What to do???

[anantgupta]

Hi Stacy,

Am facing a delima about my chances for an MBA in US..Am from India and my grading system is on a scale of 10....I did a bachelor's in Engg. and got 6.9 on 10...which let's face it,is not gr8.....I did not fare well in my 1st 2 yrs but later on went to improve somewhat and ended up with a 10 on 10 for the last sem....I have just one year of work ex till date and my GMAT score is just 690... I am working in the IT sector...plz tell me what are my chances and to what schools should i apply for..I was aiming for Tuck , Duke and UCLA but I don't see any chance....What should I do???

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Anant,

There is always a chance since you are within range on your GMAT, GPA, and work experience. But you are right that it is a pretty big hurdle to jump for these schools since you are an international student from India. I think you have three options:

1) Wait and apply in 2 years after you gain more professional work experience, seeking out leadership opportunities and demonstrating progression

2) Apply to your target schools, doing everything you can to present a strong application and distinguish yourself from the other Indian IT consultants/engineers

3) Broaden your target school list to include some schools ranked in the 20-40 range; there are great schools in this range who would be interested in receiving your application

Best of luck,
Lisa

[anantgupta]

Hi Lisa,

thx for such a quick response....It really worked for me...To tell u a bit about me , I have a do or die attitude...So i have picked up advice no. 2 and 3 from ur suggestions
:roll:

So considering this I was wondering if I should give my GMAT again...i know i can get 720+.....plus I was contemplating on doing certain technical plus business related certifications for proving my academic capabilities to overshadow the relatively low GPA....In addition to that I am already doing a certification in French....And I have already led a team of professionals witihn 6 months of induction into the firm...Which is a gr8 achievement from my company standards...So i was thinking should i apply with all this in the 1st round or make it stronger with even more additions and go for the second round???What would the diference be???

And one more thing...Plz tell me how does the work ex criteria works???
I have been working full time from 2007 Aug. So do I have a one year or a 2 yr work ex. according to the universities, keeping in mind i will be joining in Fall 2009 if admitted and continue to work on till then.

Thx a tonne...I am really relying on your and your suggestions alone...
Thx once again

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Anant,

Thank you for your kind words and I'm glad you will broaden your school list. There is no advantage to applying first round versus second round; just make sure you get your application in by any specific deadline for international students at US schools. All of your plans to improve your candidacy are great ideas. With regards to the number of years work experience, you will report your number at the time you enter business school. Thus in your case, it will be 2 years (Aug 2007 - Aug 2009).

Good luck,
Lisa

[anantgupta]

Hey Lisa,

Thx for ur words of advice....I shall strive to do my best...Just one more thing...Apart from all these what I mentioned b4 and beside the fact that I have to broaden my school choice list....Can u suggest anything else in particular which may help broaden my prospects for candidacy...like any course in particular???

And what should I be presenting myself as in the essays...I hear every second person tell me a different story...I want to do an MBA in marketing...But I am working in IT...They are totally irrelevant fields of work....How do i convince the school that an MBA in marketing is my ultimate goal???
Plz hel me out with this too....Thx a tonne
U r the best

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Anant,

It is always best to be truthful and express your true career goals. Schools can usually tell when you write/say something you think they want to hear. More importantly, you want to be in the program that best fits your goals so it is helpful to seek those out. Over half the students in business school are looking to make a significant career change, so you will be in good company.

Regards,
Lisa

[anantgupta]

Thanks Lisa......All what you said has helped a lot.....Am re-writing the GMAT soon....I hope to improve my score....

I was wondering one more thing....With whom all will my application be compared me while evaluaing my profile???
Will it be the IT ppl globally or from my ethenicity or what???
Or will be compared with ppl with a totally different working background???

Basically, with who all am I competing when I submit my applications??
Sorry for being such a bugger...But you are the best resoursce available to me for my doubts




Regards
Anant

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Anant,

You will be compared to every applicant to a school. Then you will be further scrutinized against those with similar profiles like same career or same education. If you apply to schools in the US or EU, then you will also have the hurdle of being an international applicant. International folks will generally make up a large percentage of a school's applicant pool but the school will keep their international populations in the 20-40% range. Please note: these are all generalities, as there are variances between schools. But I wanted to give you a general idea of the competition.

Regards,
Lisa

[anantgupta]

Thanks Lisa for all the words of advice...u helped solve quite a few doubts of mine......
Can you throw some light on the placement scenarios of B schools post MBA....what is the current scene like....Sites boast of a lot....Don't know how much of it is true......plus being an International student its a huge investment for me...Do you think a school ranked in 20-40 range ll have good placements????

Regards
Anant

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Anant,

Placement statistics for any school are more of a function of the students' efforts than the school's. Schools do not "place" students--they are not headhunters, do not pick students to fill job postings from companies, and do not do interviews for their students. Career centers are facilitators in the process; they prepare the students, help them set a job search strategy, provide interviewing facilities, and promote the school to potential recruiters. So, you will find that most schools in the top 50 have international students that secure jobs within 3 months of graduation, some in the US and some back in the students' home countries. That is not to say that it is easy as a job search is not an easy endeavor. Likewise, it is harder for international students in the US than domestic students because of immigration laws. But it really comes down to the effort put in by the individual.

Best of luck,
Lisa