MBA Crystal Ball

Hi,

I will be happy to address any query about the Tepper MBA program/application.

Feel free to post your queries here.

Thanks
Ritwik

Hi Ritwik,

I am a CA by profession with five years experience in a mid-sized company. My GMAT score is 700. In your case, the GMAT score greatly improved in the second attempt. I greatly admire your perseverance and the pain you took at trying to improve every aspect of your MBA application.

In my case would you suggest re-taking the GMAT? How much chance do I stand of getting into Tepper? Just like you felt, I feel an MBA is necessary at this point in my career and I hope a good brand like Carnegie Mellon would help me out. Though I’m not keen on changing fields, an MBA would help me get a business perspective and give me international exposure. How good is the recruiting scenario at present? Can I hope to find a corporate finance job in the U.S. after completing my MBA?

Thanks.

Hi Ritwik,

Congrats are in order!! That was a terrific article to read :)

Firstly, since you mentioned getting scholarships from Simon, I would like to know about your decisions regarding Kenan Flagler too. How much aid did you receive from KF and from Tepper, and accordingly how did you decide?

Secondly, from whatever research on Tepper you did, what specialties do you think it is good in, apart from Tech? I am interested in Marketing too, and have an IT+Online Marketing experience.

Tara.

rohitkhanna wrote:Hi Ritwik,

I am a CA by profession with five years experience in a mid-sized company. My GMAT score is 700.
:
Thanks.

Hi Rohit,

Let me answer your questions in order.

Should you retake the GMAT?

Let me say this in the beginning itself - 700 is not a bad score! But is it a good score for you? It depends on how you feel after getting it. After I got 680, I knew it didn't reflect my potential. I believe that actual GMAT score will always be in the range of +10 to -30 of your maximum practice score. This is just a formula that I created on a gut feeling. So don't ask me the basis for this. :-) If you didn't score more than 730 in your practice tests, 700 is good! If you scored 750/760, you might want to take it again. I hope this helps you assess your score better.

Can you get into Tepper?

Why not... If you really feel that Tepper's program is suitable for your career, you can build a strong application. What I would suggest is that you chalk out your professional goals. As a CA in India with some work experience, what do you want to achieve in an MBA and where do you want that to lead you. This will help you identify which schools can offer you those skills/environment in an MBA. One suggestion is this - Never underestimate your goals. Don't have a lofty goal just because it sounds nice. MBA schools in US do not compare goals of applicants, they measure the clarity with which applicants have thought about it.

How good is the recruitment scenario?

Not as good as you would like, but definitely not as bad as it was 3-4 years ago. Getting a job is difficult specially for international applicants like you and me. But there are companies that sponsor Visas and I am sure if you are from a good program with solid work experience before MBA, things are easier for you compared to students with 2-3 years of work-ex.

Can you expect a job after MBA?

Sure. But my observation is that if your post-MBA goals are related to your pre-MBA work experience, it is always easier to find a job. So, it's good that you don't want to change the industry. If you come up with a realistic goal with a good plan, you definitely can get a job.

I hope I answered everything. Let me know if you need to ask anything else.

hifunda wrote:Hi Ritwik,

Congrats are in order!! That was a terrific article to read :)

Firstly, since you mentioned getting scholarships from Simon, I would like to know about your decisions regarding Kenan Flagler too. How much aid did you receive from KF and from Tepper, and accordingly how did you decide?

Secondly, from whatever research on Tepper you did, what specialties do you think it is good in, apart from Tech? I am interested in Marketing too, and have an IT+Online Marketing experience.

Tara.

Hi Tara,

Thanks a lot! Glad that you liked the article.

First - I didn't get any scholarship from Tepper and UNC Kenan Flagler. I got 50% scholarship from Simon. My goal is to go into Technology Consulting/Product Management for which I feel Tepper is the best school. Thus, I chose Tepper. I know 50% scholarship is a good amount but as Simon doesn't match my aspirations, I have decided to let go of that offer.

Second - Other than Tech, Supply Chain Management and Operations are really good at Tepper. Tepper's is a very Quant-focused program. If you want to go into consulting, specially in the technology arena, I think it's the best. There are few other schools that are really good in marketing. It boils down to just one thing - "Your Goal". Be sure about what you want to do and I assure you there will be 3-4 schools waiting for you! :-)

Thank you for your response Ritwik.
Wish you the best in your MBA!

Hi Ritwik,

Thanks a lot for your detailed response. It was surely very useful.

As you've mentioned in your blog post 'Even in the wake of this additional good news, Tepper still stands tall.' You managed to get a fantastic scholarship ($48k!) from Simon. In spite of that what is it that makes you inclined in favour of Tepper? Is it the brand name or job placements or any other reason? If you don't mind sharing, I would be curious to know.

Thanks

rohitkhanna wrote:You managed to get a fantastic scholarship ($48k!) from Simon. In spite of that what is it that makes you inclined in favour of Tepper?

Hi Rohit,

Happy to help.

Yes, I got $49k scholarship from Simon, but I am not taking it. The reason is simple - My goals. If you look at Simon, its core strength is Finance. However, Tepper's program is much better suited to my goals. Obviously rankings and reputation is important but had I got a similar scholarship from a similar ranked institute with a very strong technology program, I would have perhaps considered that.

So, because of the goals that I have set for me, Tepper is more suitable.

As far as the money is concerned, I know that it's an important factor but money should never lead you to compromise on your goals. Think about it, despite the scholarship, I will have to take a loan of around 30-40 lakhs. If I compromise on my goals and still take a loan of 30-40 lakhs, I will fall between the stools.

Having said that I understand that it's a subjective decision and another person in my place might have taken Simon and left Tepper.

Hope I was able to explain my reasoning. Feel free to ask anything that is on your mind...

Hi Ritwik,

I admire how clear you are in your priorities. No wonder you got a great scholarship offer. Good luck to you for your MBA and thanks for your help.