Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

Hello frnds and experts,

I took GMAT this year (2nd time after a debacle last year) and scored 690 (48Q, 35V and 4.5 AWA). I am a mechanical engineer from one of the premium institutes in India and I joined the biggest private oil and gas distribution company in India through campus placement at my college (in 2003). I worked in projects for 4 years and shifted to process safety and I have a total of 8 years of work experience with the same company. I understand from my time at a company and from the learning from various failures in various oil and gas companies (such as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill) that these companies lack in integration of their strategic plans with their internal processes and often end up with unwanted results. This is the prime driver for me to think of an MBA at this stage. As you would know, India is an emerging market for the oil and gas business and many companies are entering this market now. With the kind of experience I gathered, if I am able to see the company from the top management perspective and know strategy better, I will be able to change the face of the industry in India. (atleast to some extent if not entirely).

Coming back to the point, I am want some expert opinion on what chances i stand in obtaining an admission in a premier B-School. (top 20 maybe). Below is a brief of what I have done over the years:

My experience: Managing multiple projects in parallel, process safety expert for natural gas sector, trained root cause specialist, ASME certified trainer on Asset Integrity (Process Safety) with following few achievements:(tried to put them in chronological order

01.6 projects in a year as a GET: I joined the CNG project division as a GET (trainee) and was reporting to a part time project manager (he was operations manager in fact). The task ahead was 6 parallel projects in a year apart from defining the specifications to commissioning.
02. Performance Enhancement: I lead a team in a McKenzy type project of saving money (bottomline) for the company. We saved Rs 40Mn each year
03. Boardgame: I developed a novel idea of using a board game as a means of explaining process safety to workforce and was nominated to chairman's award
04. I shifted from projects to process safety and started handling entirely different areas like Quality management system (ISO9001), change management, performance monitoring etc and grew within 2 years to take over from my boss (who was leaving on another assignment)
05.Made numerous process improvements within the company
06. I am the youngest employee in the managerial level in the company
07. Developed safety case - a document that justifies that the company operates its assets safely and does not affect public or workers adversely. (involves many studies and engagement)

I could think of these but am sure I can add some more... But the problem is that I am unable to place myself in the same league as those who are presently MBA students.. say ISB class of 2012... I do not know if these are significant as I have seen only 1 company and do not know how my achievements.

Could some one tell me how I compare with others who might be applying to say ISB or LBS or other top 20 schools?

Sorry for the long description... If you think you need further information to pass an opinion, pl let me know

Thanks in anticipation

Vijay Shankar

Personally, I like the Oil & Gas business, both from an applicant's perspective and from the emerging market angle. So, the good news is that you start with an advantage of not being in the competitive IT pool. That said, here are a couple of points that you might want to think about:

a) After 8 years in the same firm, I would expect excellent achievements & positions of responsibility in your core function. The board game & the 40 Mn saving project will look good as side dishes, but what is the main course? Your core function will need to be focused on along with other points like how many people you lead, international assignments etc.

b) Your GMAT score will be close to (a bit lower than) the average at top schools. That in itself is not a big problem, but your score is skewed towards high quant/low verbal & this fact is unfortunately also corroborated by some mistakes in your post. Even if you don't use a consultant, make sure that you are getting your essays reviewed by your friends.

c) You will also be older than the average applicant at the B-schools, perhaps take a look at Executive programs or the Kellogg 1 yr program.

d) It is difficult to tell your chances without knowing your core achievements & the international brand strength of your company. That said, do not underestimate your profile. You definitely have the base (industry) to be in the same league as other ISB applicants.

My advice: Plan properly, research the MBA programs thoroughly & bring out the key jewels of your wide experience in your application.

Good Luck!

Hi Vijay

Looking at the previous LBS MBA class profile the Middle 80% GMAT scores ranged from 640 to 750 and the median score was 710. Hence a score above 700 is desirable when aiming for top schools abroad.

However GMAT alone won't determine your chances of admission; beyond the academics will also help you in determining your candidature and your work experience plays a vital role as well.

Beyond academics plays an equally important role so make sure you showcase it well. Generally most of the applicants have a good 4-5 years of work experience. Although it is not just the work experience that counts but also what you did there like-what were your achievements, what initiative you took, what changes you drove in your workplace etc. So to leverage this if you can show that in 8 years you have demonstrated the skills business schools are looking for you could put in a strong set of essays. Hence the quality of your work, your academics and beyond academics will play an important role in determining your candidature.

Start thinking what makes you unique and what's that 'hook' that will be key to your application.

Find out where you stand with our Free Assessment Test or drop your resume at [email protected]

Try retaking the GMAT and gaining a higher score. But assuming you are applying with a 690 your grades will take on extra importance as you try to be at least at the average for some of the schools you are targeting.

Consider the IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management) as well within India if you stay locally. Internationally there is a big difference in competitiveness for between the 1st and 20th ranked schools. So, if you graduated from an IIT-equivalent your profile is competitive for outside the top 7-8, while if you graduated from an NIT-equivalent your profile is more competitive for outside the top 12-15.

I think you have placed some thought behind the logic of why you are wishing to pursue an MBA. Align your background with this thought process. Namely, how have you integrated strategic plans (even on a business unit or lower level) with internal processes to build on for your career goals? You could potentially link your work in quality management, change management, performance management, etc. to this impact.

Best of luck,