Hello,
I would be extremely thankful if anyone of you could offer your 2 cents.
This is my Profile -
I am a 22 year old Indian male working as Product Development Engineer for a leading Japanese appliances manufacturing firm in Singapore.
*GMAT - 720 (94th percentile), Q51 V35. Just took the test today and I am extremely disappointed with my scores considering that I was consistently scoring above 740 in mock tests, with a 760 in GMATPrep. My verbal score of 35 corresponds to 74th percentile, which is poor. I've read/heard that schools require at least an 80/80 split for Quant and Verbal. I am falling short on that front. Please advise whether I would have to re-take the test.
*Undergrad - National University of Singapore - Majored in Mechanical engg. Scored 3.9/5. roughly 3.12 on 4.
*Extra-curriculars - I was the Vice President of a performing arts society in NUS. I was involved in event management, publicity, ticket sales, sponsorship activities. Besides this, I was in the publicity committee of a couple of other clubs, took part in voluntary activities.
*Work Experience - 2 yrs (as of today) in R&D (New Product development) in a Japanese B2B business. I don't think I can brag much about work because there is no talent recognition award scheme in the company and it typically takes 8-9 yrs for anyone (even top performers) to get to a managerial rank (infrequent promotion in other words). You may find it funny but the only things that are worth mentioning are - i was chosen to lead a team representing R&D in an annual Continuous-improvement activities presentation, i was chosen to undergo training in specialized techniques applicable to new product development.
*Post MBA Goals - to get into Manufacturing-specific Consulting, Strategy Consulting, gain some experience and then expand businesses of manufacturing firms in emerging markets.
*Hobbies - Open water diving, Music Production for short films
I have not really come across another profile like mine (i.e. Product development engineer) on any of the forums. So, I have absolutely no idea whether mine is even considered competitive, which are the schools that I have a shot at etc. Please help me out!
Thank you so much for your time and advice
Regards!
GMAT Forum
4 postsPage 1 of 1
- subramanian1408
- Students
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2013 4:18 am
- mbamissionjenK
- ManhattanGMAT Staff
- Posts: 640
- Joined: Mon May 13, 2013 10:11 am
Re: Profile Evaluation (22 yr old male Product Development Engr)
Hello--
Thanks for sharing your profile, and while you weren't as happy as you would have liked with your GMAT score, I will still congratulate you on scoring in the top 6% of test-takers which is impressive!
Your background in product engineering and work in Singapore will lend to strong experiences that you can rely on in the classroom and in your essays and interview. Your GMAT and academics are solid and it's good that you have a feel for your post-MBA goals. Your non-work experiences with music production for example show that you have many interests and will likely be involved at business school.
One weak area is just the 2 years of work experience. Most MBA programs look for 3-5 years of experience, so the admissions committee will want to know "why now", why it makes sense for you to get an MBA now as opposed to in another year or two for example. You haven't mentioned generally what types of schools you are considering or regions of the world but the class profiles can vary depending upon your interests and region.
The 80/80 split was sometimes cited by certain schools in the past and repeated among potential applicants, but in more recent years as scores have skewed higher that split is not crucial. A few schools have been known to focus most on the quant side being at or close to the 80th percentile, with a bit less emphasis on verbal.
Just focusing on your 720, I would not necessarily say you should re-take as you are at or above the average scores at the top ranked b-schools in the world. However when I hear that you've scored much higher on several adaptive practice exams, my feeling is that if you think you are capable of quite a bit higher, and are interested in re-taking, then I would encourage you to go for it and give it a try. Generally sooner rather than later, while everything is still fresh.
Wishing you luck with the process and keep us posted on your next steps and decisions!
Jen Kedrowski
mba Mission
www.mbamission.com
Thanks for sharing your profile, and while you weren't as happy as you would have liked with your GMAT score, I will still congratulate you on scoring in the top 6% of test-takers which is impressive!
Your background in product engineering and work in Singapore will lend to strong experiences that you can rely on in the classroom and in your essays and interview. Your GMAT and academics are solid and it's good that you have a feel for your post-MBA goals. Your non-work experiences with music production for example show that you have many interests and will likely be involved at business school.
One weak area is just the 2 years of work experience. Most MBA programs look for 3-5 years of experience, so the admissions committee will want to know "why now", why it makes sense for you to get an MBA now as opposed to in another year or two for example. You haven't mentioned generally what types of schools you are considering or regions of the world but the class profiles can vary depending upon your interests and region.
The 80/80 split was sometimes cited by certain schools in the past and repeated among potential applicants, but in more recent years as scores have skewed higher that split is not crucial. A few schools have been known to focus most on the quant side being at or close to the 80th percentile, with a bit less emphasis on verbal.
Just focusing on your 720, I would not necessarily say you should re-take as you are at or above the average scores at the top ranked b-schools in the world. However when I hear that you've scored much higher on several adaptive practice exams, my feeling is that if you think you are capable of quite a bit higher, and are interested in re-taking, then I would encourage you to go for it and give it a try. Generally sooner rather than later, while everything is still fresh.
Wishing you luck with the process and keep us posted on your next steps and decisions!
Jen Kedrowski
mba Mission
www.mbamission.com
- subramanian1408
- Students
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2013 4:18 am
Re: Profile Evaluation (22 yr old male Product Development Engr)
Hello Jen!
Thank you so much for your reply. I understand your concern about my lack of work experience in terms of number of months; I'll have 3 yrs of experience at the time of matriculation (if that helps at all) I'm looking at some of the top tier b-schools in the US (Kellogg, Fuqua, Tuck, Haas) and HEC, ISB, Iese among b-schools outside the US. Which among these schools can I have a good shot at? Kindly help me! Thank you so much!
And also thanks for your advice on retaking GMAT. I buy your point of view. I shall refrain from retaking it unless I'm required to have 750+ to get into consulting firms...
Regards,
Subramanian
Thank you so much for your reply. I understand your concern about my lack of work experience in terms of number of months; I'll have 3 yrs of experience at the time of matriculation (if that helps at all) I'm looking at some of the top tier b-schools in the US (Kellogg, Fuqua, Tuck, Haas) and HEC, ISB, Iese among b-schools outside the US. Which among these schools can I have a good shot at? Kindly help me! Thank you so much!
And also thanks for your advice on retaking GMAT. I buy your point of view. I shall refrain from retaking it unless I'm required to have 750+ to get into consulting firms...
Regards,
Subramanian
- mbamissionjenK
- ManhattanGMAT Staff
- Posts: 640
- Joined: Mon May 13, 2013 10:11 am
Re: Profile Evaluation (22 yr old male Product Development Engr)
Hi there,
Your school list sounds appropriate. And yes, 3 years at matriculation is better than 2 at least. ;)
I believe you have a decent shot at Fuqua, ISB, and HEC for sure; slightly tougher but still possible at IESE & maybe Tuck; and more of the 'reach' schools are Kellogg & Haas. But you are still in the ballpark at any of the programs you have listed, so that just means the decision will be greatly influenced by personal factors (your 'story' and goals and what you show about yourself in the essays, recommendations and interview). So the good news is, the main things to focus on at this point are those personal factors, and in particular the essays, which if you think about it, are the only part of the application where you create something FROM SCRATCH to represent who you are. So lots of opportunity there.
In terms of the number of schools, most applicants find they have time to do a great job on 3-4 applications, or up to about 6 if split over 2 rounds or if they have a lot of time available. You should tailor your essays and application to each school, so that's why creating a high quality application is pretty time-consuming. Start working on your essays and resume this summer/asap-- brainstorm times you've demonstrated leadership or teamwork; what makes you unique; what will you bring to the b-school class; what are your goals and why do you need the MBA AT THIS POINT IN TIME to reach them; why particular schools.
To your point about lack of promotions, keep in mind that the committee is most interested in what ACCOMPLISHMENTS you achieved during your experience, as well as what skills you gained that you'll bring to b-school and to your future career (such as people and project management skills, and communication skills, analytical thinking, etc).
If you have any interest in speaking with an MBA Admissions Consultant in more detail, we do offer a free 30 -min consult to offer advice and further review your profile; if that's something you are interested in, you can check that out at http://www.mbamission.com/consult.php.
In any case feel free to check back with questions, and let us know how everything goes!
Your school list sounds appropriate. And yes, 3 years at matriculation is better than 2 at least. ;)
I believe you have a decent shot at Fuqua, ISB, and HEC for sure; slightly tougher but still possible at IESE & maybe Tuck; and more of the 'reach' schools are Kellogg & Haas. But you are still in the ballpark at any of the programs you have listed, so that just means the decision will be greatly influenced by personal factors (your 'story' and goals and what you show about yourself in the essays, recommendations and interview). So the good news is, the main things to focus on at this point are those personal factors, and in particular the essays, which if you think about it, are the only part of the application where you create something FROM SCRATCH to represent who you are. So lots of opportunity there.
In terms of the number of schools, most applicants find they have time to do a great job on 3-4 applications, or up to about 6 if split over 2 rounds or if they have a lot of time available. You should tailor your essays and application to each school, so that's why creating a high quality application is pretty time-consuming. Start working on your essays and resume this summer/asap-- brainstorm times you've demonstrated leadership or teamwork; what makes you unique; what will you bring to the b-school class; what are your goals and why do you need the MBA AT THIS POINT IN TIME to reach them; why particular schools.
To your point about lack of promotions, keep in mind that the committee is most interested in what ACCOMPLISHMENTS you achieved during your experience, as well as what skills you gained that you'll bring to b-school and to your future career (such as people and project management skills, and communication skills, analytical thinking, etc).
If you have any interest in speaking with an MBA Admissions Consultant in more detail, we do offer a free 30 -min consult to offer advice and further review your profile; if that's something you are interested in, you can check that out at http://www.mbamission.com/consult.php.
In any case feel free to check back with questions, and let us know how everything goes!
4 posts Page 1 of 1