really confused on what to do next..

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really confused on what to do next..

by amiableanish » Thu Oct 27, 2011 2:35 am
i am interested in an mba from top colleges but at the same time am a bit scared of whether i should spend in such big amount of fees and other expenses.
i have talked to many consultants in India and everyone has one answer enroll with us and pay us then we wil evaluate and make suggestions instead of making suggestions as to which colleges they think i should apply and then leave it on me whether i want to be in those colleges or not.
i also hit a dead end when i face questions such as what has been your most life achievments and what is that you want to do after 4-5 year after graduating. all i know is that i want to have my own business ( may it be consulting firm, manufacturing unit, travel firm, event management etc.). i don know what exact business i want to go into right know. well if had the knowledge would i not do the feasibility studies and get on with some business with the money i am willing to spend on b school.i want to get into a school to learn business then see how i shape up.
Regarding life achievement, my life has been simple, just a normal life, when i come to think of life achievement all i come up with is not letting my parents down till date has been my most successful achievement after seeing the hardships they have been through to raise me n my brother. but i guess that is something emotional rather than a practical achievement when seen from b school point of view. so have no clue on what to do and what approach to follow.
cant spend huge amount of money charged by consultants abroad and have not found single good consultant in India who seems to be reliable. Please help on what to do... here is my profile details if it can help anyone help me.:

Indian male,
26 years old
Bachelors in Computer Science and Engineering
from not so well recognized university in India
GPA below 3
GMAT = 710(92%), Q(82%), V(83%), awa- 4.5

Work experience more than 4 years:
8 months and counting - State Bank of India in a different state from one in which i grew up with totally different culture, food, language etc.

44 months: family business on full time basis in logistics field as an handling and transportation agent for a fertilizer company.


Story:
Short term goal is to work for some good company and use what i learn in a business school. would love to work on some project be it of any kind for an established company that starts up business in a new country and work from scratch on it. then go on to have my own start up which field i don know .

EC's:

University:
- organised many events such as national level fests, seminars, frehsers parties
- organised blood donation camp

Volunteering:
- did voluntary work in state bank of india on annual Banks Day function.


Leadership:
- coheaded multiple committees of organizing various events and set up in national level fest.
- during my 44 months in family business coheaded various aspects of handling and transporting fertilizers such as arranging for trucks , unskilled labor, getting work from them, streamlining the procedure etc.


Additional Points:
- Interests: organizing events and work on them from point zero to right at the top,various genres of music, driving fast cars, ,

Focus Schools:
Top 10, Top 20. Yet to eliminate options.


I have tried to provide as much detail as I could think of at the moment, please post honest responses to:

1) What should i do and how ot go about things?
2) Which schools might be a good match and why. i believe an mba in entrepreneurship or general management is what i should go for.
3) Pros and cons of my profile.
4) What mix of schools should I be applying to?
5) how to go about the essays and edit them

Thanks so much! I look forward to your valuable insight!
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by Lisa Anderson » Thu Oct 27, 2011 12:00 pm
Dear amiableanish,

An MBA is a large investment--not just money, but your time, energy and other resources. I commend you for being thoughtful and understand where your mind is at the moment. The reality is that much of what the other consultants have told you is true. You do need to present realistic, focused goals in your applications and know where you want your career to go; having specific, achievable career goals is key to a solid rationale for an MBA. While you might not know exactly what your future venture might be, you need to narrow down that venture to an industry or a product/service that you will offer. Likewise, you need to know where you want to work post-MBA--what kind of company? in what role? If you cannot articulate specifics around your career goals, then admissions committees might determine you are not ready for business school as you don't have much time to figure your goals out once school starts (15-22 months goes very quickly).

Knowing you want a strong general management and entrepreneurship curriculum is a step in the right direction. Identify programs that offer that and then research them further to determine if the schools' culture is a good match for you. You want to have a good mix of programs on your list, so you don't want to only apply to top 20 programs. For tips on identifying schools, please read our sticky on school selection.

I also encourage you to find some resources to help you navigate this process. Stacy Blackman has a great book, but there are many others as well.

Good luck,
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
Consultant
Stacy Blackman Consulting

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