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Profile Evaluation for 3rd Attempt at Top Business Schools

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Profile Evaluation for 3rd Attempt at Top Business Schools

by Sul » Sat May 24, 2014 10:00 pm
Hi,

I would request for a profile evaluation -

Profile -

1. Indian/Male/28
2. GMAT - 700 ( Attempt -1) , 700 (Attempt -2) AWA - 5, IR - 8
3. B. Tech (GGSIPU) - 73% ( Top 5 percentile) , MBE - Delhi University 62% (Top 5 percentile), CFA - Level 3 candidate ( 1& 2 cleared in Attempt -1)
4. Work Experience - 4 years : 2.5 years ( World's largest management consulting company with a promotion), 1.3 years (EU's biggest retailer (Retail consulting) )
5. Extra Curricular - Director, Autistic and Dyslexic school; Board Member Alumni Relations at current firm, Gold Medalist - DPS
6. Target Schools - Wharton , Columbia, Duke, NYU Stern, Darden, INSEAD, Ross, Haas, LBS

More Facts -
Applied for schools twice

Attempt 1 (2012) - Schools covered and Results
1. Wharton - Interviewed and Rejected
2. Booth - Interviewed - wait listed - Rejected
3. Columbia - Rejected
4. MIT - Rejected

Attempt 2 (2013)- Schools covered and Results
1. Wharton (Re- applicant) - Rejected
2. Booth - Rejected
3. Tuck - Rejected
4. Kellogg - Rejected

Queries -
1. Re attempt GMAT?
2. I always wanted to work in a Investment Banking/PE, is it still possible with my work experience and age not on my side?
3. Does it make sense for me to restrict myself to working in the management consulting environment given I have a good experience in Top management consulting firm?
4. Is the list of schools good enough given my requirement or do I need to alter it?
5. Having applied to some of Top business already in past and failed, is it fair to assume that my chances of getting through are very bleak?
6. What more could I do to improve my chances?
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by CriticalSquareMBA » Fri May 30, 2014 9:43 am
Hey there mate,

First off - sorry to hear the process has been a bit rough for you. You're asking the right questions, however, and I'm happy to help! Ok, so let's see what we've got here...

1) Yes, this is almost always a yes. You're below the average for almost every school you're applying to. And you're Indian. So...whatever the average is for the school, tack on another 20 or 30 for your pool and that's your table stakes goal. You have a score that starts with a 7, which is good, but you need at least a 720 and anything above that would be even better!

2) Both of those goals don't make a ton of sense. PE is going to be really really difficult for a variety of reasons and none of them have to do with your age. You might be able to get experience at an angel fund or so with an industry focus if you can really sell your retail / CPG experience but that's going to be a tough sell. You'll also be going toe to toe with folks far more qualified than you. Add to all of that only a small percentage of people go into PE at all and you have a lot of odds stacked against you. Also, if you used that story for each of those programs that'll have hurt you more at some than others. Not all of those programs are set up in the same way to support PE seekers. Banking is slightly more realistic but only because the odds are better. If you didn't communicate WHY banking, then it won't matter that it's popular, you won't have stood out and that'll work against you.

3) Don't write a story or restrict yourself because you think it makes the most sense or others want to hear it. If you don't want to be in consulting, that's fine. But find other avenues and goals that are realistic yet ambitious. Consultants come to business school all the time to switch things up.

4) You are way to risky in your school selection. With your stats, experience, etc. you should have a couple of stretch programs but you are applying to almost entirely stretch schools. I'm not saying that because you should just go apply to safe schools, but you need to be balanced. Also, the programs you've listed are very different from one another and, if you reference what I said in #2, you have a lot of room for improvement in school selection. So not only wider range in rankings, but also different programs in the same tier.

5) Getting through to those particular programs? Perhaps. Some liked what they saw the first time you applied but it seems the interview did you in. And other schools rejected you flat out. The second go around looks a bit more disheartening. That doesn't mean your bschool chances are shot. You need to pick better programs, have better stories, and a bump in your stats won't hurt. But no, you're still in the game. 3rd times the charm, right? :)

6) GMAT first. If you're looking to apply this fall, any school events you can attend or conversations you can have with folks who are either alumni or work in what you want to do will help. You don't have much runway to improve your profile itself substantially but there are definitely things to do that'll help you apply!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. If you want to chat further, sign up for a [Free Consultation]! I handle them all so it would be a good way to take the conversation offline. We can talk about your profile, schools, and what support you might need to convert this time around.

Good luck,

Bhavik
Critical Square | MBA Admissions Services

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