Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

Hi,
Just came back from a GMAT exam with a disappointing 710 (Q49 V38). Would like some help in deciding the next steps.
Key questions I am looking help on are:
1. Whether to retake GMAT ? (I felt quite rushed in the test, maybe due to not enough test practice)
2. Is this score good enough to apply to my target schools (INSEAD, Duke, Darden, Tuck and Ross), given that I dont have the most solid CGPA (6.1/10)

Background information:
Indian Male, 28 yo, engineer.
Have been working in consulting (Data analytics) for the past 5 years, with the same firm. two promotions. 1 relocation to UK. Working out of London for the past 1 year and will mostly work out of US after Dec.

Have led multiple team since last 2.5 years. Was managing 3 separate engagements totally amounting to a total of million dollar revenue for my firm.

Have been an above average student till my undergrad where I did not do very well but have a couple of start up attempts to speak of.

Not much in extracurriculars since work is very hectic but founded clubs in my firm and university for activities pertaining to debates, book discussions, etc. National level debater at school.

Thanks

The IE Business School Adcom Advises Indian MBA Applicants

Think of an MBA in Europe, and IE Business School in Spain immediately strikes one as a top option, not just in the region, but around the world. Ranked #11 in the World (FT ranking 2013), the program rates highly in comparison to other comparable programs in Europe, such as INSEAD and IMD. The European economy in general and the Spanish economy in particular, though, have caused some concern in the minds of potential applicants. In this interview with GyanOne, Eliana El Hage, Associate Director at IE Business School, discusses the school's value proposition, career opportunities in Europe, IE MBA Admissions, and career statistics at IE Business School. Thank you, Eliana, for your time, and your perspectives!

GyanOne: IE Business School has been in the FT top 10 consistently and is considered one of the best options for an MBA in Europe. What are the USPs of the program for international applicants?

Eliana El Hage, IE MBA Admissions: While the program has many unique factors, I would emphasize most on the following three:

The diversity of the class is one of the highest worldwide, not only in terms of nationality but also in terms of backgrounds which is quite interesting and contributes a lot to the class discussions
We have top notch students combined with top notch faculty from all over the world. Many of our faculty members are practitioners so they share their experience in the corporate world with the students
Our practical approach based on the case method where students are constantly wearing the consultant shoes and giving solutions to real life cases

IE Business School Interview

sharma_anruag wrote:Hi,
Just came back from a GMAT exam with a disappointing 710 (Q49 V38). Would like some help in deciding the next steps.
Key questions I am looking help on are:
1. Whether to retake GMAT ? (I felt quite rushed in the test, maybe due to not enough test practice)
2. Is this score good enough to apply to my target schools (INSEAD, Duke, Darden, Tuck and Ross), given that I dont have the most solid CGPA (6.1/10)

Background information:
Indian Male, 28 yo, engineer.
Have been working in consulting (Data analytics) for the past 5 years, with the same firm. two promotions. 1 relocation to UK. Working out of London for the past 1 year and will mostly work out of US after Dec.

Have led multiple team since last 2.5 years. Was managing 3 separate engagements totally amounting to a total of million dollar revenue for my firm.

Have been an above average student till my undergrad where I did not do very well but have a couple of start up attempts to speak of.

Not much in extracurriculars since work is very hectic but founded clubs in my firm and university for activities pertaining to debates, book discussions, etc. National level debater at school.

Thanks

Hi Anurag,

You should ideally consider retaking the GMAT. We say this given the fact that you felt you did not have enough time, and that this was not your best performance on the test. While people with lower scores also regularly make it, given your GPA as well, a retake would be in order. You might also like to have a look at this article to have a look at other options for schools specializing in Analytics.

Apart from the GMAT, your experience is good and the international experience definitely helps further. Analytics is a great area to be in, but the impact you have had and the exposure you have had in helping clients or your firm make better business decisions will be valued to, not just technical analytics expertise. We are sure you would have plenty of that kind of achievement to highlight.

Your ECA is decent - not outstanding, but not weak either. You seem to have enough in there to be able to make a meaningful contribution at your target schools outside class, and that's really what ECA is mostly about.

Hope this helps. Please feel free to come back with further questions as needed.

<<double post>> <<deleted by GyanOne>>

Rotman MBA AdCom Asks Applicants to Be Creative and Do Things Differently

The Rotman MBA program has been ranked #1 in Canada by the Financial Times Full-Time MBA Ranking for 9 out of the last 10 years. The school is known for its strength in finance and innovative approach to business education. The program's location in downtown Toronto, the hub of Canada's business activity, gives the Rotman MBA further leverage with top recruiters. The full-time MBA program now has a class size of 313 (and growing), which makes it larger than most other top Canadian MBA programs. GyanOne caught up with Sheldon Dookeran, Assistant Director, MBA Recruitment and Admissions, and Erin Miller, Associate Director, Career Coaching & Education, at the Rotman School of Management. Sheldon and Erin shared key insights into the USPs of the Rotman MBA, Rotman MBA admissions, and career opportunities for students at Rotman.

GyanOne: Rotman is the top ranked MBA program in Canada (FT Ranking 2013). Over the last few years, the Rotman MBA has also become a top option for international candidates looking at an MBA in Canada. What are the key factors that you think contribute to this ranking and that make the Rotman MBA stand out among other top MBA programs?

Sheldon Dookeran: Rotman is by no means a traditional MBA school. We encourage our students to display their creative side and do things differently. Let me substantiate through three specific examples along three different dimensions.

The first differentiating factor is that we teach our students Integrative Thinking, giving them the skills they need to create innovative business models when traditional business models.........

Rotman MBA Admissions Interview

GMAT V/S GRE: Which One is Preferred by Top MBA Programs?

GMAT vs GRE - this is a conundrum that is not uncommon among MBA applicants today. This scenario has developed fairly recently, but it is here to stay. 2011 onwards, ETS (Education Testing Service, the people who conduct the GRE) started pushing for wider inclusion of the GRE among business schools. According to a US News report, more and more business schools are now also accepting the GRE for MBA admissions. Before we can get to the question on whether one should take the GRE or the GMAT for B-school admissions, we first need to compare the two tests to point out obvious differences.

Is GMAT better than the GRE for MBA admissions?

The Harvard 2+2 and Other Top Early Admit MBAs



The HBS 2+2 is one of the few early admit MBAs around the world. Think of top MBA programs which allow applicants to be part of the admissions process right after college, and one thinks primarily of two programs - the Harvard 2+2 and the ISB YLP. Contrary to popular perception, there are other such programs as well. GyanOne presents a brief list of other such programs. This is certainly not exhaustive, but is meant to illuminate potential applicants in the penultimate year of college of possible opportunities.

The Harvard 2+2

IIM Bangalore EPGP Statement of Purpose Tips and Analysis

The IIM Bangalore EPGP Statement of Purpose is a part of the admissions process to one-year the Executive Post Graduate Program (EPGP) at IIM Bangalore. The EPGP is a highly prestigious one-year program, as can be seen from the admission statistics (mentioned below) as well as the small batch size that IIMB caters to. The program is IIMB's response to similar programs launched by other IIMs (for example, the PGPX at IIM Ahmedabad and the PGPEX at IIM Calcutta) as well as the ISB PGP. In a short duration of time since its launch six years ago, the IIMB EPGP has made a strong name for itself, and is a much sought-after program among mid-career professionals. This page provides some tips and advice on the IIM Bangalore EPGP Statement of Purpose, and some information on other aspects of the program.

IIMB SoP Tips and Analysis

LBS? INSEAD? IMD? Which are Best One Year MBA Programs in Europe?

One year MBA programs in Europe, unlike similar programs in other regions of the world, are not a new phenomenon. Europe has been the pioneer and also the largest adopter of the one year MBA model. Traditionally, however, it has been known more for the top options that it has - INSEAD (France), LBS (UK), and IMD (Switzerland). Over the last decade, though, and increasingly over the last five years, a number of other programs have emerged as top contenders too.

One year MBA programs in Europe have distinct advantages over other similar programs elsewhere:

- These are the flagship MBA programs of the schools that offer them. INSEAD's one year full time MBA is its premier program. IMD's MBA program, ranked No.1 by FT MBA rankings on international placement success, has always been its flagship offering, just like the LBS MBA (which is a 15-21 month offering, slightly more than an year in its shortest format). This presents a distinct advantage to graduates in recruitments.

Best One Year MBA in Europe

Why is ISB Hyderabad the Most Prefered MBA among Indian Applicants?

The ISB MBA is one of the most popular MBA programs among applicants in the Indian and larger Asian region. While a lot has already been said about ISB's infrastructure, the quality of its faculty, the prestige of the ISB MBA, and its affiliation with other top b-schools, this article seeks to present an insider's view of some of the other things that make Indian School of Business a great school to attend. The ISB MBA is actually the ISB PGP (Post Graduate Program) in Management, but as most people refer to it as the ISB MBA, that is what we too will do in this post.

Social initiatives: ISB is host to a local chapter of the Net Impact club. This club provides students with plenty of opportunities to lend a helping hand to the needy. Some of the activities that students can participate in through this club are:

(a) Social welfare activities like organizing blood donation camps and health check-up camps. Another important event is Bandhan, an annual event where ISB MBA (PGP) students celebrate India's Independence Day (Aug 15) with less privileged students from four Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) across Hyderabad.

(b) Management consulting and strategizing opportunities for non-profits. The club provides opportunities for giving pro-bono consulting services to non-profits. This is a great learning experience as it allows students to apply business and management principles to real-life problems. Although the consulting opportunities are only open with non-profits through this initiative, the problems that students solve may be classic business problems, ranging from improving operations to managing finances better to creating a marketing strategy. Similarly, iDiya (pioneered in 2011) is a social venture competition that allows non-profits, b-school students, and working professionals to showcase their ideas/ventures centred on social change.

(c) Strategy events and workshops for non-profits. These events give students a chance to participate in imparting skills and business acumen to non-profits. The Diffusion initiative (started in 2011) saw students come together with the Central University of Bihar to offer skill-building courses as part of a two-day workshop for non-profits. Similarly, the Social Venture Implementation initiative allows students to write a paper about the role of social enterprises in emerging markets. The aim is to provide an idea platform for alumni who want to start a social venture.

ISB Exchange Program and Leadership Initiatives

Rotman MBA Admission With Scholarship!

Tushar Khare, a consultant at Deloitte, was thrilled to break this news to us! It happened finally. A Rotman School of Management admit with scholarship! Tushar is a one of the most well connected professionals we know (we were surprised to know he was friends with so many of our clients:)), is a sports enthusiast and is now making the most of his stay in Toronto as a Rotman student.

Well, here is his MBA admissions journey, an insight into his aspiration to pursue an MBA, his decision to leave a 'technical' but rewarding career in Deloitte, and Life at Rotman, Toronto.

What were you doing before the MBA and how did b-school come into the picture?

Before seeking out an MBA, I was a software developer and consultant. I have a work experience of 4.5 years, have worked on domains of media and healthcare for projects across different geographies. However, it was sometime later that I realized that my knowledge was predominantly technical. I had to understand the functional aspects of a business in order to deliver efficient solutions. As is said, the path to an efficient solution starts with empathy and knowing what your customer needs. Thus, I thought an MBA equipped with the required skills to understand business and to do effective problem solving.

Why did you chose Rotman?

Yale Silver Scholars - Top Early MBA for Applicants with No Work Experience



Talk about selectivity! While tomes have already been written about how selective Stanford, Harvard, and Haas are (see this article from Businessweek and this one from Poets&Quants), few look at the Yale Silver Scholars program which has an acceptance rate that is as low as - if not lower - than Stanford's 6.8%. Around 200 applicants from around the globe apply for the program every year, and only around 10 make it. If one considers that these applicants must vie for admission to the competitive Yale program without any work experience, the odds are even tougher.

The Only MBA Option of its Kind

Does Being From IIT Help in ISB MBA Admissions?

Like most IITians, Sudeep Reddy is someone who likes to get technical about his work. Very technical. So technical, that his first ISB essay drafts discussed how he had worked on "PBR2 and PP4 plants" to replace electromechanical relays in a large Reliance factory. This was excellent work, but it was too technical. Additionally, this was just ten days before the ISB R2 deadline of Nov 30, 2013. Sudeep's friend (and a former client of ours, Bhargav Lingamneni), who had successfully made it to ISB with us in R1 of the same cycle, recommended GyanOne to Sudeep to help him bring out the best elements in his profile.

ISB Admissions Success Story

5 ISB MBA Admission Mistakes You Must Avoid!

Every year, thousands of students apply to ISB. Many of them have strong GMAT scores, good academic profiles and work experience, and a high likelihood of success at the ISB admissions process. Yet, many year, many deserving candidates fail to make it to ISB in spite of these credentials. GyanOne has worked with many reapplicants, helping them to make it to ISB the following year. Yet, this article is not about us - it is about ISB applicants themselves, and how they can avoid some common mistakes that can lead to the rejection of their candidature at ISB.

We present here a list of 5 ISB MBA admission mistakes we have seen applicants make and then repent later. They have been compiled from applicant interviews when these applicants have approached us in the following year. Some have also been compiled from the profile evaluations that GyanOne has done, providing applicants with advice on how they can improve. Inputs from ISB students and the ISB admissions committee also form a part of the advice mentioned here.

ISB Application Mistake 1: Not Understanding the Process
ISB is an aspirational MBA program, which naturally means that there are many more applicants than seats available. Competition is tough, and the application process followed by the interview stage creates a significant filter for these applicants. Yet, we have seen many people applying to ISB without fully understanding the process or what ISB looks for. For example, the average GMAT score across both ISB campuses is 700. This does not mean that someone with less than that cannot hope to get through. Indeed, many of our clients (and others as well) have been people with GMAT scores significantly below that number (650/660/670). However, applying to ISB with a GMAT score of, say, 620, and hoping that one's profile will carry one through (unless that profile is really outstanding or highly experienced) is hoping in vain.

ISB Application Mistake 2

Gives me immense pleasure to share the great experience I had with the GyanOne team. The team helped and supported me throughout the application process, right from school selection to brainstorming on application strategy and clearly defining my career goals. Within few weeks of application I received interview invites from all the b-schools. The team helped me prepare for interviews which definitely improved my confidence. I have received admission from my top choice school with scholarship, and I am waiting for the other decisions to come soon.
I would recommend GyanOne to everyone who wishes to fulfill their MBA dreams.