Research MBA Programs

My name is Abhinandan and I'm from India. I just completed my CA (Chartered Accountant) from India. I am 22 years old. For the purpose of completing the CA course in India, we are required to undergo a three year articleship training under another qualified CA, practicing in India. I did my three years with KPMG, India. During my tenure at KPMG, I was in the audit department (statutory/tax and group audits). From my second year, I led audit teams for several small and mid sized clients.

Now, I am interested to do a MBA programme from a prestigious business school(Top 10). As I went through the requirements, I understand that a 2 year work experience is a mandatory requirement for joining most of the top business schools in the world. Thus, I was planning to work for two years from now and then give my GMAT. As I went through the top business schools, the one year MBA program offered by schools like INSEAD, Kellog were interesting. I started doing my CA immediately after concluding my high school. Thus, I did not attend college for graduation. However, I have enrolled with IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) for a B-com(Bachelor of Commerce) graduation degree(3 year) and I will obtain it through correspondence (not a regular college degree).

Having briefed my background, I have the following queries:

*Will be eligible for admission into the Top business schools with my above graduation?
*Will being a CA affect(positively) my admission?
*Does my professional experience (3 articleship at KPMG) affect my admission in any way?
*Being a CA, my scope of job is primarily "Audit of various Companies". Do B-Schools encourage such profiles?
*Suppose I work for 2 years from now, will my professional experience be counted as 5 (3 years articles + 2 years post qualification as a CA) considering the fact that there is no change in scope of my job post qualification?
*I was thinking the 1 year program is better because of the lower payback period. Considering my background, what are the best programs for me and what are the various (Top) schools that offer a 1 year program ?
*Should I wait to possess work experience (post qualification) of about 3-4 years before applying or do I have a good chance even with only 2 years?

Thank you in advance for responding to my queries.

Hello Abhinandan,

I'd like to offer my thoughts on your profile for INSEAD MBA.

Your education qualifications: In general INSEAD wants students coming from top colleges but this is not the most important criteria they evaluate your application on. Hence, your concerns regarding your education (and CA) is secondary at this point.

Your work experience: Being in a professional career like that of audit is not a problem for INSEAD. The major problem is the lack of international experience and exposure which is one of the most important factor INSEAD looks out for. It is great that you are planning ahead now in order to start your application 2 years later. Within these 2 years, I'd highly recommend you to seek out for international work experience even if it is just for a few weeks. In this way, you will be better able to position yourself for your INSEAD application.

In terms of number of work experience, an average of about 4 to 5 years in total would be sufficient. I would count your current 3 years + additional 2 years which you will be gaining as sufficient for you to apply to INSEAD.

What if you are not given opportunities to work overseas during these 2 years?
If this is the unfortunate case, then I'd encourage you to travel extensively on your own for holidays overseas. If your budget allows you, go to places where you will experience a cultural shock. If your budget is limited, then you may consider travelling within India but make sure you are able to paint a picture of your travel experience. One large part of the INSEAD application is how INTERNATIONAL you are. INSEAD admits students from over 90 nationalities each year and almost all of the students are very seasoned travelers either for work or leisure. I'd say that that is the rule rather than the exception hence if you want to get into INSEAD, make sure you fit the crowd.

Finally, my closing paragraph will be on Why INSEAD?
If you are looking for a career, geography or a job function change, then INSEAD is the MBA for you. If you want to land a job in management consulting especially with the MBB (Mckinsey, BCG & Bain), then INSEAD is definitely the MBA for you.

Good luck!

Best,
CONNECT INSEAD
The MBA Admission Consultant for INSEAD
www.connectinsead.com

Hello,

Thank you so much for replying! I was thinking of moving to one of the Big 4s(PWC/E&Y/Deloitte/KPMG) in Dubai. The idea crept in for the very same international exposure that you just advised me about. Also, Dubai pays much more than India, so I thought I can save up some money for the foreign MBA. Now, is it a right choice? I hear many people say that Dubai is purely for money making and the exposure you get there will not be counted when you apply to top B schools. I was thinking of working in Dubai for 2 years, then prepare for GMAT and then start applying to the various schools.

-Is it advisable to take up a job at one of the Big 4s in Dubai and join the Audit function?
-Or should I join some consultancy firm (including Big 4s) and get exposed in consultancy rather than Audit?
-I chose Dubai because I understand that the CA from India is not recognized anywhere else globally.
-Should I start my GMAT preparation immediately (whenever I get free time) or should I finish 2 years work experience, then devote special time for it?
-Do you suggest any other B schools such as INSEAD? I prefer a 1 year programme, but as long as the school is excellent, I don't mind joining the 2 year programme.
-Do/Will the top B schools consider the 3 years articleship at KPMG (as a part of my CA course) or is it redundant?
-I also understand that once you apply to colleges such as INSEAD and you get rejected, you can never apply again unless your profile has "drastically" undergone a change. Is it advisable to apply after 2 years of Work experience or should I get more?

Thank you so much for your response in advance, sorry for the annoying queries, I'm just pondering about all this too much and questions keep coming!

Hello again!

"I hear many people say that Dubai is purely for money making and the exposure you get there will not be counted when you apply to top B schools" - this may not be a fair statement as it depends on the type of work that you do in Dubai. Just last year INSEAD extended its MBA program to our 3rd campus in Abu Dhabi and just for this very strategic move, your "right" experience in Dubai will definitely be valuable.

Question is what is the "right" work experience. What you have listed below - Audit/Accounting and Consulting are definitely pointing in the right direction. The pro with consultancy is that usually the big consulting firms will sponsor their analyst for MBA and if you are in MBB, then INSEAD is definitely one of their target school. Given that your background is in audit, it may be easier for you to land a job in audit in Dubai. If you're thinking of consulting, it may be more difficult since there are 2 moves here: 1)Overseas posting 2)Change career. If you've a good network or somehow know that you've a chance with the consulting firms then give it a try. Otherwise, I'd recommend you to stick with audit.

Personally, coming from INSEAD, I'd definitely recommend INSEAD
Objectively, as I've wrote in my last post, your school choice depends largely on what you are looking to achieve with the MBA. INSEAD is very BIG on international career moves (& the recruiters know that) so if you are looking for a career, geography or a job function change, then INSEAD is the MBA for you. Also, INSEAD is famous for it's consulting legacy so if you want to land a job in management consulting especially with the MBB (Mckinsey, BCG & Bain), then INSEAD is definitely the MBA for you.

INSEAD does have a strict rule on "APPLY ONCE ONLY" - INSEAD highly encourage candidates to apply ONLY when they are ready. It is true that if you are rejected, your chances of a 2nd try is very very low unless you demonstrate some significant change in your profile and note, BIG improvement in GMAT score will not counted at all.

Hence, only apply when you're ready. The fortunate thing for you is that you've 2 years to make that difference. Besides improving on your work experience, I'd also recommend you to make connections and network during these 2 years for 2 reasons: 1) it helps you better understand what you want to achieve by talking to these successful executives 2) you may just make the right connection that can help improve your profile in one way or another. For a start, you can begin your networking by speaking to someone who has the same aspirations or profile as you.

Lastly about GMAT. GMAT is an inevitable part of your application. My advice is to get it out of the equation as soon as possible. Getting it out of the equation with a good score that is. Depending on your work schedule, if you can clear it with reasonable confidence while you are working during these 2 years, then please get it done. Resources from beatthegmat are very useful to help you get started such as those study plans.

Good luck!

Best,
CONNECT INSEAD
The MBA Admission Consultant for INSEAD
www.connectinsead.com

Hi I want to do MBA from S P Jain Global and now I am preparing for my GMAT !!! Does anyone know as to what is the minimum score required in GMAT to get into S P Jain Global?? Thanks

I guess the minimum score is 650 ... But S P Jain school of global managementlooks at various parameters .

Ohh thanks ! So other than GMAT what are other aspects that S P Jain Global looks at??

However SP jain Global evaluates a potential candidate overall, on several factors such as the aptitude test scores, good academic record, relevant work experience (if any), exhibited leadership qualities, analytical abilities, communication skills and other personality traits

Hi ! I heard that S P Jain Global is a good university and I'm planning to do my MBA from there ...but I am 32 ... Is there any age limit to get into the institution??

Nope.There are no such age limits.You can try applying.

Thanks Minal for letting me know

Hey nivethabarboza thank you so much.It was really helpful.