MBA Crystal Ball

Please review my profile for ISB or any other 1 year MBA program you can recommend based on my profile.

Academics:
SSC - 70%
HSC - 49%
BCA - A grade (78%), Sikkim Manipal University, Manipal
SAP Certified (don't know if it counts)
Extracurricular - involved in sports in college, college fest, blood donation drives

Work exp.
Working as SAP Senior Consultant - FI/CO (Finance & Controlling) & BI (Business Intelligence/Warehousing) (SME role)
I have worked in IT Consulting (Capgemini) for 1 year, smaller Indian IT company for 1.5 years and now in US Chemical MNC for last 3 years.
Total experience: 5.6 years with 6 months experience across Europe & Asia
Worked as team lead on various projects with consultants from Europe & India.
Worked as Data manager on a project coordinating with different business departments.
Lead workshops for Business Impact Analysis, defining business processes.

I am preparing for GMAT and would like to apply in ISB for 2016-17 batch. I am planning for MBA to shift career in Finance (Investment & Equities) and will pursue only if admitted in Finance, so Gurus, please advice if I have any chance for making it in ISB considering my overall profile. Let me know if any more details I can provide.
Many thanks!!

ag.in wrote:Please review my profile for ISB or any other 1 year MBA program you can recommend based on my profile.

Academics:
SSC - 70%
HSC - 49%

<<snip>>

more details I can provide.
Many thanks!!

Dear Ag.in,

A few perspectives for you:

1. Though you are from a competitive applicant pool, the SAP and BI facets of your work will help you differentiate. Assuming your recent profile is closer to enabling business decision rather than purely using SAP to pull out reports, this can make for some pretty interesting stories
2. For reasons mentioned here, I will not really second guess on your chances. Without a sense on the GMAT score, this is even more difficult. But purely basis your experience, you should have a shot at some decent schools out there. I am assuming you are also open to applying outside the country? If not, then the only targets are the ISB and the IIM 1 year courses worth gunning for
3. The transition you are trying to make could be a HUGE handicap. Though you may have some familiarity with finance fundamentals, but with no actual experience on the investing side, you will have a tough time convincing adcoms and future recruiters. Make sure you think through this part very carefully as this can really be a deal breaker.

Hope this gives you some flavor of what's in store

Cheers,

Hi Manish, thanks so much for your prompt inputs from your busy schedule....I am targeting ISB or IIM, was considering INSEAD but I think its way out of league considering profile and fees (overall expense).
do you think I will be having hard time convincing adcoms/recruiters for Finance as a career shift? considering your advise if I don't make move specifically for investment/equities.
You have really replied spot on and in interesting (corporate ;) ) tone, please enlighten me with your secret of it :) ....I am myself not very good at writing and this is something personally I want to improvise.
Thanks again & Cheers!!

ag.in wrote:Hi Manish, thanks so much for your prompt inputs from your busy schedule....I am targeting ISB or IIM, was considering INSEAD but I think its way out of league considering profile and fees (overall expense).
do you think I will be having hard time convincing adcoms/recruiters for Finance as a career shift? considering your advise if I don't make move specifically for investment/equities.
You have really replied spot on and in interesting (corporate ;) ) tone, please enlighten me with your secret of it :) ....I am myself not very good at writing and this is something personally I want to improvise.
Thanks again & Cheers!!

I am not sure if you meant it to be sarcastic or laudatory but I will assume it was the latter :)

Like I mentioned before, yes it will be mighty tough for you to convince both the adcoms and future recruiters on the shift you are intending. So time to re-think you strategy a bit here.

Cheers,

Name: Dashang

I am Software Developer with 1.9 year of experience. My academics were average.
My first firm was E10 (small software firm) and in that my experience was 7 months. Then my mind shifted to do mba so i joined local college , and after 6-7mnths i realised that i was in wrong college . The college was not that good . so i got out and continued in software development. from there till now i am working as software developer in 'Quest rightshoring Services' but my mind and heart still aspires to get managerial role . (might be marketing , finance or consulting) .
I am yet to give GMAT. But is ISB a good FIT for me, will i be able to get admit does my experience is ok to get into ISB ? i have insead , ISB into consideration. I am looking for 1 yr MBA course only. And please tell good college in UK to pursue MBA ( just keeping plan B, if plan A doesnt work).
And also shed some awarness in SPJAIN MGB (no exp required) program or better i should go for GMBA(it needs 5 yr exp.)
I am bad at Quantz. but i think practise can make it more better
Please reply

dashang wrote:Name: Dashang

I am Software Developer with 1.9 year of experience. My academics were average.
My first firm was E10 (small software firm) and in that my experience was 7 months. Then my mind shifted to do mba so i joined local college , and after

<<snip>>

Please reply

Dear Dashang,

I see you have also posted on our IE thread? So assuming you are keen on that too apart from INSEAD and ISB?

Short answer, it will be really tough. With the kind of break you have had and the less than average years of experience will not help matters. Your academic pedigree is not mentioned clearly so not sure if there is a spike there? If you are too keen on making a change, the less experience requirement courses or say a MiM may make more sense.

Cheers,

what is academic pedigree?

dashang wrote:what is academic pedigree?

Your academic credentials and history - what kind of college, relative performance, any additional degrees/certifications as well as the GMAT score.

I have secured 64% in SSC , in the school times i have participated and won 1st prize at District and taluka level science exhibitions. In my diploma in information technology i have secured 75% . And in degree in Information Technology i have secured 66%. In my Bachelors Degree Course, i have participated in paper presentations, C Coding Events, Robo wars .
And in the 8-9 mnth gap in local college GAP thing (for mistaking right college for mba) i pursued SAP ABAP Consultant Certification from SAP Germany and in that exam i got 75% .

dashang wrote:I have secured 64% in SSC , in the school times i have participated and won 1st prize at District and taluka level science exhibitions. In my diploma in information technology i have secured 75% . And in degree in Information Technology i have secured 66%. In my Bachelors Degree Course, i have participated in paper presentations, C Coding Events, Robo wars .
And in the 8-9 mnth gap in local college GAP thing (for mistaking right college for mba) i pursued SAP ABAP Consultant Certification from SAP Germany and in that exam i got 75% .

Right. Though you have some achievements at school level, but that's a bit too far back in time. Post that, your scores seem to be on the average side throughout? The SAP course will have some benefit, but marginal at best. So this is definitely not an area of spike for you unless you crack the GMAT/GRE out of the park.

Cheers,