Singapore and UK) and 4 clients. Active outside work-life, as is evident through my ad work, leadership of my club and langauge certification.

My biggest draw-back, at least as I understand it, is the seriously bad academic profile. I am hoping that can get mitigated to some extent by the IIT degree, the strong GMAT and the quant based work-ex.

If you believe that I am still aiming very high, do suggest the range of schools that might make more sense: Stretch, Reach and Safeties.

Thanks,
Varun

Hi Jeremy,

I am an MBA from one of the IIMs ( Indian Institute of Management) and have been working as an investment banker involved in Private equity and M&A; transactions for the corporate finance division of a Big 4 accounting firm in India for the past 4 years. I'll be made an AVP in 1 year Max, so have already crossed the analyt and associate levels in IB . I have done well at the firm and have consistenly been rated among the top performers. . While i haven't had a permanent stint outside india but i do travel frequently to other countries for business.

I am considering applying for an MBA again for various reasons not the least of which is that i feel my earlier MBA was quite premature and honestly, I would like to once again go back to school but in a much more diverse environment than what Indian schools offer. I am considering applications to Wharton/Stanford/HBS/GSBC.. mostly because till now i havent researched much on any other schools

While i feel that the MBA is not that attractive for me in monetary terms since i am happy with what i am being paid , its mainly my urge to go back to school and to take a step back to put things in perspective which is driving me towadrs another MBA.
I would like to ask you how well i would fit with the adcom's requirements for the schoools mentioned above, given my profile. I've listed the important stuff below :

Indian , Male, 26
GMAT : 790
CAT : 99.8

Work Ex : 4+ years in Corporate Finance (M&A;,PE) division of Big 4 accounting firm( 2 years as Associate 2 as Sr. associate, Will be promoted to AVP by the time I apply)

As part of my previous MBA, i interned with the firm and was taken on as a full time employee on completion of the internship. I have worked with corporates of all sizes, Government of India/State government, PE Funds, Investment Banks etc. I've been involved in transactions to the scale of $5 billion. Since teams are usually very small in ivestment banking, level of involvement tends to be extremely high. I've mostly focused on infrastructure and Metals . I've been involved in highly publicized and visible transactions, but i dont think people in the US (specifically the adcom) would be aware of them.

I have always been given significant responsibility, and now I handle entire mandates independently. Travelled extensively in India and also to Europe,US, Middle East for business.

Would be able to secure excellent recommendations from CEO and Managing partners of the firm. Since I have worked with various investment banks/private equity funds, would be able to secure a reco if required from them also.

Previous Education
IIM : top 10% of class
(Spent a term in France on exchange program)

Engg : GPA - 3.3/4 ( From a leading technology school in India)

10+2 - 80% ( Average at best ) Do they even go this far ?

Extra Currics : School/College Level Dramatics, Was usually involved in organizing any big events, editor of magazines for both sschool and college, won international competitions during stay at IIM.

Comm Service: Used to teach/mentor children at an NGO in nearby community, got doctors to hold medical awareness camps there( by involving my brother,who is a doctor , MD from Temple Univ. )

Also, just to make you aware of the alternate route, If i stay with the firm for another 5-7 years, I am confident of becoming a partner. And even if I dont, enough private equity funds / Investment banks are there to welcome seasoned professionals and they'd be willing to pay as much or more than i would get post a Wharton/HBS MBA, that too in india.So in PPP terms, the picture would be better ( And I'm not even counting the cost of an MBA in the US + opporunity cost of leaving the job for 2 years) .

I just mentioned this to drive the point that my decision is not being driven by monetary considerations. Coming to the questions, I'd be happy if you could tell me what areas should i focus on to make my application stronger? Is a previous stint at IIM viewed negatively or positively? And also, do these schools encourage MBA candidates to pursue doctoral studies ?

Cheers
Dude M.

I think that your candidacy will really hinge on how you showcase you professional and community experiences. If you come across as just another tech guy then you are of course done. However, if you can show that you are a manager/innovator/entrepreneur, amid your technical work and community activities, you could challenge for a place among top-15 schools. For you, it will all come down to your story.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission

Hi Jeremy,
Thank you very much for help that you have been offering. I intend to pursue my MBA in the fall of 2008 and It would be great to have your assessment and advice.

Profile
BE(Hons.) Civil & MSc(Hons.) Chemistry
Overall GPA: 6.29/10 (~2.52/4); GPA (Computer related courses and Electives): 8.18/10 (~3.27/4)
High school: 95.83% in Class 12 and 83.36% in Class 10
GMAT: 730 (Math: 50; English: 39; AWA: 4)
Work Experience: 3 years by July 2008.
Applications Database Administrator with Oracle India (since Feb 2006)
Database Administrators with Ocwen Financial Corporation (before that)

Leadership Experience and team work (Extra Curricular):
During College tenure:
General Secretary for the Students' Union
Headed the inventory control departments for annual fests
Advised the Students' Union as ex-offico
Managed a Forty-Lakh Rupee deal in arranging travel for students
Instructed graduate level students as a professional assistant for a database course
Trained the beginners of Swimming Club.
Managed critical databases of the Information Processing Centre
Member of different clubs: Sponsorships, Marketing, Publications and Correspondence
National Service Scheme
Certified by Oracle Corporation as a Database Administrator (in record time/ 92% Average Score)
After College:
Co-ordinated the social activities group in organising different sports events at Oracle
Initiated significant proposals as a part of the Oracle Food Committee
Currently, leading a social project of Oracle volunteers that aims at raising people from below the poverty line, using micro-credit strategy
. Fundraising for the social project
Need based activities in Oracle Volunteers group

Honestly, I intend to pursue the MBA to gain broad perspectives of how businesses work, enabling me work towards my ambition of becoming a social entrepreneur. The path that I have chosen is: MBA (General Management with a strong International focus)--> Career in management consulting/ strategy ---> entrepreneurship---> social entrepreneurship

Looking forward your assessment and advice.
Thanks.

Stigmatic, nice to hear from you again. I will put your request for ISB essays on my to do list. I will get back to you

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission

Hi Jeremy,

Will appreciate if you can analyze ISB's essays too. I am listing them down for your quick reference.

The ISB culture stresses on a diverse mix of students; life at the ISB is a unique experience for the students. How will your candidature contribute to this culture at the ISB? (300 words max)
A million dollars or knighthood: what would you choose and why? (300 words max)
You have a new manager who has just joined your organisation. As a part of the handover, the outgoing manager is describing each person reporting to him. How do you think the outgoing manager will describe you to the incoming manager? (300 words max)

Varunk,

I am going to be blunt. With a couple of Fs and minimal community service you are shooting quite high with a selection of the top-schools. What exactly makes you think that you can be competitive at Wharton, for example? Am I missing something?

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission

Hi Jeremy,

I am planning to apply for the Class of 2010. I am primarily interested in consulting and have picked Kellogg+Chicago+Insead for Round 1 and Wharton+Tuck for Round 2. Would request you to evaluate my profile.

Undergrad: B.Tech (Materials and Metallurgical Engineering), Class of 2005, IIT Kanpur. 6.2/10 with a couple of F's. Top drawer extra-curriculars at campus (part of the institiute debating, quizzing, dumb charades teams-national certifications/represented the campus on quiz shows on BBC), won numerous events ranging from movie making competitions to sports events. Similar profile at school as well where I won some international and national debates etc.

GMAT: 760 (Q50,V42). AWA: 6/6

Work-ex:

I work as an Analyst in the field of Analytics for a UK based financial services major. Experience in the areas of marketing analytics, customer retention, forecasting and predictive analtyics. Been in the same firm all along since October '05. Was in a smaller business research role at another firm for a couple of months - am not planning to include that in the resume.

International work ex of 6-7 months which includes an ongoing consultant stint at the Malaysian arm of my firm (as part of their Quality team) where I have been responsible for setting up MI processes and ensuring implementation. Have also generated significant business for my India arm - to the tune of couple of man-years. I am now moving to a Client Servicing role for a couple of months as part of the above stated 6-7 month period wherein I will develop client focussed analysis.

I have been reporting to the COO of the Malaysian arm for about 4 months now and she can be one of my recommenders. Alternatively, might get my senior manager to recommend as he could take out more time and will be more flexible to write what I tell him! Any pointers on this one? One will be from my manager.

Duration: 2+ till date. Will be 3 when I join.

Additional info:

-Level 1 diploma in French from Alliance Francaise, Kuala Lumpur. Should be able to get a Level 2 diploma as well by the time I apply.
-Have passed 1 actuarial paper - Economics, recognised by Actuarial Societies of India and UK.
-Minimal community experience till date.
-Lots of involvement in other activities at work such as founding a budgeted club. Certain other initiatives have borne fruit and are in practise. I can ofcourse quantify them.
-Freelanced for a while for an advertising agency as a copywriter while working full-time

That's it I guess! Looking forward to your feedback.

Hi Jermy,

Have u missed my last post ?

I am still waiting for your reply.
Last post is on Page no 39 of this thread.

Kindly reply.

Hello Jeremy,
I am Ashwin,a mechanical engineering graduate with 73 % aggregate.
>I am the third highest in our college but when it comes to grading it in the GPA it is 2.6 which is very low.Have i done it right???:
>I am currently working as A Supplier Quality Engineer for GM North America through ACS India Pvt.Ltd.I have 2 years experience in Quality Assurance in the Automobile Industry.
>I am looking for an MBA in supply chain management for Sep 2008.Am i late?Please refer some universities.i need financial aid.I have registered in the MBAmission for a free consultation too.
I would be greatful if ya help me.
Thanks a ton.
Ashwin:)

Hi,

I needed help on the GPA part, how exactly do I know what my GPA is on a 4 scale when we had percentages and the min passing was on 35%.

Knowing what my GPA would be according to universities would be an important criteria in choosing the right schools cuz i think it does play a part apart from my score and work-ex too.

Thanks
Puneet

Hi Jeremy,

This is a very helpful thread and I really appreciate your efforts in guiding MBA aspirants on PG. Please provide your inputs on my profile.

Indian / Male / 27 yrs.

GMAT: 770 (Q 49/ V 47) AWA 6.0

Acads:
X: 88 %
XII: 91%
BE. (Comp Sc.) : 66%

Work Ex: (Total work ex: 5 yrs by Dec 2007)
I graduated in 2002 and for initial 6 months took up a job in a computer-training institute.
Later joined Infosys Tech. Got a promotion last year.
Working in US since last two years. Handling a 4 member offshore team. Good performance in company, but no awards/ recognitions to mention.

Self improvement efforts: While on job, I got some technical and quality certifications over last 3 years.

Extra curr:
Recently joined a volunteer organization in USA.
Last year I was involved in organizing an org-wide event.
Represented sports at state level during school days.
A few awards in various competitions during school.

Reason for MBA: Wish to start off with IT consulting and in the long run, get into strategy.

Based on this profile, please suggest what kind of colleges should I be applying for. In case of MBA from USA, is it a risky proposition for non-residents? Is it true that companies mostly look for green-card holders and getting H1 sponsors is difficult if you don't get into top 10? Please advise.

Thanks,
Pankaj

Sir,
This year m planning to apply few colleges......but m not sure whether my profile is upto the mark or not....can u please gimme some feedback.....
Profile Btech and Mtech from IIT
Overall GPA: 7.36/10
High school: 79.8% in Class 12 and 92.5% in Class 10 (17th rank in state)
GMAT: (not yet taken) september....but already working on essays
Work Experience: 4 years by July 2008.
. R&D; assitant manager in leading automobile company. Working mainly on project management of new technology. Working among very diverse people, from GM senior managers to Job apprentice ( doesnt speak anythin other than Native language)
Achievements and initiatives
During college days
.National service scheme (NSS)...... tutored 2 kids of institute staff for 2 years, particpated in 10 day project in nearby village, joined an organization (outside institute) and did some work on leprosy awareness programe, Joined sahara organization in my native place and worked on computer literacy for underprivileged children for few days.
. Became member of social and cultural team from hall, Became Gsec of social and cultural of my hall, particpated in few events and led teams on few interhall events
.Head of a team in the organizing committee for an international conference of my department and UIUC.
. Did a project in 5th year.....not so gr8 but can impress anyone i believe....it was on Solid Oxide Fuel Cell.....in a small lab i actually developed a fully functioning part of that cell.... :)
. Got one award on over all activity in my hall.
Professional
. got promoted twice in 3years.
. Among many projects...one project accomplished first time in India, another one first in Indian automobile industry......again not so gr8 but what i said above is true about them.....
. Did some small scale technology projects on value engineering.
Still connected to the sahara organization but at unofficial level.
now i want to pursue MBA in general management with a minor in Finance.....plans to enter management consultancy......
Is it possible for u to assess my profile and give some input? i dont have any international experience....very moderate academic profile...

Hi Jeremy

You are giving some amazing advice on this forum. Please find time to evaluate my profile.

GMAT- 700,93 percentile (Q 50,V 35)/AWA 5
Degree- B.E - 73% from Delhi college of engineering
Female
I am working in one of the top IT companies in India for past 2 years. total exp 2 years,will be three years when i join b school
I am working as team member (no promotions as promotions are given after 4 yrs in company)
I am trying to shift my profile from test engineer to solutions architect.

I can get good recos from my supervisor

ECA - Good(during high school,college,workplace).

School:
1) won prizes in essay writing and extempore competition for several years in school
2) state level extempore competition prize
3) editor of school magazine
4) few prize in sports too

College
1) Orgazined several managerial events
2) won prize in business case study and some cultural events
3) took active part in open house program - industry , college interaction

Work:
1) Started two clubs- public speaking and - social responsibility at my workplace.
2) won debate competition and prize in essay writing competition
3) organized several fund generation events , mainly motivating people to be a prt of the movement and adding more members to be part of great social effort.
I can get another reco from HR employee at my workplace

Also:
I have also co founded a social entrepreneurship club along with a friend.

Aim. I am planning to change my profile after MBA. Mgmt consulting focus on marketing research , general management

I need advice of following fronts:

1. Feedback on my profile.Which schools should I target?
I am aiming at Tuck,Columbia,INSEAD,ISB,NUS,Darden. Suggest some according to my profile

2.The issue is when I'll join the school i'l hav 3 years of work ex. With no major promotions and falling into competitive IT bracket I am evaluating my chances.

3.How should I decide rounds of application.?


Waiting for your reply...

Angelrich

Duplicate post..................

Hi Jeremy,
I've been following the stellar critiques posted by you on the profiles of MBA aspirants for almost over a year at PG. It's always been crisp, honest and to the point.
I would be thankful if you can have a look at my profile and give suggestions about +/- of it and how can I improve upon those. I intend to apply this year in 2007.

Here is my Profile:

GMAT: 740 (Q49,V41). AWA: 5/6

Undergrad: B.Tech (Computer Science), Class of 2003, REC/NIT Allahabd. 71%

Work-ex: 5 years by the time I join.
Currently working in a small software company(1100 employees) in the Mortgage banking space for the last 3.5 years.
I was managing a team of 6 people as Senior software engineer till now with major job responsibilities including requirements analysis, preparing design of project, allocation of work, writing appraisals of team members, looking after improving key metrices of the project.
Was given company wide award for Excellence in Team values.
Now I've moved to the Business Analyst Role(moving in business side of things in Mortgage Banking space), which is usually reserved for people with MBA degree. Here, my job profile includes interacting with clients to elicit requirements, interacting with the technical team and designing use cases.
I've done 3 certifications from National Stock exchange of India in Financial markets, F&O;, Debt instruments.
I'm also a CFA L-1 candidate and confident of clearing it.

Extracurriculars:
1) Was co-ordinator of College Technical Festival
2) Was involved in organizing pulse polio camp and motivating 200 children in Pulse polio campaign in a village and continued it for 3 years
3) Organizing Company wide Quiz Event which was well received by all and the CEO.
4) Founding an NGO in the field of education for children and hope to achieve the target of enrolling at least 20 children.


I want to switch to I-banking after MBA having worked in IT Fin industry.
What are my chances with repect to schools between 10-20 in US and INSEAD, IESE in europe?
The point which I'm contemplating at the moment is the Lack of brand in my resume. Also, I've no onsite experince although I interact with US/ european clients on telecons.
Please give your candid feedback on the profile and suggest ways on improving upon it.
I would like to know whether I should stick to my company for a while or should I switch back to coding role in IT division of I-banks like Goldman, Morgan Stanley, to get brand name keeping in mind my MBA application.

Thanks a ton for the patience!!!

Hi Jeremy,
Thank you very much for help that you have been offering. I intend to pursue my MBA in the fall of 2008 and It would be great to have your assessment and advice.

Profile
BE(Hons.) Civil & MSc(Hons.) Chemistry
Overall GPA: 6.29/10 (~2.52/4); GPA (Computer related courses and Electives): 8.18/10 (~3.27/4)
High school: 95.83% in Class 12 and 83.36% in Class 10
GMAT: 730 (Math: 50; English: 39; AWA: 4)
Work Experience: 3 years by July 2008.
Applications Database Administrator with Oracle India (since Feb 2006)
Database Administrators with Ocwen Financial Corporation (before that)

Leadership Experience and team work (Extra Curricular):
During College tenure:
General Secretary for the Students' Union
Headed the inventory control departments for annual fests
Advised the Students' Union as ex-offico
Managed a Forty-Lakh Rupee deal in arranging travel for students
Instructed graduate level students as a professional assistant for a database course
Trained the beginners of Swimming Club.
Managed critical databases of the Information Processing Centre
Member of different clubs: Sponsorships, Marketing, Publications and Correspondence
National Service Scheme
Certified by Oracle Corporation as a Database Administrator (in record time/ 92% Average Score)
After College:
Co-ordinated the social activities group in organising different sports events at Oracle
Initiated significant proposals as a part of the Oracle Food Committee
Currently, leading a social project of Oracle volunteers that aims at raising people from below the poverty line, using micro-credit strategy
. Fundraising for the social project
Need based activities in Oracle Volunteers group

Honestly, I intend to pursue the MBA to gain broad perspectives of how businesses work, enabling me work towards my ambition of becoming a social entrepreneur. The path that I have chosen is: MBA (General Management with a strong International focus)--> Career in management consulting/ strategy ---> entrepreneurship---> social entrepreneurship

Looking forward your assessment and advice.
Thanks.

Hi Jeremy,

Will appreciate if you can analyze ISB's essays too. I am listing them down for your quick reference.

The ISB culture stresses on a diverse mix of students; life at the ISB is a unique experience for the students. How will your candidature contribute to this culture at the ISB? (300 words max)

A million dollars or knighthood: what would you choose and why? (300 words max)

You have a new manager who has just joined your organisation. As a part of the handover, the outgoing manager is describing each person reporting to him. How do you think the outgoing manager will describe you to the incoming manager? (300 words max)

Hi Jeremy,

I am planning to apply for the Class of 2010. I am primarily interested in consulting and have picked Kellogg+Chicago+Insead for Round 1 and Wharton+Tuck for Round 2. Would request you to evaluate my profile.

Undergrad: B.Tech (Materials and Metallurgical Engineering), Class of 2005, IIT Kanpur. 6.2/10 with a couple of F's. Top drawer extra-curriculars at campus (part of the institiute debating, quizzing, dumb charades teams-national certifications/represented the campus on quiz shows on BBC), won numerous events ranging from movie making competitions to sports events. Similar profile at school as well where I won some international and national debates etc.

GMAT: 760 (Q50,V42). AWA: 6/6

Work-ex:

I work as an Analyst in the field of Analytics for a UK based financial services major. Experience in the areas of marketing analytics, customer retention, forecasting and predictive analtyics. Been in the same firm all along since October '05. Was in a smaller business research role at another firm for a couple of months - am not planning to include that in the resume.

International work ex of 6-7 months which includes an ongoing consultant stint at the Malaysian arm of my firm (as part of their Quality team) where I have been responsible for setting up MI processes and ensuring implementation. Have also generated significant business for my India arm - to the tune of couple of man-years. I am now moving to a Client Servicing role for a couple of months as part of the above stated 6-7 month period wherein I will develop client focussed analysis.

I have been reporting to the COO of the Malaysian arm for about 4 months now and she can be one of my recommenders. Alternatively, might get my senior manager to recommend as he could take out more time and will be more flexible to write what I tell him! Any pointers on this one? One will be from my manager.

Duration: 2+ till date. Will be 3 when I join.

Additional info:

-Level 1 diploma in French from Alliance Francaise, Kuala Lumpur. Should be able to get a Level 2 diploma as well by the time I apply.
-Have passed 1 actuarial paper - Economics, recognised by Actuarial Societies of India and UK.
-Minimal community experience till date.
-Lots of involvement in other activities at work such as founding a budgeted club. Certain other initiatives have borne fruit and are in practise. I can ofcourse quantify them.
-Freelanced for a while for an advertising agency as a copywriter while working full-time

That's it I guess! Looking forward to your feedback.