MBA Fall 2009 Assistance - Profile Evaluations, Essays, Etc.

Hi All 2009 MBA Aspirants, I am starting this thread to answer any and every question you might have during your application process. I myself used PG for my application process, and thanks to all the helpful ppl here, I got into UNC KFBS for…

Hi All 2009 MBA Aspirants,

I am starting this thread to answer any and every question you might have during your application process. I myself used PG for my application process, and thanks to all the helpful ppl here, I got into UNC KFBS for Fall 2008.

I got a lot from PG and I feel its time for me to give something back. I have gained thorough knowledge of the entire MBA process during this last one year, and would like to share it with prospective MBA candidates. So feel free to post questions about profile evaluations, essays, goals, etc. And I will do my best to answer them.

Hope you all get into your dream school.

Anshul

Hi Anshul,
Firstly, congratulations on the UNC Admit.
I am Vivek and aim`ing at beginning my MBA in the US by the Fall'09.
My domain of work is IT Infrastructure Management. I would have 4 years of experience by Fall '09. My Acads are average and extra curriculars and community work just ok.
I have planned my GMAT in July and my preparations are underway. I am still confused on finding the right colleges and the right program. :confused:

I could stay in the same domain that I work on and look at operations management or MIS. But I am not very sure how good the job market in the US is on these domains. On the other hand I hear good opportunities knock at Finance MBAs. Would it be an easy switch if I look towards Finance? Is there anything specific I need to do to show competence in this regard since I have no work experience in the Finance domain. This is the reason of my dilemma.

Thats quite a long query to start of. Any inputs from you on what could help me make a decision here? Also suggestions on good programs, colleges and better prep for my GMAT could help. Thanks

Cheers,
Vivek

@vivek,

sorry for the late reply.... things have been crazy. Well at this point, I would say that dont change your career path thinking about which path would lead to better job options. I would say stick to the career path you like. Cuz after your MBA you will get enough opportunities...

for your gmat... i would say prepare all the OGs and then after this pin point your weak area and work on that. for me it was sentence correction, and princeton review helped me with that (their book).

as far as colleges go, lets first decide what you want to do after your MBA and give me a score that you think you might get... then i can tell you more about colleges.

hope this helps...

Hi..good initiative..thanks..and congrats on your admit...i am also looking at Fall 2009 and was wondering if you could suggest something as i did apply last year but only to ISB...was rejected after interview in round 2...
so here goes the profile first...
Gmat: 710
Work ex : 3 yrs by May 2009 (Hospitality 6 mnths + 2.5 in Financial research)
Acads : excellent at school and avg in under grad
College : Economics (Hons.)
Extra currics: Very good..social initiatives included
Additional: Planning to do a web based program in Business Analytics with online studies and certification from IIM C
Now i am mainly looking at 1 yr MBA courses ( few even 1.5 yrs) and that would include mainly UK courses..but don't really know which all should i apply to..I plan to major in Finance and also concentrate on entrepreneurship if that Option is available...long term plan is social entrprise in the education sector...
Looking at my porfile what is it that you would suggest... i plan to apply to
ISB
Oxford
Judge
NUS
but then again with the kind of competition in terms of work experience and gmat i do intend to apply sensibly as its a make or break this time 😃 ....pls do tell me if you can think of a school i should be applying to or one of my options i should be realistic about....thanks a lot..looking forward to your reply...

Hi Anshul,

congrats on your admit and All the best!

You can continue your good work on the below threads

http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/phoren-b-school-2009-aspirants-25026091
http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/phoren-b-school-assistance-desk-25014956

That way you can target a larger audience and also remove duplicity of threads

Jaimin

@singhsh

You can also apply to INSEAD, Emory , Kellogg, Notre Dame (you might need an undergrad degree in biz for that, check their websites).

Other thing I would say was that have a good reason so as to why you switched from hospitality to finance. Rest everything looks fine.

@jshah29

thanks. I do post in those threads, I had started this one looong back.

@singhsh

You can also apply to INSEAD, Emory , Kellogg, Notre Dame (you might need an undergrad degree in biz for that, check their websites).

Other thing I would say was that have a good reason so as to why you switched from hospitality to finance. Rest everything looks fine.



ya the hospitality stint was beacause it is my family business...so had worked there for some time and then got into the corporate world....

but for the schools ...INSEAD normally takes people with very high work experience...
also would it really have a negative impact on my profile if i change my current job and join a new education entreprise coming up in Hyderabad....with a world renowned educationist working on behalf of a global investor. ..although this would be more inline with my longterm goals it would make my work ex look like patch work..6 mnths + 1.5 yrs + few more mnths into the education entreprise..thinkin about this i cannot decide whether to go ahead with the change or stick to the same financial research work which does not seem satisfying anymore...more of a personal question but need to solve this dilemma..all suggestions would be appreciated...

my suggestion is that always stick to what your heart really wants you to do. money will just follow. PM me your profile and then I can advice you more, as of now I am a little confused about what you have done and what you want to do.

hope this helps.

Hi Anshul,
I have just started my preperations for GMAT and I am aspiring for fall 2009. What would be the right time frame for GMAT exams?

Thanks,
Vikash

@vikash

The best time to take GMAT is in July/Aug. This way you are ready to apply in R1 to schools, most R1 deadlines are in Sep/Oct.

Anshul

Anshul,
Thanks for your response. Given the effort that would go in for essays and recommendations, would you suggest that I try for Spring/Fall 2010 - give my GMAT and TOEFL in feb-mar 2009 timeframe?

I have engineering degree in E&C; from reputed college (75%) and overall decent academic record. I also have nearly 4 yrs in job experience.. You think it will be ok enough for a good international college?

Thanks,
Vikash

(i am sorry this one is a repeat post)

Hi Anshul,
Thanks for the initiative. I too targeting the Fall 2009 session for US b schools. In this regards, have som issues. Can you throw some light on them ??
I am into S/W product development. (development of a 3D CAD tool) and after completing my MBA am looking for mrketing domain jobs in tech. sector, roles like product / brand managemtn etc. So i rite now figuring out whcihc B shcools to apply. CA based b schools become obvious choce, but lets face it, getting into Stanford / haas is not at all easy, so they are not the once I am targeting. Now what do you think a bt Kenana Flager. Its in North Carolina, near RTP,. and heard that its good for marketing. ( almost 25 % of hte batch got into marketing last year, as per their website.. ) So , any idea if tech companies recruit brand/ product manager for KFBS ?? and same for DUKE-fuqua... DUEK is maninly operation orientated....so does being near RTP help duke pass out to get into the product / brand managemnt ? And what abt UCLA anderson, and MARSHALL ?? ( both are in CA , near LA, but unfortunately, none of them look tech oriented to me ) In short, which B shools ( between rank 10-25) do you think can provide me the opportunity to get into product/ brand managemnt role in tech sector ??
BTW ,..can you send me your contact no. etc?? Would like to discuss some quick issues over the call..... in u dont mind.....

Anshul,


Great inititiative i must say.

I will have 5 years of IT exp by time i join.
GMAT :700
Work Ex- Good progresion,currently team lead in IT:(
Extra currics and Communty involvement :very good

I want to switch in to consulting after MBA.I plan to apply to UNC,Cornell,Kelley .Please tell how can i realistically improve my chances.I will PM you more details if needed.

Hello Anshul,
First of all thanks for taking such a nice initiative.Right now ,I am confused as to which colleges should I apply to for fall 2009? I need your help in zeroing in on the b-schools .Right now these schools are in my mind:
Insead
LBS
ISB
HEC Paris
Oxford
Cambridge
My guidelines for choosing a particular B-school are:
be based in India/Europe/USA/Singapore
be less than 18 months MBA program
have good placement
be recognized in India (in case of a non-Indian school) as I want to return back to India 1 year post MBA
be a top ranked school
Please let me know your feedback about this list and what other option I can consider based on my profile.


My profile:
X - 90%
XII - 93.75% (Overall ranked 1st across all ICSE board affiliated schools in the city)
B.Tech (Electronics)- 78% (UPTU)
Overall ranked 2nd across all the branches in my college
Awarded institute merit scholarship for 4 consecutive years at my college
GMAT : 750 , AWA 5.0
Work Exp. 4 years by the time MBA starts
Company :Highly ranked software MNC. I am working as Software Quality Engineer and have no International experience till date
Professional Achievements:

  1. One of my idea was voted as the best idea by my company employees out of 70 ideas submitted at the annual conference of my company
  2. Was the 3rd employee in my business unit of 75 people to be awarded the distinguished award for doing excellent work in performance benchmarking
  3. Have written three international paper publications in the field of localization , automation and suite testing.
  4. Selected into a pool of 12 out of 100 applicants from quality engineering to deliver a technical talk at the annual conference of my company
  5. Won 1st prize in a video creation contest organized for freshers in my company
  6. Became Certified Expert in 2008 by securing highest marks (98%) in my business unit which is a record till date
  7. 5 of my ideas are in the final stage of approval process to become International Patents

Extra curricular Activities:

  1. Member of an NGO .As a member I visit NGO, spend time, provide technical knowledge and distribute goodies and other stuff to the children at these places
  2. Holds the post of Vice-President Membership in companys Toastmasters Club
  3. Member of the organizing committee of a national level technical fest organized in my college
  4. Initiated and conducted literary weeks that consisted of events such as quizzes , essay writing contests and debates at my college
  5. Selected into a group of 20 out of 300 students as a member of core literary council (2nd and 3rd year) and core hobby council (3rd year) of my college
  6. Was elected Cultural secretary ( 1st Year ) , Mess Secretary (2nd and 3rd year) and Wing Prefect (4th Year) of the boys hostel at college
  7. Won awards in literary activities (quizzes, essay writing etc) during academic career
  8. Raised funds for National Level college events at college
  9. Have interest in Numismatics (coin collection ) .Won 1st prize in coin collection contest at college
  10. Won awards in cultural activities (solo acting , script writing etc) during both academic and professional career

Please help me.

Thanks in advance

Elecabhinav:

You haven't mentioned as to what you want to do post-MBA: this is an important criteria, as it is necessary to get out of the mindset that 'one hat fits all'

Just to paint a picture: LBS is strong in finance, while INSEAD is THE consulting school. It is true that you can get into consultancy even after attending LBS, but the opportunities will be less.

Also note that LBS is a 2-year program.

Your profile looks good but the drawbacks that I see are the lack of international and managerial experience. But as long as you have great recommendations, and strong essay you will be able to overcome those issues.

One key thing to keep in mind is that you fall under that Indian/male (I presume)/IT category. So it is extremely important to distinguish yourself from your peers, and there seems to be a strong case for you in your profile. But now, it is a matter of putting that into words.

Good luck.

NB: your academic records seems comparable to a student matriculating in the above mentioned schools.




Hello Anshul,
First of all thanks for taking such a nice initiative.Right now ,I am confused as to which colleges should I apply to for fall 2009? I need your help in zeroing in on the b-schools .Right now these schools are in my mind:
Insead
LBS
ISB
HEC Paris
Oxford
Cambridge
My guidelines for choosing a particular B-school are:
be based in India/Europe/USA/Singapore
be less than 18 months MBA program
have good placement
be recognized in India (in case of a non-Indian school) as I want to return back to India 1 year post MBA
be a top ranked school
Please let me know your feedback about this list and what other option I can consider based on my profile.
Elecabhinav:

You haven't mentioned as to what you want to do post-MBA: this is an important criteria, as it is necessary to get out of the mindset that 'one hat fits all'

Just to paint a picture: LBS is strong in finance, while INSEAD is THE consulting school. It is true that you can get into consultancy even after attending LBS, but the opportunities will be less.

Also note that LBS is a 2-year program.

Your profile looks good but the drawbacks that I see are the lack of international and managerial experience. But as long as you have great recommendations, and strong essay you will be able to overcome those issues.

One key thing to keep in mind is that you fall under that Indian/male (I presume)/IT category. So it is extremely important to distinguish yourself from your peers, and there seems to be a strong case for you in your profile. But now, it is a matter of putting that into words.

Good luck.

NB: your academic records seems comparable to a student matriculating in the above mentioned schools.




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Thanks for your reply RedJazz. Honestly speaking I have not delved too deeply as to which stream I want to do my MBA . Finannce and consulting do attract me for the sole reason of being high pay packages in these functions. Technology is something I like as I have been working in this field since beginning. General Management is also an open option for me. So I am paying more attention to brand name and placement statistics of a college rather than it's specialization. I know that's not the right approach but this is what I am thinking right now.

You are in a very competetive field, not trying to dishearten you, but marketing companies mainly prefer people who have had significant exposure to the US Lifestyle, but having said that, many internationals have made the cut.

Lets look at your schools. I would suggest you the following,


  1. Duke
  2. UCLA
  3. UC Berkeley
  4. USC Marshall
  5. UT Austin
  6. UNC - I am attending UNC this fall, so I can say it's a good school :D
  7. Michigan State
  8. Indiana Bloomington


Please post your profile so that I can suggest better matching schools.

@ soulinluv

You have a good profile, but you are from the IT pool which is going to make it very tough for you as many IT ppl have the same profile so more competition. I would retake the GMAT and push it up to 750 if possible, or else just work more on your essays if you don't wish to retake the GMAT.

UNC Cornell and Kelley are good schools and you stand a fair chance in each. Also consider UT Austin and Emory.

Strengthen your co curricular activities, it helps a lot. Find something unique about you to write in the optional essay. Let me know if you need more help.

Anshul

@vikash,

If you are taking for GMAT in feb/march, you will def be a little late for the 2009 intake. The ideal time to take your exams would be in july/aug. 4 years of work ex is good enough, don't worry about that.

@abhinav

You should think about what you want to do post MBA because the b schools want students who know what they want to do and your goals will make a big part of your essay and interview. I think I already sent you a msg regarding your b schools earlier, if not PM me and I will review and send another one.

Anshul