Profile Evaluation for an ERP Manager for EMBA programs.

[sbose007]

Hi,

1) Experience: 1.5 years at a Senior Manager Position at a Top Tier Technology Consulting firm (likes of IBM/Deloitte/Accenture/PwC) fulfilling a ERP Project Managerial Role leading teams of 60-100 on the client site. Previously 13+ years of progressive ERP Consulting experience from Consultant to Systems/Solutions Architect to Project Manager mostly in a Freelance capacity working for clients like Coke, Pepsi, Kraft Foods, Owens Corning etc.

2) Aiming for 700+ on the GMAT

3) Education: BS in Accounting (1998) from an Indian University equivalent to 3.5 GPA. Masters in Informatics (2007) from approx. 75th ranked US State university 3.0 GPA. Low GPA due to serious financial and time commitment issues as an International Student at the time. Managed a lot of part time jobs, self financed the program while maintaining a daunting more-than-full time student course workload to try to finish quicker.

4) Volunteer experience in some non-profit organizations. No leadership experience here. Is this a serious lacuna for the application?

5) Top 5 EMBA programs including Wharton, Univ. of Chicago, NYU Stern and Northwestern

7) Short term goal: Get an opportunity to Specialize in IT mergers/acquisitions at a Technology consulting firm or get into Information Technology/Strategy Consulting for the likes of Mckinsey etc.
Long term: Get to a VP IT or CIO position at a 5+ billion dollar FMCG company in a 6-8 yrs. time frame.

8) I came to the US for graduate school and then stayed on. I am now a US Citizen.

Questions:

a) How would you rate my chances for admission?

b)Is my low masters GPA or lack of volunteer experience a serious drawback ? Also, please do suggest ways to fix any other obvious lacunae.

c) Even though I am a US citizen, will I still be competing in the Indian pool of applicants because of my background?

d) Even though my experience has been progressive - a majority of it has come in the form of a freelancer. Do you see this as an issue ? I should be able to get solid recommendation letters from present/past clients describing the work I have done for them.

e) I have read in some forums that salary drawn at the time of application can be criteria for selection for EMBA programs? If yes, what is that salary range for applicants in my pool?

f) I am thinking of applying in 2015 and I will be 37 years old at the time.

Thanks in advance for your response!

Sbose

[Bryant@VeritasPrep]

Sorry for the late reply, Sbose. I attempt to answer your questions directly below:

a) How would you rate my chances for admission?

Very good, actually. You have plenty of progression in your career and real management experience which will allow you to contribute much to your classmates' experience which is very important to top MBA programs. What you bring to the table will be of utmost interest to them.

b)Is my low masters GPA or lack of volunteer experience a serious drawback ? Also, please do suggest ways to fix any other obvious lacunae.
Master's GPA should not be a problem--it's really more about what you have achieved in your career. It's always good to demonstrate community leadership, so I would advise trying to get on a board somewhere you are involved or passionate about.

c) Even though I am a US citizen, will I still be competing in the Indian pool of applicants because of my background?

Not exactly. you will not be in the international applicant pool because of your citizenship, but the male US citizenship pool is the deepest pool by far for EMBA programs, so you'd actually be at a bit of an advantage if you had some international consideration. I would bring your unique perspective as a US citizen with Indian roots into the application.

d) Even though my experience has been progressive - a majority of it has come in the form of a freelancer. Do you see this as an issue ? I should be able to get solid recommendation letters from present/past clients describing the work I have done for them.

Not a problem.

e) I have read in some forums that salary drawn at the time of application can be criteria for selection for EMBA programs? If yes, what is that salary range for applicants in my pool?

They don't use salary as an admissions tool, but rather to track any salary progression afterwards. They also like to know if you are a good target to support the program philantrhopically!

f) I am thinking of applying in 2015 and I will be 37 years old at the time.

Age is right in the sweet spot for EMBA programs. In general, EMBA programs are mostly concerned about career progression, what you bring to the table, and whether or not you have the financial and moral support of your sponsor corporation. If you have all three and can write a compelling vision for why you want the MBA and what you plan to do with it, you should have a good shot. We have considerable experience helping clients position themselves for EMBA slots, so please consider leveraging our resources when you apply.

[sbose007]

Thanks for your response Bryant! I will definitely consider taking your firm's help when applying for admission.

A couple of questions more:

a) I have read in some forums that a high GMAT score is not crucial for EMBA programs. When coming to my profile people have said that since my Masters GPA is not great - a high GMAT score is essential for me to be competitive. Do you agree? If yes, what score range do you think I need?

b) One of my main motivations of wanting to get an EMBA from a top 5 program was to able to get the opportunity to work for consulting firms like Mckinsey or Bain in their business technology/information technology practice. Now, I have heard that these companies do not regard my ERP consulting experience in very high regard. Do you think the EMBA will be able to help me create a case for myself to get a foot in the door even though the EMBA programs don't actively help students find employment opportunities?

Thank you again.

sbose007

[Bryant@VeritasPrep]

a) THe GMAT is less important at the EMBA level, because they are much more interested in what you have achieved in your career and what you bring to the table for your classmates. Additionally, they don't have to report their scores for ranking purposes, so they can be a bit more lenient. some EMBA programs don't even require the GMAT, so I would say you don't need a super high score. If you get a great score, however, it can help, but not as much as impressive career achievements can.

b) an EMBA from the right school can help for sure, so you should reverse engineer the process and find out where Bain recruits at the full time level, and also reach out to some Bain associates for their advice on where to go. Just because they recruit at the full time MBA program does not mean they will be looking for EMBA students, so you will have to be pretty assertive to get in front of them, but if they are already coming to your target school and recruiting folks from the FT program, it will make it easier.