yeah it takes some time
many r1 applicants had their i/v in dec 1st week.
results are expected feb 1st week.
so u might see some activity on this thread then...
Hey good to see the conversation going .. just got back to our "des" ad waiting eagerly for some calls, if any.
I applied on Jan 15 2010 and adcomm has been quite fast in responding to my queries (post-submission). Did u guys have got ur USC ID number yet? my status is submitted too.
Hey Puys,
Guess people dont apply that much towards west coast...very few posts on this thread also...USC Marshall is a very reputed school....Same was the case with UCLA threads very dead...
Anyways I hope people are not dormant here...lets start interacting..
I am a R2 applicant...dinged from UCLA...so trying my luck at USC...
Profile:
IIM 2 years by fall
730/5.5
Toefl-109
Acads--- Excellent
Community Service--- Decent...
So hope there is some activity on this thread now....any R2 applicant received interview calls..
R1 admits any???
Thanks and Regards,
Gaurav
When did u applied to UCLA?
@altair ---I am applying for strategic consulting...
Yeah me to got the USC ID...but status is still submitted...lets see i guess no hopes of interview calls before feb 2-3 week as feb 1st week all the decisions would be flowing out...may be then we can expect some actions on round2 applicants..
Keep posting guys...
@tryingveryhard
can you share your profile ... any luck through out the admission cycle till now...
@tryingveryhard
can you share your profile ... any luck through out the admission cycle till now...
GMAT: 620 (v27 Q49) , planning to give again? ABSOLUTELY NOT
Work Ex: 5+ (2 yrs india, 3+ yrs International)
Acads: very good
EC: ok
my first try at my profile .. ping me if u need more info .. am in india for a month where all you have applied and share your profile too.
tryingveryhard SaysGMAT: 620 (v27 Q49) , planning to give again? ABSOLUTELY NOT
Even I should include it in my signature profile! M tired of answering the same question...Good to see a discussion rolling...I too have received the USC id but nothing further. Did anyone interact with Marshall seniors?
Even I should include it in my signature profile! M tired of answering the same question...
Good to see a discussion rolling...I too have received the USC id but nothing further. Did anyone interact with Marshall seniors?
I got USC id too.
Yes i interacted with a current student (class of 2010) and he was extremely helpful in replying to my queries.
@tryingveryhard- If your queries were in general about the college, please post the replies for everyone's benefit.
I too interacted with a senior but the discussion was limited to my profile. He said that it is a great college for entrepreneurship, the network is huge but limited to SoCal area. He said that sub-700 scores might pose problems for Indians though!
@tryingveryhard- If your queries were in general about the college, please post the replies for everyone's benefit.
I too interacted with a senior but the discussion was limited to my profile. He said that it is a great college for entrepreneurship, the network is huge but limited to SoCal area. He said that sub-700 scores might pose problems for Indians though!
My interactions were mix of general, profile, and school specific. I will try to post the general part of my conversation with him later (cant promise as i just reached India and too busy with family functions).
As per GMAT is concerned, he said its just a part (usual lingo) however related to my profile he said dont bother about GMAT scores if i can bring in my application all the aspects i discussed with him related to my profile.
But anyways lets hope for the best, my GMAT score is pathetic but i have stellar profile (atleast i think so), and i wanted to use my leisure time to apply to b-skools before i head back to job market after a much needed break from work ofcourse 😁
Yeah its a general trend that in a top b school like USC Marshall, GMAT score for Indians to be on safe side has to be over 700 because there is a notion in US that Indians are really good at Maths/Quant so they do well on the Quant section on the GMAT.....but lets see..its not stated some where ...
@tryingveryhard---My Profile: 730/5.5 IIM 2 yrs by joininng/ 109(Toefl)/ Academics-- Good / Community- Good... which field are you planning to pursue ur MBA......
Can you both Altair and Tryingveryhard share your conversations with the current students...
It will certainly take a lot of time to see interview calls for R2...and generally USC prefers in person interview so it will all also depend on the availability of Alumni/Ad com in India...so be prepared for a long wait guys...
yeah the school is best known for its entrepreneur course...but rest of the courses are also well known...and as far as location is concerned Southern California...i think landing up a good job in ever improving economy
should not be a problem...
Keep the discussion rolling...
Thanks and Regards,
Gaurav
Can you both Altair and Tryingveryhard share your conversations with the current students...
My conversations more centric towards Operations, as Marshall is not well known for operation so my conversations were more focussed on that, and faculty.
I also inquired about experiantial learning opportunities mainly PRIME. Also about the alum network which he said is steller and known well in the industry.
The rest conversation was pretty standard about the curriculum, clubs etc.
HTH
Can you both Altair and Tryingveryhard share your conversations with the current students...I wanted to know how my unique work ex background would stand at Marshall. I asked about the network and the curriculum...the general stuff.
Some general pointers he gave:
1. Indian students score is around 720-730
2. The scholarships are given usually on the basis of GMAT score, need, and work experience. 25 % and 50 % tuition waivers given
3. Part time jobs not possible in the first year because of the courseload.
4.The career development center at Marshall is good.
5.Primary focus of the school is Marketing. Consulting and Finance are average.
6. Some inputs on entrepreneurship details
thanks for your inputs @altair and @tryingveryhard
Scholarships on the basis of need??? how can one show he is in need of scholarship...
but the placements in times of good economy were close to 99% so finding jobs was not that much of a problem...if u check placement records of a couple of years back they were like awesome and really good salaries also....
where all have you applied till now @altair and @tryingveryhard...??
so far i have got admits from R1 from Smeal (Penn State) and Rotman ( U of Toronto)....but california is the state i want to be...and dinged from UCLA without interview really demoralized me but still applied to USC in R2 so lets see how it works out...
I hope i get through USC Marshall, becuase this is my last application and supposedly my best application also...
thanks for your inputs @altair and @tryingveryhard
Scholarships on the basis of need??? how can one show he is in need of scholarship...
but the placements in times of good economy were close to 99% so finding jobs was not that much of a problem...if u check placement records of a couple of years back they were like awesome and really good salaries also....
where all have you applied till now @altair and @tryingveryhard...??
so far i have got admits from R1 from Smeal (Penn State) and Rotman ( U of Toronto)....but california is the state i want to be...and dinged from UCLA without interview really demoralized me but still applied to USC in R2 so lets see how it works out...
I hope i get through USC Marshall, becuase this is my last application and supposedly my best application also...
Hey congratulations for the admits.
Well i have applied to number of colleges but to be honest i am not expecting any calls this year. I applied so that i can have idea of apping and get to know what to do next time. The only consideration i gave while selecting colleges were 1. Class size 2. Faculty 3. Experiential learning opportunities.
As per ranking i glanced at US News and Businessweek as i will be spending money out of my own pocket (loans etc) so i stuck to the above criteria and Top 10 b-skools were never on my list because of point 1 above.
Where are you guys based .. i am in India near Delhi for a month .. we can catch up if that works out.
Hello Everyone:
Some pointers:
1. GMAT for Indians - around 710 and above; avg aroud 730
2. Many Indian students on scholarship (in my batch; 10/12 are on 50% schol); in the first year batch I know (maybe more) at least 7/12 who are on schol. Funny that Marshall has just 12 Indian students in each batch since the last 3 years! GMAT is a big criteria for deciding schols
3. Good things: Alumni, LA location, career center (you may get differing opinions here), good for marketing candidates
Thanks for the inputs Megawhiz and it is great to have a senior here. Some questions-
1.When can r2 (Jan 15) applicants expect interview calls?
2. Can a different work profile compensate for sub 700 GMAT? I seriously doubt my chances with average GMAT of 730
3. How heavy is the coursework?
@pisces_gaurav- Congrats on the admits!
Hi Megawhiz,
I really appreciate that a current student is taking up questions for prospective students...
How much does the work exp value during the admission process...
I have seen the average work ex is 5 years at USC...and I have 2 yrs work ex...in terms of quality i have shown that in my essays...but wont it be a disadvantage considering a quantitative factor of 2 when average is 5....
can you share the range of work exp of your classmates ...also are there people with work exp or around 2 at the time of joining...any indian in that list...your help would be really appreciated...
Gmat-- 730/5.5
Toefl-- 109
Work Ex- 2 yrs by joining-- Indian IT Male...
Acads-- NIT Bhopal...8.33/10
Community Service-- decent...
Hello Everyone:
I am a second year FT student at Marshall. Good to see some discussions going on here. Shoot any questions you may have to me. I will try to answer them asap:
Some pointers:
1. GMAT for Indians - around 710 and above; avg aroud 730
2. Many Indian students on scholarship (in my batch; 10/12 are on 50% schol); in the first year batch I know (maybe more) at least 7/12 who are on schol. Funny that Marshall has just 12 Indian students in each batch since the last 3 years! GMAT is a big criteria for deciding schols
3. Good things: Alumni, LA location, career center (you may get differing opinions here), good for marketing candidates
Thanks a lot!!...
Lets see...based on the replies of the Current 2nd Year student I am atleast hoping for an Interview call...when i decided to apply to west coast i had to decide between UCLA and USC and after UCLA ding USC was the other option for me....
Well just an advice if you are looking for a good college then u should seriously think of GMAT...because we Indians need a good GMAT minimum 680 +.... Great Work Ex doesnt compensate for Low GMAT for Indians there...
and good to hear that indians get alot of scholarship there...hehehe...
Yeah I am based in Delhi...where do u put up... I am in Lajpat Nagar...but I travel to gurgaon everyday for office....may be we can meet up...my number is 09911327467...may be we can work things out...
Hey congratulations for the admits.
Well i have applied to number of colleges but to be honest i am not expecting any calls this year. I applied so that i can have idea of apping and get to know what to do next time. The only consideration i gave while selecting colleges were 1. Class size 2. Faculty 3. Experiential learning opportunities.
As per ranking i glanced at US News and Businessweek as i will be spending money out of my own pocket (loans etc) so i stuck to the above criteria and Top 10 b-skools were never on my list because of point 1 above.
Where are you guys based .. i am in India near Delhi for a month .. we can catch up if that works out.
Have been a silent observer of this thread for quite sometime now. good to have a senior reply to queries on this thread.
Megawhiz is is possible for you to provide information on the number of applications from India.
My profile:
700/5
4years(IT products)
decent acads and ec's
Thansk for the prompt reply Megawhiz..
Ok any international candidate with 2 years work ex...or any candidate with experience such as mine...like 2 years...
Basically i am looking whether i can expect to get into Marshall or not with 2 year work ex...thats why emphasizing on the number of years...
Also, like you say that work exp is not very imp if u wanna go for Investment Banking ...does the same apply for Management/Strategic Consulting....
-
- Work ex is imp. In my batch none of the Indian candidates have less than 3 yr work ex (which I have). In fact, most of them are 5 and above. Additionally, work ex is imp if you are planning to find an internship or a full time job in US. With just 2 yrs work ex, it is always going to be tough to convince employers that you have the capability to lead teams and manage complex projects (especially in tech sector & consulting). Low work ex however is not that much of concern if you are planning to get into say investment banking.
I dont know any international candidate with 2 yrs experience in my batch. However, at the same time, I would think that the quality of work ex is more important than quantity. I mean, there are many students with 3 yrs experience and hence, you stand a fairly decent chance if you did your essays well.
Mngmt/strategy consulting is a premium field (which requires strong prior experience and background) and one of the hardest to get into. With a work experience of 2 yrs in IT, it will be very difficult for you to even secure an interview call in that role. To give you some perspective, none of the Indian candidates in the past two years (at Marshall) have got into strategy consulting (even in a smaller firm). In my batch, none of the Indian candidates have even interviewed in that role (and I am talking about guys having greater than 7 yrs experience). Most strategy consulting firms prefer to recruit from top B-Schools. Also, with an experience of 2 yrs, you are more suitable (like me) for an analyst role than a consultant (which is a major drawback as consulting firms normally come to B schools to recruit for consultants than analysts). Many consultants have greater than 5 yrs experience as an analyst or an associate.
MegaWiz.
I have a question for you here.. Your post is an eyeopener for a person like me who is looking to work in the area of Strategic Consulting...
My question for you here is that if it is really so difficult to move into area of Strategic Consulting even with 5-6 years of experience and with an MBA from USC Marshall, does the MBA really serve a purpose here?
I want to know how then do we make a shift to area of strategic consulting? If Str Con firms recruit only from top 10-15 then what should be the approach. You mentioned that even people with 7 years of prior MBA exp failed to get an interview call and that in the last 2 years not a single Indian has been able to make it into this area. In that case, I really dont see a purpose for doing an MBA.
Yeah we would study strategy as a subject but if we can't really land up in the kind of job we are looking for do you think I should really do the MBA from USC..
I hope I am not sounding rude or nethng, just curious to know the approach..
& thank you for shedding light on the aspect of Stra Cons..
MegaWhiz that is some eye opening information that you have given. Thank you! Some more questions-
1. How is the grading system in USC? As in, i have heard that in some colleges, there is a GPA non disclosure policy if the teacher offers it and the students accept it. Do some teachers follow such policy at USC?
2. Network and entrepreneurship focus is what attracts me to USC. What networking opportunities does USC offer with local industries, businessmen and venture capitalists?
3. Do you have any classmates who come from a family business background (like mine)? How easy/ difficult do these students find to get jobs? I ideally want to work with an angel/ venture investment firm post MBA.
4. What kind of job profiles do companies like Disney and other entertainment companies offer USC students? Is a background in entertainment industry necessary for these jobs?
Sorry for bombarding you with questions! :)
@ Others- Post your interview experiences and updates...