Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

Hi all
I am thinking of applying to various B-schools, particularly LBS, HBS, MIT Sloan and IBS and wanted some advice on what my profile's weaknesses could be and what I can do to improve it.
Class 10th from India: 92%
Class 12th from India: 85%
Undergraduate: 1st Class Hons Computer Science Edinburgh University, UK
Work ex: 1.5 years in IT working on swap pricing systems at a major investment bank in London, then another 2.5 years at another bank in IT working on algo trading systems. Both roles were very hands on and involved talking to traders and quants daily.
Postgraduate: Distinction in MSc Mathematical Finance at Cass Business School, studied this course part time alongside work.
GMAT: 720/800.

My main reason for wanting to do an MBA is move into the Quant/High Frequency Trading space and I figured having a top school on my CV would help with that.

Thanks
-Dean

Hi Dean,

You have decent profile with solid GMAT and work experience. Have you started working on your applications. I would suggest you to focus on application rather than worrying more about profile. List of shortlisted schools looks fine but still you can add some more b-schools, ideally you should apply to 5-6 schools to increase your chances. You can also target schools like Chicago Booth, Stern, Wharton, Columbia and if you are considering Canada then Rotman.

Regards,
Manish
Try www.general-ed.com/chances-of-bschool

Hi ,
I am looking to apply at LBS, I wanted to have an evaluation of my profile and get an idea about my chances at LBS. Would appreciate if you could help me with this.
I have 7 years of work experience. I have a diverse work experience where I started my career at JP Morgan as a mutual fund accountant to being an entrepreneur where I started working in rural India to set -up low cost outsourcing processes. I was an unique concept where we set-up fully functional rural BPOs that employed women for the villages and created job opportunities for them.
Two years after starting out I joined Tupperware, where I am working as financial planner& analyst. I have taken my GMAT and have a score of 640, I know the score may not be a very good one, but I wanted an evaluation whether with my credentials and job experience I stand a good chance at LBS.
I have also significant international exposure, as in JP Morgan I was responsible for mutual funds for Dublin & North America region so all interactions involved with my counterparts in these regions. At HarVa also I was Responsible for implementation of the Jobconcierge, US based Human-powered job search Solution Company. It's a start up business by Wharton alums that helps people find jobs by outsourcing the online job search. I helped in drafting the financial plan to seek venture capital funding for marketing and consequently scalability of operations and handled a 5 member team for day to day operations. At Tupperware as well I have had the opportunity of helping set-up the Bangladesh operations.
I hope these criteria do match the credentials, do let me know if my GMAT score will not be a deterrent in my chances of getting an admission. My though is that since LBS does encourage entrepreneur I stand a good chance, but I would definitely like an opinion from an alum
Do let me know if you need any further information
Thanks
Best Regards,
Karan

There seems to be two different posters with two different questions.

Dean

You have a strong profile. You might also consider Master of Financial Engineering programs given your quantitatively-focused goals. These programs are sometimes called Computational Finance, Mathematical Finance, Quantitative Finance, etc. Here is a ranking of U.S. programs by QuantNet (https://www.quantnet.com/mfe-programs-r ... dium=email). Before applying check to see if graduates enter the types of jobs and employers that interest you. Also check to see that the courses you are taking will give you the right skills to succeed in these jobs.

Internationally LBS has an excellent MFE program (https://www.london.edu/programmes/mif/wh ... edfor.html).

Karan

GMAT score is one element in evaluating your candidacy. Here is an article that frames MBA Evaluation Criteria. LBS has an average GMAT of 695 and a range from 600-790, so your score does not disqualify you, but lowers your chances. If possible, I would recommend you retake it.

Best of luck to both of you,