Hi All, Now that all my results are out, I have the time and confidence to share my acquired knowledge and experience about GMAT ad the whole application process if anyone needs any guidance. It might especially be valid for IT engineers in Iā¦
Hi All,
Now that all my results are out, I have the time and confidence to share my acquired knowledge and experience about GMAT ad the whole application process if anyone needs any guidance. It might especially be valid for IT engineers in India as I share the same profile and had quite a few concerns about my own candidacy.
My profile: IIT-Kharagpur-Chemical Engg (GPA-7.62), loads of extra-curriculars, 3.3 years work-ex with IBM India, two international stints (UK and Switzerland), community-service aspect of candidacy not the best, GMAT-770, TOEFL-293
Applied in Round 2 to 10 schools (!!)
Admits from Ross, Duke, Darden, LBS and UNC
Waitlisted at Tuck
I had a nerve wracking, pull-my-hair-off-my-head experience with the application process, especially with the number of schools, but the result is worth it. I'd like to be of help incase you're considering applying or about to take GMAT or mid-way through the process.
Cheers
Where are you heading btw?
Hey Deba, nice to see you here. And congrats on you C-GSB admit. I am headed to Ross-U.Mich after much deliberation. I assume you'll be choosing Chicago?
maverick_1212 SaysHey Deba, nice to see you here. And congrats on you C-GSB admit. I am headed to Ross-U.Mich after much deliberation. I assume you'll be choosing Chicago?
Yup:neutral:
deba_s56 SaysYup:neutral:
Why is the smiley
and not š ??? Deba - u still disappointed because of Wharton ?
itsrahul SaysWhy is the smileyand not š ??? Deba - u still disappointed because of Wharton ?
Nope, not at all. Arree..galti mein select kar liya...
No one gets worried, sad or disappointed when they're going to C-GSB š
Dear Maverick
I would request you to please provide me some suggessions on the Application thing.
My Profile:
=======
GMAT: 670 (Q:49,V:32)/AWA: 5.0
TOEFL: 106
Qualification: B.E (Computer Science & Engineering) / VTU, Karnataka, India
Work Exp: 38+ Months (by the time i join)
Companies Worked With: MBT, STMicroelectronics
Acads: Good (FCD)
Extra Currics: Good/NGO
International Exp: Nil
Recommendations : 1 Academic(Professor/Project Mentor) and 1 Professional (Immediate Supervisor)
Essays : Good (Professional Editing)
I applied to 13 Schools in all in Round 2.
11 of them in the US :
=============
Kelley/Krannert/Smith/Simon/Texas-Austin/Texas A&M;/BU/Olin/UW/Georgetown/MSU-Broad
1 in S'pore
=======
NUS
1 in Germany
=========
GISMA (Krannert-Germany)
At present i have an offer from GISMA, and have 2 waitlists (BU/SIMON) and one to hear from (Texas-A & M). Had only 3 interviews (BU/MSU-Broad/UW). Rest got all all rejections, even without an interview invite.
Post-MBA, i want to pursue my career in US and hence moving to germany doesn't seems to be a great option though.
PS: What i have observed is that this time the Indian Applicant Pool has been very competitive. People with the similar experience as mine got an admit only if they have 700+ scores on the GMAT. What would be your take on my GMAT, should i take it once more and try to cross the 700 mark (considering that i have already messed it up previously with a pathetic 550).
What would you suggest, should i explore some options in UK/US at the moment or wait for an year and apply early to US B-Schools.
Please advise, which part of my application needs to be improved. I would be really thankful to you.
Congratulations brother. Have an awesome time at Ann Arbor. š
Hi Mandeep,
Krannert and NUS are both good schools. However, you need to determine whether you want to go for an MBA this year or are you prepared to wait another year and strengthen your candidacy.
If it is the US you are looking to work in - pursuing an MBA from a US school always helps and applying early is always a good option. Infact, some of the schools also have an early decision round (which means you WILL attend if admitted).
GMAT 670 is good, but you are right - when there are many candidates with the same profile as yours, aspects like GMAT score can become distinguishing factor.
Here are my suggestions (assuming you don't want to take up NUS):
1. Retake the GMAT only if you feel you'll be able to score 720-730 or above.
2. Get started on the community service aspect. Try and make an impact on your community, not just for your candidacy but because you believe in the cause ELSE try and take-up an international assignment.
3. Scrap the educational recommendation unless you are still involved in some research undertaken by the professor. Select your two recommenders from your workplace who know you really well.
4. Apply to early decision round this fall after choosing a school you really want to be in.
5. Reseach other schools in US and build a list of schools which satisfy your educational needs in accordance with your career goals.
6. Since you already have experience in applying, position yourself so that you can market yourself to the schools using your key strengths. Rethink your current positioning whether that was the best application you could submit. I am sure you can make it stronger because you have all the credentials needed.
7. Look at schools in the UK only if you're OK with working in UK or maybe Europe post-MBA. Schools like Said(Oxford) are excellent but offer 1-year course and I assume you'll be looking for 2 year courses which LBS offers.
If you decide to retake GMAT, shoot me a mail and I will send you a mail I composed regarding my GMAT preparation experience including a step-by-step process.
Cheers
Hi Maverick. Congrats on your amazing feat. Admits from so many good schools.
1) I would be thankful if you can tell what was your differentiating factor that helped to get admissions.
2) I will be applying for MBA this year. My profile is like 740/IT(In fin)/good community service.
The question I have is whether lack of International work-ex hinder my chances significantly at European B-Schoools? I've two options- make my profile stronger while in India OR go abroad to gain international work-ex. What do you think will be better for me.
Your suggestion/views would really help me to take the decision.
Thanks,
Harsh
Hi Maverick. Congrats on your amazing feat. Admits from so many good schools.
1) I would be thankful if you can tell what was your differentiating factor that helped to get admissions.
Sorry for my unsolicited comment but I think Maverick's profile is good for Ross/Fuqua/Darden/UNC - that is these are safety schools for IITans. Now, an LBS admit means that he's a solid candidate for sure (i.e. has stuff besides the IIT brand)
Whether you make your profile stronger in India or elsewhere doesn't matter.. work on pleasing your bosses to get recos and still be comfortable working in the company.. research on post-MBA goals.. read stuff that'll make you more aware of the world(that'll help when you write your essays).. that's all you can do in a few months - assuming you wanna apply this yr
Thanks Susie for the subtle appreciation š ..See you at A2 this fall. Btw are you attending the GBR?
Harsh, I may be giving a bit different advice from what you will normally hear from others and the reason behind this is that I would myself get frustrated when I never got clear directions as to what to do to strengthen my candidacy.
You haven't specified the number of years of work-ex you have so there is no way of determining what stage of your career you're on right now. But if you're looking to apply to European b-schools, remember that they prefer candidates with higher number of years at work (primarily to do with their shorter course duration). Besides, a person with little or no intl work-ex would have a better chance at US b-schools than at European bschools.
So, my advice.. go out and get international work-ex NOW (longer the work-ex the better), and if you can get one in Europe itself; that would help you a great deal (for its diversity and the chance to visit schools). When you're undergoing an intl experience, take care to notice the dynamics of multicultural teams, the difficlties posed in working in diverse teams, and notice your own personal challenges. These can be really strong points in your candidacy. Besides, intl experience is usually great fun if there is a group with you.
Ofcourse, that doesn't mean I am contradicting what Susie has said above. Her reply assumes that you will be applying this fall, and my reply assumes you're considering applying next year or later. At the end of the day, it is the complete application package and not numbers that will matter.
Hope this helps,
Cheers
Hi, my profile might look a bit weird here coz I am currently only in my final yr of college but just am curious to know how I shd plan for my MBA. Would appreciate a few inputs
currently doing computer engg frm NSIT, Delhi (Delhi univ - reputed college though not an IIT) - in final year
Schooling - unknown school
GMAT - plan to take 2 yrs down the line, aiming for abt 750 (hv a 99 pcile in CAT this yr)
community work - plan to enrol in NGOs while working
extra curriculars - not too much, though hv a few
GPA - 71% (top 25% of class)
Languages - will learn 2-3 european langs if reqd
Plan to apply after 3.5 yrsof workex
Workex - I hv a job in a startup - a very small company with just 20-25 employees worldwide. Job profile - Investment research + technology
I think this will help me differentiate me frm other IT applicants frm India.
But have a dbt - will a workex in an unknown and a very small co decrease my chances of seln
If it does, then I hv offers frm other IT cos also and I wud try to get into a gud IT co like Microsoft or Adobe if that helps a lot. They did come to our campus and I reached pretty far in their seln process
Thanx in advance
Thanks for the suggestions Susie/Maverick :-
Well I'm looking at applying this year.I've 4 years of experience as of now in IT-Fin domain. I'm giving CFA level-1 exam this June and I'll probably get a Business Analyst role in my company(but no onsite here š ). I want to switch to Fin industry after my MBA.
The reason I'm looking primarily at European B-Schools is that I may have Visa problems in getting to US.
So, I was in a dilemma, whether to gain some International Experience by working in IT industry as a coder or continue here as a business analyst w/o International work-ex(As European B-Schools give a lotza weightage to International Work-ex).
Thanks...
Hi, my profile might look a bit weird here coz I am currently only in my final yr of college but just am curious to know how I shd plan for my MBA. Would appreciate a few inputs
currently doing computer engg frm NSIT, Delhi (Delhi univ - reputed college though not an IIT) - in final year
Schooling - unknown school
GMAT - plan to take 2 yrs down the line, aiming for abt 750 (hv a 99 pcile in CAT this yr)
community work - plan to enrol in NGOs while working
extra curriculars - not too much, though hv a few
GPA - 71% (top 25% of class)
Languages - will learn 2-3 european langs if reqd
Plan to apply after 3.5 yrsof workex
Workex - I hv a job in a startup - a very small company with just 20-25 employees worldwide. Job profile - Investment research + technology
I think this will help me differentiate me frm other IT applicants frm India.
But have a dbt - will a workex in an unknown and a very small co decrease my chances of seln
If it does, then I hv offers frm other IT cos also and I wud try to get into a gud IT co like Microsoft or Adobe if that helps a lot. They did come to our campus and I reached pretty far in their seln process
Thanx in advance
Hi inevitable_huh,
NSIT is pretty well known so you needn't worry about that bit. It's like IIT-D's younger brother.
If you've done well in CAT, GMAT shouldn't seem to tough for you (but do give enough time for preparation, verbals are trickier in GMAT). And your plan to apply after 3.5 years of work-ex is sound as well.
It is the choice of organization that isn't a straightforward decision and though I am here to give straight answers, this one's not easy. You will have to go with your interests. If you're interested in start-ups and smaller organizations, you might not excel in a Microsoft or Adobe (although a big name does help) as well as you could in this start-up. The primary aim is to excel and gain more responsibilities and promotions faster than usual. In a start-up, the growth is usually faster and you can cut through processes. If you do decide to join a start-up, stick with it until you see it reach some kind of stability. On the other hand, if you would like to work in an structured manner with large teams, you could go in for these more established names. So a straight answer to your question would be - No, a work-ex from an unknown start-up (is there another kind :satisfie: ) does not affect your chances negatively. Infact entrepreneurs can be prized possessions for B-schools. But you need to do well, take responsibilities and challenges, see if you can create a chance to work globally, and amongst all that - do the community service bit well (I dont mean just joining an NGO, I mean actually doing something like organizing a campaign or fund raiser). Then you're set for those big names in business education.
Cheers
hi maverick
congrats on all your admits !
could you share why you chose Ross over LBS . am a little curious .
Thanks
hi maverick
congrats on all your admits !
could you share why you chose Ross over LBS . am a little curious .
Thanks
Hi Sanaa,
The decision to choose Ross over LBS was a personal one - I wanted to be in the States. I did apply to LBS because it is so highly rated and had a strong global outlook but I have already worked in UK and would like to move to the States now and Ross is high up there. There are other reasons as well but this was the primary reason.
Cheers
Hi Mandeep,
Krannert and NUS are both good schools. However, you need to determine whether you want to go for an MBA this year or are you prepared to wait another year and strengthen your candidacy.
If it is the US you are looking to work in - pursuing an MBA from a US school always helps and applying early is always a good option. Infact, some of the schools also have an early decision round (which means you WILL attend if admitted).
GMAT 670 is good, but you are right - when there are many candidates with the same profile as yours, aspects like GMAT score can become distinguishing factor.
Here are my suggestions (assuming you don't want to take up NUS):
1. Retake the GMAT only if you feel you'll be able to score 720-730 or above.
2. Get started on the community service aspect. Try and make an impact on your community, not just for your candidacy but because you believe in the cause ELSE try and take-up an international assignment.
3. Scrap the educational recommendation unless you are still involved in some research undertaken by the professor. Select your two recommenders from your workplace who know you really well.
4. Apply to early decision round this fall after choosing a school you really want to be in.
5. Reseach other schools in US and build a list of schools which satisfy your educational needs in accordance with your career goals.
6. Since you already have experience in applying, position yourself so that you can market yourself to the schools using your key strengths. Rethink your current positioning whether that was the best application you could submit. I am sure you can make it stronger because you have all the credentials needed.
7. Look at schools in the UK only if you're OK with working in UK or maybe Europe post-MBA. Schools like Said(Oxford) are excellent but offer 1-year course and I assume you'll be looking for 2 year courses which LBS offers.
If you decide to retake GMAT, shoot me a mail and I will send you a mail I composed regarding my GMAT preparation experience including a step-by-step process.
Cheers
Dear Maverick,
Thanks a ton for your time and effort you've put in providing me with such a detailed and helpful explanation.
I would really appreciate, if you could send me that email composed by you regarding your GMAT preparation experience including a step-by-step process to prepare/improve for GMAT.
I hope this time i'll surely crack this "G" thing.
My Email Id: [email protected]