Ask mbaMission

Profile
Citizen: Indian
Industry: IT Consulting & Biz Development
Age: 28
Work Experience: 6 years at leading silicon valley based company.
Job Profile: - Help customer with IT architecture
- Work with Sales team to develop value prop etc.

Promotions: 2 promotions (currently senior consultant)

Education:
Masters in Mgmt of IT ( Carnegie Mellon: GPA: 3.93)
Bachelors IT (Mumbai Univ: 68%)

GMAT: 710 (Q:50 (93%), V:35 (73%))

International Exposure:
USA: 5 years (2006 - till date)
Switzerland: 4 months (2009)

Extracurricular:
President of Service Mgmt club (During masters program)
Worked with a NGO as a volunteer for 4 months in 2007
Avid traveler : visited more than 25 states in USA and 7 countries in past 2-3 years.

Short Term: Mgmt Consultant Solve Biz PRoblems
Long Term: Grow up in Consulting organization, help to solve bigger problems & build partnership with customers and bring in new business(Partner at Mgmt Consulting firms)

Target Schools: INSEAD, Cornell, LBS (Looking for one year courses)

Doubts: I understand that ideally one should take up MBA in the country where they want to work. Is it possible to come back to North America for work after finishing Insead? Do they have any provisions?

Hello hardikm, thanks for your question.

To your question about location: generally speaking, choosing an MBA program in the country where you want to work afterward makes logical sense, but I don't think it's an absolute rule. More importantly, regardless of where you apply, you should have a rationale for how a particular program fits into your overarching career plan. Perhaps INSEAD would provide a necessary skill set or an area of expertise that other programs would not. It's up to you to make the case and show the admissions committees that your career plan - short and long term - is logical, plausible, and executable.

Looking at your profile, I believe the quality of your stories will determine your success at those programs. If you have rich experiences to draw upon from your 6 years in Silicon Valley, then I would feel more bullish. Your GMAT is solid, your Masters GPA is strong, but your undergrad GPA is on the low side (especially since you come from an overrepresented demographic). Moreover, you are a career changer, which means you'll have a tougher time painting a cohesive connection between your past and future. One last question: What have you done in the community other than the NGO experience you mentioned? Anything more recent? Business schools generally like to see activity and accomplishments that took place within the last 3 years (although that is not a rigid rule).

Finally, I am not as familiar with one-year programs, but you might consider adding Oxford's to your list.

Sincerely,
Brian