MBA Crystal Ball

Sameer,

I have been following your blog at MCB for quite sometime now,so i thought i
could get a little advice from you.I am 27 yr old MBA aspirant with nearly 6 yrs exp in IT - ADM practice, currently i am project leader. I am an engineer(non IIT/NIT) with decent 12th and undergrad scores.I have an year of US work experience also.I managed a decent GMAT score as well in late 2011(740,Q50,V41).I am not looking at US/Europe B-schools due to some personal constraints(not totally financial), so i was targeting 1 yr exec programs at B-schools in India and Singapore. A late GMAT meant that i missed the deadlines for applying to the IIM's and could finally manage to apply to only ISB in R2, NUS MBA FT and XLRI -GMP.I got a reject from ISB post interview, i am on the W/L for XLRI GMP and still awaiting a final decision
from NUS(done with interview).There's a pretty good chance that i may
clear the W/L for XLRI GMP, but i'm unable to decide whether to join the
program or not.I badly want to be at ISB or NUS in that order.Should i take
the plunge and join XLRI or try again next year?I know its a tough
question to answer ,but let me know if you think XLRI GMP is a fair enough
choice,will it be too much of a gamble to wait for one more year? i would like to continue in IT consulting post MBA but my dream career is that of a strategy consultant with the likes of Mc Kinsey, BCG et al. Let me know what you think...

Sirji..what do you think about UK. Are u recommending anybody to pursue MBA from the UK given the current ongoing Visa regulation crisis. I was thinking about Oxford Said as well but don't know now

Hi sidhart,

//I have been following your blog at MCB for quite sometime now,so i thought i could get a little advice from you.

Thanks for reaching out. I wish more long-time readers of our blog would reach out, even if they do not have questions. Just to say Hi.

//27 yr old MBA aspirant ...6 yrs exp in IT ...
GMAT score as well in late 2011(740,Q50,V41).
...not looking at US/Europe B-schools due to some personal constraints(not totally financial). [/i]

That's unfortunate as your profile would be a good fit for many US/Europe business schools. Is the situation likely to change next year?

//...manage to apply to only ISB in R2, NUS MBA FT and XLRI -GMP...I badly want to be at ISB or NUS in that order.

If you want to reapply to ISB, make sure you get feedback from them and try to fix each of them before the next attempt. Here's an ISB re-applicant's success story from our blog.

The NUS decision is still open, though.

//Should i take the plunge and join XLRI or try again next year? ...
i would like to continue in IT consulting post MBA but my dream career is that of a strategy consultant with the likes of Mc Kinsey, BCG et al.

For the IT consulting goal, XLRI would be a good place to join. However, the strategy consulting options start drifting further away.

NUS would give you the maximum international exposure (but it'll be the most expensive of the lot), ISB will give you a strong brand (minus the international diversity). XLRI won't have the brand value of ISB or NUS, but it might be the only bird you've got in hand (not yet, but hopefully soon).

Waiting for a year more would get you away from the median age for all three schools.

So, it'll have to a compromise of sorts. Fixing up on your career goal will make the decision easier.

//Sirji..what do you think about UK. Are u recommending anybody to pursue MBA from the UK given the current ongoing Visa regulation crisis.

UK is still a good destination for those who have a strong (read 'practical') career plan in place.

We got guys into some good UK schools last year and they've already got enviable jobs in some top companies several months before their graduation.

But not everyone in the top schools have been lucky.

Sameer,
Faced with a choice between XLRI GMP and
NUS -FT,which one would it be? considering that financing is not an issue and my long term plan is to settle in india,how strong is the NUS brand name in india and abroad?especially if i am looking at a strategy consulting role post MBA ??

//Faced with a choice between XLRI GMP and NUS -FT,which one would it be?

I'd go with NUS, for the following reasons:

- Overall experience and RoI for NUS Singapore MBA

- New initiatives @ NUS Singapore campus

- You can come back from Singapore to India after graduation. Vice versa isn't that easy.

Sameer,

I have done my under-graduation in Mechanical engineering at BITS-Pilani with an abysmal 7.0 GPA.
I am currently pursuing Masters in Mech. Eng. in a top 20(in Mech) US university and I have a 3.7 GPA.
Assuming that I maintain this GPA, would my Under-grad GPA still have an adverse effect on my chances of getting into the top 5 or 10 b-schools in the US?
My understanding is that all the applicants are segregated into various applicant pools based on the demographic and professional field criteria. When I apply for an MBA, which applicant pool would I be put into? I mean to ask if I would be competing with an US applicant or an Indian applicant. I ask you this because I wouldn't be able to get into a very reputed company like General Electric or similar ones since I am an international student and they do not straight away hire international students because of the visa sponsoring issues. But the big B-schools place a lot of emphasis on the company one worked for when evaluating the applications. Wouldn't I fare badly when I am compared with a domestic(US) applicant?
And lastly, do b-schools distinguish between applicants submitting GRE scores for GMAT scores. I have a 1500 on my gre. I haven't taken any GMAt test until now. Should I take one when I apply? Could you put the GMAT and GRE scores into perspective?
And please share any other relevant points for people like me who have done their under-graduation in India and Masters in the US.

Hi,
wanted to share my profile.

10th 87.2
12th 90.83 %

both from maharashtra state.
Eng: (E&TC): 8.15/10 (college of engineering pune)

workex : CISCO systems (3 years).

extra curriculars:

Pursuing MA in economics from IGNOU(1st year).
Completed a course in Game theory conducted by standford university professors(online)
Member of a team which holds GUINNEES world record in group skipping.(292 people).
Magazine co-ordinator annual department magazine.
Placement representative and class representative for E&TC.
Member. Team MindSpark- the annual technical event of the college.
Won B-plan competitions in inter college competitions.


I presently have a admit from IIFT Delhi.
I am confused if I should join IIFT or wait for 1 year and try for ISB and foreign B-schools . Please help.

Hi Brutus,

A ton of questions in there, so let's jump right in.

//I am currently pursuing Masters in Mech. Eng. in a top 20(in Mech) US university...Assuming that I maintain this GPA, would my Under-grad GPA still have an adverse effect on my chances of getting into the top 5 or 10 b-schools in the US?

Let's put this on the backburner for just a little while, tackle the other questions and come back.

//My understanding is that all the applicants are segregated into various applicant pools based on the demographic and professional field criteria. When I apply for an MBA, which applicant pool would I be put into?

Right now, I'd put you in the no experience category. Once you complete your Masters, get a job and spend a few years...that's when your real category will emerge. Anyway, these 'applicant pools' are subjective and not cast in stone.

//I mean to ask if I would be competing with an US applicant or an Indian applicant.

You are competing with every applicant who applies for a seat at business school.

//the big B-schools place a lot of emphasis on the company one worked for when evaluating the applications. Wouldn't I fare badly when I am compared with a domestic(US) applicant?

Not really. Big names help to an extent, but what's more important is your role, your accomplishments and your skills.

//do b-schools distinguish between applicants submitting GRE scores for GMAT scores.

Those that accept for GRE and GMAT scores don't differentiate between the two. They'd have some sort of a mapping table to compare the two, though. If not they'd end up comparing apples to oranges.

//Should I take one when I apply? Could you put the GMAT and GRE scores into perspective?

Take the GMAT anyway. It is accepted at more bschools than the GRE.

//And please share any other relevant points for people like me who have done their under-graduation in India and Masters in the US.

You have a slight advantage over the others who don't have any international educational experience. But the real differentiation will come from the work you do and the potential you can show to the Admissions Officer at the time of application.

So don't be too concerned about things [like the GPA that we now bring back from the backburner, now that we realise it's relative (in)significance] that you can't change.

Focus on making the future better than your past.

My Profile is as follows

Mechanical Engineer (IIT Kharagpur, 2009)
GMAT: 710
Work Ex in operations and strategy in the manufacturing sector in Indian Companies
Post MBA plans: Joining in a consultancy firm in an operations/strategy role

I've recently been admitted to manchester business school and am facing the difficult decision of deciding between mbs, ie madrid and univ of hong kong (lbs stream)..

Curriculum wise I have an impression that manchester's course is the strongest and hence I am most inclined towards it but as I havn't been awarded any scholarship there, I would be making a huge investment if I study there.. and I have to decide if it is worth taking a hefty loan and studying at manchester.. Also what are the job prospects in general for Indians studying in UK

IE, although is a very highly ranked university, I have seen reviews which suggest that getting a job from IE would be more difficult (though I would be more interested in knowing if it would be more difficult than getting a job from some other university, say manchester)

HKU has its advantage in that it would give me the alumni status at lbs and as per what I have heard, it is easier to get a job in HK.. Although again I am a bit uncertain about whether HK has sufficient jobs for non chinese students, not interested in finance. I asked this question to the person interviewing me and he told me that quite a number of students who graduate from hku get jobs in Singapore.

I need your advice on should I join one of the above mentioned B schools and which amongst them can be the best fit for me?