Ask Fortuna Admissions : Ask Admissions Consultants - Page 3

Hey guys,

I'm currently preparing for my GMAT and would be preparing my MBA applications for Fall 2018.

As far as work ex is concerned, I've worked with PwC as an Article Trainee for two years in their Assurance department and with Standard Chartered Bank for a year as a Financial Analyst in their Commodity Traders and Agribusiness department.

Right now, i have two job offers available, the first of which is a role in LatAm Financial Reporting in HSBC, and the other being that of an Investment Research Analyst in a small hedge fund.

The job profile in the hedge fund seems to be far better than the one at HSBC and seems to offer more room to grow, but a few people have warned me against it stating that the "big name" of HSBC is far more valuable as far as Admission Committees are concerned.

I would really like some help in figuring out which of these roles would help my application more.

Thanks,
Vibhav.

Hi Vibhav,

Firstly congratulations on your job offers! What wonderful opportunities for you.

As for what ad coms are looking for, big names are not necessarily what they are after. They are after what your role entails and what you accomplishment, where the size and scope of the company doesn't really matter. You already have 2 big brand names on your CV so it is definitely clear that you have had the qualifications and skills to 'get into' a large company. If the role at the hedge fund seems like there will be more opportunity to grow, then I would strongly suggest that route. Also you have to think like an ad coms. Do you want to competing against all the other applicants from HSBC or other 'big names'? If you have some 'smaller names' but good quality names and roles, then you could in fact stand out from the crowd. It will make your profile more unique. It will always come down to what you do in your role, what actions you take, how you grow (new title, salary increase), taking on more responsibilities, demonstrating leadership, and so on. And often smaller organizations give you the opportunities for more responsibilities and opportunities for growth. From your short note, my impression is that the hedge fund role is really the one you want! Go with your gut. Don't forget about extra curriculars too - from now until you apply (and afterwards!), make sure you engage in activities/hobbies/volunteering outside of work to make your profile really well rounded.

Good luck with your decision. I'm sure you will make a great choice.
_________________

Thanks a lot for the advice Melissa, I'll keep what you've said in mind when i make my final decision (which most likely will be the hedge fund). I'm going to have to put in some work when it comes to extracurricular activities, since I haven't really had a lot of time for them in the past and I might have some extra time now. Again, thanks a lot for your advice.

Thanks & Regards,
Vibhav.

Hey Fortuna Admissions

Can you please help me in evaluating my profile :

Indian Male : 33+ : IT Back ground

Grades :
Xth - 83%
XIIth - 73%
B.E. (E&TC) 59%
GMAT - 700 (Targetting)

Work experience -
* Have about 10 years of experience in Indian IT
* Around 3 yrs of Onsite experience.
* Have been working in various companies ranging from small scale to Top 10
* Currently working as consultant.

Extra Curriculars -
No extra curricular to show on paper though spend some time for community service.


Post Mba goal - I want to enter into consulting or general management.

My target schools are - Kellogg 1 year program, ISB or IIM A/B ,Insead, HEC paris, NUS, NTU.
I am looking scholarship for these programs.

I am really consfused about my profile sutability for the school, I am sure if my profiles even fits to these school.

Can you please help

Hi Rushikesh,

Thanks for your note. I"ll get back to you in a couple hours.. .just getting ready for a free online webinar Fortuna is hosting
“Your Roadmap to an MBA: Top Tips from ex Admissions Directors” to learn about how to choose an MBA and how to plan ahead for the application process.

Feel free to join in as it might be helpful for you.

It's starting in 15 minutes!

Time: 9 AM PST/ 12 PM EST/ 5 PM GMT

Presenters: Judith Silverman Hodara (former Wharton Acting Director) and Caroline Diarte Edwards (former INSEAD Admissions Director)

Click here to register your place now! https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/regist ... 7567768577

Best,
_________________

Hi RushikeshT,

In all honestly, as an Indian, male, IT applicant you will be in one of the most competitive pools to be competing in for business school.
Also your age will be a factor (at certain schools. However a school like HEC has a higher age average). But don't be discouraged as you just have to plan well and figure out which schools will be the best ones for you. So you need to narrow down which schools are more lenient with your similar profile, you have to act very fast on applying, or consider an executive MBA which is generally for more senior candidates. In terms of your gmat, you will really need to aim above 700 to remain competitive in this pool - at least for top tier schools.
Really what will make you stand out are your accomplishments while at work - where did you demonstrate leadership (either with people or with projects?), have you had good career progression (been promoted within? Salary increase? etc). How well do you work in teams? What impact have you made on your organization and the people you work with?
Unfortunately most schools, particularly top tier schools like kellogg, INSEAD and HEC, extra curriculars are extremely important so you would really either need to start getting involved now! Or really demonstrate to the ad coms what makes you unique - and really talk about your hobbies and passions and what makes you tick.
NTU and NUS might be better fits for you - you could also look into other schools beyond the top 15 which will allow for lower gmat scores and might not be so focused on extra curriculars.
As it's hard to really see your full profile, it would be nice to get to know you better - that way I (or someone from my team) could really assess which schools are really achievable and which would be reach schools. We can give you a free 30 minute consultation if you like.

https://fortunaadmissions.com/free-consultation/

Reach out anytime!

All the best,
_________________

Hi,

I am writing to you after getting rejects from 3 schools (LBS, Columbia (both round 2) and INSEAD (Round 1))
I wonder whether I've been applying to a right mix of b-schools or not ?

Nationality : Indian
Age: 26
GMAT: 680 (84 %ile) (Q47 V35; 67% and 73% )
GPA. 3.7 - Bachelors of Business Administration ; IP University

Work Experiences:
Senior Consultant (Operations consulting) with a Big 4 (Associated for nearly 5 years ; 3 promotions)
Worked 1 year full-time and 1 year part-time with a not-for-profit in child education sector

Extra curricular : Have been involved in dramatics and been doing theater for almost 12 years

I want to transition to a strategy consulting role (preferably with M/B/B, pretty open to working with big 4s as well, but in a different geography)

I am particularly interested in US and Singapore b-schools. (Already applied and got a ding from LBS and INSEAD, only schools I would prefer in EU region)

I would like to know the right mix of schools I should be applying to ; schools where consulting experience is valued and I could be a competitive/ strong applicant. Appreciate your help !

Let me know if you need any additional info. Thanks.

Hi saukap02,

You had addressed this message to Aringo (a competitor) so originally I didn't think this message was for us at Fortuna hence why I never replied. When in fact you posted the question under 'Ask Fortuna' so not sure if you got a reply or not (from Aringo!). Even so I'll respond...

Firstly I'm sorry you were dinged from those 3 great schools. You've got a good profile but it was perhaps how you positioned yourself and what exactly you wrote in the essays and application. Perhaps it was just not strong enough/direct enough - covering the criteria of each school? I'm not quite sure as I didn't see your applications. Right off the bat, I notice that as an Indian applicant in consulting, your GMAT is on the lower end - to remain competitive in the Indian applicant pool you really need to aim for mid 700s and definitely go for above the 75th percentile on the quant and verbal parts of the exam. For LBS and INSEAD perhaps it was because you had no int'l experience as they really value people who have worked or studied abroad. To make the best assessment as to the right schools to apply to, it's really best to set up a free consultation so we can better understand your profile. We'd love to help make your MBA ambition become a reality. No more dings! I encourage you to visit us at https://fortunaadmissions.com/free-consultation/

We look forward to hearing from you.

Best,
_________________

Hello,
My name is Jai Singh, from India. Please guide as to what should be my next step.
GMAT 1st attempt yesterday : Score 730 (QA 50, VA 39, IR 8)
Undergrad % : 62% Bachelor of Engineering. I don't have a very good percentage, but from one of the top 10 colleges in India.
Work experience : 4yrs by fall 2017 (1yr corporate, 2 yrs in a couple of self started startups)

Sir I was expecting a score of more than 750, never scored less than 740 in the mocks, kaplan+manhattan+gmatprep.
I kind of messed up the verbal section as couldn't attempt all, was able to do only 35 questions, randomly marked the next 4 and couldn't even mark the last 2.
My target schools are the ivys, now i am really confused between whether to apply with these scores or to give another attempt.
If i do decide on giving other attempt, should i cancel my 730 score and then give the other attempt or should i keep these scores and just give 1 more?
If i do cancel my scores and give another attempt and for some reason i end up scoring less than 730, am i allowed to cancel that new low score and reinstate my previous better score? And in either case which is a preferable gmat score report, 2 attempts - 1st with 730 and 2nd with lets say 750 or just 1 attempt with 750 score.
Is 730 a sufficient score to get into ivys?

Please advise as soon as possible.
Thank You

Sincerely
Jai

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Hi jai,
730 is an amazing score so I wouldn't be worried. However what are your percentiles on the quant and verbal? For the top schools, depending on which ones 75th percentile on both is considered high but for some others you want to aim for 80-85th percentile. For all schools though it really depends on your entire profile. A strong gmat doesn't guarantee anything so you need to prove the other criteria the schools are asking for for example where you have shown leadership at work or personally, how you've progressed within your career, etc. But so far you are on the right track and have an outstanding overall gmat score.

Best,
_________________

Hello,

Can you please evaluate my profile?

US Citizen, Male, Asian American
Age at matriculation- 26
GMAT- 700
Undergrad School- Community College for 2 years then UC Riverside for 2 years
Undergrad GPA- 3.8 Transfer GPA & 3.15 at a 4 Year GPA- Combined GPA is roughly 3.47
Degree- Bachelors in business administration with a concentration in financial economics

Work Exp - Financial Advisor for 1.5 years at boutique financial services firm
Part of a team that specialized in working with business owners in areas such as: advanced estate planning, business tax planning, and succession planning. Took this job right out of college for one reason: I knew that my presentation skills, sales skills, and relationship building skills were lacking and I wanted to put myself in a position that would force me to improve those skills. This was not the scenario where a college grad joins a company and starts selling insurance.

After that I began working at AAA Insurance as a Product Management Analyst. I took this role because it requires the analyst to lead multiple projects while working with multiple departments to directly meet and exceed revenue, sales goal, and retention goals for the company. This role involves presenting recommendations to executives that would impact the company. I will have worked here for 2.5 years when I matriculate at an MBA school. Prospect for me to receive a promotion looks slim not because I am undeserving but because it takes a long time for people to get promoted (i.e. all the managers in my department were working for 7+ years before they got promoted)

Extra Curriculars-
I have been the Vice President of a Young Entrepreneurs Organization for 2 years. The objective of this group is to promote an environment for young entrepreneurs to network, incubate ideas, form partnerships and learn from experts (we host a monthly workshop where we bring in a speaker). My responsibility is to increase our member base and increase participation at our events. We have grown to 1,500+ members and average 25 members per event.

I take health and wellness seriously, I eat right and consistently exercise 3 days a week and play basketball 4 days a week. Not sure if I can incorporate that in any way.

I have formed a Volunteer Organization. This is simply an organization where I post volunteer events and get groups of people to come out. I typically volunteer a couple times a month and have been doing this for about a year.

Goals with MBA:
Short Term: Management Consulting
Long Term: C-Suite Executive

Target schools: Booth, Kellogg, Darden, Ross, Cornell, Duke, UNC, McCombs, NYU, Columbia and USC.

Hi LakersFanCali,
Thanks for reaching out.

Looks like you've got a great profile for the schools you've chosen. You've got some good work experience - just need to show some leadership experience in your roles and where you took initiative. Your GPA is fairly good but you've got a great GMAT so that will help compensate - hoping your quant and verbal percentiles are quite high (75-80+ would be ideal). And some great extra curricular/volunteer work under your belt. And yes indeed incorporate your health and sports as that is definitely something to highlight. Eg if you are passionate about b-ball and play regularly, perhaps you see yourself on the MBA's school team even captaining the team. That's the kind of the angle to use- how your past/current experiences will contribute to the school community. I would however narrow your schools down a bit as you probably don't want to apply to all. So to pick the ones that are the best fit for you, keep up the research, attend info sessions, visit the campuses, speak to students/alum as that is the best way to get a feel for which school is right for you. If you'd like to chat further, we can also help narrow down your school choice by learning more about you. It's free and 30 minutes - just complete the form at https://fortunaadmissions.com/free-consu ... Candidates always find our free consultations incredibly helpful!

Thanks and good luck
_________________

Hi Fortuna,

I'm planning to apply to a few MBAs this year but I'm concerned with my relative lack of work experience. Given my profile, should I wait another year or do I still have a good chance? (My first school is INSEAD so I'm putting more emphasis on my chances there).

About me
I'm South African but Chinese descent.
GMAT 710
GPA 4.2
Graduated from Duke University. Electrical and Computer Engineering Degree

Work
I have less than a year of postgraduate experience as a technical seller with IBM in South Africa
While in University I did two full time internships in the summer. I worked as a software developer for a small company in South Africa then I worked for IBM in the US as an IT specialist.
I changed career direction to maximise professional and personal growth. My end goal is to work for myself so I sought out client skills after graduation.
If relevant, I also TA'ed a Masters class and many engineering labs at Duke.

Extracurricular/Hobby
Violin - studied the Royals Schools curriculum, now playing it as a hobby.
Help out in hackathons - I help out with the young cloud interns at IBM and their quest to identify high impact South African start ups
Travel/volunteering - love to travel to different countries, on full sponsorship as I'm not too financially well off, for volunteering purposes when the opportunity arises. (Example: went to Senegal to help out in an international science gathering earlier this year, just applied to be a speaker in Peru)

Hi TechSA,

I'm so sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Unfortunately I'm not on this platform very often so am just seeing this message now.

Thank you for reaching out. Honestly, you've got a great profile - great gmat (though not sure what your quant and verbal percentiles are - for INSEAD you want to aim around 75th percentile for both), you've got international exposure (your mixed background also helps!), interesting extra curriculars, and so far good work experience. However I wouldn't advise applying to INSEAD just yet. One year of full time work experience is just not enough for INSEAD. You need at least 3 to be competitive and even with just 3 that can be tricky. The average is closer to 5 or 6 years of exp. so I would give it another year or two and then apply as you definitely fit the profile, pending the work experience you do get/career progression over the next couple years. Keep in mind they will look at your years of experience by the time you start the program, not when you apply.

Hope that helps. If you have any further questions, let me know.

Best,
_________________

Hi, Christine


I appreciate you taking out the time to read this. I am really new to the application process and yale & HBS[[2+2] are the only available options i am considering.

I am applying to Master's in Finance majorly but trying my hand at yale mba...because I ultimately want to pursue it. Here's my profile that I'll be going in with for R2. Pls let me know if it's a waste of time applying or there is a slight possibility of me being interviewed.

------------------Profile----------------------------------
I am an international student in my final year majoring in Computer science. Studying in a well-reputed university in my country.

GPA : 8.76/10 GRE : 327 Toefl : 116

2 finance related internships at Reliance Capital- 6months(Largest MF in the country ~45b$ AUM) & IDFC AMC - 2months(~10b$ AUM)

Finance Market professional certificate from the National Stock Exchange

Finance, Accounting Corp Finance courses on coursera

Extra Curricular :
1) Created an application that was adopted by the civic body(largest in Asia) received media coverage in top newspapers and tv interviews for the same.

2)run a youtube channel to teach mathematical and computer science concepts(~500k views)

3) Represented University as head delegate for Harvard World MUN ( Belgium)

4)Vice chair person of a student organisation. Raised INR150k+ money for the organisation through sponsorship. During my tenure organisation won the best student chapter award.

Hi your_avg_joe,

Thanks for reaching out. Yale will want to see a bit more work experience from you before you apply; would you consider one of the 2+2 programs at HBS, or GSB before Yale?
You certainly have a strong extra curric background to date but you have about 8 months of experience through an internship. It may be better to strengthen your background with another year or so of professional experience before you apply. You would be stronger at that stage.

Best,
_________________

Hey! Was hoping for feedback regarding my profile as I’m planning to apply to ISB R2 2017.

Work ex: 1 year local small-scale startup, 2.5 years EY Internal audit,

GMAT score:730 (2nd attempt), Acads: Bachelor of Business Studies-68.5%, class XII commerce-85%,

Extra curriculars: love reading/ writing/ calligraphy. Others: female, no awards/ accolades/ extra curricular activities to boast of.

What are my chances given my 'plain jane' profile? Would be SO grateful if you could analyse my profile. Thanks in advance!

Hey!Please evaluate my profile. I’m planning to apply to ISB R2 2017.

Work ex: 1 year local small-scale startup, 2.5 years EY Internal audit,

GMAT score:730 (2nd attempt), Acads: Bachelor of Business Studies-68.5%, class XII commerce-85%,

Extra curriculars: love reading/ writing/ calligraphy. Others: female, no awards/ accolades/ extra curricular activities to boast of.

What are my chances? Would be SO grateful if you could analyse my profile. Let me know if you need any further info. Thanks in advance!

Hi Fortuna Admissions

Could you please help me in evaluating my profile?

Indian male
GMAT Score 700 Q49V35 IR5, AWA 5

X th : 92.4% out of 100%
XIIth : 94.6% out of 100%
Undergraduated ( NIT Hamirpur) : 8.51 out of 10 on CGPA scale.

Work Experience : 3 years+ in sales & marketing analytics
1. Business Associate in Sales and Marketing firm
2. Leading a team of 4 and in dialogue with clients on a regular basis.

Not impressive extra-curriculars

Target Schools : Kelley, Purdue, Tepper, Kenan-Flagler, Johnson, UCLA Anderson and other 10-20 ranked schools.
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I have applied to Kelley and Purdue in R1 but I am not sure of if I'll get the interview call. I am now comptemplating of waiting for one more year to improve on my GMAT score and profile in terms of work-experience, and extra-curricular activities.

Is it worth waiting for one more year to try for my target schools or settling for a lower ranked school (if I get selected this time) would be just fine given that my primary focus is job opportunities after MBA??

Best
Naval