Ask mbaMission

HELLO,
I SCORED 680 IN GMAT. I AM A PRO TABLE TENNIS PLAYER. HAVE REPRESENTED INDIAN TEAM AT VARIOUS LEVELS AND HAVE WORK EXP OF 7 YEARS.
CAN ANYONE SUGGEST WHICH SCHOOLS I SHOULD APPLY TO ?

More about my profile:-
1)To Sum up in Sports field:-

Represented India in Table Tennis.
world Railways champion 2010 ( Singles event)
Led Indian Railways team to its first ever Team Gold in the world Railways championships , Russia 2010.
won gold medal in south Asian Junior Team Championships-05.
Trained under Chinese coach from the age of 10.
Indian Table Tennis Team Probables for the commonwealth games 2010 and trained under then Indian Coach Massimo Constantitni from Italy for the same.
Played Super League in Table tennis in Serbia for club named Red Star Belgrade and secured second position in the league.
Have won many medals at national level in various categories.
National Child Award from Vice president of India -2002 for Exceptional achievement in field of sports.

2) Professional exp:
*worked as Senior Ticket Examiner in Indian Railways. Had a lot of experience in field of Public management while working in Railways.
*Currently working as an Auditor under Comptroller and Auditor General of India. As we are prohibited from explaining our work profile on internet, so i can just say that we scrutinize the Government's management of Funds used for development.

3)Other experience :-
*i am guiding youngsters for last few years in a Table tennis club, where the players are trained free of cost and are not require to pay any sort of fees. The club has been such for last 50 years or so. and it is producing many good level players.

4)Preference of Geographical Location :-
* i am ok with any Location. i have travelled across many countries and have lived out of my home since i was 10.But if i am asked for a an option, i would prefer Europe . But still, i am quiet alright with the location , as long as i get admission in a Good university.

5)Goals:
I have worked in and have gained bit of experience in multiple fields.
Personally Table Tennis, and sports as a whole is my passion. Also General management is what interests me, as i manage young athletes from my club.
In a country like India , where a sportsman gets money only after he/she wins a medal at a recognised level but no one cares how the same athlete has struggled to achieve such heights, without sponsors, money , equipment etc. Many of such aspiring and talented sportsmen abandon the game due the lack of necessary support. So my goal has a mix of Sports and Management, but not to confuse it with sports management. In India , only Sports management does not work. One has to deal with many-many fields simultaneously. In sum , i want to make sports cheaper and more available for young aspirants of India.
So, can u please give me some advice regarding how and which schools to target and how to go about it ?
Thanks and Regards

Arpit

Hi Arpit,

I really love your story and your career aspiration. I have worked with some clients who are from India and who have amazing athletic abilities, but as you said, had to give up their dreams due to lack of financial means. I think it would be great if there were more opportunities for sportsmen and women from India.

I'm not sure what your undergrad scores were like, but your GMAT score is fair. Typically, you want to aim for a 700+ for the top tier schools, but that doesn't mean you don't have a chance at those schools. The GMAT is just one dimension of many that is weighted when the admissions committees review your application.

Your professional experience is pretty interesting/different. I think your public sector experience will be quite different and interesting, especially for an Indian candidate. The one worry I have is whether you've had a lot of professional leadership experience or opportunities. I know you've been working for 7 years, but the roles you described don't seem like leadership or team oriented roles. This could be a big gap.

Your extracurricular and community activities are great - they definitely showcase your passion for table tennis and for your community. The one thing I would warn you of is to make sure you also focus on other parts of your character/persona - you don't want to come across only as a table tennis fanatic Showing multi-dimensionality is very important.

I'm having some trouble coming up with school recommendations for you given your career goals. There are some programs that have great sports management opportunities/concentrations, but it sounds like that is not exactly what you want to do. Based on your career goal, it almost seems to me that it would make sense to stay in India and develop your network there while in business school... but of course, your career goal could change while in school, so not sure if you want to make all decisions based on that. Looking at European schools, I think you'd have a chance at LBS, IE, ESADE. In the U.S., you could look at UCLA or programs in that range.

Hope this helps you get started,
Mili

Thanks a lot , Mili. Now, I am alert about what i need to focus on !
hope to do well
regards

Arpit

Good luck! I'm sure you'll do great!

Mili