Ask ARINGO

Munish Sahni wrote:Hi

I am Male, 29, Indian IT professional with 6 years of experience (programmer/team lead) :
4 Years in Computer Sciences and Corporation(CSC) for a fortune 500 US client (1 year from TN, US) and 2 years in top Indian IT company, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for 2 big Indian clients.
Prior to this, I did B. Tech. in Computer Science engineering from a premier institute (NIT) scoring 7.2/10. My Community service and extra curricular are good.

I want to move into strategic consulting with specialisation in IT.

After preparing 3 months on my own, I wrote GMAT this Feb end, got just 640(Q49, V29) but applied nevertheless (R3 Fall 2013) to McGill & Schulich in Canada and (owing to my low GMAT,) some Tier II US schools. Two US schools I have got admit from are not really of my priority and are on the expensive side too. So, for US, I would have to wait another year for better schools/scholarship there.

Since financing my MBA is a concern for me, the only offer I can consider is from McGill with $8000 entrance award.

Now, any suggestions on my below queries would be highly appreciated:

1. [Most Important] My dream schools are some of the high end Tier II schools from US (Fuqua, Darden, Tepper, Owen) but they have an average GMAT approaching 700 or more. I want to go to either of these schools not just for the brand name, but because I really want to study with the best out there. I have studied in one of the top engineering colleges in India, and know what kind of incredible people you see in the top schools. But since I am 29 already and will turn 30 this sept.(already above avg. age at most schools), Would it be worth waiting another 1 year and applying next year with GMAT 680-700? (this seems achievable in 2nd attempt with better verbal score as I was getting 35 in Verbal Mocks.) I don't think there will be any other significant addition to my profile in the coming year other than around 50 points in GMAT and one more year of IT experience.

2. Please throw some light on how Canada can prove out to be equally good/better (if at all) MBA destination than US? (4-5 years down the line, I plan to either head back to India or move rest of my family with me.)

3. How about job prospects after graduating from McGill with twin specializations in either of below combinations:
a) Technology & Innovation Management, and Global Strategy & Leadership.
b) Finance and Marketing (I might consider a career switch after completion of 1st year of MBA).

4. McGill definitely is a great brand as a university but their b-school doesn't rank that well and I am not sure if one should go for a parent university brand or a prestigious MBA brand. Can you share your ideas on this?


Thank you very much for your time. I would really appreciate your advice and guidance.

Regards,
Munish

Gaurav_gupta8 wrote:Hi Brian,

I am planning to give GMAT by July,2013.I am looking for a admission in TOP 50 global B schools.

Can you please evaluate my profile and let me know if I stand a good chance in making it to TOP 50.

Computer Engineering and MBA in Marketing and Finance from India
2+ years of Work Experience in Outsourcing industry, India ( 1.5 years with Ernst & Young and 0.9 years with Genpact India till now) in Financial Planning and Analysis domain.

Do you think prior MBA is an advantage or disadvantage in getting to TOP 50 Global B- Schools and what are the chances of getting into Schools like SUNY,Buffalo; University of Iowa;HEC Paris etc.

Also, what minimum score I should target in order to be in a competitive zone.

Thanks,
Gaurav

Gaurav_gupta8 wrote:Hi Brian,

I am planning to give GMAT by July,2013.I am looking for a admission in TOP 50 global B schools.

Can you please evaluate my profile and let me know if I stand a good chance in making it to TOP 50.

Computer Engineering and MBA in Marketing and Finance from India
2+ years of Work Experience in Outsourcing industry, India ( 1.5 years with Ernst & Young and 0.9 years with Genpact India till now) in Financial Planning and Analysis domain.

Do you think prior MBA is an advantage or disadvantage in getting to TOP 50 Global B- Schools and what are the chances of getting into Schools like SUNY,Buffalo; University of Iowa;HEC Paris etc.

Also, what minimum score I should target in order to be in a competitive zone.

Thanks,
Gaurav

suburban wrote:Hello Aringo,
I'm trying to plan the applications season and wanted to ask what is the negative effect on admission chances if I apply in the 2nd round instead of the 1st round in your opinion?
Thank you.

Gaurav_gupta8 wrote:Hi Brian,

Thanks for your reply.

The main reason to pursue double MBA is that I want to get specialize in a specific field of finance- Strategy and Consulting instead of specializing in Finance -General which I did during my ist MBA program.

Also, as I am looking after Budgeting and Forecasting of one of the australian banking and insurance client right now from India itself, I want to get more global exposure through MBA and would like to join some global investment bank afterwards.

Moreover, doing MBA from one of the top tier institute (TOP 30) will further enhance my managerial skills and as most of the MBA programs select students from across nations. So, studying with students from different cultural backgrounds can also help me in further enhancing my communication skills on a global platform.

I don't know if 2.5 years of work ex will be enough to get into the 2nd MBA from Top tier ones.I have also attached my resume to give you a better view.

Thanks and Regards,
Gaurav

jml12357 wrote:Hi, I would really appreciate an evaluation of my profile for the top 15 business schools.

-I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with an accounting degree and a GPA of 3.98/4.00. (During my junior and senior years, I also worked around 30 hrs/week as a head research assistant to support myself financially)
-After graduating, I worked at Accenture as a technology analyst for one year and currently, work at KPMG in their management consulting divison and will have worked here around 2 years when applying.
-Obtained CPA on first try
-GMAT Score of 730 (50Q, 40V)
-Volunteer experience includes acting as student representative for an organization that helps promote and develop international trade between the US and Korea. My role is to help recruit and organize students for a trade school that educates upcoming professionals about the importance and development of international trade.
-During my college years, I traveled to South Korea to train to become a singer/actor under a large Korean entertainment company (didn't work out in the long run, but was a good experience of teamwork). Went every summer/winter break with a 16month stint during my junior year in school.


Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Aringo.com wrote:

suburban wrote:Hello Aringo,
I'm trying to plan the applications season and wanted to ask what is the negative effect on admission chances if I apply in the 2nd round instead of the 1st round in your opinion?
Thank you.

Hi Suburban, thanks for submitting your important question.
Based on past experience, applying in the 1st round is usually preferable. There are years when it's the other way around, and there are programs where it's the other way around. The bottom line: My impression is that on average, the positive effect of applying in the first round is small to medium. The extent of this advantage depends on the quality and number of candidates who apply in each round as well as on the policy of the specific admissions committee at a certain school in a certain year. Over the years, the effect comes and goes "in waves" - the more international students apply in the first round, the less advantageous it is to apply in the 1st round (and the other way around), and then we see fewer applicants in the 1nd round the following year, and so on and so forth. Hope this helps.

David
Senior Consultant

jml12357 wrote:Hi, I would really appreciate an evaluation of my profile for the top 15 business schools.

-I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with an accounting degree and a GPA of 3.98/4.00. (During my junior and senior years, I also worked around 30 hrs/week as a head research assistant to support myself financially)
-After graduating, I worked at Accenture as a technology analyst for one year and currently, work at KPMG in their management consulting divison and will have worked here around 2 years when applying.
-Obtained CPA on first try
-GMAT Score of 730 (50Q, 40V)
-Volunteer experience includes acting as student representative for an organization that helps promote and develop international trade between the US and Korea. My role is to help recruit and organize students for a trade school that educates upcoming professionals about the importance and development of international trade.
-During my college years, I traveled to South Korea to train to become a singer/actor under a large Korean entertainment company (didn't work out in the long run, but was a good experience of teamwork). Went every summer/winter break with a 16month stint during my junior year in school.


Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

ronaldo7 wrote:Hello Aringo,
Will the fact that I am a US resident (but not citizen) contribute to my admission chances to the leading programs?
Would this help in securing a job in the American market?
Would this help on the scholarship front?
Thank you.

chairman14 wrote:Hello,
Is it worthwhile for me to get a recommendation for next year at this time already? That is, do schools have a problem with a recommendation that is "out of date"?