MBA Crystal Ball

Hi,

I am seeking guidance for Management in Germany.

Brief overview:
- I have 3 years experience in Electronics.
-I have completed my BE in Electronic and Telecommunication.

I have scored 720 in GMAT (49,40).

10th - 86.6%

12th - 84.6%

B.tech - 75.9% (Always came in top 3 in my branch)

I have completed my engineering (IT branch) from Up Technical university in 2015. I have no work ex currently (I am placed in TCS but could not join at that time due to severe health problem (

Multiple Schlerosis) my mother was dealing with).

I have participated in various cultural events in both school and college. Two times won the zonal level dance competition in school. Organized various events at college-level and initiated a new technical fest conducted by IT branch in my 2nd year.

I have worked part-time in a group of 3 as a freelance developer and developed several mobile apps and websites for various companies.

I have also been socially active and used to teach underprivileged children and also worked with an NGO 'B-able'.

I have done 3 internships-

1. BEL(Bharat Electronics Limited) - training for 1.5 months

2. AISECT Organization - worked as an intern for 2 months and developed a cross-platform mobile application which is currently on playstore for one of their university.

3. S3 Services - Worked as an marketing intern for 2 months and promoted their website through various means.

I want to pursue MiM from one of the top colleges - LBS, HEC, Essec, WHU and Duke(MMS)

What are my chances of getting into one of these.


TIA!

Hi

I want some advice on my career track for the next few years and thought this would be a good forum to obtain it.

I am a 23-years old Indian female currently working in a reputed actuarial consulting firm for the past 15 months and have passed 5 out of 15 actuarial papers. I am well placed in my current role and also have additional office responsibilities on me beyond the scope of my job profile which help me show my leadership potential. For the most part, I feel okay doing my work. In the past, I have had a brilliant academic and co-curricular record throughout my school and college (undergrad) life. I am also pursuing the CFA charter and have passed 2 levels.

While everything is going well, I sometimes think that I'm restricting future by not doing anything more. I'm wondering if going to a top business school (Harvard, Wharton, etc.) would help to open up new opportunities. Having this head-start over many of my peers in my early 20s is good, but I feel that there is a ceiling in monetary terms in the actuarial profession. Besides the additional opportunity to make money, I think a name-brand MBA could open up new employment avenues for me.

My dilemma lies in the fact that my current position is good, but not great. The big reward to taking the MBA plunge would be making it to a great B-school and then moving on to a much more lucrative career. The actuarial qualification would be less valuable and act as an added bonus on my resume then. The downside would be discarding the good situation that I am currently in ( I would have to quit as soon as I disclose my MBA aspirations to my employer which would be while asking for LoRs during the application stage, being un/under employed for the rest of the year till B-school joining, taking the risk of not being accepted by my wish-list schools and finally not making it big in another industry - opportunity cost of MBA without comparable post-MBA pay increase ).

Should I gamble my early success and take this big risk for a big reward?

All thoughts on the above would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Hi,

This is Siddharth Chhabria. I'm currently in my third year of B.Com via Mumbai University IDOL (Distance & Open Learning). Along with B.Com, I am working, part-time, in a US, Chicago,Illinois based company called GiftCardSpread. We deal with buying and selling of gift cards and various activities associated described below.

Let me discuss my job profile in detail before I ask you my question.

I look into calling up various USA banks and getting Customer accounts verified, Calling up customers (who have placed orders for gift cards with us) and re-verifying their information and then shipping their orders electronically. I also look into issues that customers face with their gift cards (Such as zero balance and invalid cards) by calling up the respective brand’s customer care (Like Walmart, H&M, Home depot etc) and getting the history of usage of those gift cards and Then I ultimately take the call of refunding the customers or not. After refunding such customers, the loss due to the zero balance gift card is further looked into by me by emailing the sellers of those giftcards to replace/refund us. If a seller refuses, I am solely responsible for opening paypal disputes/capital one disputes  against them and recovering the company's money (I am the manager of the GiftCardSpread’s Capital One account).
 I also handle payments to sellers via paypal after receiving and updating the card numbers on our website. Besides this I also look into general emails from sellers,customers, potential clients, etc.

Now that I have described my job profile, you can get an idea that this is not your typical Call-Centre kind of job.

My question to you is that, will working, Full-time in such a company after completing B.com And M.com Part I (16 years of education) count as valid work experience for pursuing  an MBA in Finance in a respected university in the USA?  

Hi Sameer & Team,
First, I wanted to appreciate the great work you are doing.
Right now, I am a bit confused between choosing GMAT or CAT and whether to go for 1 year or 2 year MBA (Let' say that GMAT prep is equivalent to 1 yr MBA and CAT prep is equivalent to 2 yr MBA) and the consequences to my career after that as well as ROI.
My Profile :
Class 10 & 12 both: 78% simple average percentage (83 % on board calculation)
B.Tech: 88%
Experience: Accenture : 3 yr , KPMG: 6 months in SAP Fico (Finance)
By the time, I prepare and sit for MBA, it will be 5 yrs but what is more beneficial for me: 1 yr or 2 yr MBA?
Comparison that come to my mind:
1. GMat pro: CAT completion is more, GMAT is easier (and for me, Premium like IIM, ISB, XLRI is must)
2. GMat pro: I will save 1 yr in 1 yr MBA
3. Gmat pro: I love Sap Finance and I am currently close to 10 LPA. I don't want to change my career path but I want to leverage IIM brand to increase my package drastically (20/25 LPA range). Do companies give that much package for the same kind of work right after a 1 year MBA?
4. GMAT pro: I have not prepared for CAT or GMAT earlier - If I start now, I think the competition will be too tough for me in CAT, specially considering the fact that I have never really prepared earlier (with so little time outside work as high job pressure, less than 80% simple average in class 10 & 12, no IIT background). With more experience as a criteria and high fees of exam, I feel GMAT is easier and there is no time pressure. I can write it whenever I feel prepared enough.
5. CAT pro: 2 yr valued more in market - Is it true that 1 yr is valued less?
6. CAT pro: Placement guaranteed almost whereas 1 yr placement is very unsure
7. CAT pro: IIM 1 yr takes 7/8/9 yr exp guys.. mine may be less than expected. But in CAT again, IIM C cuts marks for having more than 3 yr exp. Avg class age for exec MBA has 7/8 yr exp and avg class age for normal MBA has 2/3 yr exp. Then which one should be chosen by guys with 4/5 yr exp?
8. Generic: if we forget about campussing and immediate hike and let us assume for sake of argument that 1 yr MBA is easier and I go for it and I get around 12/14 LPA. Will IIM tag help me in the long run of career?
9. GMAT ques: Can I not take it up as many times as I want unless I get 700+? I read somewhere that taking it up more than 3 times is not good (I was about to take this point as a GMAT Pro - but wanted to clarify on this point)
Please advise which is more suited for me .. Thanks.

Arijit

Hi Sameer,

Just a follow up on my question :D

Hi,

I have been working in CTS from the past 3 years(from Aug 2012) as a Java Product Developer. I want to complete my mba from a good university(Top 10 in US or UK).

I have a relatively low percentage(63%) and I have not taken part in much of the extra curricular activities in my under graduation(participated in sports but not in any of the events or fests).

I am planning to go for MS in US, and work for a couple of years so that I will gain international work experience and also get good grades and build a profile by actively participating in various extra-curriculars(which I have not done during my under-graduation).

The main reason that I want to pursue MS is to build a good profile and at the same time get international work experience as many of the good universities have an average of 5-6 years of work experience.

I would like to know whether the above mentioned path is a good one or not. I can work for a couple of years in India itself, but I have to chose between staying in India or complete my masters in 1-1.5 years and work in US.

Thanks

Dear Sameer,

Greetings for the day...!!!

I am Ms. Anusha from Hyderabad. I am in a dilemma whether to take up MBA or not and if taken, through which examination should I proceed.

May I request you to clear this situation with your valuable suggestions. I have never prepared for any such entrances earlier.

Kindly suggest MBA specialization that would aid my career in pharma field.

Profile:  Anusha
Education: M. Pharmacy with 75% (2013 to 2015 )
B.Pharmacy-2009 to 2013
Work experience- 29 months (2013 to present)

I have started my career right after my graduation and took admission into P.G. while working.
So, does this experience or my P.G. valid. And would it be considered by the colleges.
Thanks in Advance.

Awaiting your response.
Kind Regards
Anusha

Dear Sameer,

Greetings for the day...!!!

I am Ms. Anusha from Hyderabad. I am in a dilemma whether to take up MBA or not and if taken, through which examination should I proceed.

May I request you to clear this situation with your valuable suggestions. I have never prepared for any such entrances earlier.

Kindly suggest MBA specialization that would aid my career in pharma field.

Profile:  Anusha
Education: M. Pharmacy with 75% (2013 to 2015 )
B.Pharmacy- 2009 to 2013
Work experience- 29 months (2013 to present)

I have started my career right after my graduation and took admission into P.G. while working.
So, does this experience or my P.G. valid. And would it be considered by the colleges.
Thanks in Advance.

Awaiting your response.
Kind Regards
Anusha

Hi ,

Following the heading of this thread I hope my question is valid for this area. Here it goes:

I have got a 4 plus yrs of experience in IT domain. But with avg academic performance which is
Xth 68%
XII th 67%
B.eng 65.30 % with CSE branch.
With no or very less curricular activities and leadership.

But I have been planning to go for 1year MBA through GMAT . Do I stand a chance after getting say 600 plus score or like how much score do I need for it considering my profile is common and say less attractive.

Also if you could suggest me about other possible options and some nice colleges within India other than IIM ISB.

Thanks