In my situation, will it even work out¿

[DHILLONRAVI1983]

Dear Experts, I come from that heavily competitive Indian male category with a lot of baggage. But first about my larger situation.

I have been doing Sales in the technology field with tremendous success. Multiple promotions, top awards etc. however, my goal is to reach the CEO level of a top F500 firm. You can laugh at this and I don't mind:). But with my current role I don't see my hierarchy nor me making it there in this lifetime. Moreover I realized that I am spending my life serving back offices of clients , whereas some of my old class mates are doing well in front offices at Goldman Sachs etc. I know I have tremendous potential but I am wasting it. The only light I can see is an MBA and I want to get into a career in financial consulting . I know this is a tough ask.

My baggage is that i have an MBA from a top Indian school but my GPA there was 2.85. I am 33 . In My undergrad I scored 72% from an Indian university. I am fairly confident I can get a 700+ score in gmat.

My plus points are that I have grown my employer business by multi million dollars and have a fairly large portfolio to manage. Worked with global clients across US India UK and Canada. Consistent overachiever. Community volunteer with American Red Cross.

I have been thinking of top 10 /Insead but am getting concerned after reading all over the internet. Do you think I can make it¿ Else what is your guidance ¿

Your time is highly appreciated. Thank you very much

[99Colleges: MBA Admission]

Hi DHILLONRAVI1983,

I'll take a stab at your question.

First of all, congratulations for realizing your potential. Many fail to.

Your GPA in your first MBA program would be less of a baggage than you think. This GPA, if I've to guess, would be around 8 years old, which doesn't truly reflect your current ability. If you can do well in GMAT (720+), then you can overcome most of the concerns adcom may have about your ability to cope up with the academic rigor of an MBA program.

What's going to be important in your case, as it is for anyone with long professional experience, is your career graph, which, from what you've mentioned, is outstanding. See, ultimately, B-schools want successful alumni, which help them perpetuate their brand. And pre-MBA professional success is a much bigger indicator of it than GPA or GMAT score.

Having said that, you face two challenges:

1. You're on the wrong side of age (by 6-odd years), which requires you to be more intentional in articulating your career goals. You may read details here:

Are You 30+? MBA Programs May Have 3 Concerns on Your Application

2. You already have an MBA, which again requires some explanation. You may read details here:

Pursuing Second MBA: Why the Bar Is Higher and How You Can Cross It?

To sum, you can make it to a top program, but it's going to be hard. Best thing, like I said, is the professional growth you've had.

(BTW, if you're looking at a career in financial services, a 2-year program will be a better bet.)

[Donna@Stratus]

Dear Experts, I come from that heavily competitive Indian male category with a lot of baggage. But first about my larger situation.

I have been doing Sales in the technology field with tremendous success. Multiple promotions, top awards etc. however, my goal is to reach the CEO level of a top F500 firm. You can laugh at this and I don't mind:). But with my current role I don't see my hierarchy nor me making it there in this lifetime. Moreover I realized that I am spending my life serving back offices of clients , whereas some of my old class mates are doing well in front offices at Goldman Sachs etc. I know I have tremendous potential but I am wasting it. The only light I can see is an MBA and I want to get into a career in financial consulting . I know this is a tough ask.

My baggage is that i have an MBA from a top Indian school but my GPA there was 2.85. I am 33 . In My undergrad I scored 72% from an Indian university. I am fairly confident I can get a 700+ score in gmat.

My plus points are that I have grown my employer business by multi million dollars and have a fairly large portfolio to manage. Worked with global clients across US India UK and Canada. Consistent overachiever. Community volunteer with American Red Cross.

I have been thinking of top 10 /Insead but am getting concerned after reading all over the internet. Do you think I can make it¿ Else what is your guidance ¿

Your time is highly appreciated. Thank you very much

Thanks for reaching out! My comments to you would be put a lot of effort into the GMAT and shoot for 730+ to give yourself the best shot at the most competitive programs. And I would also look at some programs like Owen or Emory where they have had some good success getting people into good jobs in finance. I'd also look at a school like Kenan-Flagler as they have some excellent recruiting relationships with firms like Deloitte. Makes sure you explain what you still want to learn in an MBA program and why now you would be able to get more out of the MBA.