Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

vishrules wrote:1) Indian Male - 21
:
4) Experience - Zero.
:
6) Why MBA ?
I am interested to major in Finance/Consulting. I want to base my career on strong foundations and I feel that just engineering skills are not good enough to obtain a job wherein you can channelize the company decisions and influence the organizational strategy. Also, MBA gives you rapid growth.
:
How many years of work ex should I obtain before I start applying to top B schools. I took my GMAT on 6th September 2010.
Also, can you suggest me B-Schools considering my profile.

Hey Vish,

Great to see that you are starting early.

However, it's too premature to get into school selection at this stage as the field for you is wide open.

Over the new 2-3 years, if you can build up some solid work-experience, apart from some good stories that'll give you for your essays there'll be another benefit. Your Why MBA and post-MBA goals responses will get more specific and more credible.

With very less work-experience it would be tough for bschools (and your prospective employers) to believe the 'channelize the company decisions and influence the organizational strategy' pitch.

The general expectation is that you'll be a foot soldier who understands the ground realities before you can lead your own army and focus on strategic topics.

Sounds logical?

Thanks Sameer for your response

I haven't sit for TOEFL yet. That brings another question. Is it necessary for me to have a TOEFL score considering I have completed BE in English and have worked in IT and in US for ~3 yrs?
Please let me know. Also, I would appreciate if you could provide a contact# in a private message.

Thanks
Kapil

Hi Sameer,

As per your mail, i am posting the details as follows.

1) Indian Male - 24

2) Undergrad - Bachelors in Technology - First class - Topped all the 4 years of study.

3) Experience - three years of experience in IT (R&D) industry, Family business and an own business set-up.

Senior Engineer, Infosys Technologies Limited, Bangalore (9th June 2008 - 02nd November 2009):
Joined in June as a Software Trainee and then worked full-time as a Design Engineer in Aerospace Domain. Work involved designing automated tools for strain checks, optimization and analysis of a part of a composite wing panel of an aircraft wing, which involves coding in Excel, extensive 3D designing in Catia V5 (Design Software). I was involved in creating new software based on VBA which could be used in reducing the production process time and improve project execution time.

Was associated with the following initiatives and events within the company:
"¢ Involved in an initiative which creates a feeling of "belonging to the company" among the employees, by giving them an opportunity to meet the senior employees as source of inspiration.
"¢ Involved in a charity initiative which focussed on helping the differently-abled by obtaining help from fellow employees.
"¢ Member of the organising committee of an intra-department exposition.
"¢ Member of the founding committee (Marketing/Strategy team) for promoting work carried by us and to attract new clients.


General Manager, Aleron Motorsports, Hyderabad (November 2009 - Till Date):
AAM Auto is a small start-up company which provides automobile design/manufacturing solutions. We offer hybrid car conversion kits and installation. AAM Auto also develops 4-seater electric/hybrid vehicles. Till date, AAM Auto has finished converting 7 gasoline powered cars into gasoline/electric powered. My role in the company relates right from technical aspects to managerial aspect. Overall there are 14 people who are a part of this start-up venture.

Apart from the above experience, I have been involved in family business for the past 7 years. I have travelled abroad for work assignments.

Extra Curricular:
I have been actively participating in motor-racing events in my country. I help promote green drives with the help of these racing events. I have also been organizing adventure treks in and around the city I live in. (Greater Hyderabad Adventure Club).

https://meetup.ghac.in/

I am also a part of a bicycle team. We cycle our way to remote villages and provide them with clothes and things which would be useful for them. We have no proper record of where we have travelled and what we have given except for some photographs. We execute these trips once in six months.



My target schools are

Kellogg (MMM Program)
ISB, India

Also, can you suggest me B-Schools, which according to you I should have a look at considering my profile.

I understand a few aspects of my questions are very relative, but would be obliged it you can just give your individual comments on the basis of your experience till date

Thanks very much for evaluating my profile.

Alay Mehta

bschaspire wrote:Thanks Sameer for your response

I haven't sit for TOEFL yet. That brings another question. Is it necessary for me to have a TOEFL score considering I have completed BE in English and have worked in IT and in US for ~3 yrs?
Please let me know. Also, I would appreciate if you could provide a contact# in a private message.

Thanks
Kapil

Some schools waive it if you can provide evidence of your English proficiency (generally the transcripts include the medium of education). But most schools insist on it anyway, so you might be better off going that extra mile to get that score.

You'll find the contact number on our website (top-right on the homepage).

XLRI GMP 1 year MBA: GMAT preparation tips from a 770 GMAT scorer


The average GMAT at XLRI Jamshedpur's GMP general management program got a boost when Narendran Santhanam got his application to their 1 year MBA program accepted.
He sent in this blog post at 3:51 AM, so you can imagine the kind of workload he's dealing with as he nears the end of an eventful year. If you've been going bananas trying to find out the ingredients that go into a high GMAT score, fikar not, as Chef Naren's GMAT diet recommendation includes exactly that - bananas | read more

alay1986 wrote:1) Indian Male - 24

2) Undergrad - Bachelors in Technology - First class - Topped all the 4 years of study.

3) Experience - three years of experience in IT (R&D) industry, Family business and an own business set-up.
:
Thanks very much for evaluating my profile.

Alay Mehta

Hi Alay,

Didn't realise I skipped your earlier post. Sorry sirji.

Juggling 3 ventures sounds intriguing. But apart from the corporate work, you haven't talked much about your 7-year association with your family business. What do you do there? How much time can you spend, considering you already have a regular job? And the 3rd initiative, what's the deal there?

I'm asking these questions coz I see some interesting stories coming out of the non-corporate hats that you don.

Another thing I'm not too sure about is what you really want to do after your MBA. You've mentioned finance, strategy, consulting and your desire to do something related to your undergrad degree in mechanical engineering.

Forcing it all into one hypothetical option tells me you are aiming for 'a strategic consulting role that looks at the financing of the operations of a manufacturing company'. But then something tells me, that's not what you meant.

Let's try to simplify this. Help me out with this, buddy and we'll take the discussion forward.

Thanks Sameer.
Guess the first thing is to sit for TOEFL then.
In your earlier response, you advised on the division of colleges to apply for. Could you let me know which rankings did you refer to? (FT/Forbes/BW etc)

Thanks
Kapil

priyasa wrote:Hi Sameer
I had sent a pm sometime back... Putting the same in this thread ...

This is Pri.. and I would like to know your expert opinion about my profile for ISB.

Experience: 5 years 9 months in Software telecom and financial services ( of which 1 year is international experience in the US). Managing a team alongwith work... Module lead and co-ordinator between onsite and offshore stakeholders.

Acads: 10 -93% (Merit holder) 12 - 91% . Engineering (BE IT VJTI Mumbai -1st class with Distinction ) 70.9%.

EC: Co-ordinator tech fests in college and editor of school magazines and ofc newsletters. Also into writing a lot of varied stuff... Chief co-ordinator of learning cell for new joinees in ofc and also took sessions regarding product knowledge, soft skills as well as technical stuff for new and experienced joinees.

GMAT: 670

Please let me know what you think about my overall profile and the GMAT score for ISB.

Thanks and Regards

Pri

Hello Sameer ,

Please let me know ur inputs on this.
My AWA score is 6.

Also please let me know about the profile fit wrt IIMA IIMC and XLRI 1 year courses alongwith ISB.

I am basicaly looking at targetting 1 year courses from India.

Looking forward to your valuable insights.

Thanks and Regards

pri

bschaspire wrote:Thanks Sameer.
Guess the first thing is to sit for TOEFL then.
In your earlier response, you advised on the division of colleges to apply for. Could you let me know which rankings did you refer to? (FT/Forbes/BW etc)

Thanks
Kapil

Kapil bhai,

I prefer using FT and Businessweek though the latter is more US-oriented.

But don't go strictly by those rankings as they will not take into consideration what's important for you - your profile, your aspirations, your fit.

dgreen wrote:Hi Sameer,
Could you please help me do a brief profile evaluation based on the information below.

Nationality - Indian
Age - 29
Graduation - Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from India.
GMAT : 700 [2nd attempt, Gmat - 31 Dec 2008, Verbal: 81% Quant: 84% ]
:
Many Thanks for your help !

Hi dgreen,

dgreen wrote:Questions:
1. Could you please advise if the admissions committee take time elapsed between Gmat and applications into account [Appeared for GMAT on 31 Dec 2008]? Am I too late now for applications

Technically, they can't insist on a new score as GMAC has put a 'product expiry date' of 5-years from the product purchase date. But the preference is generally for a more recent score.

In your case, as you've been away from academic life for 10 years, they might want to know if the grey cells are as sharp as they were earlier. So if you are still concerned, you could check with the schools before you apply. A short and sweet email should give you an idea. Do that right now, so you at least have a chance to consider another attempt if your dream school insists on it.

dgreen wrote:2. Could you please help me evaluate the chances of getting into Top 20 US B-Schools?

Any specific reason why you are targetting only US schools? You could include a few schools from Europe and Asia (Singapore has some good choices).

dgreen wrote:3. I am struggling to zero onto 'Safe schools' based on my profile,score - would it possible to advise a few choices?

If you are open to UK, Asia then you could look at Manchester, Cranfield, NUS, HKUST. In the US, the choice of safe-to-backup schools is huge. So if you have any specific schools on your mind, let me know and I'll share my thoughts on them.

priyasa wrote:Hi Sameer
I had sent a pm sometime back... Putting the same in this thread ...

This is Pri.. and I would like to know your expert opinion about my profile for ISB.

Experience: 5 years 9 months in Software telecom and financial services ( of which 1 year is international experience in the US). Managing a team alongwith work... Module lead and co-ordinator between onsite and offshore stakeholders.

Acads: 10 -93% (Merit holder) 12 - 91% . Engineering (BE IT VJTI Mumbai -1st class with Distinction ) 70.9%.

EC: Co-ordinator tech fests in college and editor of school magazines and ofc newsletters. Also into writing a lot of varied stuff... Chief co-ordinator of learning cell for new joinees in ofc and also took sessions regarding product knowledge, soft skills as well as technical stuff for new and experienced joinees.

GMAT: 670

Please let me know what you think about my overall profile and the GMAT score for ISB.

Thanks and Regards

Pri

Hi Pri,

The school and junior college grades aren't generally relevant for MBA admissions. but considering you came in the merit list (loud clapping and cheering in the background!) I think you should mention about it somewhere in the application. And your VJTI grades are pretty good too.

I'm focussing on the acads more coz your GMAT is on the lower side for ISB (you already knew that, right?). And from your follow-up post, I also see that you've got IIMs/XLRI on the list. You've possibly read the story of Naren on our blog (yup the 770 scorer). So schools like XLRI do get folks with pretty high scores.

Unfortunately the perfect 6 on the AWA won't compensate for the 670. Are you planning to re-take the GMAT? Also are you only looking at Indian schools? Great Lakes not on the list? What about Singapore?

Trying to get a better feel for the constraints that we are working in. There might be other schools where you stand a better chance.

How much knowledge do you have about the financial services or telecom industries? Any business analyst exposure?

Hi,

I am an Indian female interested in pursuing a Master's degree in Finance. I took the GMAT and got a disappointing score of 530 (Q 27, V 32). I am not sure of retaking the test as of now.

Please evaluate my profile:
I did Bachelors in Information Technology (3 yrs course)from University of Mumbai, India and scored 70% (don't know how much GPA that is). After this degree, I worked as a Software Test Engineer for a year.
I then did a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) with a concentration in Finance ( 2 yrs course) from Mumbai University in India and scored 68%. I have worked for around a year in a broking company in Mumbai as a Research Associate in the Equity Research field and have written sector reports. Besides, did a summer internship for 2 months in a public sector bank where the project was on Asset Liability Management in commercial banks.

Extra-currlicular:
Event Head at the college where I pursued PGDM Finance
Secretary of Rotaract Club of my under-grad college (have done a few social service activities here)

I have passed 2 certification courses (Mutual Funds and Derivatives) by the National Stock Exchange of India.
I had attempted CFA Level 1 in June 2010. Couldn't clear, but got a band 10 which means I just missed it. I am thinking of mentioning this in my application. Should I mention it?

Planning to apply to
1) DePaul Kellstadt
2) Ilinois Institute of Technology
3) Loyola University - Chicago
4) Georgia State University (Robinson College)
5) University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

What are my chances of getting through in these universities? Please suggest any other universities I should consider.

Thanks

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Hi Sameer
It was really great talking to you the other day about GMAT and beyond. Thanks a lot for the help Sirjee.
I am retaking the GMAT.

Thank You!
Pri

We got a nice testimonial on another forum from a candidate who got into multiple top schools with scholarships. This is a genuine comment from a genuine candidate. Any resemblance to the Shopping Network TV ads ('Main pehle bohot pareshan thaa, phir mujhe mila MCB ka chamatkari report...') is purely coincidental.

Hello everyone...

I have used Sameer's MBA Crystal Ball report, and I wanted to share my experience with you all...

About eight months back, I was disheartened... my applications in 2009-10 had returned me abysmal results, with no interview from a single place. I had started questioning my every move. That's when I felt, I was getting it wrong somewhere and felt I needed an expert help.

I had been following Sameer's posts then and used to find his observations interesting. I learned about his report and felt I should give it a try - and since it's so wonderfully priced - I didn't think much and ordered it.

In my initial calls with Sameer, he gathered all relevant information about my background. He patiently heard me and got a complete picture about where I was coming from, my goals etc. This was then promptly (within a day) followed by his famous Crystal Ball report.

The report revealed that the places I had previously applied to where ALL ambitious or stretch for me. I immediately realized that if I addressed this aspect, I will surely get better results this time.

The report was followed up by an hour long call where Sameer addressed all my questions, doubts, inhibitions...you name it! In the call, we also created a model portfolio of schools I should be applying to. Again, I was struck by the information he carries, his keenness to address all your doubts, and most importantly - his eagerness to see you succeed...!

During the subsequent months, I more or less stuck to the portfolio we had created.

Today, I have got admits from 2 Top MBA programs (both with scholarships) and am waitlisted at 2 other Top schools. Sameer's report has played a crucial role in my improved performance.

I would highly recommend that you use his report. It will be the first important step of your application journey. A step that will lead you to the right direction. A step that will make the rest of your journey, easier...and more productive.

Now, can you do your own research and come to the same conclusion that Sameer's report would suggest??? Sure...Only, by using his report, you will save about 6 crucial months of your application process.

And Sameer, a request to you: keep the price at its current affordable levels...I'm sure far more candidates would benefit that way. And, thank you - as always - for your help...!

Aah...that felt good, naa? Looking forward to more such success stories this season.