Ask Ivy Groupe MBA Admissions Consulting : Ask Admissions Consultants - Page 4

IvyGroupeCEO wrote:Hi DTW123,

Thanks for your message - if both your quant and verbal scores are above an 80th percentile, then in my view, your GRE score is fine (if your quant score is not above an 80th percentile, then I would suggest retaking it). I have worked with clients who have been admitted to the schools of their choice with the GRE, and I am seeing more that schools are becoming indifferent between the two exams (GMAT and GRE). Hope this helps.

Best,
Shaifali

Shaifali,

Thank you for your response. My current verbal percentile is at 94 and my quant percentile is at 77. 1 more point would put me in the 80th percentile. Do you think the 1 or 2 points would be the difference maker?

Thanks,

Hi DTW123,

Since you are so close to the 80th percentile threshold, you would probably be better off focusing on your applications and putting together strong materials.

Best,
Shaifali

Hi Shaifali,

I would greatly appreciate your feedback.

Overview: I am a 28 year old male from the Dominican Republic
Work Experience: 4+ years working for a PE/VC fund in the Dominican Republic specialized in investing in the financial service & finch industry in the Latin American region.
Post-Grad Goal: return to my current employer (they will sponsor the MBA) as a manager and eventually become partner.
GMAT: 710 (Q48/V39)
Undergrad: BS in Business/Finance, Minor in Mathematics from Southern Connecticut State University, 3.44 GPA (I received a scholarship for swimming).
Extracurricular: 3x All America college swimmer, Financial Management Association (FMA) Chapter President
Graduate studies: Finance Masters from Harvard Extension School (GPA: 3.65); Certificate in Advanced Valuation (high honors) from Stern School of Business, NYU.
Recommenders: Managing partner and Sr. Partner at the fund I work for.
Schools applying to: Columbia (early decision), NYU (R1), Haas (R2), Yale (R2)... I am open to a recommendation for a 5th school

Regards,

MN

Hi nesralam1,

Thanks for your message - overall, you have an interesting profile, but the biggest question that you will need to address is if you are planning to return to your employer, why do you need the MBA? In other words, why can't you just stay on the path that you are on without the MBA? This is a standard question for PE/VC candidates returning to their companies post-MBA, but it's something that you should be very comfortable addressing as you work on your applications.

Your GPA and GMAT score are just a tad below what I like to see for the M7 schools (including Columbia), but in my view, a strong story can help to overcome that. Other schools that you may want to think about are Ross and Fuqua.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Shaifali

Note: This post first appeared on Ivy Groupe's blog

5 Questions to Address Before Submitting Your Business School Applications

You’ve worked hard to craft your business school applications, which is why it’s worth taking some extra time to make sure all of the pieces are in place. With deadlines for Round 1 fast approaching, here are five questions to address before hitting the submit button.

Is each application portraying a holistic picture?

All of the different parts of the application, when viewed together, should convey your qualities and your unique, authentic story. As you work on each aspect of the application (such as the essays, resume, etc.), it’s easy to get absorbed in that particular section and forget that it should fit in with your broader story. Therefore, take some time to step back and view the larger picture. You can also ask trusted family and friends to spend 15-20 minutes reviewing your application and then stating their key takeaways.

Read more here.

Applying in the near future? Contact us at https://www.ivygroupe.com/contact or info@ivygroupe.com to request a free 20-minute consultation with our Founder, an HBS grad and MBA admissions expert!

Hello,
Please find a brief of my profile below. I thank you in anticipation for your help!

Age – 30 years Male, Nationality – Indian, planning to apply for Canadian citizenship if I end up in a good MBA program so that I can avoid H1B circus post graduation  (applying only for US universities)

Education: B.Tech & M.Tech in Mechanical Engineering/Energy Technology from one of the top 5 IITs in India (GPA – 3.6/4 as per WES assessment), MSc in Mechanical Engineering from one of the top 5 Canadian University (GPA – 3.8/4)

GMAT – 690 (Q51, V31, IR6), planning to apply only for safe schools during R1 2018, need to retake GMAT to cross 730 to be able to apply for target schools during R2.

WE: Total 5 years by next year (4 years in Canada and 1 year in India : 2.5 years in a top energy management consultancy firm which runs energy efficiency programs in North America, 1.5 years in other energy audit firms, and 1 year in a big oil). Two promotions in past 1.5 years in the current company.

Internships: 2 research interns during undergrad – 3 months in an European university and 3 months in SIEMENS in its energy research group)

Publications – Couple of publications in reputed journals (Electrochimica Acta, Journal of The Electrochemical Society)

Scholarships – 1 during undergrad, 3 during grad school (2 of them are pretty reputed)

Extra curricular and Community Services:
• Digitally teaching students for advanced math and engineering preparatory courses - requirement to register for professional engineering licensure in Canadian provinces. Helped 50+ students to successfully pass courses
• Mentor and registration presenter for a professional engineering regulatory body of a Canadian province
• Charity member for Christian Children Fund
• Member of the Bridges program at the International Centre during grad studies. Delivered presentations to improve cultural awareness for India in local schools, community organizations, and post-secondary classrooms
• Participated as a judge in various science fairs held in a Canadian city and motivated participating high school students for science and technology
• Conducted mock exams of IIT-JEE (entrance exam for B.Tech courses in IITs) in an Indian city for the first time. Created market and improved uptake in subsequent year by collaborating with local students, tutoring companies and merchants
• Acoustic guitarist and member of the choreography team during undergrad
• Led, designed and conducted various design events at the annual technical festival during undergrad
• Secured All India Rank 2nd in the engineering entrance mock exam conducted by Mastermind Classes (tutoring company operating across India)
• Passed the requirements in mental and physical development for 3rd KYU in the art of **** RYU KARATE DO

Post MBA Goal – Energy IB

I will be applying for MBA programs and universities that are reputed for energy. On that note, I will appreciate if somebody can please suggest few safe as well as target schools I could pursue based on my profile. I am targeting to matriculate by Fall 2019.

Hi gmatenthureturns,

Thanks for sharing your background! Given your focus on energy, here are a few schools that I would suggest that you look at: University of Texas McCombs, Rice Jones School of Business, and Duke Fuqua.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Shaifali

Contributor to Entrepreneur: “Why Authenticity Is The Key Ingredient For Career Success”

At Ivy Groupe, our philosophy focuses on authenticity to help clients craft compelling and differentiated applications that stand out; this stems from a very strong belief that every single person has a unique and compelling story to tell. Being authentic has also served me well in my professional journey. As a result, I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to contribute to Entrepreneur by writing this article, “Why Authenticity Is the Key Ingredient for Career Success,” which can be accessed here.

Note: This post first appeared on Ivy Groupe's blog

How Many Business Schools Should You Apply To?

You’ve made the decision to apply to business school, which is great! But as you educate yourself more and more about the MBA admissions process and realize how competitive it is, you wonder how many schools you should apply to in order make sure you have choices once the admissions cycle is over.

So what is that number?

The short answer is that it really depends on the factors that are important to you in an MBA program, your risk tolerance, and your demographic/profile; below are some guidelines that should help you think about that decision.

What factors are important to you in an MBA program?

You should take some time to prioritize and determine the factors that are important to you in an MBA program. If, for example, brand and/or location are key factors, then perhaps there are only certain programs that you would be happy attending. If this is the case, then you need to be comfortable with the fact that if you are not admitted to the few programs of your choice, then you would be fine reapplying and/or continuing on your professional path without the MBA degree. In this case, only applying to a few schools may the right number for you. However, for most applicants, while brand and/or location are important, there are many other factors that play a role in the decision to apply to MBA programs; for these candidates, applying to at least 5-6 schools (that include stretch, target, and safety schools) is appropriate. Through my experience, I have found that 5-6 schools is typically what most candidates are able to handle in one round in order to craft quality applications.

Read more here.

Applying in the near future? Contact us at https://www.ivygroupe.com/contact or info@ivygroupe.com to request a free 20-minute consultation with our Founder, an HBS grad and MBA admissions expert!

Hi Shaifali,

Thanks for taking time out to read this. Can you please review my profile and suggest me some insights? Its urgent so a quick response is appreciated.

26 year old Indian Male - Industry Banking (Citi)

Undergraduate

B.Tech. in Industrial Engineering. Non IIT/Non NIT.
First Class with Distinction. 79% - Academic Excellence Award. Top 3 in class of 75.
Student Clubs and Activities: Entrepreneurship Club, Alumni Co-ordinator, First Team Basketball Player my university, Best Athlete in inter-university athletics meet.


Additional Certifications

CFA, USA - Cleared all three levels in first attempt with more than 90th percentile in level 3 exam
National Institute of Securities Market - Certified Research Analyst with specialization in Financial Markets


GMAT:

710 ( Q50, V35, IR8). This is second attempt. Earlier was 690. I scored 770 and 760 in Mocks leading upto the exam.
Super disappointed with current score. If I retake the exam then I will probably miss out on Cornell's and NYU's 15th Nov Deadline. Thoughts?


Work Experience:

Total 4 years.

June'18 - Current - Assistant Manager at Citi - Role is mixture of Business Finance and Data Analytics.
Fastest Promotion (even before the mandatory 18 month rule at Citi - Top rated Employee)
Forecasted financials of North America Credit Card Portfolio worth ~$2 Billion in Annual Revenue
Optimized investment decisions and Promotional offers to reduce promo balance by $1.5 Billion
Involved in multiple activities that can reflect leadership potential - Reverse Mentoring ( Mentoring SVPs and Directors), HR Analytics (Helping HR team better plan Learning and development strategy)

Jan'17 -May'18 - Senior Analyst at Citi in Data Science - Marketing Analytics
Redefined Direct Mail Targeting Strategy to increase acquisition by 30% and EBIT by $6 Million
Developed Business case for a new Credit Card product that is currently live in US Market
Recognized as ‘Superstar’ in Q4’2017 for driving cross team collaboration
Awarded ‘Quarterly Excellence Award’ at all India level in Q3’17 for Innovation and Automation

Nov'16 - Dec'17 - Quant Analyst - Mu Sigma (World’s largest provider of analytics and data science solutions) - Solving Problems for multiple Fortune 500 clients. Significant client exposure.
Realized incremental revenue of ~$200 M through improved cross-selling for a Fortune 100 Tech giant
Reduced Inventory pileup by 8% for world’s 10th largest steel manufacturer by predictive modeling
Developed Data Science implementation roadmap for 3 Fortune 500 companies


Post MBA Goals:

1) Investment Banking - I understand 710 GMAT score would hurt here. Absolutely necessary to get a 740 for IB?
2) Continue in Data Analytics - Lead Data Analytics and Data Science Teams at Fortune 500 (Banking preferred). Explore possibilities of leveraging Data Science in PE/IB to value companies.


EXTRA-CURRICULAR

1) Sports: National Level Basketball Player, Best Athlete in inter-college Atheltics meet.
2) Interests: Organizing 15-30-45 day meditation retreats and sessions, Certified Yoga Instructor
3) Volunteer Experience: NIWCYD (Microfinance) - Developed bank linkages & Financial management guidelines for self-help groups. MAD (Make a Difference) - Training soft skills and English to underprivileged children of my city
4) Online Courses: Quant Modeling & Accounting (Wharton), Business Metrics for Data Driven Companies (Duke), Analytics Edge (MIT)

My target schools are Booth,Tuck, Stern, Insead, Anderson, Tepper, Haas, LBS, CBS, and Johnson. I understand some of these schools are over ambitious.

Questions:

1) Do I have realistic chance for any school? OR we can only talk after a GMAT of 740 for each of these schools?
2) Am I missing any school that would be a better fit given my profile?
3) Would Adcoms consider this a typical Indian Male Engineer profile or this profile stands out?
4) I can't write GMAT again before Cornell's and NYU's 15th Nov deadline. Should I apply with this profile?
5) I have Application fee waivers from Rice, UNC and USC Marshall. Should i apply there as a backup/practice or it will be just waste of time and energy?

Please Note- I am on a 15 day trip with family in first half of November so writing or preparing for GMAT is out of question at that time

Hi HarshBazooka,


Thanks for sharing your background – with respect to your questions:

1. With your current score, I would view Cornell, NYU, LBS, and INSEAD as target schools for you. Your 710 GMAT score is in line with their average and you did well in college, which would also help

2. Michigan Ross is another school that you may want to look at (the school is pretty strong in finance)

3. It is a typical Indian Male Engineer profile. The way to stand out is to clearly articulate your story and why you are seeking an MBA at this point in time – it’s the personal/authentic elements that distinguish candidates, and especially Indian Male Engineers

4. It’s always best to apply when you feel you are able to put your best foot forward – the question is do you think you can improve your score? If so, then it may be worth applying in the next round, but if not, then it makes sense to apply with your current profile

5. It’s always good for Indian Male Engineers to broaden the schools they are applying to (given that it is an oversubscribed demographic). I would suggest applying to 1-2 schools on that list – it won’t hurt you

I hope this helps!

Best,
Shaifali

Hello IvyGroupeCEO,
I was wondering if it's possible for you to review mine? Thank you so much.

Information
[*]Asian Female. 25 (right now)
[*]GMAT: 650 (28V 50Q 8IR 8AWA) this is my second attempt, my first one was 620 (27V 50Q 8IR).

Work experience
[*]Currently work in a company that I and my sister started about a year ago. We imported products from around the world into Taiwan. My work is mostly about the distribution network in Taiwan, marketing and public relations.
[*]Started an E-commerce site (it was more like a soft trial for the current business), which I sold after the current business was established (not sure whether to include this or not)
[*]Disaster Response Team for a top 10 NGO in the USA from Louisiana to Texas for 2 months.
[*]Course & Volunteer instructor for an NGO in Cambodia for 2 months. Teaching disadvantaged kids English, visiting their families, recruiting students (to convince parents to send kids to our school instead of working) are all my work. I was also responsible for after-work workshop to exchange ideas on teaching skills and improving the relationship with kids.
[*]Team member in a social project to help kids and their families from the rural area for 8 months. Raised over $8k for the kids. At the meantime, we also helped their families, mostly farmers, to market their produces better, ranging from redesign the package to process the product into something else for better profitability.
[*]Team member for an NGO in Thailand for 2 months. Work is mostly basic construction (water supply network) and rebuilds the community for the minority. During the free time, we usually do some project to help out the organization.
[*]Cryptocurrency and stock investment for 2 years now.
[*]Started my first company with my sister. The idea is similar to the current one. It was successful, but we had to shut it down because of supply problems. Opened for about 1 year.
[*]Team member for an NGO in Italy for 3 months. Work are mostly projects around the community and fundraising. The most successful event in the group was the one that my friends and I hosted. We raised over $3k in one night.
[*]Internship at an international trading company for 3 months. Had the opportunity to work closely with custom and people from around the world. (unsure whether I should put this one or not)

Extra Curricular
[*]Various instrument, especially piano. Been playing since I was 5. Passed the exam which is equivalent to a piano teacher. I also played trumpet and harp.
[*]Solo backpacking. Currently been to 26 countries with the money I saved from bartending and the investment.
[*]Visual Design. I enjoy graphic design and photography. I have redesigned websites for a few business.
[*]Community and volunteer work. Sorting recycles, mentoring kids, etc.

Education
[*]Undergrad GPA: 2.98 from the top university in Taiwan with a major in Business Administration. My GPA tanked to 1.1 during the sophomore year because of some health issues. It went back up to 4.0 during my senior year. Overall, I ended up with 2.98.
[*]I also had a 2-year gap during university. The health problem I had made me decide to take a break. I moved to Australia for a working holiday, made some money and traveled.
[*]Team leader for AIESEC for 1 year.

MBA Info
[*]Goal of MBA:
My long term goal is to achieve a senior managerial/executive position in an established charity or NGO that focus on human rights and women’s rights. The more I worked with NGO, the more I realized that the impact is on such a small scale, as important as it was for certain people. I realized that if I want to have a bigger impact, I need to be in the decision group that creates the vision and forms the policy. And I think an MBA will fit perfectly in my profile and lead me to my ultimate goal.
Also, I would like to develop more management and analytical skill to further expand my current business. (I am not sure if I should include this because I have seen so many people said that entrepreneurship is not a realistic goal)
And of course, networking and the opportunity to study and live abroad.

[*]Target School:
I first set my target for top 20 because my GMAT prep score has been consistently around 720. Particularly Johnson, Notre Dame, and Georgetown. Of course, I wish to attend an even better school, but, because of my low GPA, I think I should be more realistic.

Questions
[*]Are my target school realistic with my current GMAT score? If no, according to my current score, what schools would you suggest?

Thank you so much for taking your time to review my profile.

Hi yuenhsu,

Thank you for your message and for sharing your background. You have an interesting background, but with a 650 GMAT score and 2.98 GPA, I would view Cornell as a stretch school and Georgetown as somewhere between a stretch/target. However, Notre Dame would be a solid target school, and I would suggest looking at other schools ranked in the 25-40 range.

I hope this helps!

Best,
Shaifali

Hi,

Can I get some advice on whether my application is realistic?

I graduated in the summer of 2017 with a masters degree in engineering (I got a 2.1 grade as per the UK system) and I have worked in business roles for two tech giants since then (think Google, LinkedIn, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft). So I only have 1.5 years experience right now, though by September 2019 I will have just over 2 years. My lack of work experience is my biggest concern.

I am aiming to get 700+ in the GMAT and I have good and unusual extra curricular activities. I got 640 in my first attempt with 33 in Verbal, 46 in Quantitative and 7 in Integrated Reasoning (I did not do any studying before this first attempt). I am doing another practice paper at the end of this week to see how 50 hours of studying will impact my previous score. I wish to apply before the start of January.

How feasible is M7, LBS, Cambridge or Oxford? Again, bear in mind that I want to start the MBA in September 2019. Also, I can probably get a reference from a HBS grad who I work closely with.

Hi jamalabdullah100,

Thanks for your message. With the information that you've provided, I would view the M7 schools and LBS as stretch schools, and Cambridge and Oxford as more target schools. Having less work experience is not necessarily a negative - the most important thing is to explain why the MBA would be beneficial to you at this earlier point in your career. Also, retaking the GMAT is definitely a good idea. Hope this helps.

Best,
Shaifali

IvyGroupeCEO wrote:
Thanks for your message. With the information that you've provided, I would view the M7 schools and LBS as stretch schools, and Cambridge and Oxford as more target schools. Having less work experience is not necessarily a negative - the most important thing is to explain why the MBA would be beneficial to you at this earlier point in your career. Also, retaking the GMAT is definitely a good idea. Hope this helps.

Best,
Shaifali

Hi Shaifali, thanks for the reply. Sorry but just to clarify, I haven't done the GMAT yet. The 640 was just my first practice paper which I did at the very start of my journey just so I can understand how much work I have to do. If (hypothetically), I get 700+ in my real exam in 3 weeks time, would you say M7 and LBS are target schools for me? Given the other factors like lack of work experience?

Hi jamalabdullah100 - with a 700+ GMAT score, LBS may be more in the target range, but I would still consider the M7 as stretch.

Note: This post first appeared on Ivy Groupe's blog

Crafting Your Post-MBA Career Goals

Almost all of the top-tier business schools will want you to state your Post-MBA career goals (both in the short-term and in the long-term) as well as how their particular program will help you to attain them. Many times, however, I have seen candidates not putting enough thought into their Post-MBA goals and how their prior experiences have prepared them to achieve them. This results in Post-MBA goals that are unclear and/or too broad, which can hurt a candidate’s chances of admission.

So what constitutes strong Post-MBA career goals? In short, strong Post-MBA goals are specific, credible, and achievable.

Specific

Candidates are often hesitant to be specific in their Post-MBA goals since they are unsure of what they really want to do after business school, and therefore, are concerned about being “locked into” what they write about. Be rest assured that once you are in business school, you can change your goals! However, for business school application purposes, you should be able to state Post-MBA goals that you plan to follow at that point in time and that you are excited about pursuing.

Specific Post-MBA goals will stand out a lot more than those that are too broad. For example, instead of saying that you are interested in pursuing a career in healthcare (which is very broad), it’s better to say that you want to lead strategy at a medical device company (which is easier to visualize and is much more tangible).

Read more here.

Applying in the near future? Contact us at https://www.ivygroupe.com/contact or info@ivygroupe.com to request a free 20-minute consultation with our Founder, an HBS grad and MBA admissions expert!

Hi Shaifali,

I've detailed my profile and relevant stats below. I want to know if I'm truly targeting the right schools or am I aiming too high. I plan on applying Next fall for Matriculation at Fall 2020. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read through the profile and offering valuable advice!

Stretch Schools:
Haas, Kellogg, and Columbia (I plan to do ED at Columbia). I believe my stats would be too low for HSW, Booth, or Sloan.

Target Schools:
Tuck, Ross, Darden


My profile
Undergraduate information-
Major: Electrical Engineering
School: Top 5 USNews Undergrad EE school (Georgia Tech, UMich, UIUC)
GPA: 2.93

I understand that my GPA is super low. I plan to utilize the optional essay to show that my GPA was on an upward trajectory. I had a 3.5/4.0 GPA my senior year (which included all hard Advanced Level EE Core Classes along with capstone.) I will take full ownership of my mismanagement of priorities and time my first 3 years of college and that it isn't indicative of future performance (with examples of last year GPA and GMAT)

GMAT: 730 - I plan to retake this mid-February

Work Experience-
1. Company 1 - 2 years+ (Will explain + below) - Top 5 Power Design Firm - United States
- Nuclear Power Plant Design Division
- Have 18+ months of experience on an International Power Plant Project. Contract was for $100+MM, including a couple months stay at the country. Was sole electrical design engineer leading a team of outsourced (Joint Ventureship) international engineers. Very Client Facing role - developed mature relationships with the international clients
- 9-10 Months: Responsible Project Engineer on large time sensitive (29 days of implementation, construction, etc) $35MM project in the United States
-Promotion Cycle includes 2 promotions. Additionally post-resignation, I was hired back on as a part-time consultant (as requested by one of the senior partners) to help assist for holes in the international project due to my mature client relationships. Was given an additional promotion/title bump upon taking this role.

2. (Current) Company 2 - A few months (Will be closer to 2 years upon matriculation) - Top 5 Defense Contractor (Lockheed, Raytheon, Northrop)
-Design Engineer for R&D Projects for Weaponry Division
-Experience in Cross-Discipline and functional program project requirements and work closely with Safety, Quality, Systems, Manufacturing Floor

ECs:

-Volunteer for local ethnic outreach group (including web development for them)
-Volunteer for a Trail Clean up group (Help clean up popular hiking trails around the area) - I am very active in the hiking community in the region that I am in.


Race/nationality:
US Citizen – However first generation immigrant. Family moved here when I was like 4-5 from India. I grew up in the inner-city with an economic disadvantage. I was able to apply with my math score and essays in the 8th grade to a Top 10 State High School (USNews)

Sex: M

Post-MBA Career:
I plan to specialize in Strategy Consulting (in A&D/E&U) in companies like ATKearney or MBB since I have distinct design/construction/manufacturing experience on the Nuclear/Electric Power Mission Critical and Defense Mission Critical systems (Both Hi-intensity areas). I plan to utilize the skills that are developed throughout the MBA curriculum to assist in noting how projects come to life. I've seen first hand how business decisions pivot entire business models and industry space (Think state of Nuclear Construction Internationally versus domestically). I want to be in an instrumental role in that for E&U and A&D companies.

Hi 293eedefense,

Thanks for your message and for sharing your profile. I would still consider Tuck to be more of a stretch and Ross as between a stretch and a target, but I would agree with the buckets that you've put the other schools in. Other target schools that you may want to consider are Cornell, Georgetown, and Kenan-Flagler.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Shaifali