Dear all,
My name is Pradeep and currently living in India. I am interested in pursuing an MBA degree and planning to write the GMAT around November end. Below is my portfolio:
1. Bachelor of Engineering (BE) in Computer Science from VTU, Karnataka State (India) -> 74% aggregate.
2. Master of Science (MS) in Computer Science/MIS from State University of New York (SUNY), Binghamton -> 3.3/4.0
3. I have a total of around 6 years of work experience in the IT Industry and specializing in US Federal/State Information Systems. In this, around 4 years of leadership and Information Management experience.
4. I am IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Certified from EXIN Institute. In the process of getting my Project Management Professional (PMP) certificate.
5. Extracurriculars: I have worked as a mentor at Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (Washington DC) for around 3 years (2008 - 2011)
I am currently managing my family finance business in India and also organizing some local events. Also, planning to be a part of "Art of living" very soon.
My interest is in Finance and Entrepreneurship concentration. Given my profile and assuming that if I score around 700+ in GMAT, I have a couple of questions:
1. Which top B-School in US or India, might surely admit or the ones that I need to target?
2. Are there any top B-Schools in US which might offer a full/partial tuition scholarship for international students?
3. How easy/hard will it be to switch my domain post MBA? i.e.., from IT to finance?
4. Since I require a H1B visa for working in US, how easy is it to get visa sponsorships post MBA?
Request you to please review my profile and advice. Appreciate your help!
~ Pradeep
GMAT Forum
4 postsPage 1 of 1
- pprabhu
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- mili
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Re: Profile Evaluation and B-School query
Hi Pradeep,
Thanks for posting your profile. As an Indian IT engineer, unfortunately, your chances at top MBA programs are slightly diminished as there is a very large applicant pool in this demographic. That said, I think your extracurricular and family business activities might help you differentiate yourself a bit.
I would suggest that if you're able to break the 700 barrier, you could target programs like Darden or UCLA. Given your interest in finance and entrepreneurship, NYU might be a great target. You could reach for Chicago, but that would be a reach potentially.
Financial aid/scholarships are a little harder for international students, but not impossible. You'll have to research each school to get a better sense of the options.
It's definitely possible to switch domains post-MBA. A lot depends on the market at the time of graduation - in down economies it is easier to switch either function or industry (not both). A lot depends on what you during school - if you are able to take lots of finance classes, secure a finance internship and be active in the finance club, etc., you'll have a better chance than if you don't focus during the program.
If you're able to secure a full time position after school, you shouldn't have a problem with the Visa, but I know that international students do have a tougher time securing full time positions because of the Visa issue (especially if you want to go into entrepreneurship/start-ups).
Hope this helps,
Mili
Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
http://www.mbamission.com
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Thanks for posting your profile. As an Indian IT engineer, unfortunately, your chances at top MBA programs are slightly diminished as there is a very large applicant pool in this demographic. That said, I think your extracurricular and family business activities might help you differentiate yourself a bit.
I would suggest that if you're able to break the 700 barrier, you could target programs like Darden or UCLA. Given your interest in finance and entrepreneurship, NYU might be a great target. You could reach for Chicago, but that would be a reach potentially.
Financial aid/scholarships are a little harder for international students, but not impossible. You'll have to research each school to get a better sense of the options.
It's definitely possible to switch domains post-MBA. A lot depends on the market at the time of graduation - in down economies it is easier to switch either function or industry (not both). A lot depends on what you during school - if you are able to take lots of finance classes, secure a finance internship and be active in the finance club, etc., you'll have a better chance than if you don't focus during the program.
If you're able to secure a full time position after school, you shouldn't have a problem with the Visa, but I know that international students do have a tougher time securing full time positions because of the Visa issue (especially if you want to go into entrepreneurship/start-ups).
Hope this helps,
Mili
Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
http://www.mbamission.com
Read the mbaMission Insider's Guides (16 individual school titles)
Download mbaMission’s Free Personal Statement Guide
Visit the mbaMission Blog
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- pprabhu
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- Joined: Fri Sep 23, 2011 6:36 am
Re: Profile Evaluation and B-School query
Thanks Mili for your feedback!
Actually, I am sorry for the confusion: Most of my work experience in the IT Industry was in the United States - for a private firm in Gaithersburg, MD and US Department of Agriculture, DC. So, I have worked for these companies on H1B visa (and earned wages in US dollars), since graduating from SUNY in December 2006. In June 2012, I returned back to India and currently managing our family business (around 4 months). Will this make any difference or improvements to my application?
I was researching 1 year programs such as INSEAD, ISB and some European schools. Are there any chances of securing admits in these institutes?
Thirdly, I know that there are a couple of MBA programs (which are not in the top tiers; may be ranked around 30 -50 overall), that guarantees a tuition waiver if the GMAT is above 700. Even otherwise, their tuition is far less than the top B-Schools. But, from future point of view (On campus recruitments/Job positions/salary/Return on Investment), does it help to pursue MBA's from such institutes? I mean, when companies hire for top level positions, do they purely look at the MBA ranking/quality or do they also consider the lower tier MBA's (provided candidates are good)? Is it really worth spending the costly fees in top B-Schools?
~ Pradeep
Actually, I am sorry for the confusion: Most of my work experience in the IT Industry was in the United States - for a private firm in Gaithersburg, MD and US Department of Agriculture, DC. So, I have worked for these companies on H1B visa (and earned wages in US dollars), since graduating from SUNY in December 2006. In June 2012, I returned back to India and currently managing our family business (around 4 months). Will this make any difference or improvements to my application?
I was researching 1 year programs such as INSEAD, ISB and some European schools. Are there any chances of securing admits in these institutes?
Thirdly, I know that there are a couple of MBA programs (which are not in the top tiers; may be ranked around 30 -50 overall), that guarantees a tuition waiver if the GMAT is above 700. Even otherwise, their tuition is far less than the top B-Schools. But, from future point of view (On campus recruitments/Job positions/salary/Return on Investment), does it help to pursue MBA's from such institutes? I mean, when companies hire for top level positions, do they purely look at the MBA ranking/quality or do they also consider the lower tier MBA's (provided candidates are good)? Is it really worth spending the costly fees in top B-Schools?
~ Pradeep
- mili
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Re: Profile Evaluation and B-School query
Hi Pradeep,
Great questions. Yes, I think the fact that you were working the U.S. helps you a bit.
As for the 1 year programs, you have a chance, but hard to say without knowing where your GMAT score will end up. If you score 700+ then, yes, I think they are good possibilities.
That last question is a tough one. I would say that there are probably some programs in that tier that attract top companies, but not many. The best thing to do would be to look at the programs you are interested in and take a look at their career placement data from past years. You'll quickly see what caliber of employers recruit from there and which don't. Much of it is industry and geography based -- (for example, I'll bet a lot of the big oil companies do recruit from even the lower tier programs in Texas for various reasons.) So, just take a look at that data and you'll see if the tier of employers you are targeting is going to find you at that school. And remember, you're not 100% dependent on on-campus recruiting to find a job! You can always conduct your own independent job search (and should!), but it's tougher :)
Best,
Mili
Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
http://www.mbamission.com
Read the mbaMission Insider's Guides (16 individual school titles)
Download mbaMission’s Free Personal Statement Guide
Visit the mbaMission Blog
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Great questions. Yes, I think the fact that you were working the U.S. helps you a bit.
As for the 1 year programs, you have a chance, but hard to say without knowing where your GMAT score will end up. If you score 700+ then, yes, I think they are good possibilities.
That last question is a tough one. I would say that there are probably some programs in that tier that attract top companies, but not many. The best thing to do would be to look at the programs you are interested in and take a look at their career placement data from past years. You'll quickly see what caliber of employers recruit from there and which don't. Much of it is industry and geography based -- (for example, I'll bet a lot of the big oil companies do recruit from even the lower tier programs in Texas for various reasons.) So, just take a look at that data and you'll see if the tier of employers you are targeting is going to find you at that school. And remember, you're not 100% dependent on on-campus recruiting to find a job! You can always conduct your own independent job search (and should!), but it's tougher :)
Best,
Mili
Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
http://www.mbamission.com
Read the mbaMission Insider's Guides (16 individual school titles)
Download mbaMission’s Free Personal Statement Guide
Visit the mbaMission Blog
Follow mbaMission on Twitter
4 posts Page 1 of 1