General Queries - Bschools, financing, MBA scholarships
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Re: General Queries - Bschools, financing, MBA scholarships
Post by sakthisrini » January 11th, 2013, 3:22 pm
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Re: General Queries - Bschools, financing, MBA scholarships
Post by MBACrystalBall » January 11th, 2013, 6:11 pm
Azeem_Mohammad wrote:Link to the review I wrote for 'Beyond the MBA
Thanks for the review, Azeem. And good luck with your GMAT prep.
Ankita wrote:1 year GMAT or 2 yrs CAT? suggestions awaited...
Ankita, too late for the CAT wali train, time to move to GMAT based programs now.
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Re: General Queries - Bschools, financing, MBA scholarships
Post by MBACrystalBall » January 11th, 2013, 6:27 pm
informmefast wrote:1.What can be done to make my application a competitive one ?
Apart from '3 yrs in a telecom MNC', you haven't shared much about what you do in the company. If it's a regular software role, the going gets tough. In any other role, marketing/finance/hr/operations etc, things become easier on the differentiation point.
informmefast wrote:2.How much score in GMAT would make my application competitive enough considering my average academics?
The score you've mentioned in the next point should be good, if you can manage it.
informmefast wrote:3.As I am planning to apply to NUS & NTU by January end, what are my chances of being admitted considering I manage to get a score of around 740 in the GMAT?
We can't talk about chances based on the limited info we get on forums. One of the major limitations of forum based advice.
Which is why we follow an elaborate process to evaluate profiles with our MBA MAP.
Sure, if you can show them how your profile has changed (significantly) from the previous attempt, it is worth a shot.informmefast wrote:4.If once rejected does it make sense in reapplying to an university the next year ?
We've got folks who got into their (higher ranked) dream schools in their 3rd attempt. Their first 2 attempts had serious flaws. When they came to us, we suggested multiple course corrections.
But best option is to get it right the first time. Always gets painful as a reapplicant.
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Re: General Queries - Bschools, financing, MBA scholarships
Post by Hariharan » January 12th, 2013, 10:46 pm
First of all thanks a lot for maintaining this kinda forum,its really good.Again special thanks in advance for sparing your time in guiding me.
This is my profile:
xth - 90%
xIIth - 92.25%
B.tech(I.T)-81%
Work Exp-2 years in Infosys(As Sap-sd consultant)
Right from school days because of my rational thinking,convincing ability,trait to consider all possible scenarios with solutions for a given problem and more over number crunching,solving mathematical problems has been my interest , and hence naturally i wanted to pursue career in management.For my current family situation,i want to start earning more ASAP.And hence though i am from middle class family I am ready to risk 50 odd laks(loan+selling part of our ancestral land) in doing MBA from any reputed International Univ.My concern is If i get 720+ in GMAT , I want to know
1.Can i get into top 30-50 Univ in FT rankings?If not name atleast 3 college names where i can try.
2.I know I'll definitely do well in MBA , if so in such situation with this pre MBA experience what are the odds for getting a job after MBA?
3.Above all I dont want to stand Jobless after MBA,for which i used to think if atleast 70% of people just like me(indian engineer with 2 year work exp) who did well in MBA got decent jobs there itself ,then definitely me too will get it.I have that confidence.But what if my assumption is wrong?
To make it simple i just want to know is there any good univ for 2 year work experienced indian engineer with 720 in GMAT?If so do i have a genuine shot in getting job after MBA? Waiting for your reply.
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Re: General Queries - Bschools, financing, MBA scholarships
Post by MBACrystalBall » January 22nd, 2013, 12:04 am
Hariharan wrote:Work Exp-2 years in Infosys(As Sap-sd consultant)
Hi Hariharan, from companies like Infosys, there are just too many people applying and the lesser the experience, the more difficult it is to differentiate yourself from the pool.
With 2 years work-ex, you'd be going in with a big disadvantage.
Hariharan wrote:1.Can i get into top 30-50 Univ in FT rankings?If not name atleast 3 college names where i can try.
We have very little to dig into at this stage. So giving you three names would be misleading.
Hariharan wrote:2.I know I'll definitely do well in MBA , if so in such situation with this pre MBA experience what are the odds for getting a job after MBA?
Doing well on the MBA and getting a job are two different things. Of course, there's a correlation. But one won't get you the other.
Hariharan wrote:3.Above all I dont want to stand Jobless after MBA,for which i used to think if atleast 70% of people just like me(indian engineer with 2 year work exp) who did well in MBA got decent jobs there itself ,then definitely me too will get it.I have that confidence.But what if my assumption is wrong?
It's incorrect to assume that 70% of your classmates getting jobs would automatically mean you get it too. A lot will depend on what kind of jobs you are targetting after an MBA.
Hariharan wrote:To make it simple i just want to know is there any good univ for 2 year work experienced indian engineer with 720 in GMAT? If so do i have a genuine shot in getting job after MBA? Waiting for your reply.
If you've spent some time reading the other posts and our blog, you'll see that it's not that simple.
Hariharan wrote:For my current family situation,i want to start earning more ASAP.And hence though i am from middle class family I am ready to risk 50 odd laks(loan+selling part of our ancestral land) in doing MBA from any reputed International Univ.
For this one reason alone, your best bet would be to hang on for a few years more.
If you treat it like a gamble (and right now, I get the feeling that you are), there are higher odds that you'll lose.
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Re: General Queries - Bschools, financing, MBA scholarships
Post by rakshith » January 22nd, 2013, 8:58 am
I'm reading your book "mba hype " and I'm finding it very realistic. Its more or less exactly what am running through. I'm an computer science engineering graduate and working for HP since August 2011. I want to pursue my mba abroad. I have 2 questions for you. Your answers will help me decide and clear my confusion. Pl do oblige to answer them.
Q1. Which is the best geographical location to pursue mba US or Australia?
Q2. I have planned to apply for cutting business school,perth. What are your reviews about this school and is it good school to join (I'm referring good to post mba opportunities)?
I request you to answer them so that will help me decide on my plans and I will great full to you.
rakshith
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Re: General Queries - Bschools, financing, MBA scholarships
Post by MBACrystalBall » January 22nd, 2013, 1:01 pm
rakshith wrote:Hello sameer,
I'm reading your book "mba hype " and I'm finding it very realistic. Its more or less exactly what am running through.
As in Bollywood, the realistic scripts get critical acclaim while the masala scripts enter the 100 crore club. Such is life!
rakshith wrote:Q1. Which is the best geographical location to pursue mba US or Australia?
Traditionally, USA has been the Mecca of MBA. All other countries jumped on the bandwagon later. After all these years, USA still leads in the creation and absorption of MBAs.
rakshith wrote:Q2. I have planned to apply for cutting business school,perth. What are your reviews about this school and is it good school to join (I'm referring good to post mba opportunities)?
I'm not familiar with Perth. Melbourne Business school and AGSM are better known that most other Australian MBA courses.
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Re: General Queries - Bschools, financing, MBA scholarships
Post by Pratyush » January 22nd, 2013, 7:57 pm
I just returned from a month long sabbatical.
I have been working for Infosys for about 31 months now and although my official role has been that of a Software Developer (Sr. Developer now), my involvement in the projects has been very diverse.
For instance, in my last project, I worked as a Solution designer, working closely with the client and Business analyst teams. I was largely responsible for work proposals, cost estimations, product development, and everything in between. (My my, that was poetic !)
My post MBA goal is to move into a consulting role with focus on business technology and strategy.
Even though my work experience is too shallow, INSEAD is my dream school. (or am I being too greedy ??)
I am planning to apply for the January 2014 intake. This way, INSEAD results will be out before I have to apply to other schools.
Can this work out ? or do I wait for the Sep cycle before applying ?
Please advise.
My exp. by Jan 2014 will be 3yr 6 months
GMAT details: 770 Q50 V44 AWA 5.5 IR 8
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Re: General Queries - Bschools, financing, MBA scholarships
Post by MBACrystalBall » January 24th, 2013, 4:31 pm
Pratyush wrote:Hey Again Sameer,
I just returned from a month long sabbatical.
Welcome back, Pratyush.
Pratyush wrote:I have been working for Infosys for about 31 months now and although my official role has been that of a Software Developer (Sr. Developer now), my involvement in the projects has been very diverse.
Yes, quite a bit of variety in there. The only concern might be what you've mentioned in the next point - have you been trying to juggle too many (crystal) balls in a short span of time?
Pratyush wrote:Even though my work experience is too shallow, INSEAD is my dream school. (or am I being too greedy ??)
Not greedy. Maybe just a wee bit impatient?
Pratyush wrote:I am planning to apply for the January 2014 intake. This way, INSEAD results will be out before I have to apply to other schools.
The first deadline for INSEAD jan 2014 intake is in the first week of April, right? Planning wise, seems like a good idea to wrap this one up first and then take a call on the others.
Pratyush wrote:Can this work out ? or do I wait for the Sep cycle before applying ? Please advise.
Think the MBA MAP will help now so we test out your application story in a more rigorous manner?
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Re: General Queries - Bschools, financing, MBA scholarships
Post by AJT » January 25th, 2013, 12:50 am
First of all, thanks for taking the time to help applicants on this forum. I first came across MBA Crystal Ball in the Pagalguy forums. Since then, I've also bought and read Sameer's book. Those two past experiences predispose me to first turn to you guys for some advice on preparation for the MBA application process.
I have a couple of blemishes in my academic record that I'm worried will negatively affect my chances at US b-schools. First, I do not have a lot of very quantitative courses (e.g., no calculus) on my undergrad transcript and even then my course-wise percentages are mostly very ordinary (read: unlikely to delight AdComs). Second, and more important, I did very poorly on introductory courses on micro and macro economics (i.e., scraped through just above the pass mark). I fear that these two put together will be a big, big drag on my chances at any top 20 school.
To rectify this, I'm strongly considering taking for-credit, online, self-paced courses in economics as well as calculus from the extension/independent study departments of US universities. The idea is to get an 'A' grade on them and mention this effort at academic redemption in the optional essays (as also sharing the US university issued transcript listing the 2-3 courses), to help offset the negative impression my actual transcript will generate. (Another factor prompting me to do this now is that many schools will anyway require me to do exactly this before matriculation, even if I did get selected.)
My questions to you, regarding this issue, are:
1)Am I correct in believing these efforts will improve perception of my academic calibre? Is there any other way to do this?
2)Assuming you answer the previous question by approving my course of action, are there any particular courses/universities that you would suggest? My current favorites are UT Austin's and Brigham Young University's extension departments as (a) they offer the courses I'm looking for in online, self-paced format (b) pretty much every AdCom will have heard of them, and will not think their academic credentials are dubious (c) they are relatively cost-effective at USD 500-600 per 3-credit course. Any thoughts on these choices? Could I choose better?
3)My biggest concern - all these online, self-paced courses require a proctored end-of-course exam. The requirements for an impartial proctor are fairly stringent - which is good, but this means that I have no idea how to find such a qualified individual in an Indian context. From their FAQs it seems that in the US it is pretty normal to have 'student assessment centers' which do this job (for a fee) for a wide range of exams (not just university extension courses). But I've never known of an equivalent in India? Sure there are companies like Prometric, Pearson, and Kryterion that operate their testing centers here - but they just don't seem to offer this particular service? Have you ever helped a client in this situation before? What should I do?
4)Assuming you have no positive answer to the previous question, what then is the alternative? There is 'Straighterline', which offers numerous courses online at bargain rates (~USD 49!)and even has end-of-course exams 'proctored' online via webcam, but their academic credibility and the validity of their credits seems dubious? I also tried looking at Indian programs, such as distance learning / executive education options from IIMs, but they too don't quite work out. For example, an economics program delivered by IIM-C through Hughes got cancelled due to 'insufficient interest' when I applied, while another to be delivered by IIM-C through NIIT Imperia is too expensive (~INR 2.35L), too long (one year), and the next batch is scheduled for far too late in this year to be of help to me. Besides, I doubt how fully US b-schools will accept these executive education programs as a replacement of a proper 'for-credit course'. Then you have the 'MBA Math' program - but again, I'm unconvinced of its academic rigor and value in strengthening my apps because it promises to cover too many things, in too short a timeframe, at too low a price. So what else?
OK, I think this is getting too long. I'll sign off for now.
Looking forward to your response.