The Application Process

Hey ppl,
Im really confused abt the kind of schools i can apply to... i have a 730 in GMAT.. good acads and extra curriculars... my prob is my work ex...its 2 years as of now and its a software job...(not grt work)..will this significantly affect my chances of gettin into good B schools.?.. can i think of the top 20 B schools in the US with scholarships? Kindly advice.

Hi Karum,
It is difficult to assess your candidacy based solely on your GMAT score and rough estimates of your GPA and ECs. Can you provide us with more detailed information - particularly your current position and post-MBA interests.

At the same time, check out Veritas Prep's new School Selector tool. It is a fantastic resource to help you select schools which match your background.

Details are below...

Regards,

NP

Have you ever wondered what your chances are at the top business schools in the country? We've developed a fun tool that will allow you to gauge the value of your GMAT score, GPA, and a variety of other variables, giving you a starting point for investigating MBA programs that fit your profile.

Although it's not a substitute for the advice of a real Admissions Consultant, it is definitely a great way to see where you're at.
https://www.veritasprep.com/selector

fun lil tool. I submitted some feedback.

Hi Nikhil.Thanks a lot for the response.

Im working with a company which is into avionics. I am a software engineer and have been doing a lot of testing and some development work over the past two years. I have not held any leadership or managerial role with regard to my work. However i am a good team player and i can get a letter of recommendation from my manager emphasising this .


I have demonstrated a lot of leadership qualities outside work in my company. I hold a position in the company's club.(the club is responsible for organising events for the employees). The senior management in my company is impressed with the way i have handled things and have let me know abt the same. Would it be advisable to get a letter of recommendation from the HR head of my company emphasising these points or should i stick to letters from my immediate bosses? I am also into a CSR(corporate social responsibility) where we do our bit to the society. I am also one of the content managers of the company newsletter.(the company i work for is not a very big one. it has a strength of around 400 in India UK and Spain). I have had no international exposure so far.


During my engineering i was the CR(class representative) for two years. My role was one where in i was a point of contact between the students and the faculty.It also occasionally included scheduling classes convenient for both faculty and students. I have been participating in a lot of inter-college fests and have won a lot of prizes. I was also actively involved in organising events during my college fest.
Post MBA i am looking at a marketing or a business development role.I would like to start something on my own when im around 35(i am 24 now). I would like to have some solid experience in marketing or BD before i venture into my own business. Would that justify why i need an MBA now?


Regarding my GPA im not too sure because we were'nt graded based on GPA. However it should be above 3.5 as i was ranked somewhere around 15 out of 150 students.


I hope the details i have given above would be helpful in analysing where i stand:). Looking forward to your response.

checked out the tool.... could not fill in details regarding the univ. But it gave me some real good results!!!:)

Hi Karum,

Thanks for your reply. You have good work experience, and although you dont have any pure managerial experience, the work you did with HR will help demonstrate some of your leadership/teamwork skills (I would consider using the HR person as a LOR - esp if he/she presents more of your teamwork skills). The key is to sell AdCom that you are not another typical Indian IT candidate.

Your post-MBA goals are fine (as many MBA students switch careers) - however you need to sell your interests in mktg/bizdev and how the MBA (along with your current skills) will help successfully make that transition.

Regards,

NP

Thanks a lot Nikhil. Its been really helpful.
Do you think i can look at US B schools(ranked between 10 and 20) and hope for some scholarship there??

Karun,

I think you are competitive for schools in the 10-20 range. Unfortunately, I don't know too much about scholarships - other than they are highly competitive (esp for intl' students) and often based on merit or special circumstance. You should contact each school's financial aide office to get more information.

Good luck!

NP

How I wish I was admitted based on this tool? my results:

Stanford University (CA)
Harvard University (MA)
University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)

will go ahead and contact the colleges ,.Thanks a ton for all the information Nikhil:)

no problem. good luck!