Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

loukya wrote:Hi Sameer,
I wanted to know about the chances of applicants who apply immediately after their graduation. Is work experience necessary to be admitted to the top schools or it depends on the application? Do B schools favor applicants with work experience?
Thank you

For 'top' schools, yes, highly recommended.

The exceptional ones who get in without formal corporate experience still have something worthwhile to talk about that they might've accomplished while in college.

akshatgupta87 wrote:GMAT History:-
GMAT 1: 600 (Q:49,V:22)
GMAT 2: 620 (Q:48,V:27)
GMAT 3: 580 (Q:50,V:18)
After giving 3 attempts, I could not think of re-taking GMAT anymore
:
I feel GMAT score will be an overall low point in my application

I'd agree, Akshat. This would be the single most important factor that would bring down an otherwise decent profile.

Can you please suggest some schools.

I'm afraid I can't. Though I do know some folks who've got into some top schools with a very low GMAT score, it was primarily on the basis of some key factors that they used to differentiate themselves (the 'D' word becomes all the more important in such cases) and get the attention of the Admissions Committee.

Though most schools talk about viewing profiles holistically, going in with a substantially low score could be a very challenging hurdle to cross.

If you are anyway planning to come back to India, your best bet would be to aim for schools where the median GMAT falls closer to the average for their class. The flipside is that the lower ranked schools don't have brands strong enough to make the Indian employers go Wow.

The bigger question is what you want to use the MBA for. If it's just to get an additional degree, you might want to reconsider the decision.

To get a better idea of why I'm saying that, ask one of your colleagues travelling to the US from India to get you a copy of 'Beyond the MBA Hype'.

NUS Singapore MBA and 4 other admits for Indian IT Engineer Male

The NUS Singapore 1 year MBA program gets a lot of applications from Indian IT Male Engineers, just like all the other top bschools. Being closer to India and being more affordable than the US programs means that it gets more than its fair share of such profiles.

Rohit Jaggi was one of the hopeful applicants to NUS Singapore and several other top bschools. He got admits from 5 of the 8 schools he applied to - one offered a mouth-watering MBA scholarship. Quite an accomplishment!

In this guest post, he displays his flair for story telling, probably one of the reasons he stood out among the competition...Read More

greatsaint wrote:I did it only for a few months, and had to fold it up due to some personal loss of my partner. I am not sure whether to add it or not, as I do not have substantial documentation related to that. Also, it may become a negative image that I could not could not continue the business alone, after my partner had to leave.

It's not necessarily a bad thing. If you can use it appropriately in the relevant essay (maybe a failure that taught you some important lessons?), it could work for you.

I have added Oxford,Cambridge (UK), Emory 1 year course, Kellogs(US), Rotman, Ivey (Canada) now to the mix. Does that make too many applications ?

Yes, a little on the higher side. But if you think you could submit equally strong applications to each of them, then you could go ahead.

Ensure that you have some internal prioritisation (e.g. must submit at any cost, nice to submit, ok to submit if there's time).

PaGaLGuY reinvents MBA networking

PaGaLGuY is probably the only Indian MBA portal that can proudly talk about a dedicated case study by an IIM (Indian Institute of Management Bangalore). But despite the traffic volumes and the humongous amount of content it offers (roughly 3.5 million posts, it has retained the desi flavour that attracts a fiercely loyal community of MBA aspirants, alumni and experts.

More than enough for anyone to rest on their laurels and take a breather after having completed a dream run in less than a decade, right? The pagal (crazy) guys at PaGaLGuY didn't think so...read more

Learn German language to access the non-English speaking world

Learning German, French, Spanish, Japanese or any other language can give you an advantage that no technical or managerial skills can replace. The ability to connect and interact with colleagues, clients and friends from another culture is a huge ice-breaker.

After completing my MBA, I worked for a German company (in India) for 5 years. This involved frequent trips to Germany. So in the first few months after I joined, I spent several hours each day to learn basic German from Anjali Patil, a highly accomplished German teacher from the Goethe Institut.

She has been one of the most patient teachers I've ever come across. It's tough to manage a bunch of over-grown brats in the corporate class, but Anjali did it with poise and elegance. The end result was, after the course, we were able to manage not only our Germany trips well, but also the numerous email chains that would often shuttle between English and German content...read more

anukrati wrote:Age - 25
GMAT Score - 690 (1st Attempt last year). Still planning to give GMAT Exam by next month end.
Year of WE - 2+ yrs. Started working in Aug 2009.
:
currently Working as a Operational Analyst in Capital One...joined Infosys...left it in mid of training to join Accenture...left to join HSBC US Card Operations...

Ayyo, 3 transitions in 2 years!

During my college days I was running the BrainOBrain Kids Academy Ltd Franchisee for 3yrs.

Interesting. What role were you playing here? Did you have a team to help out with marketing, accounting, managing the day-to-day operations?

Also during my Accenture job I started the Part Time Job in 1to1 Tutor as a Maths Faculty to teach US students online.

Seems like the entrepreneurial keeda in you is pretty active. Nice!

1) As its compulsory for me to take admission in 2013, is my profile strong enough to apply for Top B-schools in US.

Depends on your definition of 'Top'. If you are thinking about Harvard/Wharton/Stanford or Top 20 or Top 30.

The low work-ex could be a deterrent. So you'd have to combine your professional story along with your entreprenuership stints to help you compete with others who'd have more work-ex.

2) Also, what further can be done in order to enhance my profile.

Too late for that, if you are planning to apply in Round 1. Focus on building a strong end-to-end story.

3) Also, since I am planning to give GMAT exam again, what should be the minimum GMAT score I should look for.

Your last GMAT score has already fixed the minimum, so don't worry about setting targets in the second attempt (it'll just add to the stress). Just go ahead and try to score the max you can.

Then we work with whatever score and profile you have to extract the maximum mileage.

Get your list of bschools ready and start working on the applications in parallel. All the best.

Average GMAT scores: What are the MBA admission chances?

Got an average GMAT score in your recent attempt? Chances are that your 'average score' isn't as average as you think it is. If Indian IT Male (and Female) Engineers score a 690 on the GMAT test (a very respectable score by global standards), we still label them as average GMAT scorers. In fact, even a 700 or 710 doesn't seem to impress the powers that be i.e international MBA Admissions officers of the top business schools.

But statistically, that's far from the truth. The real average score for GMAT test takers around the world is...hold your breath...Read More

SP Jain Global MBA (GMBA) - Dubai, Singapore, Sydney calling

The SP Jain Global MBA, as the website says, is designed for mature particpants. Their 2-year MBA designed for applicants with lesser experience has already carved a niche for itself in.

With the Global MBA (GMBA) offering, they've taken the SP Jain brand to an international level - literally. With cities like Dubai, Singapore and Sydney added in for good measure, the exposure is truly international.

Aditya, a current student attending the SP Jain Global MBA program describes his application experience that got him the GMBA seat...Read More

sam2304 wrote:I don't know hindi but I fairly understood what you said Sameer As I said earlier, its just the revenue, a family business and I am not the sole proprietor So I cannot take it up for another 5 years till other second generation people are ready There are lot of other factors to be considered as well. I can use the opportunity now to learn something.

Good attitude, bro. Always helps to have the head firmly on the shoulders and not get carried away, when success seems to be coming too easily.

sam2304 wrote:In the past one year, I had provided many ideas and suggestions and some of them delivered the expected results...

The first half of the story sounds logical. Several candidates from a family business background we work with start off on a similar note.

However, they miss out a few critical points that negate their overall approach. Let's save that discussion for another day.

sam2304 wrote:

MBACrystallBall wrote:A word of caution. Just because a school has a strong reputation in consulting doesn't mean every student has an equal shot at getting into those firms.

Yes, I get it. But 25% chances is better than 10%

I agree. The same rationale applies to bschool admissions as well i.e. for top schools there are no guarantees, so the best you can do is to improve your chances.

In fact, our entire admissions consulting model is built around that premise!

MBA Admissions Consultants: How the best business schools view them

How many MBA applicants take the help of MBA admission consultants while applying to the top schools. If estimates from the survey conducted by Poets & Quants (P&Q), a leading & highly-respectable MBA portal, are to be believed, the numbers are astounding.

Up to one third of the applicants to the top 10 MBA programs hire MBA consultants. For the top 3 (Harvard, Stanford, Wharton), this number goes up to 50%...Read More

NYU Stern MBA - New York University grad turns Entrepreneur in India

The NYU Stern MBA program at New York University might be known as one of the best Finance programs in the world. And being located in the commercial capital gives it a huge advantage - career opportunities in the financial services industry with investment banks doling out the best salaries and bonuses in the business.
But NYU Stern has other strengths too, that generally get overshadowed by the 'Finance MBA' label.

Anubhav Jain completed his MBA from NYU Stern. But the New York glitter and glamour didn't hold him back. He returned back to start his own company in India. Read how NYU turned him into an entrepreneur...Read More

rijul007 wrote:Hi,

I am currently pursuing B.Tech in Computer Science. I want to join PG in Management as soon as I complete my UG next year.
Can you tell me about PG programs that take in students with little or no work experience?

I have heard of a program called MiM offered by London Business School, London School of Economics, HEC Paris. Please tell me how it is different from the traditional MBA and what are its prospects post-MiM.
Also kindly give me some info about other similar programs. I am looking to pursue PG from one of the Top universities. I just recently gave the GMAT and scored a 720.

Seems like this post fell through the cracks. I'm guessing you've got your answers from others. If not, let me know. I'd be happy to share my 2 cents.

IIMC PGPex for Executives | 1 year MBA at IIM Calcutta

IIM Calcutta offers a 1 year MBA Post Graduate Program for Executives (PGPex) that is meant for those with many years of work-experience. It competes with IIM Bangalore and IIM Ahmedabad that have similar programs.
Just like in the case of 2-year MBA programs offered by IIMA, IIMB and IIC, the shorter MBA programs (accepting GMAT as opposed to CAT scores) compete with each other for the best students from India. Ashish Rastogi explains why IIM Calcutta (IIMC PGPex) got his vote and scored over IIM Bangalore (IIM EPGP)...Read More

Job interviews: Top 10 tips to keep in mind

Job interviews provide the most fertile ground to discover you are human...by making mistakes (or 'unforced errors' as Sania Mirza would describe them). A job interview is also the best place to discover a highly evolved species called Bosses, who use it as an opportunity to demonstrate how lowly and insignificant the rest of us are.

If you've been preparing for an important job interview, here are a few do's and don'ts so that the discovery process doesn't push you on the road to extinction...Read More