Value of International Experience

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Value of International Experience

by praachiee » Tue Jun 17, 2014 10:42 am
Hello Team,

I am a Computer Engineering graduate from NIT in India from the 2011 batch. I have been working in ZS Associates in Business Technology track for almost 3 years now. I have been promoted to Associate Consultant this January.
We provide technology solutions to US based Pharma clients. I along with my peer AC manage a team of 10 people.
Extra-curriculars: I have represented my institute in Badminton and short distance running for national level inter-college sports tournaments. I am passionate about dancing.
Post MBA i would like to pursue a consulting career.

I have been thinking of targeting Kellogg,Tuck,Yale,Booth,etc. Kellogg is definitely my dream school. I am planning to apply this October.

The thing is I have an opportunity at work of travelling on-shore to the United States for 6 months in November to manage the client side. I am looking forward to this opportunity and learning experience. I would be the on-shore lead in this role- would be learning from my consultant in the beginning and eventually taking over her role in the project, being the single point of client contact for my 10 member India based team.

The timing of my on-site assignment is such that I cannot mention about it in applications in Round 1 for which deadline is in October.
Do you think applying in Round 2 would be a better decision in my case? I have heard that R2 is comparatively tougher, plus being an international applicant, there are a lot of visa formalities which may make it difficult for me. Do you think applying next year makes more sense?
How important in international experience for B-schools. Does having international exposure change your chances significantly?

What would you suggest to a case such as mine?

Regards
Prachi

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by Eliot » Wed Jun 18, 2014 2:19 pm
Hello Prachi,

Thank you for your post and congrats on the promotion! That is just the sort of upward career trajectory adcoms like to see.

Schools sometimes have a cutoff for international applicants specifically because of the issues of visa paperwork. So, you will want to check the deadline details for each program.

International experience is certainly a plus in b-school applications. Submitting solid Round 1 applications is also a better idea than applying in Round 2; there tend to be more applicants in Round 2, so it's generally tougher simply because of the numbers. You may be able to "update" the adcom about your experience, if they are open to additional materials after the Round 1 deadline; however, given your age and pending leadership experience, it could work best to wait for Round 1 of next year. That way, you will be able to highlight specific results of your achievements, not what you plan or expect to happen. Concrete, quantified results will be important for a solid application. Waiting another year would also give you an opportunity to bolster the extracurricular aspect of your profile.

That said, do you have enough leadership experience at this point to submit a solid application? Will this one project bolster your profile significantly? Overall, it looks like you expect this project to be your standout achievement and you have the luxury of time to let it come to fruition. If you'd like to discuss your candidacy and timing of your applications further, please contact us directly: https://www.clearadmit.com/services/free-consultation/
Eliot Ingram
Clear Admit, LLC
[email protected]
215 568 2590

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