Could You Evaluate My Profile.

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Could You Evaluate My Profile.

by late_30s_mba » Wed Nov 02, 2016 5:39 am
Hi,

Would love if you could evaluate my profile:

Male / 35 / India
Bachelor's in Software Systems (India)
MSc Mangement (Lancaster University, U.K.)
MA Creative Writing with Merit (Brunel University, London) (Did this after 6 years of work experience)
6 Years of Marketing Experience (Was General Manager for a medium-sized chemicals multinational)
3 years freelance and creative writer (After M.A.) - My stories have been published in major Indian publications
Currently a Senior Content Marketing Specialist at a major tech company. (since June 2016)
GMAT: Yet to give, although with mock tests and such I do expect a 700.
I plan to apply next year (September 2018 intake), which means I'll be 36 years old when I apply and 37 years old when I start the MBA.
Post MBA focus: Marketing in a tech company.

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by Donna@Stratus » Wed Nov 02, 2016 1:52 pm
late_30s_mba wrote:Hi,

Would love if you could evaluate my profile:

Male / 35 / India
Bachelor's in Software Systems (India)
MSc Mangement (Lancaster University, U.K.)
MA Creative Writing with Merit (Brunel University, London) (Did this after 6 years of work experience)
6 Years of Marketing Experience (Was General Manager for a medium-sized chemicals multinational)
3 years freelance and creative writer (After M.A.) - My stories have been published in major Indian publications
Currently a Senior Content Marketing Specialist at a major tech company. (since June 2016)
GMAT: Yet to give, although with mock tests and such I do expect a 700.
I plan to apply next year (September 2018 intake), which means I'll be 36 years old when I apply and 37 years old when I start the MBA.
Post MBA focus: Marketing in a tech company.
So you may also want to consider an executive MBA program but I think if you can score high on the GMAT- and for this I think if you can get 710+ one strategy that you can use to be appealing is to leverage that higher GMAT and look at some programs where the avg is more like 660-680. Schools like this include: Southern Cal, Rice, Ohio State, Wisconsin-Madison, Maryland (smaith), Minnesota, Notre Dame, AZ state, Boston U, Iowa, SMU. If you look at these types of programs you may get some traction with a higher than avg GMAT and do your research to see which of these programs has the "fit" that you seek. I do think there can be a place for you in a FT MBA program but just be flexible about where. Also your odds of scholarships go up if you can be at the top of your pool. Good luck to you!

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by late_30s_mba » Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:00 pm
So Duke, Michigan, Cornell, Kellogg, Yale and UCLA are out-of-reach currently?

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by 99Colleges: MBA Admission » Fri Nov 04, 2016 5:34 pm
As an older applicant, you face some challenges applying to a full time MBA program. One of the big ones is articulating a strong reason for pursuing an MBA program at this stage of your career. You post may shed more light on this:

Are You 30+? MBA Programs May Have 3 Concerns on Your Application
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by MargaretStrother » Sat Nov 05, 2016 7:24 am
There are a few issues to deal with here. First, I have found that the older the applicant, the more the GMAT has to be a stand-out, in relation to the median of the incoming class at schools you are applying to. So the first thing to do is pick some preliminary target schools, and look at how many of your favorite schools have an 80% range that goes up to, say, age 32 or 33. Then take a look at their median GMAT, and voila! This gives you some statistical idea of what you're dealing with.

Would these schools include Duke or UCLA, for example? Very possibly -- but for the best chances of success, do the GMAT first, and apply to schools where your number aligns with their average or median. In other words, don't try to be an exception to both their age range AND their GMAT.

The other issue that's crucial for over-35 MBA applicants is goals: why is a full-time MBA the right step now, at this time in your career? Where do you want this to take you? Having a cogent, well-researched position on the goals issue will help you a lot.

The good news here is that I've worked with a lot of over-30, even some over-35, applicants who have gotten into top MBA programs. But experience has shown me that the key to success is aligning your targets with your data, and then doing a fabulous job on your research.

Good luck,
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by Michelle@ARINGO » Sat Nov 05, 2016 12:30 pm
late_30s_mba wrote:Hi,

Would love if you could evaluate my profile:

Male / 35 / India
Bachelor's in Software Systems (India)
MSc Mangement (Lancaster University, U.K.)
MA Creative Writing with Merit (Brunel University, London) (Did this after 6 years of work experience)
6 Years of Marketing Experience (Was General Manager for a medium-sized chemicals multinational)
3 years freelance and creative writer (After M.A.) - My stories have been published in major Indian publications
Currently a Senior Content Marketing Specialist at a major tech company. (since June 2016)
GMAT: Yet to give, although with mock tests and such I do expect a 700.
I plan to apply next year (September 2018 intake), which means I'll be 36 years old when I apply and 37 years old when I start the MBA.
Post MBA focus: Marketing in a tech company.
If you do manage to get the GMAT score you mentioned and can bring out top notch essays (I assume as a writer there is a high chance you can!) and maybe have something interesting and unique to mention about your background, your post MBA goal, your extra curricular activities or something else in order to stand out I believe your chances are pretty good. But I would need to know a bit more about promotions and your career curve to be sure about that. (Feel free to fill in this form: https://aringo.com/mba-process-registration/ if you'd like a more thorough free profile evaluation by ARINGO and detail your work experience a bit more)

Your profile is definitely not the most common one coming out of India, so that is a huge plus!

Age is an issue but in my line of work I have seen a lot of examples of people who got around that and I don't see why you would not as well, given that the conditions I mentioned above are met.

Also, keep in mind that European schools (including some of the top ones!) usually have a higher average age than US schools so I would encourage you to look into some of those schools as well.

Good luck!
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by Edison@VeritasPrep » Mon Nov 07, 2016 12:08 am
Thanks for sharing.

Playing up your creative side will help distinguish you. Showing how you are able to complement this with business acumen to deliver value, and how an MBA would help you with your career goals will strengthen your profile.

As an older candidate, you would need to demonstrate focus on the specifics you want to gain and how these would help you post-MBA.

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by Edison@VeritasPrep » Mon Nov 07, 2016 12:32 am
You may also find some of the tips from the blog entry below useful:

Applying to Business School: Tips for Older MBA Applicants

While researching potential MBA programs, many applicants find themselves older than the typical student at their target school. Thus, they ask themselves whether they should still bother to apply, and how they should distinguish themselves from younger business school applicants

As with any MBA candidate, statistics such as GPA and GMAT score do matter, however the emphasis on these quantitative aspects of the application is somewhat shifted for older candidates to the factors discussed below. Although these are important factors for candidates of any age to keep in mind, they are more critical for older ones to use to their advantage:

Display Greater Focus
If you are an older MBA applicant, the Admissions Committee will expect you to be more mature. As such, you should show greater self-awareness and display more specific direction than younger applicants do. Clearly identify why you need an MBA, what you want to pursue post-MBA, and how the specific program you are applying to will help you achieve those goals. These goals could include personal development, knowledge gaps that you need to fill, and courses you are looking forward to take.

Discussing your future goals in a focused way is especially important if you are applying to one-year programs, as you will not have as much time during these programs to feel your way around or explore. You will want to present to the Admissions Committee that you know what you need, and that you know how you will use what their program offers.

Leverage Wealth of Interesting Experiences
As an older candidate, you will likely have gone through more experiences at work, in life, and in the community. Interesting experiences could range from exciting strategic shifts to crisis management. Using the knowledge you have gained from these episodes and their aftermath as fodder for your essays not only allows you to highlight your personal qualities and how you have developed, but also to show what you can contribute to classroom discussions.

MBA programs consider the diversity of experiences, perspectives, and networks their students bring to campus to be assets. With more professional and life experiences under your belt, use these to differentiate and strengthen yourself from other, less-experienced candidates.

Play Up Leadership Abilities & Expertise
At this point, it will also help to showcase how you have been able to lead teams, accomplish goals, or mentor others. Even if your official job responsibilities do not directly involved leadership over others, you can still highlight leadership experiences at work, and at your extracurricular activities, in other ways.

You may share the realizations you have gained through your leadership experiences and how they have impacted your leadership style, as well as the motivations behind them. Relate how an MBA will further develop these and help you make an impact on the world around you. You may also identify specific valuable expertise that you can contribute and that your peers can leverage in the classroom, especially if these are in a rare field.

Doing all of the above will present you as someone who will use his or her vast experiences to enrich the experiences of their peers, and of the school community, as a whole.
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by late_30s_mba » Sat Dec 17, 2016 9:25 pm
Thank you, everyone, for your response.

My target schools are:

1) Kellogg
2) Ross
3) Yale

I know I might be sounding irrational or overambitious, but I do believe I have a unique profile. Just a couple of days ago I was published in an anthology that was launched by one of the most famous journalists of India and one of the most famous female writers in India at a 5-star gala event. I really do believe I have a unique profile, but also understand that these might be emotions talking.

The main reason I have had to delay my MBA plans is because my father suffers from a severe neurological disease, which was diagnosed a few years ago (after I came back from London) and I've had to be around to assist him. Now that my sister and her fiancé have shifted to the city, I can pursue an MBA. Another, lesser significant reason I've delayed my MBA plans is that it takes time (months, sometimes upto a year) to get published.

So, honestly, do I have a chance to get admitted in the schools mentioned above or am I aiming too high?

Thanks and cheers :)