Indian IT Male - 640(Q-49,V-29) + 6 Yrs WE - McGill or Wait?

[Munish Sahni]

Hi,

I am Male, 29, Indian IT professional with 6 years of experience (programmer/team lead) :
4 Years in Computer Sciences and Corporation(CSC) for a fortune 500 US client (1 year from TN, US) and 2 years in top Indian IT company, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for 2 big Indian clients.
Prior to this, I did B. Tech. in Computer Science engineering from a premier institute (NIT) scoring 7.2/10. My Community service and extra curricular are good.

I want to move into strategic consulting with specialisation in IT.

After preparing 3 months on my own, I wrote GMAT this Feb end, got just 640(Q49, V29) but applied nevertheless (R3 Fall 2013) to McGill & Schulich in Canada and (owing to my low GMAT,) some Tier II US schools. Two US schools I have got admit from are not really of my priority and are on the expensive side too. So, for US, I would have to wait another year for better schools/scholarship there.

Since financing my MBA is a concern for me, the only offer I can consider is from McGill with $8000 entrance award.

Now, any suggestions on my below queries would be highly appreciated:

1. [Most Important] My dream schools are some of the high end Tier II schools from US (Fuqua, Darden, Tepper, Owen) but they have an average GMAT approaching 700 or more. I want to go to either of these schools not just for the brand name, but because I really want to study with the best out there. I have studied in one of the top engineering colleges in India, and know what kind of incredible people you see in the top schools. But since I am 29 already and will turn 30 this sept.(already above avg. age at most schools), Would it be worth waiting another 1 year and applying next year with GMAT 680-700? (this seems achievable in 2nd attempt with better verbal score as I was getting 35 in Verbal Mocks.) I don't think there will be any other significant addition to my profile in the coming year other than around 50 points in GMAT and one more year of IT experience.

2. Please throw some light on how Canada can prove out to be equally good/better (if at all) MBA destination than US? (4-5 years down the line, I plan to either head back to India or move rest of my family with me.)

3. How about job prospects after graduating from McGill with twin specializations in either of below combinations:
a) Technology & Innovation Management, and Global Strategy & Leadership.
b) Finance and Marketing (I might consider a career switch after completion of 1st year of MBA).

4. McGill definitely is a great brand as a university but their b-school doesn't rank that well and I am not sure if one should go for a parent university brand or a prestigious MBA brand. Can you share your ideas on this?


Thank you very much for your time. I would really appreciate your advice and guidance.

Cheers,
Munish

[mbaMissionJenK]

Hi Munish,

Congrats on your acceptances from McGill and others. I'm not 100% sure if I'm following your timeline... you mention one of the biggest factors you can influence being your GMAT score, and that makes sense, but could you re-take asap (in next 1-3 months max) and submit applications this fall, to enter the following fall? Or is that what you are saying anyway? Thanks for clarifying, that would be my recommendation. Holding off for an entire ADDITIONAL year beyond that would not make as much sense in my opinion and wouldn't add much more to your application.

It will be a challenge to gain acceptance from the top schools in the US that you mention, first of all with the current GMAT, and second of all because you will really need to cite experiences and accomplishments that stand out from the crowd, and you are part of a common background of applicants, in terms of your technical/IT background and experiences in India. If you have enough to help you stand out from the crowd and contribute to the schools, and you increase your GMAT, you may have a chance, but it will be difficult, to be honest.

In terms of Canada vs US programs... on a global scale and in global rankings, US programs are generally rated much higher, have more of a reputation, and have much higher average starting salaries than their Canadian counterparts. But it really depends on your personal goals after your MBA in terms of whether that means much to you or not. If you plan to stay in Canada in particular, the Canadian program may serve you well. McGill does have a good general brand recognition within Canada though you are right that as an MBA program, it's not top-tier even in Canada compared with Ivey and Rotman and others.

In terms of hiring and job prospects with a McGill MBA, have you researched their hiring profile? You can review their employment statistics and hiring profiles on their website, search for McGill employment report or hiring profile for more info, and/or contact their careers office.

Let us know if we can be of more help, and good luck with your research and decisions.

[Munish Sahni]

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks for such a detailed reply to my queries.

To clarify the first part, my dilema is between choosing McGill for Fall 2013 intake or waiting another year(to improve GMAT) and target Fall 2014.

Yes, you are right that getting admit in my preffered schools would be a challenge with the common Indian IT background. Above that, those schools are on the expensive side and I can expect just an admit with 680-700 leave alone any scholarship. Since financing would be a problem for me, I am thinking that going with McGill (20k lesser + No loss of another year) might make more sense.

Yes, Canadian schools are low in rankings as compared to US schools and the aveage salaries are on the lesser side as well but the 3 year work VISA and relaxed PR laws have started appealing more to me.

In their website, it shows that they have a 95% placement record (within 3 months of graduation).

I appreciate all your thoughts!

Regards,
Munish

[mbaMissionJenK]

Hi there,

Sorry for the delay, just realized your reply was still waiting! Certainly there are pluses to going that way and if you are interested in working in Canada it sounds like a great option for you! Wishing you the best, let us know if you have any additional q's and good luck!