730 gmat to Finance Manager intern at Microsoft

Congrats! Tell us how you did it
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GMAT Score:730
I have been a member of this community for over 3 years now. I learnt a lot from beatthegmat. I thought that one fine day, I will also write a success story similar to the ones I read during my preparation days and got motivated from. Somehow, applications process got the better of me after GMAT, hefty loaning process got the better of me before joining the business school, and settling up in the USA and performing in the competitive class got the better of me during the first two semesters of my MBA. Having bagged an internship with my dream company and admiring the setup in Seattle, I felt it is high time I shared my story of going from a 730 GMAT to B-school interviews to now finally a Finance Manager intern at Microsoft. If this story can touch the life of even one future aspirant, I will be happy.
I appeared for GMAT the first time and scored a 700. I decided that was a good score but not a great score, so I would write the GMAT again. For 3 months I followed a strict study plan, making sure I did at least 2 RCs, 10 SCs, 10 CRs everyday along with 10-15 quant DS questions. I also spread out the quant PS section focusing on one topic each week. I found my score improve dramatically and I started scoring in the 750-760 range in the Manhattan tests. Being much more confident than last time, I appeared for the test a second time. I had a bad day and ended up with a 730. It was definitely an improvement but I felt I was slated for at least 750. This time too I was not too happy with my score, but decided that I would apply to my dream schools with this score. I took help with my application and applied to the top schools including HBS/Stanford/Duke/Kelley/Ross. I interviewed with Stanford, Duke (waitlisted) and Kelley among a quite a few. Though Stanford and Duke were dings I had great experiences interviewing and competing for the top spots in the world. Kelley was a great fit and the people were amazing. I decided that my MBA career would start in the university town of Bloomington where I had access to the top ranked faculty in the world!
At Kelley I have got the highest quality education and have become a part of a highly talented yet humble community of classmates. The professors here are rockstars and so are the career-coaches who are straightforward, effective and supportive. The great thing about the small class size is that people know you and your story. It's a big, happy family we have at Kelley! I got personal guidance from second years and career coaches, that helped polish my skills and prepare me for the rigorous interview process for the internship. After tens of interviews with many firms, I finally decided to join Microsoft as Finance Manager Intern.
Through this journey this forum has been extremely helpful and I want to thank the community for providing this tremendous resource. It is always great to find so many likeminded individuals aspiring for similar aim and the energy level in these forums kept me going.
I also want to thank Mr Mayank Srivastava, my mentor at Experts Global training services who supported me, drew my study plan, and coached me through the process to make sure I achieve a good GMAT score and multiple admits. He inspired me to gain another year's experience and improve my GMAT and profile; in my almost two years' long association with ExpertsGlobal, I got some effective and result oriented guidance for GMAT Preparation and MBA applications process. It is touching to see a young, Indian company giving world class mentoring in an extremely professional manner. Way to go!
Last, and crucial, I have my family and friends to thank for believing in me and staying supportive as my MBA journey took long to commence. It was nice to see people staying patient and showing faith in me.
My key learning from this journey...
Do not give up or settle for less
It's all not as difficult or undoable as it is sometimes portrayed to be
Do not hesitate in seeking professional help- be it your gmat preparation or application process. However, ensure you get it right
I was told that the real fight starts after getting the GMAT score. Small correction- the real fight starts after getting into a business school!
Just hang in and keep doing your best. Results will follow
Now I begin my internship and am excited for what's in store for me. Till my next post, keep rocking!
If you have a dream, you gotta protect it.

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by prakhargupta » Mon Feb 24, 2014 10:45 pm
Hey.
I am also a planning to take up Experts Global classroom program for my Gmat Prep.
How long did your GMAT prep with Experts go? Are they really good and sincere with the guidance and coaching?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Regards..
Prakhar

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by jmansharma » Sun Jun 21, 2015 7:55 pm
Hey Prakhar,
Glad to know that you are considering the GMAT. Also, that you are considering Experts. Unfortunately for me, Experts classroom program is based out of Noida while I was in Bangalore. Mayank, the Founder, teaches personally in very small batches- out of his interest; While I was unable to attend in person, I leveraged their GMAT study plan service along with admissions counseling and got incredible results by following their material and plan. Also, Mayank personally helped me along the way providing guidance beyond just GMAT. His classes are quite personal in nature and must be quite good. I dont think you will go wrong. While looking for help with admissions I reached out to many such companies, however Experts were the only ones who were genuine and sincere, unlike others that were very money-minded. I liked how they approached my requests and helped me create a true genuine application.

I took their help at every step of the way and was very happy with what I got. I have referred them to many of my close friends as well. I have now graduated B school and am working as a management consultant in Chicago. And I continue to stay in touch with Mayank. Only thing is, if you sign up be ready to work hard. Dont expect things to be handed to you on a platter. And you will see results.

Good luck!
If you have a dream, you gotta protect it.

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by vivek1303 » Wed Jun 24, 2015 1:46 am
Hi Jmansharma,

Its great to hear that you had a wonderful experience at Kelley, especially to be able to intern at your dream company is a wonderful achievement. Kudos!

Like yourself, I will be joining Kelley for my MBA education.

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by Pratishtha21 » Fri Jul 21, 2017 8:14 am
Hi jmansharma,

What a beautiful experience you have shared. Congratulations for bagging your dream job. �
I hope I also share my experience on this portal some day!

Hi Prabhakar,

I also made this decision of joining Experts Global 3 months back. I joined their classroom program. The small batch size of 10-12 ensures that every individual gets individual attention. They make holistic study plans which is customized for every individual based on how much time one can devote towards the preparation. Every class session is followed by a doubt clearing session with healthy interaction among the students and the teacher.

They provide a set of 15 mocks with detailed solutions for each. I took one mock each day and was able to secure 710 in my GMAT with 2.5 months of preparation. I plan to take it again for a better score post which will work on my applications with the expert team.

Check out for yourself: https://www.expertsglobal.com

So, make an informed decision before you join any center. All the best !