MBA Crystal Ball

//What are my chances at these schools?

Hmmm, just the question that the first post discourages. There's no way anyone can predict chances based on 3-4 basic parameters (GMAT, work-ex, industry) shared on a discussion forum.

But let's focus on the other aspects that you could actually use when you start applying to the schools you've listed. We'll use your post as an essay sample to see what can be improved.

//Im working for a company called Halliburton. This is in the oil and gas sector. I have completed 16 months here.

First thing to keep in mind when you start working on essays. Keep the structure as simple as possible. Make it flow logically, so the reader doesn't have to spend time going back and forth multiple times to understand the context. For instance, in the first reading my impression was you had 16 months TOTAL experience. Then I saw 26 months, then 46 months.

An alternative to describe the same thing would be - "I currently have a total of X months full-time experience in company XXX in a YYY role. I am targetting programs starting in Fall 2013."

Short, crisp and no confusion about mental arithmetic

// My designation is an MWD Engineer. My job is basically to drill deviated wells for oil or gas. Currently I am the project lead for a CBM project in West Bengal.

Point 2 to remember is to strip off all the technicalities when you aren't sure if the reader understands industry jargon and acronyms (e.g. MWD, deviated wells, CBM). Explain it in such a way that anyone can understand and appreciate what you do.

// My goal is to work in corporate strategy or Business Strategy for oil majors like Chevron, Exxon, BP...

I liked this part. You have carefully considered post MBA jobs that will be an extension of what you currently do as it would require an indepth understanding of operations, sales/marketing before you can give anyone strategic advice. Good going, bro.

// My future goal is a consultancy start up for mid level oil companies, that struggle to to grow in the Indian market as it very different from the international market.

If you are planning to work outside India after you graduate, think about what you bring to the table to Indian clients that operate in an industry which may have different styles of working vis-a-vis your international employers. Then you are all set.

// My target schools are: Yale, Darden, McCombs, Tuck, Kellogg, Ross, Duke, ISB. and Id also give Harvard a shot.

Pretty ambitious list there. Ensure you take care of the individual points mentioned earlier and give it your best shot.

Good luck.

Hi their

First and foremost i bumped into your profile serendipitiously on PG.......and after a little googling....i finally got addicted to your quantump jump from an Engineer to IIM to Cambridge and Finally a Enterpreneur......

Kudos to u man.
and Thanks a ton for starting such an informative thread.
Well I seriously need profile evaluation as i am targetting 1 year MBA preferably.ISB, Insead, Cambridge, Oxford and Booth Chicago (for 2 years option). I will be taking a loan and their is looming danger of Global recession. On top of that i have hit the age button of 30.
and last but not the least i have put up my papers of resigning from my high paying job to join a NGO, to help my community work.

Profile

10th 88%
12th 74%
Diploma in Comm. Engineering 70% (After 12th)
Bachelors in Computer Science (Correspondence)(As you cant pursue two regular courses in India) 65%
4 years work Ex in IT Major
MBA in Petroleum 82% (Niche Course)
Close to 4 years of wrk Ex in Petroleum Major in Sales Domain
Extra Curicullars Good

Want to shift to Consulting Domain.......Need ur advice......

Sir,
First I would like to share my profile with you.
B.Tech IIT Bombay Mechanical Engineering (7.67/10)
CFA all three level cleared in first attempt
Three years of work ex in derivative trading ( a proprietary trading firm)
GMAT 710
EC and community service - Decent
I want to remain in Finance and work for an investment bank or private equity after MBA.
Please suggest me some international MBA colleges who have good reputation in Finance (dream, achievable and safe category).
I would prefer 1 yr MBA program and since most of the 1 yr programs are from Europe and considering current European scenario is it advisable to apply there. If yes please suggest some colleges.
Want to have your views on ISB as people don't recommend ISB for Finance.
Should I give another shot to GMAT?

Thanks

// First and foremost i bumped into your profile serendipitiously on PG.......and after a little googling....i finally got addicted to your quantump jump from an Engineer to IIM to Cambridge and Finally a Enterpreneur...... Kudos to u man.

Thank you, sir. Btw, IIM was an Exec MBA kinda program (when it was still being offered as a full-time option). So after testing the management education waters, I went to Cambridge for a full-blown experience.

//On top of that i have hit the age button of 30.

Accept my sympathies, sirji. Having been there many years ago, I know how you might be feeling.

//and last but not the least i have put up my papers of resigning from my high paying job to join a NGO, to help my community work.

Hmmm..Not sure how you'd link that back to your bigger goals. Why the dramatic change of tracks? Apart from filling in the NGO gap in your application, what other role would this play in your long term goals?

// 4 years work Ex in IT Major, MBA in Petroleum 82% (Niche Course), Close to 4 years of wrk Ex in Petroleum Major in Sales Domain
Want to shift to Consulting Domain...

I'm guessing you are referring to mainstream strategy consulting. That becomes a little tough to achieve. A very high GMAT score (you haven't shared this) and a spectacular performance during your MBA can really help.

Hi Sameer,

After reading your posts in other forum, its great to see one being hosted by you.

Please let me know your say on my profile.

General: 29/Indian/Male

Work:
Years of Experience: 6.5 years
Role: Senior Technology Analyst in one of the leading Investment Banks
Location: India

Test Scores:
GMAT: 750 ( Q: 51, V: 39, AWA: 6 )
TOEFL: 110

Acads:
B.Tech with honors ( 76% ) from one of the top National Institutes of Technology

Extracurricular:
Undergrad: Decent
- got few oppurtunties to show case leadership
- Many awards in fine arts ( sadly I have nt continued after that )

Job: Decent
- Member of diversity clubs ( planning to co-lead few events this year )
- Member of a team to host sessions with speakers from other teams/regions
- Captain community service ( annual event )

My work is very demanding, hence I have not been able to really work on my extra curricular outside work. Good side is I may have some good experiences to show case from my work.

Others:
Public speaking: Member of Toast Masters
Past experience in teaching SAT and GMAT ( very short duration )

Others:
I have an admit from a top Canadian School in Toronto. But I need the Brand of a Ivy league US school in my profile. Hence considering to apply again this year.

Goal ( I have to narrow down to one ):
1. Strategy Consulting in Financial Services in a top Consulting Firms
2. Cross Functional role ( sort of Tech + Finance consulting ) in front office ( trading ) in my current organization.

Concerns:
- Age and Work exp on the higher side

Your valuable feedback is much appreciated.

Cheers!

//B.Tech IIT Bombay Mechanical Engineering (7.67/10), GMAT 710
Three years of work ex in derivative trading ( a proprietary trading firm)

Hi Aman,

//CFA all three level cleared in first attempt

Yowzaa! Nice work, bro.

// I want to remain in Finance and work for an investment bank or private equity after MBA.

I assume you want to transition into non-trading roles, right? If so, I'm sure you do realise that your pre-MBA experience will NOT be your trump card. Both options, Investment banking and Private Equity jobs, demand different skills.

// Please suggest me some international MBA colleges who have good reputation in Finance (dream, achievable and safe category).

If you are only looking for a list of good finance schools, there are many: Stern (New York University), Columbia University GSB, Chicago Booth, London Business School (LBS), MIT Sloan, many more.

Can't really talk about your chances for each, without testing you on your application strategy, essay writing and interviewing skills. That's what we do in the MBA Mock Application Process (MBA MAP).

// I would prefer 1 yr MBA program and since most of the 1 yr programs are from Europe and considering current European scenario is it advisable to apply there. If yes please suggest some colleges.

In that case, most options listed earlier get thrown out. LBS is your strongest bet. It's longer than 1 year, though.

// Want to have your views on ISB as people don't recommend ISB for Finance.

If you are looking for Indian options, then ISB is the best (and your only) choice. It's the strongest brand you can get. Your challenge would be to use that to open the doors you want.

// Should I give another shot to GMAT?

Only if you are confident of getting the GMAT score up substantially, say 750+.

Hi, my choice of Universities is as follows:

1. Yale (Silver Scholars MBA)
2. Rochester Simon (MBA)
3. Krannert Business School (Masters in Human Resource Management)
4. Moore Business School (Masters in Human Resources
5. LBS (Mim)
6. LSE (MSc Management and Human Resources)

My profile details are:
- Your qualifications: degree, academic performance
* BBA (currently enrolled in final semester) GPA - 3.9/4.0
* Received TF-NTU LEaRN Scholarship worth SGD 6,500 for semester abroad study at Nanyang Technoogical University. Leadership Enrichment and Regional Networking(LEaRN) program selects about 50 students from 13 Asian countries every year.
* Received "Young Achievers Award" for meritorious performance in Grade 10th.

- GMAT score: quant/verbal break-up, AWA
QA - 49/ 85%
VA - 32/64%
Total - 670/ 84%
AWA - 6.0/6.0 91%

IELTS - 8.5/9.0

- Work-experience: Industry, role, number of years
Colleger Fresher
Internship/ Volunteer Work -
1. Skoda Auto India -
Analysed Data Discrepancy issue within the department by conducting research and interviewing team members; Summarised findings and presented recommendations to the Head of the Department which was considered for implementation; Resulted in reduced data discrepancies; Received Pre Placement Offer

2. Teach for India
Part time Mentor and Tutor to underprivileged children (grade 3) for 2 years

3. Bright Owl Project, Singapore
Mentor and Tutor to underprivileged children


- Major achievements at work and outside
1. Founder and Head of student support group and counselling cell at my college, catering over 900 students
2. Head of Department, Guest Relations of College Fest ( Total Budget of 68 lakhs)
3. Bharatnatyam Dancer: Dancing for 14 years, performed the Arangetram(graduation dance)

- Career goals
Emphasis on Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Social responsibility of businesses.

I would appreciate if you could assess my choice of universities according to my profile.

Hi Sipan,

// After reading your posts in other forum, its great to see one being hosted by you.

Glad to see that you liked out other threads. Hope to maintain the same level of quality and no-nonsense approach here as well.

// General: 29/Indian/Male
Years of Experience: 6.5 years
Role: Senior Technology Analyst in one of the leading Investment Banks
Location: India

You are being modest. Knowing which investment bank you work for (from the short offline interaction we had), I'd say it is THE most respected brand in its field.

//GMAT: 750 ( Q: 51, V: 39, AWA: 6 )
B.Tech with honors ( 76% ) from one of the top National Institutes of Technology

Not too bad, sir!

// I have an admit from a top Canadian School in Toronto. But I need the Brand of a Ivy league US school in my profile. Hence considering to apply again this year.

I think your thinking is justified. Considering where you are working right now and what you plan to do, a bschool brand that's as strong as your employer brand would help.

// Goal ( I have to narrow down to one ):
1. Strategy Consulting in Financial Services in a top Consulting Firms
2. Cross Functional role ( sort of Tech + Finance consulting ) in front office ( trading ) in my current organization.
Concerns:
- Age and Work exp on the higher side

Either option is fine, but like you've said, you'd need to get down to one primary target role. Also the way you weave it into your story is very important (age might play a role in both).

On the Canadian school offer, see if you can explore the option we spoke about in the call. For the other schools there's plenty of time.

Hi Sameer,


I have read a lot about you. I need a very straight forward profile evaluation.


I have completed Electronics and Communication engineering in 2011.
After which I have joined Deloitte Consulting as Support Analyst.
Further my father is an entrepreneur,who owns a flour mill.I've worked with him very closely during my college days and was involved in various aspects of the factory and business operations. I've joined Deloitte only to get outside work experience.

My long term objective is to join my father and expand the business with both forward and bacward integration and increase the capacity of the mill.I strongly feel an MBA would help me immensely. Father wants me to join him by at least by 2015.

Please advice on the right MBA course for me.I have thought of 1 year courses in IMD,INSEAD.(The problem is in this courses will they consider my 4 year experience at my factory as work ex?)

Additional info:-
X:76%
XII:- 84%
U.G:-8.7 GPA
Leadership:-
IEEE student chair,
Project team lead,
executed inventory management project.
Awards:- many,Awarded best Outgoing student of the college
Have taken GMAT once when I was in college:-640,
Will re-take now expecting 710-750 score(based on mock tests)


Please advice at the earliest.

Thanks

Hi DAN123

Thanks for posting a very well-structured profile.

>> my choice of Universities is as follows:
1. Yale (Silver Scholars MBA)
2. Rochester Simon (MBA)
3. Krannert Business School (Masters in Human Resource Management)
4. Moore Business School (Masters in Human Resources
5. LBS (Mim)
6. LSE (MSc Management and Human Resources)

Let me break this up into 3 sections:

Fresher MBA option: Yale Silver Scholars MBA
I'm a little unsure about the effectiveness of such courses. The Yale University brand is quite strong for undergrad degrees. The MBA is, umm, good. And now we have new MBA flavour targetting freshers. They have listed out some good company names for internships and post graduation jobs. And interesting it seems to have been around for quite a while, but not much is known about it - unlike the harvard 2+2 or even the ISB YLP courses. So if you have it on your list, talk to guys who have first-hand experience with this program.

Regular MBA options: Simon (Rochester)
Here your lack of full-time work-ex would be the biggest challenge. Most regular 2 year MBA degrees get applicans who have, on an average 4-5 years of pre-MBA experience.

Other non-MBA Masters options (MSc, MiM etc):
This is a completely different sphere and it is the most popular option for freshers. But it's an area where my knowledge is limited. So not much advice I can give you there, except that the takeaways from each of these is very different. So don't club them all into one bucket.