Please Help: Profile Evaluation & MBA College Shortlisti

[Iceman1294]

Hi,

I'm from India, I have a work ex of almost 5 years and a GMAT score of 650 which expires in 2013.

I feel the time is now right for me to go ahead with my plans for an MBA. I am looking to apply for the Fall 2012 session. However, I am a little confused about a few things:-

1) Is my GMAT score enough to qualify for one of the top 25 colleges (as per FT ranking) in the U.S. I know a GMAT score isn't the only thing, but if i'm not wrong it is used as some sort of a qualifying criteria
2) My Overall percentage during my undergrad is just about 60% (An average of all three years). My undergrad specialization was Hotel Management.
3) I started off my career in Hotel operations but realised after a year and a half that this was not the place for me, so I decided to move on from there. i was working in an NGO for a little more than a year, before I joined my current workplace. for almost 2 years now, I have been working in the BTL arm of Grey Group, i.e. G2 Worldwide. I am currently into Account Management, and my company provides BTL solutions like, Brand Activations, Retail & Exhibit Design, Events etc. I am currently working here in a key accounts profile and handle tow of our most important clients who are from the automobile & two wheeler sector

The thing that i need help with is how to shortlist colleges for My MBA and also if you can suggest some colleges to which I can apply to. So far, I am looking at 2 colleges in India to apply to i.e. ISB & Great Lakes. These colleges are a joint venture of various eminent US universities.

Would appreciate if someone could help me out on this or show me as to how to start shortlisting my schools.

I need to be very precise with my selection, as I want to apply to only 10 schools, where 3 would be aspirational schools (dream come true to get in), 4 would be Good schools where I have a realistic chance & 3 safe schools.

Really need some help on this!

Thanks

[Tani]

Picking the right schools takes a lot of research. Location and curriculum are, of course, key. You need to know what you want to study and determine which schools are strong in that area. Rankings may get you the initial job, but what you learn in the program will get you a career.

There are several sources, USNews has just introduced a service that allows you to input criteria and get a school list. The London Financial Times does a great international ranking and Topmba.com has tons of information on schools around the world.

Your 650 will be a problem for the highest ranked schools, particularly since most of the Indian applicants you compete against will have scores over 700. That doesn't make acceptance impossible, just less likely.Generally, a score 30 points higher than the school's average will boost your chances and a score 30 points lower will hurt them. Your plan to spread your school list across a range is an excellent one.

You will need to be very careful in explaining your job moves. Changing fields completely can be a danger signal. You will have to have clear, professional reasons for your moves. Showing a clear set of career goals will also be key. You will need to specify what field you plan to work in after graduation and why. Schools are very concerned to see that applicants have examined their career options and set appropriate goals.

Good luck,

[Iceman1294]

Hi Tani,

Thanks for your help with my queries. If i can just ask you a few more things about shortlisting a college that would be most helpful.

From what i understood from your reply, i need to set-up parameters to shortlist my schools. So far the parameters that i can think of are mentioned below:-
1) Geography - I'm only looking at schools in the U.S, India & Singapore. Europe not so much coz i know a lot of people who took a students loan to go to Europe to do their MBA and then struggled to find a job there, which resulted in them coming back taking up a job here with a massive liability on their heads of the loans. Wherever i do my mba from, I wanna work in tht country for atlease a couple of years. For the U.S, I would be slightly more partial to doing from the East coast.
2)Curriculum - Since i wanna work in Marketing, so that will be my criteria. Also i want to go to a university where one can expect a more practical learning process
3) Placements - Unfortunately, i haven't been able to find much details about this
4) Student Profile - Here for an aspirational school, the median score has to be no more than 40 points(or should i keep it as 30) above my GMAT. For a Realisitically good school, the Median score should be no more than 20 points above my GMAT ( or should i keep it as 10). For a safe school, the Median score will have to be less than 20 points from my GMAT score.

this is the second time i would be trying to apply to American B-Schools. The last time i had tried 3 years ago. However, my overall career goals have changed since then. I am wondering if i should look at applying to these schools again. The schools that i had applied to last time were as follows:-
1) College of William & Mary - Mason School of Business (I was waitlisted)
2) Babson - Didnot make it
3) Fox school of Business - I did not make it
4)Vanderbilt - Owen school of business ( I was waitlisted) but they told me their avg. GMAT score is 670 & work ex is 4 years. Am wondering if this place is worth a shot
5) Wake Forest - I did not make it
6) Case Western Reserve - Weathrhead School of Business I did not make it

Since the last time i have analysed my application, and realised that the biggest problem was that my CV was a mess, as you rightly mentioned my change in industry needs to be well justified in my essays else it will be a problem for me. I feel that since i have significantly improved my CV and have also enjoyed significant growth in my current place of work as well. I feel that with an improved CV i might have a better shot at these schools as basis my initial research, these are all good schools.But like i mentioned, i have changed my career goals since then, I am a little worried as to how good a chance i would stand. Also, as far as i remember, the last time when i applied, I could also always write a supplementary essay to explain something about my profile. How much do you think that would help, if i were to explain this change in career goals.

I would really appreciate if you could help me out here, and since i wanna make sure that everything i do this time is right, can you let me know if the parameters for shortlisting schools for myself are ok or should i look at adding more parameters.

1 more problem that i face while shortlisting schools is, that my degree is a 3 year university degree as opposed to a 4 year degree. How much of disadvantage is that?

Once Again, Thanks for all your help so far.


Warm Regards,

Sachal Sood

[Tani]

The last time you applied you had only two years' work experience - a definite disadvantage. This time you will have more work, but you will have to be very careful to explain your moves and why you are looking to change careers again after graduation.

For a safety school your GMAT should be above the average. You will be judged not just against the average, but against the other South Asian applicants and those applicants tend to have higher scores than the average. For a realistic school you should be at, or slightly above the average. Any school that has an average 40 points above your score is a long shot. You will also need to check whether your schools accept a three-year degree from India rather than a four-year degree. If it isn't mentioned on the website you can certainly email the admissions department to ask.

Every school has its own set of questions. Some will allow you to explain your job changes and some will not. Most, however, will ask about your work background and you can cover your career changes there.

There are several schools in the top fifty in the US, such as Ohio State and Indiana, that are strong in marketing. Try looking for student blogs; they can be a great source of information about where graduates are working, especially now while job decisions are being finalized. US News rankings also give information about the geography of post-graduation jobs.

OF the schools you applied to last time, Vanderbilt will be the toughest. Most of the others have GMAT scores well within your range. For all schools you will need to put together sparkling essays and great recommendations. You should seriously consider using an admissions consultant to guide you through the process. You have many questions and a trained consultant is best equipped to answer them.

Good luck,