Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

Hello friends,

Background information: I am a 24 year old female of Indian origin currently residing in India. I scored a 95% in grade 10 and an 78% in grade 12. I have an engineering degree in Biotechnology from a well known private university in Delhi. I have a CGPA of 6.8 on a scale of 10 (top 20% of the class)

Work experience: I have 3 years of full time work experience as on date. I was recruited from the campus on Day 0 and worked with a renowned IT firm as a Java programmar for 1.5 years. Then, I moved on to my current job as a healthcare analyst in the R&D arm of a global consulting giant. I have been with the firm for 1.5 years and was recently promoted. I have had a few client facing situations in the capacity of a business analyst. The only international experience that I can speak of includes the fact that I have worked in UAE, Turkey, Germany & Spain on engagements for 2-4 weeks each. (This is typically the norm in consulting but not expected out of an R&D person, so I think I have an advantage here?).

Internships: I have had 2 months of full time internships per year during all 4 years of undergrad. I have interned with some leading healthcare/pharma companies such as Ranbaxy, Quest & Novo Nordisk.

Recommendations: I have worked closely with a couple of partners in my current organization and definitely hope to get a good recommendation from them. In addition to that , I also plan to get my reporting manager's recommendation. (I have consistently been a distinctive performer in all my evaluations so far.)

Extracurriculars: I have held leadership roles such as school captain and group captain. I was the head of debating and extempore societies at both school and undergrad. I have participated and won several competitions at a city level in these categories. I am trained in Indian classical music and was a part of my school choir and band. I am currently the editor of a center-wide publication at my firm. I can fluently speak English, Hindi, Tamil & Sanskrit and can converse in German. I am currently learning Arabic. I have been associated (albeit on and off) with NGO's working towards the cause of education for the less fortunate & care for the needy aged. I have also supported NGO's in food & clothes collection drives during natural disasters.

GMAT: I haven't taken it yet but I hope to get atleast a 700 before I apply

Schools I would like to apply to: I plan to apply to ISB, HEC Paris, Tuck, LBS and Columbia. What are my chances here? Also, given that I am slightly younger than an average class (and other reasons perhaps), do I stand a chance at H/S/W/Y? Any other good schools that are apt for my profile but I am missing out on?

Post-MBA plans: Now this is the tricky part. Despite a life science major and work ex in IT and Healthcare, what I would be interested in, is retail and luxury goods. Infact, one of the reasons why I want an MBA is so can make this switch happen. That said, I wouldn't go for an MBA in luxury management (or equivalent) at this stage. I would still like to keep my options open and maybe pick this subject as an elective (as offered by Columbia, HEC Paris etc)

I would highly appreciate if you could provide a realistic feedback and evaluate my chances at the afore-mentioned schools. Also, extremely useful would be tips that can help me strengthen my profile for a b-school application in the next 6 months or so.

Thanks a lot in advance!!

Hi Radhika,

To convert your chances from application to admission, I would suggest you to focus on application essays and work hard in interviews. You must exhibit leadership examples and achievements/awards in or outside work place while writing essays and showcase maturity, professionalism and ability to work with others during the final interviews. Having said that, a GMAT score of 700+ will strengthen your candidature. You may try your chances in b-school(s) by clicking https://goo.gl/onTKu.

To get some more clarity on b-school application process and inputs from top b-school grads, kindly attend the webinar conducted by b-school alumnus. For more information and to register your name, click https://tinyurl.com/orhuqum

Regards
Erina

radhika88 wrote:Hello friends,

Background information: I am a 24 year old female of Indian origin currently residing in India. I scored a 95% in grade 10 and an 78% in grade 12. I have an engineering degree in Biotechnology from a well known private university in Delhi. I have a CGPA of 6.8 on a scale of 10 (top 20% of the class)

Work experience: I have 3 years of full time work experience as on date. I was recruited from the campus on Day 0 and worked with a renowned IT firm as a Java programmar for 1.5 years. Then, I moved on to my current job as a healthcare analyst in the R&D arm of a global consulting giant. I have been with the firm for 1.5 years and was recently promoted. I have had a few client facing situations in the capacity of a business analyst. The only international experience that I can speak of includes the fact that I have worked in UAE, Turkey, Germany & Spain on engagements for 2-4 weeks each. (This is typically the norm in consulting but not expected out of an R&D person, so I think I have an advantage here?).

Internships: I have had 2 months of full time internships per year during all 4 years of undergrad. I have interned with some leading healthcare/pharma companies such as Ranbaxy, Quest & Novo Nordisk.

Recommendations: I have worked closely with a couple of partners in my current organization and definitely hope to get a good recommendation from them. In addition to that , I also plan to get my reporting manager's recommendation. (I have consistently been a distinctive performer in all my evaluations so far.)

Extracurriculars: I have held leadership roles such as school captain and group captain. I was the head of debating and extempore societies at both school and undergrad. I have participated and won several competitions at a city level in these categories. I am trained in Indian classical music and was a part of my school choir and band. I am currently the editor of a center-wide publication at my firm. I can fluently speak English, Hindi, Tamil & Sanskrit and can converse in German. I am currently learning Arabic. I have been associated (albeit on and off) with NGO's working towards the cause of education for the less fortunate & care for the needy aged. I have also supported NGO's in food & clothes collection drives during natural disasters.

GMAT: I haven't taken it yet but I hope to get atleast a 700 before I apply

Schools I would like to apply to: I plan to apply to ISB, HEC Paris, Tuck, LBS and Columbia. What are my chances here? Also, given that I am slightly younger than an average class (and other reasons perhaps), do I stand a chance at H/S/W/Y? Any other good schools that are apt for my profile but I am missing out on?

Post-MBA plans: Now this is the tricky part. Despite a life science major and work ex in IT and Healthcare, what I would be interested in, is retail and luxury goods. Infact, one of the reasons why I want an MBA is so can make this switch happen. That said, I wouldn't go for an MBA in luxury management (or equivalent) at this stage. I would still like to keep my options open and maybe pick this subject as an elective (as offered by Columbia, HEC Paris etc)

I would highly appreciate if you could provide a realistic feedback and evaluate my chances at the afore-mentioned schools. Also, extremely useful would be tips that can help me strengthen my profile for a b-school application in the next 6 months or so.

Thanks a lot in advance!!

Thanks a lot for your prompt response Bhavik. Highly appreciate. Few quick thoughts:
1. As an analyst, I have led workstreams but not deliverables.
2. Honestly, I don't think staying a year more will make a significant difference esp on the leadership front. I would probably be able to work on more engagements but given my role & tenure, there wouldn't be a point in the near future where I can lead deliverables. So, I think I am quite positive about applying for 2014.
3. When I get recommendations, does it in any way add more value if I get it from the schools' alumni?
4. Could you please explain why H/S/W would be a stretch? If I compensate it with a stunning score (ie. 740+), will it make up for my lack of experience.
5. Does assuming faculty roles to train employees on a certain skill set justify any leadership whatsoever?

Thanks a lot once again!

CriticalSquareMBA wrote:Hey there Radhika,

Thank you so much for all the info - it definitely helps! My response below assumes you get at least a 700 on the GMAT.

Work Experience: Your work experience is an interesting blend of standard and off the beaten path. Given that your latest role has been in a consulting capacity is definitely a plus. Actually, international stints, even for consultants, aren't that common (and even less so for the type of consulting you do) so these can definitely be differentiators. One of the biggest questions, though, is what you actually DID during your work experiences. As an analyst, did you lead deliverables or workstreams? If your recommendations are as solid as you expect, then with the right experiences, I think we could put forward stories that would showcase the necessary themes.

Your internships are good to have and will help bolster your resume but won't be extensively called out. A line or two each, max. Still, good to have!

Extracurriculars: you've been busy! The multilingual capabilities are impressive and should definitely be highlighted. You've clearly been involved during your studies, but your experiences after graduation are a little on the light side. Not terribly, you still have things to speak to but what you're light on is a cohesive set of experiences or a common theme.

Schools: I think you have a better chance at some of those schools than others. For example, ISB, HEC Paris, and Columbia, are more within your range than LBS or Tuck. From a profile perspective, I think H/S/W are going to real stretches for you but, if you have the time, worth an application to one thrown in (given your goals, try Stanford or HBS).

If you are interested in making the switch to retail, you could also consider Stern and Oxford (Said). There are a couple of other programs but school selection would really benefit from a discussion around how you work and what you're looking for beyond merely trajectory.

Overall, even though your years of experience are on the lower end, your experiences lend themselves to some interesting stories to weave into a compelling story. However, given where you are and how you've been performing, another year may really help you out. It could give you the structured leadership experiences in a professional setting you may be lacking.

In other words, for most people, I tell them another year may not help so why not apply. For you, another year in consulting will probably give far more benefit than any other industry.

Are you focused in on applying this year? If so, you could - there's definitely enough to work with to put forward a great application.

Lastly, if you're looking to improve your application before deadlines, you're in a time crunch. Your main focus would be to take on a leadership position or find something impactful to do within an activity you're already a part of. Any new activity will be seen as adcom pandering and you don't want that.

I'm happy to help you talk through this and if you'd like to chat, please don't hesitate to reach out!

Bhavik

Thanks Jon.
1. I am in a bit of a dilemma as well regarding whether or not to bring this in. If I had to be honest, nothing other an MBA will help me make that drastic switch. But at the same time, I don't want to come across as someone who is perpetually changing industries(IT to healthcare and now luxury retail..does it show diversity or lack of clarity??). I can tell the AdCom that this what I am really keen on but I haven't done anything in this segment that will back me up.
2. That brings me to my second best option which is consulting. It will typically give me the opportunity to join as a generalist & explore various industries before I pick up the one of my choice.
My biggest challenge here seems to be able to stand out among the thousands of applicants who join b-school only to get into consulting or grow up the ladder to partnership. How can I really stand out in my essay?

3. I agree with your choice of schools and thanks for the additional suggestions.
Cheers

Jon@Admissionado wrote:Hey there Radikha,
I just wanted to add a few more thoughts on to Bhavik's excellent response.

First of all I agree with his evaluation of your school chances, and to answer your question: H/S/W might be tough even with an 800 GMAT. It's not just about the GMAT... What does an Indian HBS applicant look like? Top 1% of IIT, Best job of the class, 720+ graduate, some ace in the hole (rich family business, political connections, amazing volunteer work)...

Anyhow, given your goals, I'm not even sure that any of those would be the right schools for you... If you want to go into luxury retail the most important two things imho are: location and marketing skills. So a program like Kellogg with its renown marketing program is perfect, as are programs in Paris or Milan (INSEAD, HEC, Bocconi (BTW all of which have luxury retail programs), or NYU/Columbia for their NY location make a lot of sense too.

A final thought regarding your goals: I'm not sure that you should reveal to the AdCom your goals. Maybe yes, maybe no.... it depends on how passionate you are and how much of an argument you can make for your ability to succeed in this industry... you might alternatively consider goals that are more attached to your career history which might improve your chances of getting accepted.