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Law and MBA - Profile evaluation - GMAT 750

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Law and MBA - Profile evaluation - GMAT 750

by quenyan » Sat Oct 12, 2013 7:20 am
Hi,

Would be really grateful for any thoughts on my profile. Appeared for my GMAT recently (first attempt) and got a decent(ish) score:

Total: 750 (98th percentile)
Quantitative: 49 (81st percentile)
Verbal: 42 (96th percentile)
AWA: 6/6
IR: 5/8

I am a 26 year old Indian male based in London (for close to 4 years now). I work in a top-tier international law firm and specialize in the corporate / energy sector.

I passed out of one of the top law-schools in India and started work in London directly after. I have also worked in the Middle East for about six months on a secondment.

I have decently strong extra-curriculars (sports; languages; literary / debating; law review editorship; social causes).

As a lawyer, I currently advise / act opposite some of the biggest energy companies in the world. My primary intention behind doing an MBA would be to gain an additional dimension to my existing skill-sets - I really enjoy working in the energy sector and would look to stay in it post-MBA (e.g. at a commercial position at an energy company / role at an energy consultancy firm / any other interesting opportunity).

Just wanted to gauge your thoughts on the relative strengths / weaknesses of my profile. I am looking to apply to Harvard / Wharton / Columbia in Round 2.

I know my IR score is on the lower side - how much of a difference do you think that would make.

Any thoughts / suggestions / pointers would be very gratefully received :)

Thanks a ton.
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by CriticalSquareMBA » Wed Oct 16, 2013 2:34 pm
Hi there,

Firstly, I have never heard anyone start a post saying they got a "decent(ish" score and follow that up with a 750. That is amazing! Congratulations! I'd say that's a little bit above decent, wouldn't you?

Secondly, you have a fantastic profile. It's unique and in an interesting industry. I'm not going to write a really long post but suffice it to say you have a good shot at each of the programs you listed.

Strengths:

-GMAT
-Professional experience
-International exposure

Weaknesses / Things I couldn't quite tell:

-You haven't really mentioned much in terms of leadership but I assume you have that
-Story (this isn't a weakness, but just something you're going to have to make sure is REALLY strong)

Also, don't worry about your IR score - it isn't that low and most programs are still not using it. It really won't be an issue with a 750, trust me!

I know this was a relatively short post but I didn't feel there was much to be gained by saying, in numerous ways, why I thought you had a good profile.

Like I said, it will really come down to your story - coming from a law background, how you spin your need for an MBA will be critical.

Let me know if you have any specific questions - I'm happy to help!

Bhavik
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by quenyan » Wed Oct 23, 2013 1:41 pm
Thanks a lot Bhavik - extremely helpful points :)

I had another pointed query, actually! I have been doing a bit of digging around and understand that Stanford has a strong Energy policy / finance programme - that would be a really nice fit in terms of what I am looking for. Would you have any thoughts on that?

Thanks again
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by CriticalSquareMBA » Wed Oct 23, 2013 1:48 pm
Hi there,

You're quite welcome! Stanford is a magnificent program for multiple reasons. If you're interested in energy, the west coast has a lot to offer. They obviously place into more traditional energy components but they have a lot of momentum around clean / renewable / sustainable along with the start up / entrepreneur scene. If you're going to apply there (and elsewhere), your story would have to be different and speak to those points.

If you're really looking at energy, you should also give MIT a good look. The things that come out of that school in terms of innovation and technology are amazing!

Another couple to look at would be Haas (similar to Stanford but not identical), Ross, and McCombs (but this is more regional).

I hope that helps! If you have any other questions or just want to chat through things, we can always take this offline too. If you'd rather do that, just sign up here!

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by MBAPrepAdvantage » Mon Oct 28, 2013 7:59 am
Congratulations on a very strong GMAT score. I wouldn't concern yourself with your IR score. I attended a conference about five months ago at Wharton in which a representative of GMAC said MBA schools provided them with feedback that they are not yet using IR scores.

I think you are competitive for all of those schools. I feel given your deep energy experience you should show similar depth of focus and passion towards your MBA goals. So, given you have been in an advisory capacity which excites you more, consulting or working at an individual energy company to make more direct impact.

Also, you might want to research energy-focused MBA Leadership Rotational Programs (https://www.mbaprepadvantage.com/blog/le ... -programs/). You can see the following programs listed:

"¢ ACCIONA Energy Clean Tech Leadership Program (CTLP)
"¢ Chevron Global Gas Commercial Skills Development Program
"¢ Chevron Global Lubricants Graduate Development Program
"¢ DTE Energy Advanced Degree Program
"¢ Duke Energy Commercial Associates Program
"¢ PG&E MBA Leadership Program

Bhavik mentioned some good additional schools for you to research further. You might add UCLA to the list since the school is one of four programs at which PG&E recruits.

Best of luck,
Michael Cohan
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by quenyan » Thu Oct 31, 2013 2:29 pm
Many thanks Bhavik and Michael - that is extremely helpful advice.

My biggest issue is time - I tend to work extremely long hours at my job (weekends included) and it is going to get only busier in the run-up to the Christmas break!

The way I see it, I'd rather focus on a few schools rather than spread myself thin.

That being said, I still need to "start" working on my essays!!
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by CriticalSquareMBA » Fri Nov 01, 2013 8:08 am
Sounds good! Let us know if you have any questions or need a hand!

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by MBAPrepAdvantage » Mon Nov 04, 2013 7:10 am
I appreciate working extremely long hours. But certain schools have only one or two essays that overlap other schools so the incremental work to apply to one of these schools will be minimal.

For example, if you are applying to Columbia you will need to complete a 500-word goals question. UCLA Anderson only has one essay, a 750-word goals question. So the additional work applying to UCLA Anderson is not too onerous if you are already applying to Columbia.

Good luck,
Michael Cohan
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