A Big Dilemma! Kindly help me out!

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A Big Dilemma! Kindly help me out!

by Padre » Mon Jan 04, 2010 12:37 am
I have applied to J Molson and UBC Sauder in Canada (Both R1). If I get rejected in both the schools I am planning to apply for other colleges. If I am rejected by one college and accepted in the other I will join the one that accepted me!

My profile -
Indian
GMAT - 640
Work ex - 2 years as a project engineer and 1 year as a project manager.
U.G. - Engg - 70%
A very active social reformer and tons of extra currics


The dilemma is when they both give me an admit! I frankly do not know what to choose! There must be some pattern or factors that I need to be looking at when choosing. The following are the factors I have found (it might be right or wrong) for both the schools. Kindly correct me if I am wrong regarding the info and also suggest me the best option!

J Molson - Montreal


1. More job opportunities
2. Harsh weather at times
3. Not much brand value
4. Need to know french (can be learned)
5. I have few of my folks in Montreal.
6. Cost of living is low
7. It does not have many Asians
8. Does not appear in the rankings for Top 100 schools

Sauder-UBC - BC


1. Less Job opportunities
2. Amazing weather
3. Very good brand value for UBC
4. English would suffice
5. I do not know anyone here
6. Cost of living is very high
7. Vancouver has too many Asians and it scares me on the recruitment front!
8. It appears constantly in the rankings


Grey areas!

1. I do not know what specialization is good in these colleges!
2. I do not know what specialization suits the present needs! (I am planning to work in Canada after graduation)
3. I do not know abt the part time job opportunities in either cities!
4. The most important, I do not know how use the above info (Pros and cons) and gauge which is a better option!

Last request (You can choose to ignore this!):

It will also be helpful if you let me know of my chances of getting in to these 2 colleges and also suggest me other options if they reject me! If they reject me I have to apply to colleges that will accept me for sure! I have to start my MBA by sep 2010 due to personal reasons.
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by Lisa Anderson » Mon Jan 04, 2010 12:06 pm
Dear Padre,

I think you have a shot at these two schools, but there are no guarantees. Without seeing your entire application and the rest of their respective applicant pools, it is really hard to gauge your chances. As for other potential schools, you really should be getting those applications in now if you are serious about having a back up plan--not waiting to hear your decisions first. For schools where you will have the best chance of admission, you will want to identify schools where you will be above the GMAT average and where your career goals match the school's curriculum. So, you should target schools with GMAT averages under a 630. You don't note what your career goals are or your rationale for business school--surely you have some idea of what you want to do after business school beyond working in Canada? :wink:

As for your other questions and deciding between these programs, I think you need to take a step back and think about your situation differently. You should be thinking about this decision from the perspective of why you want to go to business school, your career goals, and what you seek in a program. Then you should evaluate these schools against that criteria. From what you listed in your post, I think you are focusing on items that might be factors, but are not necessarily the most important to your rationale for business school. You also need to spend a bit more time researching these programs if you are not familiar with the curriculum, resources and other opportunities available at each school. In addition to the school websites, have you met with school representatives or visited the many websites out there on MBA programs? Perhaps these schools offer chat sessions with current students? or will be visiting your area in the coming month? or can put you in touch with an alumnus? Many programs offer these opportunities to applicants. Once you start looking for more detailed information, you will find quite a bit out there. However, don't be afraid to contact the admissions office with additional questions either.

Good luck,
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
Consultant
Stacy Blackman Consulting

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