Ask mbaMission

Hi Jennifer,

I need help shortlisting the Schools for my MBA:

Male, Indian Applicant
4 years of work experience by July 2011.
GMAT 700(50Q, 34V, 5.5 AWA), Avg Acads in college but good in school
BTech + Mtech in Computer Science from IIT Kharagpur (One of the TOP Engg. college in India)

Work Ex: Have worked in MNCs like Cognizant, Dell and AOL in Data/Business Analytics for 3.5 years. I have good professional record, especially at Dell where I was responsible for projects with Business Impact in $4mn.


Exta Currics: Have held a post of Sports Secretary and Bridge Captain in college.
Won a few awards in dramatics, Cricket and Bridge.

Awards & Recognitions: Was awarded by the Governor of State for being the first person ever to get into IIT from my native place. I have also won some awards in Sports.

MBA Goals: Consulting or General Management in a strategic role.

Target Schools: ISB, NUS, Nanyang, Top 20 US School, Cambridge and Oxford. Please advice

Issues with my profile: No International exposure and Social work.

I am financially not very well so will need a scholarship. Which good schools do you think it is easier to get one ?
If scholarship is not possible I will be taking a loan but won't have a co-signer. Which school don't need a co-signer ?

Thanks much

goyal_india-

Thanks very much for posting your profile. I am glad to see that you have not worked longer than 4 years at matriculation, but now that it is December, you need to focus your list of schools if you hope to begin next Fall.
I am very wary of trying to narrow down your list for you. If I were you, I would focus on a couple of schools ranked approximately #8-#12 and a couple ranked #13-#20. I am not sure your profile rises to the ranks of the very top MBA programs.

You also need to look for specific academic programs, clubs and activities, and "fit" criteria or cultural traits at schools which are really attractive to you. Reach out to alumni and talk in-depth about their experiences. Letting these schools know that you are intimately familiar with what makes their school special will help you stand out. I also think that you need to be realistic about how challenging it will be for someone with your background to switch into Consulting. The General Management programs in some corporations may be more attainable, but try to be more specific - what industry, region, size of company, etc.?

As for scholarships - they are all really difficult to obtain, especially for international students. They often are also not large enough to cover all expenses. I would think that a loan is probably likely, but without knowing your financial position, I cannot advise on who will loan you money without a co-signatory.

Hope this helps -
Jennifer

Hi Jenn,

Thanks for replying.

I have been working in Business Analytics for past 3 years and in various industries like healthcare, Consumer Electronics, Financial Services and Media. So, it won't be difficult for me to switch to consulting and also I am quite open to any industry.
Region-wise I would prefer US, Singapore and UK.

I will have to take a loan for almost the entire tution fees, so is there no college which provides loan without a co-signatory?

goyal_india -

There are many schools that, depending on your financial status and credit history, will lend money without a co-signature. However, there are a myriad of rules on this, and I strongly encourage you to do your own research. It can depend on many, many things including citizenship, residency, your assets in retirement accounts....anything!

While we are very familiar with helping candidates get into schools, the personal and unique process of paying for it needs to be managed by the student.

Best,
Jennifer