Chances at Columbia Early Decision - Class of 2013

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Hi,

Would be great if you could evaluate my chances for Columbia's Early Decision for the class starting Sep 2013.

Profile Info:
Indian Male/25 years old/non-IT - engineering + finance background

Education:
B Tech in Production Engineering (2.9/4 GPA from an NIT - one notch below the IITs; topper of the class had a 3.4; so in that context 2.9 is not all that bad?)
Cleared 2 levels of CFA; Would be done with 3 levels at the time of application.

GMAT: 720 (q48, v41)

Work Experience:
18 months as an engineer in Tata Motors - responsibilities were in installation and commissioning of a new project at two different locations in India. Led teams of 200+ operators.
28 months (by the time I start MBA) as a sell-side analyst covering the Indian auto sector.

Extracurricular activities:
Plenty in college - Convener of college tech fest, chief editor of magazine, secretary of hostel etc.
After college - Nothing. Been busy with CFA etc. First job was north of 72 hours a week (which is responsible for a rapid learning experience)

Story: Applying to Columbia to fulfill my goal of running a long term value fund focused on Indian equities. Have been working on this goal right since my under-graduation and believe I can bring out a clear idea of what i want from my career and how Columbia is the place to do it in my essays.
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by Deena@ClearAdmit » Mon Apr 16, 2012 1:51 pm
Hi IntegralD and thanks for your post. I'm a former Associate Director of Admissions at CBS, so I'm happy to give you my thoughts. See below:

Profile Info:
Indian Male/25 years old/non-IT - engineering + finance background

Education:
B Tech in Production Engineering (2.9/4 GPA from an NIT - one notch below the IITs; topper of the class had a 3.4; so in that context 2.9 is not all that bad?)
Cleared 2 levels of CFA; Would be done with 3 levels at the time of application.

GMAT: 720 (q48, v41)

Work Experience:
18 months as an engineer in Tata Motors - responsibilities were in installation and commissioning of a new project at two different locations in India. Led teams of 200+ operators.
28 months (by the time I start MBA) as a sell-side analyst covering the Indian auto sector.

Extracurricular activities:
Plenty in college - Convener of college tech fest, chief editor of magazine, secretary of hostel etc.
After college - Nothing. Been busy with CFA etc. First job was north of 72 hours a week (which is responsible for a rapid learning experience)

Story: Applying to Columbia to fulfill my goal of running a long term value fund focused on Indian equities. Have been working on this goal right since my under-graduation and believe I can bring out a clear idea of what i want from my career and how Columbia is the place to do it in my essays.

I think that you have a solid background here. I do think that your challenge will be to differentiate yourself from peer applicants with similar backgrounds, and I would suggest that you work to connect to one of the extra-curricular activities or interests you've had in the past, and work to integrate it into your life. The admission committee will absolutely understand that you've had a very intense job, but you will be competing with applicants that have also found time to engage with interests outside of their work. Your academic background is fine, but your GMAT score is right around average for someone with your experience and background. I don't expect that your GPA will be a major issue. Your work experience also seems very good. I would make sure that you consider your leadership experience at Tata as a topic. I also think that you should be VERY clear about what you see as your next position right after B school, and then how you envision your future long term goals. You should make sure that you really let the adcom know that you've thought through your career path and that Columbia is an integral part of that path.

Of course, feel free to contact us at [email protected] for a more detailed assessment of your profile.

Best,

Deena
Deena Maerowitz
Clear Admit, LLC


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Deena Maerowitz
MBA Admissions Expert
Clear Admit

Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 3:27 am

by integraldx » Mon Apr 16, 2012 7:46 pm
Thanks Deena. This was helpful.