How can we improve the GMAT section?

Guys, as much as I agree with this profile database thing, I have a different thought that I would want to share How much does the profile really really really matter ? What do other Pagals say ? I agreen with inblue complete…

Guys, as much as I agree with this profile database thing, I have a different thought that I would want to share

How much does the profile really really really matter ?

What do other Pagals say ?


I agreen with inblue completely. Its the story and the events that describe us and present us in a different way than the stereotype profiles. SO let us create a repository on styles and events that should be considerred and how the events can be expressed.
Guys, as much as I agree with this profile database thing, I have a different thought that I would want to share

What do other Pagals say ?


Couldn't agree better!!!

It's how we present our story to the College!!
Say average age of Indian applicant is 25 years! Lets talk of his last 15 years = 5475 days = 131400 hours = 78,84,000 minutes!!

In those 78,84,400 minutes, we need to speak about 6 minutes of our lives that changed our life/had profound effect in say 6 essays that we write to the college!

I hear about the demographically challenged Indian IT crowd! That's 'coz most of us write about our work and the company and onsite trips!!
But with some introspection and choosing those Important 6 minutes of our life we can write compelling and unique essays! And automatically distinguishing ourselves from the entire competition!!

I heard about this story from adcom of ISB. The question was describe a situation where you showed leadership?!
She got an essay from candiatate with 1 year of experience, and guess what was written - how he organised the Ganesha Festival in Chawl of Mumbai!!! Yep, he was selected!!That's UNIQUE!! So do some 'introspection' - NO B-school will be out of reach then!!
Guys, as much as I agree with this profile database thing, I have a different thought that I would want to share

How much does the profile really really really matter ?

What do other Pagals say ?

Say that to me mademoiselle :)
The profile links were only a way to stop people from having to ask for profiles :)

I think amit's idea is cool. We all need to do that.

Agreed but these profile things sometime depress me I
I myself have worked my way up this profile-depression ! You know my story
" Oh god ! i have this 690. Now what the hell do I do!"- Now come on, we've worked up this way knowing each other. Right ?

I have nothing against the DB - i will put my own profile there too ha ha :)

PS : As a matter of fact I am supporting your 'something needs to be done on this profile thing'

PPS: the signature thing from Amit is a good idea though. I agree.

Agreed but these profile things sometime depress me I
I myslef have worked my way up this profile-depression ! You know my story
" Oh god ! i have this 690. Now what the hell do I do!"- Now come on, we've worked up this way knowing each other. Right ?

I have nothing against the DB - i will put my own profile there too ha ha :)

PS : As a matter of fact I am supporting your 'something needs to be done on this profile thing'


Atleast it will help the future applicants not to worry if GMAT is low, work exp is less/more, if there is no international exp - all these things matter - but IMO it's the Essays that will decide if I get an interview call or not.
CATullus Says
I agreen with inblue completely. Its the story and the events that describe us and present us in a different way than the stereotype profiles. SO let us create a repository on styles and events that should be considerred and how the events can be expressed.


When I was preparing for my interview I re-read through my essays and I realized something- I could actually put them one after another and there- you would have had SS in a nutshell!
I believe this must have worked in my favor somewhere with ADCOM.
. More on trials & tribulations .
Wrote tons of thank you's and made scores of phone calls! Called up 2 persons who I believe are responsible for me being here

1. A junior from college who passed out from GLIM and whose amazing transformation (from 'chirenda' to 'spout of knowledge') inspired me to go for an MBA
He said that though he may have been the catalyst, a reaction was impossible without chemicals being present there! He said he met 100 different people post his transformation but only a few decided to change!
2. My cousin bro from Canada who edited my essays and told me what goes on in a Western mind (he is an architect bought and born there) when he sees certain words in a college essay
He said he had the advantage of knowing me really well, and he would have been unable to guide me to highlight the right incidents IF I had not accomplished them in the first place!
Agreed but these profile things sometime depress me I
I myself have worked my way up this profile-depression ! You know my story
" Oh god ! i have this 690. Now what the hell do I do!"- Now come on, we've worked up this way knowing each other. Right ?

I have nothing against the DB - i will put my own profile there too ha ha :)

PS : As a matter of fact I am supporting your 'something needs to be done on this profile thing'

PPS: the signature thing from Amit is a good idea though. I agree.


Exactly my point :)

Someone with a 690 tomorrow*, with the same OMG feeling, will see dear Ms.Chicago admit inblue, see that she has a 690 and then realize that 690 is not the end of the world.

He or she will also get to see (naturally cryo's profile page is gonna draw a lot more hits and urs and mine ) that Mr.HBS admit cryo has a 700, then see his profile and then it will hit him/her hard - there is so much more to cryo's profile than his GMAT scores and this strong profile is what got him his HBS admit and the GMAT is just one of the data points and not the all of it.

People ask for profiles of successful people to either see which bullet points they possess and which they can build. So when someone with an "apparently" low GMAT score is planning to retake GMAT again and looks at our profiles, he/she will right away know that they already are doing okay in GMAT and they have so many other things to factor in. Of course, i cannot say enough about the essays - you all know the grind

*okay - i hope u all score wonderfully well in GMAT. But on an average day i might have scored around 700 too . It is no body's game.
jat_pagla Says
Atleast it will help the future applicants not to worry if GMAT is low, work exp is less/more, if there is no international exp - all these things matter - but IMO it's the Essays that will decide if I get an interview call or not.


Hi guys, sorry to put a damper on this- I had a long email-discussion with Pagalguy on this, and in midst of trying to convince him that we need a database containing GMAT, TOEFL, etc. He and I realized that there was no value addition to the PG community. However IF you can come up with a stronger argument (and why can't you?) would suggest PM Pagalguy on this directly.

Disclaimer: I am for profile, but no Database please


People ask for profiles of successful people to either see which bullet points they possess and which they can build. So when someone with an "apparently" low GMAT score is planning to retake GMAT again and looks at our profiles, he/she will right away know that they already are doing okay in GMAT and they have so many other things to factor in. Of course, i cannot say enough about the essays - you all know the grind



Bingo ! I seriously forgot the retaking thing !

PS: But then who do we ensure that we are only helping and not creating more panic. Just a THOUGHT !
Guys, as much as I agree with this profile database thing, I have a different thought that I would want to share

How much does the profile really really really matter ?

What do other Pagals say ?


Do not completely agree with u on this. Agreed that most of us r around 25, 3-4 yrs of IT experience, decent GMAT (arnd 700).
But this is only part of ur profile and this is where the similarity ends. This is what is objective data. The real differentiator is the other things in ur profile:
What do u do in ur work? How have u grown through the ranks? What do u do apart from ur work?

If it is only the story of ur life that matters, then u cud get a story created for u. someone very experienced in the admission process can create stories abt ur successes/failures/passions which u can then use in ur applications. Agreed that if u get an admit using this, u r bound to suffer throughout ur remaining college and professional life but then it can be done.

So I strongly believe that profile does matter but not to the extent that people generally believe it does.

Get your point rahul but what ppl simply put in their profiles is their GMAT, work ex, GPA and international exposure and some Extra curricular. Belive me i saw a lot of those profiles on forums. The nuances you are taking of in this post are really the ones that I am eyeing too. But alas they hardly ever come out in 'the profile'. Seriously !

cryonerve Says
Disclaimer: I am for profile, but no Database please

Database was my brain wave :)
I for myself see no use in it now

The simple objective is to make the profile available to that someone who sees that Cryo got into HBS. He or she shud not be asking u to post and report ur profile. I think amit's idea is beautiful.
iday Says
I think amit's idea is beautiful.


or all those who have posted on that 'Admit to class of 2009' thread should edit their posts

or all those who have posted on that 'Admit to class of 2009' thread should edit their posts

everyone of us wud have posted our profile somewhere.
i was planning to PM each one to search this profile post, edit it (coz we'd a present ourselves in a diff way today) and put a link to this post in their signature.

PS: I think we are way way off the topic of this thread. Sorry cryo

IN favour of database lemme quote Susie's PM which I had sent out to a whole lot of you'll asking for more info on how we can improve


Hmm.. every year the no. of Indian applicants to US B schools is going to increase. I think we need an interviews repository on PG - similar to the one on accepted.com. If we start it now, in a year or two it'll be a great place for Indian students to check out interviews other Indians had (as opposed to accepted.com where the int experiences are of appplicants from all over the world).
Neo2000 Says
IN favour of database lemme quote Susie's PM which I had sent out to a whole lot of you'll asking for more info on how we can improve

That's a great point from susie :)
Neo - Anything in the pipeline?!
That's a great point from susie :)
Neo - Anything in the pipeline?!


Iday/Neo: I too agree with Susie.. an interview database will be of real help to all applications in future.. I don't think a profile database doesn't add that much value.. it's afterall people's experiences and how they project it in their essays, rather than GMAT/Work-ex, that decides where one gets an admit!!

neo - we are way off topic here. can u fork this into a new thread and give cryo his thread back .

just lift off related posts into a "International admission process - value add suggestions" kinda thread. We've discussed two options (profile database and interview database) and one of the them (interview database) sounds really good. So i guess the discussions will continue - so i guess this warrants a new thread.

Pour in your views