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Michelle@ARINGO: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 313; Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:16 amFollowed by: 7 members; Thanked: 22 times

by Michelle@ARINGO » Sun Apr 27, 2014 4:53 am

flipper wrote:Hey Aringo,
My question is would work experience with a well-known international organization contribute to my candidacy? in what way?
Thank you.

Hey Flipper,

Yes, working for a well-known international organization will contribute to your candidacy. The extent of the contribution depends on the organization in question, and of course, on your role there. It may be better, for example, to have more responsibilities (esp. management) in a less-known organization than entry-level responsibilities in a well-known organization.

But since admission committees read a large number of applications, they may appreciate the authenticity offered by a well-known organization, and have more faith in a candidate's claims regarding his or her experience there. Additionally, the prestige offered by such an organization may score the candidate "points", whether formally, or subconsciously in the minds of the admission committee members.

Again, however, I would stress that the WHAT (experience) is generally more important than the WHERE (company/organization).

Happy applying,
David
Aringo.com

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dss0070: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 1; Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2014 5:47 am

by dss0070 » Mon Apr 28, 2014 6:37 am

Hi Aringo,

I appeared for GMAT last year and will start applying this year. It would be great if you can give me an insight.

Profile :

Ethnicity :Indian Male
Age : 24
GMAT : 710 (Quant:50 and verbal:36)

1. Work experience:(19 months currently but while joining program next year it will be 3 years)

Working in one of the MNCs in IT field and have gathered a good experience in the fields of software development, Consulting and testing field . I have closely worked with some of the Pharmaceutical giants for consulting activities and have good understanding of drug industry. Also I am Social Advocate and other responsibility positions.

2. Academics :
Have very good academic record(Class X: 94% AND Class XII: 93) and was merit holder. Along with that I cleared few of the competitive exams in India.
Graduation : Bachelor of Technology(From one of the top 10 colleges in India)
CGPA : 8.8/10 (Department rank 4 of 90 students)

3. Extracurricular
I have decent extracurricular at college and university level but nothing on State or National level.

I am looking for top 20 MBA schools and

I have few questions :

1. Considering my demographics(Indian), should I retake my GMAT? What are my chances for going to top 20 schools?

2. Are there any specialization courses like Masters in Finance where they might consider students from non finance background?

3. What is the ideal time for applying, since I have already started preparing draft for essays and actual admissions will be starting in Mid June for most of the programs. Is it ok to apply in first couple of weeks of round 1 or I should apply in the middle of round 1?

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tomboy198789: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 3; Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2014 10:08 am

by tomboy198789 » Tue Apr 29, 2014 7:38 pm

Hi,
I would like a profile evaluation. Following is my profile:

Background:
Education: Graduated from a non-IIT college in India with a GPA of 3.4 in 2012 in Computer Science Engineering
GMAT: 710
TOEFL iBT: 117/120
AGE: 23

WORK EXPERIENCE:
36 months before completion of under-graduation in education sector with a start-up which has been recognized globally by Dell, IIMs, Ivy League college - UPenn. Continued the work with the same start-up for 2 years more after graduation. Co-founder and COO at the start-up.

Work Related Achievements from June 2012 - Present:

"¢ Conducted a pan India competition which saw participation from 100+ cities and 20,000+ students.

"¢ Successfully established the entire North India division for the start-up. The responsibilities included from HR, Operations, Marketing to actually working on the field.

"¢Initiated and developed a program to improve data driven decisions for students.

AWARDS and EXTRACURRICULAR INFORMATION:
"¢ Student Council Treasurer-Organized the College technical and cultural festival with a footfall of 5000 people and a budget of INR 5 million combined
"¢ Led the start-up to win at an international competition organized by Dell.
"¢ Internship of 2 months in Europe in IT.
"¢ Keyboard player just for relaxation.

OTHER PERSONAL INFORMATION:
"¢Languages known: English, Hindi, Punjabi, French (Basic)
________________________________________________________________

My goal is to come back to India after graduation and expand my start-up business and help diversify in the education field itself.
I wish to apply this year to top tier schools such as Harvard, Stanford, Kellogg and MIT Sloan.

Should I still consider these as stretch schools as I might fall short of work experience. What else can I do to better my chances?

Thanks in advance for all the help.

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Michelle@ARINGO: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 313; Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:16 amFollowed by: 7 members; Thanked: 22 times

by Michelle@ARINGO » Wed May 07, 2014 6:43 am

dss0070 wrote:Hi Aringo,

I appeared for GMAT last year and will start applying this year. It would be great if you can give me an insight.

Profile :

Ethnicity :Indian Male
Age : 24
GMAT : 710 (Quant:50 and verbal:36)

1. Work experience:(19 months currently but while joining program next year it will be 3 years)

Working in one of the MNCs in IT field and have gathered a good experience in the fields of software development, Consulting and testing field . I have closely worked with some of the Pharmaceutical giants for consulting activities and have good understanding of drug industry. Also I am Social Advocate and other responsibility positions.

2. Academics :
Have very good academic record(Class X: 94% AND Class XII: 93) and was merit holder. Along with that I cleared few of the competitive exams in India.
Graduation : Bachelor of Technology(From one of the top 10 colleges in India)
CGPA : 8.8/10 (Department rank 4 of 90 students)

3. Extracurricular
I have decent extracurricular at college and university level but nothing on State or National level.

I am looking for top 20 MBA schools and

I have few questions :

1. Considering my demographics(Indian), should I retake my GMAT? What are my chances for going to top 20 schools?

2. Are there any specialization courses like Masters in Finance where they might consider students from non finance background?

3. What is the ideal time for applying, since I have already started preparing draft for essays and actual admissions will be starting in Mid June for most of the programs. Is it ok to apply in first couple of weeks of round 1 or I should apply in the middle of round 1?

Hi DSS, thank you for your questions.
Regarding your GMAT score - it is fine for Top 20 MBA programs considering the rest of your strong profile. But if you believe that you have a good chance to increase your score by at least 20 points and you want a top-10 program, then I recommend that you retake.

Regarding a Masters in Finance, yes, schools do take candidates from non-Finance backgrounds if they exhibit strong quantitative and mathematics skills/experience.

Finally, it does not make a difference when you apply within Round 1, as long as it's in by the due date.

Good luck!
David
Senior Consultant
Aringo.com

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Michelle@ARINGO: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 313; Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:16 amFollowed by: 7 members; Thanked: 22 times

by Michelle@ARINGO » Wed May 07, 2014 7:16 am

tomboy198789 wrote:Hi,
I would like a profile evaluation. Following is my profile:

Background:
Education: Graduated from a non-IIT college in India with a GPA of 3.4 in 2012 in Computer Science Engineering
GMAT: 710
TOEFL iBT: 117/120
AGE: 23

WORK EXPERIENCE:
36 months before completion of under-graduation in education sector with a start-up which has been recognized globally by Dell, IIMs, Ivy League college - UPenn. Continued the work with the same start-up for 2 years more after graduation. Co-founder and COO at the start-up.

Work Related Achievements from June 2012 - Present:

"¢ Conducted a pan India competition which saw participation from 100+ cities and 20,000+ students.

"¢ Successfully established the entire North India division for the start-up. The responsibilities included from HR, Operations, Marketing to actually working on the field.

"¢Initiated and developed a program to improve data driven decisions for students.

AWARDS and EXTRACURRICULAR INFORMATION:
"¢ Student Council Treasurer-Organized the College technical and cultural festival with a footfall of 5000 people and a budget of INR 5 million combined
"¢ Led the start-up to win at an international competition organized by Dell.
"¢ Internship of 2 months in Europe in IT.
"¢ Keyboard player just for relaxation.

OTHER PERSONAL INFORMATION:
"¢Languages known: English, Hindi, Punjabi, French (Basic)
________________________________________________________________

My goal is to come back to India after graduation and expand my start-up business and help diversify in the education field itself.
I wish to apply this year to top tier schools such as Harvard, Stanford, Kellogg and MIT Sloan.

Should I still consider these as stretch schools as I might fall short of work experience. What else can I do to better my chances?

Thanks in advance for all the help.

Hi Tomboy,
Thanks for your question.
It sounds like you have a reasonable strong profile. However, those schools listed might be a stretch. I'm assuming by your username (Tomboy) that you are a woman, which should help a bit. Still, I cannot say that your chances are strong.

It partially depends on your startup: How many people work there? How many do you supervise? Have you raised capital? Is there income? Your application needs to show that this is a serious and successful (or at least likely-to-succeed) endeavor.

Based on the limited information that I have, I would feel more at ease saying that you are a competitive candidate at Top-20 schools that are further down the list than those schools that you mentioned. But at the same time, I wouldn't suggest not applying to your dream school just because the chances seem bleak! Give it your best shot, and make sure to stress strong management and leadership skills.

Good luck!
David
Senior Consultant
Aringo.com

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kuliyevanm: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 5; Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 9:56 am

by kuliyevanm » Fri May 09, 2014 4:17 am

Last edited by kuliyevanm on Wed May 28, 2014 6:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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kuliyevanm: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 5; Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 9:56 am

by kuliyevanm » Fri May 09, 2014 4:17 am

N/A

Last edited by kuliyevanm on Wed May 28, 2014 5:20 pm, edited 5 times in total.

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Michelle@ARINGO: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 313; Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:16 amFollowed by: 7 members; Thanked: 22 times

by Michelle@ARINGO » Sun May 11, 2014 1:53 am

kuliyevanm wrote:Hello.I'd like to ask you to evaluate my profile and say how strong I'm for the selected schools.Meanwhile, it would be nice to hear your opinion on wheather I should retake GMAT. I'm so busy in my life that I don't actually have a time to retake it unless it seems as the critical factor on being accepted to MBA.

About me:
I'm 28 years old white female from Azerbaijan.

Degrees: Being the Youngest among students admitted to Bachelor Degree in Azerbaijan at the age 15, I got highest Score in entrance exams among 100 000 students applying for the Universities in Azerbaijan
Received Scholarship for 4 years bcs of excellent grades in Bachelor degree assigned directly from the President of Azerbaijan Republic

Age 15-19 : Bachelor in Applied Mathematics&Cybernetics/Top 1 University in Azerbaijan/ GPA: 4 out of 4
Age 19-20 :MS in Applied Mathematics: Top 1 University in Azerbaijan/ GPA: 4 out of 4
Age 20- 22:MA in IT Business: World Top 13- Korea's Top 1 Uni / GPA 3.76 out of 4

Career: Started to work from 15 years old (Overall - 8 years full time, 4 y part time)

Research Institute (AZ)- 4 years Part time
Az.Ministry of Communication and IT(AZ) - 2 years - Project Manager for International Tender Evaluations
P&G (AZ) - 6 months Marketing & Sales
SK ( 1 of Korea's biggest System Integration IT firms )- 5 years working as Korean HQ employee in Overseas business branches of SK all over the world- Project Controller, Sales, Contract Management and other various job positions achieved through promotions
Samsung (Biggest Korean Company , Industry IT) - 1 year - Strategy Consultant - Youngest in my rank even among Koreans and international employees of Samsung. I'm involved in various consulting projects all around the world including those in Moscow, Silicon Valley,Middle East etc.
I'm taking very active role in globalizaion of Samsung such as I've been a role model for Samsung in many advertisements,leader of the biggest Social Community Group of Samsung, frequently appearing in news,presentations etc.

Other interesting facts about me : travelled to more than 40 countries,huge experience in working with different cultures
Very active in sports: Black belt in Taekwondo , Tennis,Swimming, Scuba Diving,Snowboarding.. etc

Expected Recommendations: 1st - Minister of XXX of Azerbaijan
2nd - Senior Vice President of Samsung
3rd- Alumni of the Universities that I'm going to apply (Have a lot of friends from each schools)

Languages: Azerbaijani,Russian,English, Korean,Chinese,Turkish - all are fluent
Private business Ownership: Couple of times started my own businesses such as Restaurants/ Cofee Shop and, Logistics and Exports

GMAT : 660 Quantitive - 50 ,Verbal 29

Target Schools:
Harvard,Standford,Wharton,Columbia,MIT,Booth,Kelogg

Hello kuliyevanm!

Thanks for your question.

You have a very impressive profile, and are a strong candidate.
As for your question, the bottom line is this: no, I don't believe you need to re-take the GMAT. In your case, your score is probably good enough.

If you apply to all of those schools that you listed and submit strong, well-written applications, I believe you will be accepted to at least a few. So as long as you are open to attending any of them, I give you a pass from another round of GMAT

Good luck,
David
Senior consultant
Aring.com

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kuliyevanm: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 5; Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 9:56 am

by kuliyevanm » Mon May 12, 2014 4:31 am

Hi David
Thanks a lot for your evaluation. So you are saying that I dont need to retake GMAT if I'm ok with getting into any of schools.
What do you think for which schools my profile can be considered as strong and for which ones competitive? Should I consider to retake GMAT if my target schools mainly are Harvard,Stanford and Wharton?
Just a small note that my Masters degree from Korea was in English so probably that can cover the low GMAT verbal score.

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Michelle@ARINGO: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 313; Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:16 amFollowed by: 7 members; Thanked: 22 times

by Michelle@ARINGO » Tue May 13, 2014 4:57 am

kuliyevanm wrote:Hi David
Thanks a lot for your evaluation. So you are saying that I dont need to retake GMAT if I'm ok with getting into any of schools.
What do you think for which schools my profile can be considered as strong and for which ones competitive? Should I consider to retake GMAT if my target schools mainly are Harvard,Stanford and Wharton?
Just a small note that my Masters degree from Korea was in English so probably that can cover the low GMAT verbal score.

Hi again Kuliyevanm,

Firstly, you may be correct about your English-language MA. Be sure to make this fact clear in your application.

It's difficult to say in which of those schools you have the best chances. You listed the very top schools in the US. You are a competitive to strong candidate in all of them. But the admissions committees have various considerations about balancing their incoming classes, factors that are out of your control (and knowledge). And a school that this year ranked #1 won't necessarily be more competitive for any particular candidate than the one ranked #4.

If you had free time on your hands, I'd say sure, retaking the GMAT and raising your verbal score a bit certainly can't hurt. But since you sound like a busy person, I believe you can skip it.

Good luck,
David
Aringo.com

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olimpic: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 28; Joined: Wed May 02, 2012 10:37 am; Thanked: 1 times

by olimpic » Tue May 20, 2014 8:11 am

Hey Aringo,
In order to improve my quant skills before applying to an MBA program, should I take precalculus or calculus course? Does it matter if the courses are taken at a community college or should it be at a more prestigious school?
Thanks in advance.

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Michelle@ARINGO: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 313; Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:16 amFollowed by: 7 members; Thanked: 22 times

by Michelle@ARINGO » Tue May 20, 2014 8:43 am

olimpic wrote:Hey Aringo,
In order to improve my quant skills before applying to an MBA program, should I take precalculus or calculus course? Does it matter if the courses are taken at a community college or should it be at a more prestigious school?
Thanks in advance.

Most MBA programs require that Applicants have some background in Calculus and basic Statistics.
You want a solid grade in Calculus to show adcoms and that's usually a B/B+ and above. Might want to consider economics as well.
If you didn't take those classes during your undergraduate studies, then you'll likely have to take them before starting your MBA program (through a community college or local school).
As for taking courses at a community college or a more prestigious program, that comes down to why you're doing what you're doing. If the goal is to just plug your transcript, then a community college is definitely good enough. Also, if you learn better in person, then go that route. However, if you're looking to set yourself up on the right foot going into your MBA, then you can explore other programs, some of which might be online.

Good luck,
David
Aringo.com

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pratyushkumarsingh: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 4; Joined: Thu May 22, 2014 9:24 am; Thanked: 1 times

by pratyushkumarsingh » Thu May 22, 2014 9:44 am

Hi,
here are the details of my profile:
Ethnicity: Indian
Age: 27
GMAT Score: 760 (Q-50, V-41, IR-7, AWA- Awaited)
I am an army officer. Joined the training in Nov 2004 and got commissioned in Dec 2008.
Have got two promotions. I have served in varied regions including highly operational areas.
Completed my bachelors in science from national defence academy. Post graduate diploma in defence management and military studies from Indian Military Academy.
Joined as a technical officer in a technical support arm. Completed b.tech from a prestigious army college while serving.

CGPA:
B.Sc. : 6.92/9
B.Tech. : 8.35/9

Avid sportsman
Commanded units independently and held positions generally meant for much higher ranking officers in extremely high active areas. Commanded brigade level units consisting of almost 100 men. Faced numerous logistic and operational challenges.

I now want to shift to the corporate world and hence want to pursue MBA from a highly reputed b-school. Please evaluate my profile and assess if it fits any of the schools such as Kellogg, Insead, Sloan, Columbia, Haas, LBS etc.
Looking to join in 2015-16

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Michelle@ARINGO: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 313; Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:16 amFollowed by: 7 members; Thanked: 22 times

by Michelle@ARINGO » Mon May 26, 2014 12:54 am

pratyushkumarsingh wrote:Hi,
here are the details of my profile:
Ethnicity: Indian
Age: 27
GMAT Score: 760 (Q-50, V-41, IR-7, AWA- Awaited)
I am an army officer. Joined the training in Nov 2004 and got commissioned in Dec 2008.
Have got two promotions. I have served in varied regions including highly operational areas.
Completed my bachelors in science from national defence academy. Post graduate diploma in defence management and military studies from Indian Military Academy.
Joined as a technical officer in a technical support arm. Completed b.tech from a prestigious army college while serving.

CGPA:
B.Sc. : 6.92/9
B.Tech. : 8.35/9

Avid sportsman
Commanded units independently and held positions generally meant for much higher ranking officers in extremely high active areas. Commanded brigade level units consisting of almost 100 men. Faced numerous logistic and operational challenges.

I now want to shift to the corporate world and hence want to pursue MBA from a highly reputed b-school. Please evaluate my profile and assess if it fits any of the schools such as Kellogg, Insead, Sloan, Columbia, Haas, LBS etc.
Looking to join in 2015-16

Hi pratyushkumarsingh,

From what you have presented, you are a strong candidate for all of the above programs. Do some further web research to identify programs that are "military friendly". Duke is considered one such program, for example. It's not that you would be disqualified from programs which are not distinctly so, but you would have a leg up in those that are.

Good luck,
David
Aringo.com

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pratyushkumarsingh: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 4; Joined: Thu May 22, 2014 9:24 am; Thanked: 1 times

by pratyushkumarsingh » Tue May 27, 2014 12:35 pm

Dear David,
Thanks for the prompt reply.
I actually would favour a 1 year program and right now, the only top 1 year program that comes to mind is the INSEAD MBA. Can you please suggest other similar programs.

Regards,
Pratyush

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