Ask a Consultant! - GMAT/GRE Only

MBA
1698

@[599837:Parul1987]

My advice, in addition to what ananyboss has mentioned in the post above : Don't equate doing an MBA from aod university to getting a full ride scholarship. Its like an Indian guy saying I will marry only if the girl gets dowry (sorry about the bad (tabboo??) example - Indians are obssessed with marriage you know, as Mr. Gagan Narang's parents are already cashing on his bronze medal win for a golden bride).

If you really want to do an MBA, don't get stuck on finances. However, you can still select b-schools which offer generous scholarships or graduate assistantships.

Most b-schools will let you know about the scholarship when they offer you admission. So you don't have to wait until you complete first year, you may just be required to maintain your grades in first year in order to renew the scholarship in Year 2.

Namita, MBA Decoder

1699
@MartianOnEarth said:
Saw your PM. Also saw that Namita has given you some excellent advice on all your queries.In your PM you said you've just started reading 'Beyond The MBA Hype'. What's your opinion about it?Good luck at ABB. --Sameer KamatFounder | MBA Crystal Ball
I haven't read the book from the first chapter to last chapter per-se, but i have read a few chapters that particularly interest me. You do know what you are talking about and I am going back to that book for a detailed read much before I start applying. I might even knock on you door for a few services. Thanks a lot. 😃
1700
As I was told, this is to clearify. I am not a "consultant" here, i m just trying to help
1701

@[496178:ananyboss]

Every one's welcome to give their view here :)

Namita

1702
Hi Consultants,

I am planning to go for my MBA from Australia next year. Please find below my details:

10%: 75>>
12%: 76%>>
Bachelors: 65% in Electronics and Telecom (Some private college... )
GMAT Score: 650 (Q49, V29) AWA 5 (Time ran out ...)
Work Exp: 3.2 years experience in IT working with Infosys Limited as a Senior System Engineer in Banking Domain with Wachovia bank, one of financial services subsidiary of Wells Fargo, as the client. Have worked on 2 migration projects as of now, handling my current project single handedly from offshore. No onsite exp as of now.
Extra curriculars: Average
IELTS: Giving next month
Interested in: MBA finance, International Business (2nd priority)

Please have a look at my profile and let me know what are my chances of making it to the top 10 B-schools in Australia.

Thanks
Raja
1703

Hi,


Have recently started preparing for GMAT.
Going through hard time understanding what q48 v48 actually mean. As there is neither 48 questions in any section nor can I link it with any other thing.
Might be skill question for all who know about it.

This question is killing me..... please help, as understanding the scoring pattern must be clear to do well in exam....

Thanking you in Advance.
1704
@nikku123 said: Hi,
Have recently started preparing for GMAT. Going through hard time understanding what q48 v48 actually mean. As there is neither 48 questions in any section nor can I link it with any other thing.
Might be skill question for all who know about it.
This question is killing me..... please help, as understanding the scoring pattern must be clear to do well in exam....
Thanking you in Advance.
have replied on the other thread
1705

Dear Gurus,


I need your valuable advice for the optional essay of applications. I am confused about the same. Should I mention my achievements/awards/extracurricular in the optional essay? I scored badly in my first attempt of GMAT because of center problem. GMAC acknowledged the same and offered me the free test. So, should i elaborate the reason and situation of first attempt in optional essay?

Your advice will be helpful in writing the essays.

My details: GMAT: 710
Exp: 8+ in project management of Oil & Gas company
Schools targeting: ISB, IIMs, Duke, Mccombs, Rice
1706

Hi everyone,

My name is Vamshi. I am graduate from IITG in Electronics. I have a GPA of 8.2/10. I have been working since 2 years. I have a GRE score of 730. I want to do MBA in finance. Can you help me choose universities? What rank univeristies should I look at? I know MBA gets costly when u go for very good universities, but they are the one's wth network and good hiring. I would like to take my chance and apply to good 1's. Can you suggest some univeristies where I can apply, and where finance is very god specilization.

Thank you all
V

1707

Sir,
My name is mohit awasthi i want to ask certain questions -
1. When to take GRE - i am planning MS in US at present i am in pre final year of my engineering in electrical discipline i want to know when to take GRE?
2. which one to take IELTS/TOEFL?
which one is easy of two? or which one is more acceptable?
3. Do we need to have final degree before applying to a certain varsity?
4.What about scholarships? when to apply and where to apply ?
5. Is it necessary to send official GRE scores as soon as test gets over to 4 university (which are free)
6. What about loan ? when to apply for that in case i don't get scholarships?
7. How to convert percentage to GPA? is using online calculator a good option?
Thanks a lot in advance

1708
@mohit_1598 said: Sir, My name is mohit awasthi i want to ask certain questions - .....
Basically, you want us to do all of your work - you want to be spoon-fed. A lot of these questions can be answered by you asking your friends or doing some reading on the internet. NOT by asking us.

Edit:
1. Take the GRE in the holidays between 3-2 and 4-1. That will give you time to apply.
2. For US, TOEFL is the accepted score, not IELTS.
3. No. You can indicate that you are in your final year. Please have previous semesters' marksheets/memos ready. You will need those to be validated by your issuing university and sent in sealed and signed envelope. Ask your friends!
4. Scholarships depends on your profile - GRE Score, Engg score, area of MS. Possible way - You will need to communicate with the professors of your department in the US as to the kind of research they are doing, and if you are interested, ask to be included in their teams.
5. Yes. Generally, you can send your scores for free when you first take the exam. After that, you pay to send the score per school. So it's in your best interests to save money by sending your score to 4 schools that you will anyway be applying to.
6. As soon as you get your first I-20 i.e. admission acceptance from the school is followed by an official document called the I-20 start the loan process. This is a particularly long and often troublesome process so the earlier you start the better it is.
7. Dont convert unless the school specifically asks you to. Schools are familiar with univs in India and their scoring system so they will look at your marksheet and know how good you are.
1709

Hello Sir

Please find my profile as below

X/XII - Above 75%
Graduation: B.E (First Class)\
GMAT - Plan to take in 2013

Work Exp - 32 months, the breakup as below

LifeMojo (Startup in Health and Wellness Industry) - Online and Offline Marketing - 6 Months

Accenture - Associate Software Engineer - Worked in projects for AMEX - 9 Months

Windchimes Communications - Online Brand Management and Online Reputation Management for IPL Team Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Loop Mobile - Indian Telecom Service provider - 6 Months

ABB - Business Development and Sustainability - Handling business development i.e prospecting, screening and finalizing contracts for service agreements for asset management for Indian process industries. Sustainability includes handling project management for the service agreements w.r.t Supply Chain, Operations and HR. Have multiple roles as it is a new business in India. - Total Workexp of 18 Months till date

Career Interests and Skills (As of now) - Business Strategy, Business Development -Contract Definition, Pricing - Developing price models, Project cost controlling, supply chain management, marketing and branding

Looking for post MBA- General Management , stint in consumer marketing in industry and long term leadership role in business strategy and planning

Strengths - Present work-exp inclined to future goals, versatility in job experiences which is primarily focussed on marketing. Self learning ability. Entrepreneurial exposure with regards to small and big businesses

Weakness - Roller coaster ride with respect to work-exp. Too many things on the resume

Query - Looking for profile evaluation for a future MBA - General Management Aspirant
- Renowned B- Schools for GM

Please advise

Karthik Iyer
1710
@joinashish said: Dear Gurus,
I need your valuable advice for the optional essay of applications. I am confused about the same. Should I mention my achievements/awards/extracurricular in the optional essay? I scored badly in my first attempt of GMAT because of center problem. GMAC acknowledged the same and offered me the free test. So, should i elaborate the reason and situation of first attempt in optional essay?
Your advice will be helpful in writing the essays.
My details: GMAT: 710
Exp: 8+ in project management of Oil & Gas company
Schools targeting: ISB, IIMs, Duke, Mccombs, Rice

Optional essay policies can vary from school to school - some schools would be alright if you mention additional information here, but most schools would prefer that you DO NOT use this essay as an add-on to talk about stuff that did not fit in elsewhere. Therefore I would suggest you to go by the rule of the thumb and not attempt another 250-500 words unless you feel a compelling need to explain some circumstances.

Regarding you bad GMAT score in the first attempt- if its the ISB essay, I don't think its a great idea. The ISB app is in itself short, and you would rather use that space to explain something more impressive about yourself - such as how you would fit in the ISB community. Besides, ISB like most other b-schools, considers the highest GMAT score, so you have nothing to explain.

btw- I presumed 710 is your GMAT score after the 2nd attempt.

Namita, MBA Decoder

1711

Hi consultants !


I have a query. I am a final year student from an IIT.
Should i prefer an MBA now from IIM or from a foreign university after work experience of 2-3 years.
10h score :90+
12th score :90+
CGPA : 9+
Joining a fortune top 5 MNC after college.
1712

i have an work exprince of 2yrs as on today...

10th 80+...12th 79% and b-tech 7.7cgpa with very low extra curricural activity

working in a PSU
want to do an mba from top insti...
am i too late for CAT12??
do i have any gud chance for CAT13 as i will have 3yr work exprience or i will try for GMAT next year??

totally confused please give ur valuable opinions

1713

Hi

First of all thanks for starting this great post on GMAT.

I needed some guidance on GMAT and future course of action.

My profile is as below

10:- 86%

12:- 76%

Engg:-76%(Honors) Computer Science

Working in India's top IT services company since last 7.5 years

worked in various roles starting from team member,modle lead, project lead, business analyst and project manager ,all for a Fortune 10 Client

International experience : 15 Months Europe, 11 Months Canada

Extra curricular: National Child Scientist(National childeren science congress),Tata Crucible

regional runner up,Six sigma green belt,active Toastmasters member

Planning for GMAT in Nov 2012 aiming for 700+ score and targetting one year MBA program in India

Post MBA: Want to move into Management / IT Consultancy, Strategy roles

Gaurav

1714
@raghavmehra777 said: Hi i am raghav and i am planning to go for Masters in Finance from Usa in 2013 mainly because i dont have work experience.i have done Bachelors in Computer Applications.will being from a non finance background be a disadvantage in my selection?also i am planning to do a distance learning financial management course from Amity University.will it be advantageous to me when applying?if i work during this course from amity then will that work be considered as full time as my course is distance education?
Noone is replying me..please someone
1715
@hsk1279 said: Hi consultants !
I have a query. I am a final year student from an IIT.
Should i prefer an MBA now from IIM or from a foreign university after work experience of 2-3 years.
10h score :90+
12th score :90+
CGPA : 9+
Joining a fortune top 5 MNC after college.

Hi, this is a personal decision. I can bounce off some pros and cons for both approaches:

Pros:

1. You get done with your studying once and for all.

2. An MBA at this time will get you a better position in a company compared to joining just after B.tech (and this could be an entry level technical role).

Cons for MBA now/ Pros for MBA later:

1. You will not have any industry perspective just out of college. This helps when you can align/identify your own work experiences to what is being discussed in class. You will relate to theoretical concepts better.

2. With 2-4 years work experience in your kitty, you would be better placed to understand your future career aspirations and how the MBA can help you achieve them. Probably you will not have this direction right now.

3. People learn soft skills like team building, interpersonal skills, networking etc. with age and experience. You would be better equipped with these a few years into working.

Cons for MBA later:

1. You may not feel the need for it later, or may not get the time because of XYZ issues.

Hope that helps. Other Puys can chip in with their thoughts.

Namita, MBA Decoder

1716
@freakysan said: i have an work exprince of 2yrs as on today...10th 80+...12th 79% and b-tech 7.7cgpa with very low extra curricural activityworking in a PSU want to do an mba from top insti... am i too late for CAT12?? do i have any gud chance for CAT13 as i will have 3yr work exprience or i will try for GMAT next year??totally confused please give ur valuable opinions

CAT and GMAT - I don't think these are the main criteria. You have to first decide on which b-schools you want to apply to. Your decision should then be based on which test scores these b-schools accept.

Namita, MBA Decoder

1717
@gaurav9u said:

Hi

First of all thanks for starting this great post on GMAT.

I needed some guidance on GMAT and future course of action.

My profile is as below

10:- 86%

12:- 76%

Engg:-76%(Honors) Computer Science

Working in India's top IT services company since last 7.5 years

worked in various roles starting from team member,modle lead, project lead, business analyst and project manager ,all for a Fortune 10 Client

International experience : 15 Months Europe, 11 Months Canada

Extra curricular: National Child Scientist(National childeren science congress),Tata Crucible

regional runner up,Six sigma green belt,active Toastmasters member

Planning for GMAT in Nov 2012 aiming for 700+ score and targetting one year MBA program in India

Post MBA: Want to move into Management / IT Consultancy, Strategy roles

Gaurav

Hi Gaurav,

You have a good chance to make it to a one year program in India, assuming that you put across a good application. However, most indian b-schools like IIMs, SP Jain, XLRI have their application deadlines around now. So you may be missing the bus (other than ISB, Round 2, depending on your GMAT date) if you take GMAT in November.

Namita, MBA Decoder