Free MBA profile evaluation

[MBACrystalBall]

Hi john_d25

//My Gmat Score - 750 (Q50, V42, AWA 6.0) (3rd Attempt)
Age- 24
Undergrad- Bachelors of Commerce from HR College, Mumbai University
87% in TYBCom ( 3rd University Rank)
LLB (Gen.) from Government Law College, Mumbai
Chartered Accountant - Final CA All India Rank 2

India Rank 2 is a BIG deal, bro. Congrats!

// Work Experience-Asst Manager, Risk advisory services at EnY, Mumbai. Also involved with international taxation and internal audit.( 2 years at the time of application in October, 2012, 3 years at the time of matriculation in September, 2013)

You've shared a lot of info about yourself, parantu there are no specific questions sirji!

Check out the other posts to see what kind of questions folks have been asking and list down a few where we can roll up our sleeves and dig in.

[MBACrystalBall]

Hi Neerav,

// GMAT score : 700 ( Q=48; V=38) , Nov-2009 (had given it 2 times previously - 630 and 650)
 Age: 30
 Degree: B.E (Computer Engg.)
 Years of experience: 8.5 years
 Current Employment Oracle Financial Services Software - Since Feb-2005. Mumbai and SG.

Let's balance out the long profile with a shorter, specific recommendation.

// As you can see, my safe bets rejected me. But I think my profile has changed a lot since then and I am ripe now to do an MBA.
So there you go ; a lengthy profile. Let me know your analysis and guidance for Aug 2013.

Alright, here's the deal. Some (not all) of the schools you applied to were ok till last year. But you've outgrown the conventional 2-year MBA format. Even if they take you in, you'll have trouble fitting in and while finding a job.

So for the next season, look at a fresh set of schools that offer 1 year MBA courses. A few in Canada, many in Europe, a couple in Australia. All equally effective in helping you with your career goals.

// Btw, did I tell you that you are doing an awesome job here!!

Shouldn't this come up at the top, rather than after 873 words (yes, I did a word-count)? But better late than never.

Btw, just to conclude, this approach amounts to 3 ISB essays, and to be honest did not work for me. I hope the essays you submitted earlier did a better job of communicating your profile and your vision.

[neeravks]

Hi Sameer,

Thanks for the quick reply and sorry for such a long post last time. It should have been more crisp.

The list of colleges I mentioned earlier were my shortlist. I ended up applying only at NUS and NTU. And yeah I agree, 2 yr MBA may not be for me now.

Yes the mistake last time was not paying attention to the applications and looked to go ahead with the the ones which would save me some trouble (relocating from SG).
I just have 2 more specific question for you here..

a) Does it make sense to go for a full time MBA now? Or a part-time would be just as good?
b) Is it really that important to do MBA from a top global school? Isnt a good regional school good enough? Examples from Singapore : SMU and SPJAIN

Thanks a ton for your advice and keep up the good work.

[john_d25]

Hi sorry about the absence of any specific query haha
anyway
I want to get into either HBS, Stanford, LBS,INSEAD, Columbia or Tuck. I am thinking of applying in October, 2012 and I hope I can start my MBA by September 2013.
How do you think I can improve my profile?
And do these American Schools consider a Chartered Accountancy qualification? Is it held in high regard there?
Please help !
Thanks!

[john_d25]

And i want to work in consultancy for 3-4 years after my MBA and then join my family's Chartered Accountancy firm and branch out further.

[MBACrystalBall]

Hi john_d25

//I want to get into either HBS, Stanford, LBS,INSEAD, Columbia or Tuck. I am thinking of applying in October, 2012 and I hope I can start my MBA by September 2013.

For HBS & Stanford, the timing is right. For the other schools, it wouldn't hurt to wait another year. Or have a few other schools that are more reachable.

// How do you think I can improve my profile?

General advice is to get managerial and business experience apart from the hardcore risk advisory work you've been doing. Learn more about industries and the bigger issues that gives the senior management sleepless nights.

// And do these American Schools consider a Chartered Accountancy qualification? Is it held in high regard there?

Though American schools don't get too many Chartered Accountants applying from India, they are still aware of the degree. The CA equivalent in the US is CPA. So it's not exactly a 1-to-1 match.

[john_d25]

Which other reachable schools do you suggest I apply to? Should I improve my extra curricular and leadership activities, if yes, how? Is there anything else that I need to add to my profile, something that admission committees specifically look for? And is the CA qualification as highly valued in the UK as it is in India? Will LBS consider it? And if I get rejected by any of these b schools, am I at a disadvantage if i apply again next year or so?
Thanks a lot

[adityansharma]

Hello,

Wanted to get your feedback on my profile and to which school i should apply for . my profile details are as mentioned below :

GMAT
-1st attempt (took in spring 2009)
680- (48Q, 35V)

Education
-B.Tech in information Technology -3.7 GPA

Work Experience
-2 years of full time work experience as a software program at Accenture services pvt ltd . and would have 3 years of ex by the time i join any school in the fall of 2013 .


Other Activities
-vice president of NGO.
-member of other social welfare organisations .
-won 4 awards in my organisation a span of 2 years in my career.
-active member of disaster management board ( govt of india).
-was co-ordinator of events at college festivals during undergrad education
-gym enthusiast
-part time model


Target Schools
-please tell me about the school i shoud target at


Reason for MBA
-I want to grow in my current work area i.e Information Technology .I want to move from a developers role into a managerial role in IT domain itself . I believe i can apply my existing technical expertise to understand the challenges faced by the team or a project , and building upon which i will be able to manage a project in better manner .


What are your thoughts on my profile? Strengths/Weaknesses? which schools in USA i should target for ? . Would it be wise to give it one more crack? It would be my second time and i am not too keen on taking the test gain , as i believe i have scored above what is considered to be a good score .


Thank you for all your help!

Best,

Aditya

[MBACrystalBall]

Hi Neerav,

// a) Does it make sense to go for a full time MBA now? Or a part-time would be just as good?

The take-aways from a part-time MBA are significantly lower than a full time MBA course. So if you have the option, I'd suggest a full-time option

// b) Is it really that important to do MBA from a top global school? Isnt a good regional school good enough? Examples from Singapore : SMU and SPJAIN

Top ranked doesn't always mean it's right for everyone. A regional school should also be good, as long as you know what you want from the program and the regional university can give you a platform to reach there.

[MBACrystalBall]

Hi john_d25,

// Which other reachable schools do you suggest I apply to?

School recommendation would depend on a whole lot of other factors and goes beyond the scope of this discussion forum (it's a small part of what we do in our MBA MAP).

Read this post for more details on why it doesn't help sharing a general list of school names on a discussion forum --> How not to select business schools.

// Should I improve my extra curricular and leadership activities, if yes, how? Is there anything else that I need to add to my profile, something that admission committees specifically look for?

Sure. If you have avenues to grow in those areas (within or outside the organisation), without losing focus on the professional growth. Exactly what you should do, will depend on your preferences and access to those opportunities. If you have already been active in certain areas, continue building on those.

// And is the CA qualification as highly valued in the UK as it is in India? Will LBS consider it?

Unlike a globally accepted qualification, a CA is more of an India-specific degree. So its value is maximum in India. But it's a rigorous degree that is on par with the equivalent qualification in other countries. So don't worry too much about it.

// And if I get rejected by any of these b schools, am I at a disadvantage if i apply again next year or so?

Yes, it does get more difficult to apply as a re-applicant.