Hi ! I wish to do my MBa from one of top ten ivy league colleges. My GMAT score is 720. I have a good gpa in chemical engineering and some commendable work with social communities . I have a work ex of two years, 1 year in a chemical process industry and 1 year in an executive search firm . Will an experience in HR background not be good enough to get me admission in the colleges of my choice?
Hi Sonal,
Your work experience seems to be the weak point in your profile. One year in the industry (under what role?) and the next one in HR - how are these linked and how do they lead you to your career goals?
If you are looking at the top 10 US b-schools, then you must strengthen your work profile and apply a couple of years later.
Please evaluate my profile and advise whether I should retake the GMAT:
GMAT: 680 / 5.5
Qualifications : CFA Charterholder from CFA Institute US, MBA in Finance (Distance Learning), Diploma in Revenue Management
Other facts: Attended MDP at IIMA in 2008
Target - IIMA - PGPX 2013
Hi Heepstones, IIMA does not have a minimum GMAT requirement though a score above 680 definately helps in getting the coveted interview call.
Eventually, your application is viewed in entriety. If you apply with a low GMAT score, other parts of your application should shine. Demonstrate your leadership skills, domain knowledge and that you have grown your business substantially. IIMA places importance on international exposure as well - if you have any int'l experience, mention it in the application.
Current Age - 29 yrs old Educational Background:Qualified Chartered Accountant( ACA/CPA)- First attempt , ICWAI ( CIMA) - First attempt, CVA (NACVA) and CMA( IMA,USA). GPA of 3.5-3.7. 10th -76%, 12th 73% and B.com 78% GMAT dec 2008 -610 and sept 2011 - 600
Work Experience
I have 8 years of experience( plus 3 years Articleship with big 4 - PWC)) in Investment banking, Private Equity, Valuations and M&A; having worked with Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Shell. Have around 3 years of international experience and have worked in 28 countries in last 8 years across 4 continents
Sudhir, You have an excellent profile. You experience demonstrates leadership, career growth, maturity as well as sufficient depth of experience given your continued focus on investment banking, whether as a provider (big 4, investment house) or a user (Shell) of such services.
Also the international experience gives further strength to your profile. Low GMAT score is the only chink in your armour.
Applying to Indian schools accentuates this challenge given the generally high GMAT score of Indian applicants. So, I would suggest you to retake your GMAT. There is a general thought that the farther away you are from your educational years (under grad), the lesser is the importance of the GMAT score. While this is true for European schools, in India, particularly in the IIMs, a good GMAT score (close to 700) carries a lot of weight.
If a GMAT retake is not a possibility, diversify your risk and focus on the programmes which have a much greater emphasis on professional experience and much lower on the GMAT score. The Sloan programme at LBS is one such programme you should surely explore. IMD and INSEAD are other great options.
Sir, can you tell me about the future of master in management programs which have recently become a hit among the students as many IITians are also going for it than your traditional MBA degree from overseas as they are cheaper,easier to get through and equally competitive compared to MBA.Just tell me what are the requirements a B school looks for a candidate applying for these programs.Do they need to have a strong resume or just a good score above 700 in Gmat will be good enough.honestly i dont have a strong resume to rely upon but yes i can try to score as much as possible in Gmat.I am a fresher .Recently completed my graduation from Delhi College Of Engineering but still unplaced unfortunately.Have planned to join an NGO and give all the MBA exams in india and gmat.So just brief me whether this program can be suitable or is it just wasting the parent's money and whether they accept freshers for this program or an experienced candidate. I am really worried and confused.Please help me out with it .Your suggestions will be quite valuable to me .Thanks..
Sir??, can you tell me about the future of master in management programs which have recently become a hit among the students
Masters in management programs (outside India) are typically for people with 0-2 years of work experience. So, while you do not require work experience to qualify, you should have held some leadership positions at college or outside it (volunteering, community development). You would still need to demonstrate that you have leadership potential. Additionally your GPA, GMAT score and the quality and relevance of your essays, recommendations and resume will become important.
Be prepared to answer questions on your career goals and why an MBA now. You will need to figure out this bit yourself, and as you have not worked at all, this lclarity may be not come obviously. Use your internships/projects to analyse the kind of work you liked doing and if you would like to build your goals around that.
is it mandatory to have work experience from an MNC or a prestigious organization to enhance chances in ISB, Hyderabad.
You do not require work experience at a "prestigious organization". However, you need to have done quality work at your organization. You should have made a positive impact and grown in your career.
I want to pursue an MBA from an Asian College. My interest is in Supply Chain Management & Operations. Can you please suggest some reputed colleges which excel in this field and simultaneously provide a Global Exposure?
ECCA: Headed 2 societies in College.Organized Tech & Cultural Fests in College. Social Cause: Working for an NGO for last 8 months(Part time).
Work Exp: 4 years in Oil Industry. Handled Project Management of multi-crore Project. Worked at Sites during Construction phase. Did commissioning of Project and now handling Operations of a Terminal as In-charge. During my 4 years of experience, I have learnt various aspects of Project Management, Procurement, Contract Management, Vendor Development, Site Co-ordination, Liaison with Govt. Departments etc.
You can see that my Profile is most suited for Operations Management. Now, I have interest in Finance Sector as well and tried with CFA, USA; but could not clear 1st level because of only 3 months given to its preparation.
To rise up the ladder and explore diverse career opportunities, I want an MBA degree and plan to apply in the top colleges of Asia and Canada which can offer me an Mba in 1 year with dual specialization: Finance & Operations.
Can you please suggest the names of the colleges suitable for my profile along with their rankings and approximate fees they charge?
Hey.... I just gave my GMAT.... Got a 770....Quant 50 verbal 45... 1.I wanted to get an idea as to what all colleges I should aim for abroad and what is the amount of money that I should be ready to shell out? 2.Does a good GMAT score help my case for a financial aid in the top B schools abroad or is it not much worth? I am now going to start my final year of Mechanical Engineering at BIT Mesra. PS:Without a financial aid I won't be able to take up a foreign MBA so should I drop the whole idea? My alternative is to hope to get accepted at ISB YLP...
Brief Profile: 10th- 89% 12th- 82% MBA(Tech) from NMIMS...it is a dual degree program (B.Tech in telecommunications + MBA in Operations) (2007-2012)
APICS CPIM-BSCM Six Sigma Green Belt CAPM CCNA
Working as a Global Supply Chain Analyst with Alliance Tire Group (Untitled Document) since May'12.
4-month management internship experience with Tata Chemicals Ltd., with broad exposure in Supply Chain Optimization, Procurement, Quality Management and Automation.
5-months (3+2) internship with Reliance Communications and Syndrome Technologies in networking domain.
extra curricular activities include sports where i have captained my school and junior college team and played for Mumbai Cricket Association(Thane division) U-14 and U-16....Football where i have played for my college...Music (keyboard and harmonium)...also been part of organizing committee of college festival in lan gaming and food & beverages dept.
I wish to pursue one year masters in Supply Chain and Logistics from FT top 50 b-schools like sloans, london business school, rotterdam, cranfield etc. I still havent appeared for GMAT but i know i will require a score of 700+. So by next fall when admissions start, I will have a cumulative experience of 2 years approx (1.5 in supply chain)
I wish to know, considering my profile, am i eligible for these one year masters courses? or m I overqualified and should gain a bit more experience and then apply for MBA?
Brief Profile: 10th- 89% 12th- 82% MBA(Tech) from NMIMS...it is a dual degree program (B.Tech in telecommunications + MBA in Operations) (2007-2012)
APICS CPIM-BSCM Six Sigma Green Belt CAPM CCNA
Working as a Global Supply Chain Analyst with Alliance Tire Group (Untitled Document) since May'12.
4-month management internship experience with Tata Chemicals Ltd., with broad exposure in Supply Chain Optimization, Procurement, Quality Management and Automation.
5-months (3+2) internship with Reliance Communications and Syndrome Technologies in networking domain.
extra curricular activities include sports where i have captained my school and junior college team and played for Mumbai Cricket Association(Thane division) U-14 and U-16....Football where i have played for my college...Music (keyboard and harmonium)...also been part of organizing committee of college festival in lan gaming and food & beverages dept.
I wish to pursue one year masters in Supply Chain and Logistics from FT top 50 b-schools like sloans, london business school, rotterdam, cranfield etc. I still havent appeared for GMAT but i know i will require a score of 700+. So by next fall when admissions start, I will have a cumulative experience of 2 years approx (1.5 in supply chain)
I wish to know, considering my profile, am i eligible for these one year masters courses? or m I overqualified and should gain a bit more experience and then apply for MBA?
My brief profile is: B.E. (Mech) : VJTI (Mumbai University): 72% Masters in Mechanical Engineering:Cornell University : 3.5 GPA GMAT Score : 700 (I know I can do a bit better) CFA Level I
Work Experience: Intern: 9 months : PE focused in Cleantech Analyst: 6 months : Carbon consulting Sr Consultant : 2 years : Accounting Big 4 mostly consulting bilaterals, multilaterals, and Indian government in field of Cleantech (both energy efficiency and renewable)
Other than this, I have a couple of papers published in an international conferences and journals. Also I was the chief coordinator of my college technical festival
I want to apply to top 5 along with couple of universities in Asia and Europe. I was wondering about my chances and whether I should take the GMAT again?
My brief profile is: B.E. (Mech) : VJTI (Mumbai University): 72% Masters in Mechanical Engineering:Cornell University : 3.5 GPA GMAT Score : 700 (I know I can do a bit better) CFA Level I
Work Experience: Intern: 9 months : PE focused in Cleantech Analyst: 6 months : Carbon consulting Sr Consultant : 2 years : Accounting Big 4 mostly consulting bilaterals, multilaterals, and Indian government in field of Cleantech (both energy efficiency and renewable)
Other than this, I have a couple of papers published in an international conferences and journals. Also I was the chief coordinator of my college technical festival
I want to apply to top 5 along with couple of universities in Asia and Europe. I was wondering about my chances and whether I should take the GMAT again?
Hi Seamgoal,
Your focus on cleantech is quite obvious from your work experience, and I assume your career goals are also related (in case they are not, think again).
Your list of b-schools is very broad- top 5. Top 5 where? Top 5 in what? and Top 5 for who? You need to scratch the surface a bit harder to refine your list of schools.
Figure out what is it that you want to study, considering your career goals. Next, which b-schools will fulfill that need? If its clean tech, let me give you names of a few courses to get you started. Explore these programs and make a list of what you like about each of them. Look at the curriculum - electives, concentrations, projects & immersions, related Centres of excellence, clubs, internship/ employment data that is relevant to your career goals. Talking to students/ alums is very helpful.
ECCA: Headed 2 societies in College.Organized Tech & Cultural Fests in College. Social Cause: Working for an NGO for last 8 months(Part time).
Work Exp: 4 years in Oil Industry. Handled Project Management of multi-crore Project. Worked at Sites during Construction phase. Did commissioning of Project and now handling Operations of a Terminal as In-charge. During my 4 years of experience, I have learnt various aspects of Project Management, Procurement, Contract Management, Vendor Development, Site Co-ordination, Liaison with Govt. Departments etc.
You can see that my Profile is most suited for Operations Management. Now, I have interest in Finance Sector as well and tried with CFA, USA; but could not clear 1st level because of only 3 months given to its preparation.
To rise up the ladder and explore diverse career opportunities, I want an MBA degree and plan to apply in the top colleges of Asia and Canada which can offer me an Mba in 1 year with dual specialization: Finance & Operations.
Can you please suggest the names of the colleges suitable for my profile along with their rankings and approximate fees they charge?
Hi, I graduated with an engineering degree in Information Tech in 2006.
I have about 5+ years experience in Market Research and am currently a team lead at a Market Research firm. Over the years I have had several roles but my primary responsibilities have revolved around data analysis, project management, business development and internal practice building efforts.
I have a score of 600 in GMAT and I will not be able to take the exam again.
In this regard I have 2 questions
1. Where can I get information on schools that are known for their MBA Marketing Programs? 2. Which schools look like a good fit based on my general profile mentioned above
Work Exp: 4 years in Oil Industry. Handled Project Management of multi-crore Project.
Excellent mix of roles and responsibilities, Ravs. Good work!
I have interest in Finance Sector as well and tried with CFA, USA; but could not clear 1st level because of only 3 months given to its preparation.
Are you sure that the lack of preparation was the real reason? Or was it the difficulty in understanding the essential concepts?
You don't have to answer here, but it's important to think about this. An MBA will have many of the same concepts, albeit not in as much detail.
...plan to apply in the top colleges of Asia and Canada which can offer me an Mba in 1 year with dual specialization: Finance & Operations. Can you please suggest the names of the colleges suitable for my profile along with their rankings and approximate fees they charge?
NUS, NTU, INSEAD (S'pore), Ivey, Rotman, Schulich, HKUST are the reputed ones in the 2 regions. You'll find the rankings and fees on their websites.
But Asia and Canada have fewer bschool choices than the US. For your experience level, you could check out American schools too.
Excellent mix of roles and responsibilities, Ravs. Good work!
Are you sure that the lack of preparation was the real reason? Or was it the difficulty in understanding the essential concepts?
But Asia and Canada have fewer bschool choices than the US. For your experience level, you could check out American schools too.
- Sameer Kamat Founder | MBA Crystal Ball
Hi Martian On Earth,
Thanks for answering the query. I will definitely introspect more. I have sent you a PM. Kindly check it and reply.
Further, regarding getting admission in a B-school that is located in Asia or Canada, I am keeping in mind the economy of US and the fees required at most of US colleges.
Would you not agree that Fees in Asian & Canadian colleges is less and returns more, not only in terms of high probability of landing in a job but also in having a good ROI?
