MBA Crystal Ball

Dinesh wrote:Hi,

First of all I would like to thank you for starting such a wonderful interactive forum. These forums help aspirants like me to understand our chances and also help us in identifying the areas to focus on.

Below are my details,
Educational Qualification :-
Standard YearPassed Percentage Board/University
Xth 1999 70% State Board
XIIth 2001 78% State Board
B.E (E&TC) 2005 64% Pune University

Professional Qualification :- currently Working as a Senior Technology Lead for a leading Indian IT company.

From professional achievements point of view, over my past 7 years I have all the kinds of achievements and success stories to show case for, below are some of them

Dinesh,
Thanks for your kind words. One liners like these keep up our motivation to continue putting in efforts :)

Coming to your profile, in line with the tradition of the thread, few points are in order:

1. Not sure who told you that ISB does not put emphasis on ECs and NGO experience. No b-school does it and certainly not ISB. The idea of ECs or NGO experience is to gauge how well rounded a profile is. If you only mention your professional work-ex, the profile comes across as uni-dimensional. So please change that thought process
2. 680 is definitely on the lower side of the average. Having said that, and assuming when you say consulting, u mean IT consulting similar to what Accenture and EnY provide and not a pure play management consulting like McK or BCG, the story could still sail through. This would however be heavily contingent on your ability to showcase your work related achievements well and to show a clear spike in that area. Without that, it'll be a bit of stretch

Keeping it short, in summary my advise would be to take a hard objective look at your differentiating points - if the answer is a resounding yes, go ahead and apply!

Cheers,

Hi MG,
My profile is as follows, would like your views. The forum in itself is very interesting and informative. Thank you for all the effort.

Qualification:
XII - 86%
Btech - IIT guwahati (7.00 CPI)
GMAT - 690

Work Exp-
Accenture - 6 months (IT, software eng.)
HSBC - 18 months (Asia Pacific Marketing Analytics team - Consulting - business analyst, one promotion included)
CitiBank - Since Nov'11 (Risk Policy and Fraud Analytics team - Consulting - Asst. Manager)

Total work exp = 3.6 years by 31Mar2013 (as asked in the application)

Extra Curricular-
Participated and won several awards in Dramatics (performer, screenplay and direction) in college and school
I write short stories, also been awarded for it
Also did a couple of movie analysis - not published

Leadership-
Student gymkhana member in college
Revamped a college clud from 4 to 50+ membership, funding, activities etc.
Started single-handedly a 2-day inter-hostel college festival

CSR-
Involved in multiple initiatives for educating village children and adults with basic maths and english; during college
Helped children prepare for IIT-JEE in a small town

Goal-
Career advancement. I like what I do and want to prepare and network myself better for a more front end role. Want to increase my responsiblities and contribution in startegy and policy making aspect of banking and consulting. Target post ISB are maily consulting firms who deal in financial servises or product propositions and strategic role in banking firms.

Let me know if this starts to make sense. I have already started the application process just want a fresh pair of eyes to look into it.

Hi,

I am aspiring to get into a b-school next academic year…
You are doing a good job in giving feedback to people in the forum 
Could you please evaluate my profile for ISB MBA....(I m mentioning everything...even trivial ones...please feel free to be blunt )...Thanks in advance...

Acads..
12th - 96% (TN State Board)
Engg - 75.4 - First class with disctinction (from a private college in TN)
GMAT 690 …..

Work Ex
6.5 years in an Indian IT services company..have been working in Telecom Vertical...I am still a team member (got an opportunity to lead a team...but wanted to change the client so that I can learn something new in telecom Vertical)...

International exposure of 6 months...as of now in canada...might stay here for another 6 months...

Extra Curricular
- Learning Mandarin...Giving an international certification this nov..
- Worked with an NGO in Chennai...Centre head for a program (20 volunteers and 25 children) (this was just for 6 months...after that I had to leave for Canada...)
- Here in canada I have enrolled for teaching Maths to underpreviliged children...here the school reopns after summer vacation in sep..so will start in Sep...
- Vice captain of inter corporate cricket Team (again formed a team and played only for 6 months...after that had to leave for canada)
- Started Companies' CSR activities in Canada..work in progress

Post MBA Goal: Want to become a business development manager in an IT services company (pref in telecom Vertical as I have been working in it throughout my career)...

Application Strategy:
-My telecom vertical experience...I have worked with 3 different clients spread across 2 different geographies...
-In each of the clients, I was recommended for onshore assignment..based on my comm and team skills (can ask the recommendor to mention this)
- In Canada I have worked with Canadians, Americans, venezuelan, Russian, Chinese and Pakistani...

So this international exposure+Telecom vertical experience+IT industry experience++++MBA is a good combiantion for BDM role..
Here are my questions

1.Please rate my chances of getting into ISB...

2. Should I take GMAT again? What if I score 710-720? Will the adcom consider a mere 30 point increase? What if I score less? Which score will the adcom consider?

Thanks for starting this thread. I am applying for ISB
(1st cycle). I started the application 5 days ago only. I have a good academic record till school n GMAT score -710.But I havent made any (worth mentioning ) achievements in my college or workplace.Can u suggest what can be the theme of my essay no 1(Please make a strong case to differentiate yourself from an exceptional set of applicants applying for PGP 2013-14. You could cite personal/ professional achievements to present your case).

aditya wrote:Hi MG,
My profile is as follows, would like your views. The forum in itself is very interesting and informative. Thank you for all the effort.

Qualification:
XII - 86%
Btech - IIT guwahati (7.00 CPI)
GMAT - 690

Dear Aditya,

Here are a few reflections on your profile:

1. A good undergrad coupled with a slightly different IT + risk profile should make for an interesting not the usual kind of profile. From the way you have written, its a bit hard to comprehend whether your work at HSBC and Citi were of IT nature or otherwise. If former, make sure you bring out the business impact of your work clearly. In a risk kind of profile, it is very easy to get lost in your own world without taking cognizance of the impact you may or may not have created in the end
2. Fairly well rounded profile from the ECs and CSR you mention. Such things add good dimensionality to the profile so make sure you talk about them in the essays
3. The aspirations bit is confused. Consulting and banking (at least the kind of work you want to do) are very very different in nature. Be clear on what your preference is and why. Unless you have a convincing answer for that - do not rush the application.

Cheers,

dare2try wrote:Hi,

I am aspiring to get into a b-school next academic year…
You are doing a good job in giving feedback to people in the forum 
Could you please evaluate my profile for ISB MBA....(I m mentioning everything...even trivial ones...please feel free to be blunt )...Thanks in advance...

Dear dare2try,

I've said this before on the forum and will repeat, I cannot and will not pass any verdict on someone's chances at ISB - I am no clairvoyant to do that. We are here trying to point out the strengths and specially the weak spots in your profile so you can get another angle of looking at it. So here that goes:

1. Your international work-ex, ECs and a career goal that is not a complete career shift are all on the positive side. You need to weave a consistent story using these elements to convince the adcom that MBA is the right thing at the right time for you.
2. As you've pointed out, there are 2 red flags in your profile. 6+ years of work-ex without leadership in the highly competitive IT pool is a bit of a hard sell. Provided its a genuine interest, the need for getting this out strongly in your essays is tremendous. So think on the decisions you made and bring out what they helped you achieve - if you can come up with an answer that differentiates you in terms of achievement to another colleague who went on to take up leadership roles, then you have a story.
3. The GMAT is another area to be aware of. Though not overtly low, but again, given the competitive pool you will be compared against, it definitely improves the chances to be on the other side of 700. And yes, 30 points is a pretty big deal. ISB, like most other schools, considers the highest score (http://www.isb.edu/pgp/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.Shtml), something you can read off the website. So if you believe you can get a better score, definitely try

In short, if you can cover the risks, then you should have a fair shot.

Cheers,

Nikhita Gera wrote:Thanks for starting this thread. I am applying for ISB
(1st cycle). I started the application 5 days ago only. I have a good academic record till school n GMAT score -710.But I havent made any (worth mentioning ) achievements in my college or workplace.Can u suggest what can be the theme of my essay no 1(Please make a strong case to differentiate yourself from an exceptional set of applicants applying for PGP 2013-14. You could cite personal/ professional achievements to present your case).

Dear Nikhita,

The information you have provided is pretty sketchy to make any comments. In addition, the question you've posed is very specific to the profile and the general reader may not have much to gain from it on a forum like this. But the first reaction is that you seem to have started working on the application very late - just make sure you are not doing a rushed job in the race to apply for R1. Other than that, if you'd like specific guidance, please feel free to visit our website and then reach out to us.

Cheers,

Hi All,

I need your help on evaluating my profile for ISB 2013 intake, which is as follows:

1) ICSE-84.4%
2) ISC-89.75%
3) B.A. Economics (Honors) from Delhi University (JMC)- 58.1%
4) Approx 4 years of work exp in diverse business lines such as financial services, entertainment and real estate.
5) Currently working with CBRE South Asia Pvt. Ltd. as an Assistant Manager involved in doing business development for the residential services team.
6) GMAT Score- 670
7) Extra Curriculars- Good (NGO experience, worked as street jazz trainer with Danceworx and choreographed and performed western dance stage shows)

Please review my profile and share your views on whether I should be re-applying to ISB 2013 session as I had applied last year but was not selected for the interview. However, I took a feedback counseling session with one of their counselors and he thought I should be applying again.

Awaiting for your responses.

Thanks alot in advance.

Cheers,
Neha

Hi MG,
Kindly evaluate my profile for ISB for applying this year (2012)

Profile
Name- Nikunj
B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from NIT, Jaipur, 2007- 8.62 CGPA
10th Std- CBSE- 80.8%
12th Std- CBSE- 81.4%
GMAT SCORE- 640 (V34/Q44) AWA 4.5

Work ex- 5 years & 2 months till now
Currently working as Sr. Engineer at Engineers India Limited (a PSU EPC consultant in oil& gas field)
Presently working as Lead Engineer for Asia'a largest solar thermal power project - Client -M/s Reliance power.
Have worked for clients like Arcelor Mittal, HPCL, BPCL, Jaypee fetilizers.

Job profile
•Preparing the detailed feasibility report for various projects of Oil & Gas field and Power projects.
•Estimating the total Man hours required for the complete Engineering, procurement and construction of the project.
•Reviewing the engineering design calculations & various layouts of plants prepared by functional engineers and designers.
• Handling Client & vendor issues related to the project by participating in the review meetings and Coordinating with Construction site for smooth functioning of the project by resolving onsite queries within stipulated time period.

Major responsibilities
•Ensure the timely delivery of the project deliverables.
•Coordination with Client, Projects, Vendors and onsite team for the smooth execution of the project.
•Releasing the monthly progress report of the project and ensuring that the services are provided to client within the allotted Man-hours for the project.
•Department eDMS (Electronic Document Management System) coordinator - Responsible for the upkeep of data bank of department and ensuring that all the current projects are in the workflow of EDMS (part of ERP)
•Department PDMS (Plant Design Management System) coordinator - Responsible for the implementation of all engineering layout drawings from PDMS and Imparting training to Functional Engineers, Designers and Management trainees.
•Equipment Coordinator for various Electrical equipments - To be abreast about the new technologies in the industry and ensure that data for the same is available in the department for various projects.
•Participation in the CSR activities of the organization.

Extra-curricular activities
1. Event Management- Organized & participated in the 45th Foundation day of the Organization (Engineers India limited) on 15th March 2009. Interviewed Chairman, Directors and Awardees of the event. Anchored the event and showcased a corporate video- ‘Journey of EIL’
2.Event Management- Organized & participated in the organizations’ Annual Management Trainees’ cultural event-SPANDAN 2008.
3.Member of Institute (MNIT, Jaipur)Placement committee for the session year 2006-2007
4.Event Management- Organized & participated in the Institute’s (MNIT, Jaipur) Annual Day in the year 2005. Won first & second prizes in many events such as dance, song, dramatics. etc.
5.Member of Institute Lawn tennis and Badminton team for the year 2004-05.
6.Involved in many CSR activities in my company(EIL)- currently studied the feasibility of a solar power project for lighting of a village in Ladakh region.

My question is-
1. Since I know that my GMAT score is on lower side, should I apply for ISB this year before 15 Sept, 2012 in 1st session?
2. Should I re-write the GMAT before 30the November to try to improve my score and apply for 2nd session and not in 1st session.
3. Should I drop applying this year to study hard and have GMAT score above 700 to apply for next year?

Regards
Nikunj

nehakatyal22 wrote:Hi All,

I need your help on evaluating my profile for ISB 2013 intake, which is as follows:

1) ICSE-84.4%
2) ISC-89.75%
3) B.A. Economics (Honors) from Delhi University (JMC)- 58.1%
4) Approx 4 years of work exp in diverse business lines such as financial services, entertainment and real estate.
5) Currently working with CBRE South Asia Pvt. Ltd. as an Assistant Manager involved in doing business development for the residential services team.
6) GMAT Score- 670
Neha

Dear Neha,

The first impression that comes to mind reading the profile is that it can be pretty interesting. Nonetheless, here are some more reflections:

1. The encouraged to reapply is fine - but I am sure the counselor would have also told you what's lacking in the profile. You should think of reapplying only if you believe you've been able to close some of those gaps
2. My hypothesis on the reasons would be a low GMAT (though this can be overcome with the right essays given your profile) but more on clarity regarding career switches as well as clarity on post-MBA goals
3. The biggest challenge of reapplying is the 4th essay that you have to write. If you do not have content there that proves delta from last time you applied, there's slim chance that it'll change. But if yes, definitely give it a shot!

Cheers,