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MBA
1778
@Psychodementia
Thanks Arun
Im looking for an indian mba only,but i have searched about education loans and it seems above 7.5 lakh of loan ,one has to show property value.So was kind of disheartened by that,Thats what is bothering me.Can you elaborate on what you said.It will be of great help.
1779
@sheronpaul I just did "loans for iim students" and hit "I'm feeling lucky" and got this:

http://www.centralbankofindia.co.in/site/MainSite.aspx?status=2&menu;_id=121

Do some googling - I am sure you will have some answers.

Arun
1780
@Rajat_S

1. Cornell and Tepper as Backup?? With an IT background and a 700 GMAT score it sounds a bit tough. Also why would you NOT join these schools again? :-|

2. Have you travelled outside India? If no, then INSEAD goes out of the list. Rest look fine for "stretch" schools along with the ones you mentioned as "backup".

3. Kellogg is a dream. I agree. Any other school from that league would fit in here - H/W/S

Regarding your post-MBA goal. Well here is the deal - to get into MC you just need to go to a top school. There is really no "specialization" required - almost counter-intuitive since as a consultant you should be able to generalize. Also there is no "specialization" called General Management. General is not specialized :)

Arun
1781

Puys,

Nobody wants any advice? Live up to the PG spirit, and keep the queries rolling in....

Namita

1782
@mba_help I hope this "sannataa" is not related with my appearing on the scene. Saare applicants soch rahein hain bhaago Psychodementia aa gaya :mg:

BTW thanks for holding the fort Namita!

Arun


1783
@Psychodementia said: @mba_help I hope this "sannataa" is not related with my appearing on the scene. Saare applicants soch rahein hain bhaago Psychodementia aa gaya
BTW thanks for holding the fort Namita!
Arun
lol, On the contrary!!
Just a smarter set of applicants this year, who don't need help.
1784

I have a query what is the general skill set expected by HR for consultants with experience switching from one company to another ?

1785
@techsurge said:

I have a query what is the general skill set expected by HR for consultants with experience switching from one company to another ?

Can you be more specific with your question?
A lot of skills can be industry related - for example if you are a management consultant, you are expected to deal with ambiguity, be good at problem solving, have time management and multi tasking skills, good interpersonal and team skills, analytical ability...the list goes on.
A lot of these skills will also be required in other professions.
I don't know if I answered your question.
Namita, MBA Decoder
1786
@mba-help i am asking reharding IT consultancy domain
1787
@techsurge You need to have the following top 3 skills:

1. Domain. A lot of IT consulting requires deep domain expertise. For example BFSI.

2. Experience. Read as skill-sets such as requirement gathering, tools such as Rational Rose, and techniques such as UML.

3. Education. In many places an MBA could be preferred. If not, then a solid engineering degree would certainly be helpful.

Arun
1788

HI Namita/Arun are you doing resume building and college profiling? if yes can u please PM me your contact no, email and fees charged for the same? thanks

1789
@sabbathmailer Happy to help if you have a specific question. If you need more time esp one on one consulting then we can discuss further. You may contact us through the website mentioned in the signature.

Arun
1790

Guys,

Any questions for the consultants? Please post them on this thread and we'll be happy to answer you.

Namita

1791

Hi Namita and Arun,


Thanks for helping all of us with our MBA queries.

Please see below my profile and some of my Questions.

I have done my MBA (Finance) from IIT Kanpur straight out of Engineering (with no work experience). After that i have been working in Advisory Services (IT Risk Advisory and IT audits) in one of the Big 4 Professional Services firm. I am planning to go for a 2nd MBA in coming times. My main reason for a 2nd MBA from US/Europe after some years of experience is to get opportunities in Management Consulting, Financial Consulting or General Management.

Can you please tell me which schools are open for 2nd MBA candidates from India. Also if you could tell me the average work ex for candidates having prior MBA in these schools, it would be a great help.

My primary interest is in US/Europe/Canada locations.

Thanks and Regards

Aayush Jain
1792

Hi Namita & Arun,


Plz suggest on the colleges that i should target for my second MBA.

Work ex - 6.5 years (5.5 years post MBA)
Education - Commerce Graduate, MBA, PGDM&SM;, FIII
GMAT - 660

I am open for any location subject to good placement. Please suggest.

Thanks & Regards,
Anshul
1793
@aayush_badmash said: Hi Namita and Arun,
Thanks for helping all of us with our MBA queries.
Please see below my profile and some of my Questions.
I have done my MBA (Finance) from IIT Kanpur straight out of Engineering (with no work experience). After that i have been working in Advisory Services (IT Risk Advisory and IT audits) in one of the Big 4 Professional Services firm. I am planning to go for a 2nd MBA in coming times. My main reason for a 2nd MBA from US/Europe after some years of experience is to get opportunities in Management Consulting, Financial Consulting or General Management.
Can you please tell me which schools are open for 2nd MBA candidates from India. Also if you could tell me the average work ex for candidates having prior MBA in these schools, it would be a great help.
My primary interest is in US/Europe/Canada locations.
Thanks and Regards
Aayush Jain
Hi Ayush,
Almost all b-schools are open to you doing a second MBA. Duke Fuqua syas a strict NO. With some other b-schools, there may be a slight twist. For example, b-schools like Stern & Emory would not accept candidates who have earned their MBA in USA.
With Haas and Tuck the previous degree awarded should not be an MBA. Most Indian institutes award a diploma and not a degree, so you may benefit from this. If you are planning to apply to these schools, best is to write to their admissions teams and confirm. Good to go through the FAQs sections to figure out all the do's and don'ts.
Your reasons for wanting a second MBA degree would need to be more clear when you write the essays. " Management Consulting, Financial Consulting or General Management" will not do. As a second MBA applicant your career goals and the need for another MBA are more likely to get scrutinized compared to first timers.
I think that a 2nd MBA makes sense when there is considerable time difference between the first and the second one- say about 5-10 years. i.e. you have worked for many years after the MBA, have grown professionally and now need another degree to scale newer heights.
Namita, MBA Decoder
1794
@Psychodementia I thought INSEAD mentions "International Exposure is preferred". Does that mean International Experience is absolutely necessary?
1795
@reviliant

At INSEAD (through the essays, and interviews) they keep reiterating that they require an international focus and a openness to different cultures/businesses. The official answer from INSEAD is that there's no requirement but I have had an applicant (Indian IT Male) rejected where they clearly mentioned that he should reapply after after 1-2 years of working outside his home country.

Another reason could be that INSEAD predominantly has European and Asian companies recruiting there. This could be a reason why the employers - and in turn the schools - are wary of someone who has not worked in these cultures.

In my experience I have never seen anyone admitted to INSEAD *without* international experience so I guess the short answer from my side is - yes, though they might not officially say this, you need international workexp.

Arun

1796

General Advice for those considering a second MBA:


1. Steer clear of usual reasons such as knowledge of finance, strategy blah blah. They have your transcripts in front of them. Your previous MBA should have already covered it so it makes no sense to mention this.

2. Do not apologize for having done your MBA from not a big-name. The first question an AdCom will ask is "Why did you do it in the first place then?".

3. Tell why do you think a second MBA makes sense NOW! You have to tell why getting the second degree makes sense to your current career stage.

Arun

1797
@chorsale said:
Which schools?
From my preliminary research on pagalguy, FT and seniors, below is a crude list. This is one big topic where I need your guidance.
LBS, Cambridge, H/S/W, Booth, MIT, Columbia and Stern
I seek your advice on the following:
(let me take the liberty of assuming GMAT goes well)
+ How do you rate my overall profile and aspirations, in terms of a B-school application?

I think you have got some interesting experiences there. Do a good job of capturing them in your application.


My understanding is that you would need to work hard while at b-school to make opportunities available for yourself that help you land a BB job. So its going to be a lot of networking, career treks and landing an IB summer internship.

+ Is my list of schools too ambitious?
You have got the list that feeds IBs. Yes, some among them are ambitious. It will help to have scores upward of 730 €“ which is the average for Harvard and Stanford.

+ Is it too early to apply, given my profile and experience -
applying with 2.5 - 3 years of work experience is more reasonable. I guess you are targeting an associate role after the MBA


+ What are the chances of admission at this stage? (I observe many among my colleagues in the bank have started at an early age, mostly non-Indian though)

A. This is very speculative. Its hard for anyone to comment on what your chances are. You would be weighed against the applicant pool of that particular year.

+ Will the adcoms buy the story? Is there something I can focus from now to make profile more interesting by the time I apply next year
+ How can I prepare from now to best answer essays like 'Why MBA' &c;? -

A. talk to people around you and figure out the possibilities that are open for you. Since you are starting out early, make it a point to have information sessions with students/ alumni of your target b-schools. This is the best way to learn about a b-school, and the earlier in the process you start reaching out, the easier it will be to manage talking to someone at all.


If time permits, pursue an interest or get into volunteering - it will give you a chance to enhance your leadership.
Namita, MBA Decoder