Request for Profile Evaluation

Hi there,

It's great that you are doing your research at this point to determine what option will be best for you for your chosen career in management consulting. It sounds like you still have some more research and analysis to do, and there are a lot of potential considerations, including:

-staying in India vs global mobility: sounds like you are planning to stay in India, in which case you'll just want to focus on what the brand/reputation/job opportunities from the degrees you are considering are like WITHIN India, which may be very different from global brand/reputation/opportunities. Best advice-- do some research and talk to some people and hiring managers at a company or two that you would target working for after business school-- ask them what their perspective is on an applicant with a degree from the schools you are considering. Ultimately this is most important-- whether the companies YOU are interested in are likely to hire from that program, more important than global reputation for example. In general there is a lot to be said for ISB and IIM's within India; outside of India very generally they may not hold quite as weight in terms of branding, but that is not critical if staying in India for work.

-ROI: you'll want to research the costs at the various programs, take into account missed salary during the program, and compared with potential post-degree salary. Remember to consider that some programs (INSEAD for example, and ISB has an option) are one year, vs two years of tuition & lost salary and living expenses-- can make a difference in these calculations.

-class profiles: perhaps less crucial than the above, but the class profiles and therefore experience in terms of learning from others will likely be vastly different going to a program within India vs another country. That said, this may not matter especially if aiming to stay in India, but some like an even more international class and experience.

-job placements: you can find on each program's website as well as general websites like the FT Global Rankings, info on job placements and areas and often even companies for the programs, so review this info carefully

In terms of your profile, it sounds like you have strong quality work experience and global exposure, respectable GMAT score and academic background as well as community service/extracurricular involvement. One area of potential weakness when applying to certain programs (like INSEAD) is your smaller number of year of work experience. So much of the learning during business school comes from everyone in the class contributing their experiences, hence the emphasis on admitted students having strong backgrounds from which to draw from. So you would have to make the case within your application and interview for why NOW is right for you to get the degree, and that your experience is strong enough that you are ready for the program. Your essays will be critical in your admissions decisions.

Good luck on your research and application process!