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AdmissionsConsultants · 09-04-2003, 03:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by HappyLeaf

Hi, David,

I am thinking about doing an optional essay to address my low gpa. I am wondering if I can also address other issues in my optional essay such as why did I choose the government job and etc.

Hi and thanks for your follow-up inquiry. Yes, you can address more than one topic in the optional essay. I hope, of course, that you will not have too many issues to cover. The fact you chose a government job is probably better placed in the “Walk me through your resume/Describe your career progression” essay.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com

www.admissionsconsultants.com/mba/

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

AdmissionsConsultants · 09-04-2003, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sranju

Hi David,
I understand I can provide diversity to any college..But I do need to fit in the mosaic..even an artist can provide diveristy me think...but he will have to work hard on his essays. Have few more queries.Will appreciate if can take some time out to answer them
1)Is the college to which I am applying, aware of the names of other colleges to which I am applying to?
2)Is it true that Re-applicants do not stand a good chance?
3)Can u name any good (1st tier/second tier) one year progg in US?
Thanx in advance
4)Hailing from India, I belong to a very competetive pool. Will belonging to a non IT pool make any difference.Will my app be evaluated be evaluated in the light of my demographics or my profession?
Thanx in advance

Hi and thanks for your inquiry.

1. No. The only ones they will know about are the ones you list in your application.

2. No, not at all. With just a few exceptions, they are not looked down on. As a re-applicant, you need to show why you are now a better student with a lot more to offer the MBA program. Expect these admissions committees to thoroughly review your new essays and look at the essay evaluation form for the previous application.

3. There are not many in the U.S. Your best bet will be to look at schools such as Cornell has a one year program and Kellogg has an abbreviated program as well. Columbia’s January admittance program is viewed by some as (sort of) a shortened program.

4. It will make just a slight difference. You are still in the Indian national pool but at least it will be a bit easier to differentiate your candidacy from the more common IT applicant.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com

www.admissionsconsultants.com/mba/

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

ash403 · 09-07-2003, 09:52 AM

Hey David!
U can call me ash. Thanks so much for helping out. I am an architect from India. I graduated last Oct. from amongst the best Architecture schools in the country. Architecture is a relative field and i dont know how to convert the grades recieved into a GPA. i graduated with a First class.
Work Ex: JAn 2003 onwards- Real Estate MNC as a Marketing Manager. November 2001-Jan 2003: Worked 15 months with an Architecture firm.
I have my own Life style firm. I have been a free lance fashion Designer and Interior decorator for about 5 yrs. I have a decent network within the industry now.
Reasons:I want to pursue an MBA for general Management, entrepreneurship n International Business. I want to come back n start my firm on a much larger scale.I want to go to NYC for an MBA as living in NYC will keep me abreast of the latest fashion n architecture trends.I was looking at Columbia or NYU. CBS has the added advantage of an Architecture school.
I am being sponsored. May even get full sponsorship.
Extra-Curriculars:I have studied music for almost ten years. I have completed 3 levels of German Language from Goethe Institute. I have done some social work against drug addiction and also helped environment issues.
Gmat-660. Quant:47 Verbal :34.
Is there any chance i will get thru?
Shud i give the gmat again? Please try n find time to assess my chances.
Very sorry about the long post.

AdmissionsConsultants · 09-08-2003, 02:46 AM

Hi Ash and thanks for the inquiry.

I see one major weakness in your candidacy for Columbia Business School (CBS). That weakness, unfortunately, is your GMAT score. CBS is not very lenient when it comes to GMAT scores below their median. Furthermore, as an Indian national, you are part of an extremely competitive demographic group. (Sorry!)

I like your sponsorship and your rather unique candidacy with the fashion and architecture theme. This will certainly help differentiate you from the more stereotypical IT applicants.

I’m rather intrigued by your extracurriculars and your drug addiction work in particular. There may be a good ‘wow’ factor in this. I’m not as sold on the German language skills. They are nice, but plenty of international b-school applicants are multilingual and it’s not the “give something back to society” type of activity that b-schools really like to see in your extracurricular activity list. (In other words, I’m not sold that this is an appropriate theme for you story.)

I think you could be competitive if you can boost your score up to the 720 range -- even though this is still below the average for an admitted Indian national given the strengths I have highlighted above.

Please note that if you feel you have maxed out your score at the 660 level, don't beat yourself up and continuously retake the exam. It's only worth retaking if you're confident that, with additional study, you can raise your score significantly.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com

www.admissionsconsultants.com/mba/

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

ash403 · 09-08-2003, 03:30 PM

Thank You for the prompt reply David. I was completely clueless. I am taking the test again. I really do feel that with more time i can improve my scores. Ive started with the recos and essays too. CBs has asked for two Recos. How do i prove my social work contribution to them.........I have too many things to talk about anyways. How do i prove my designing etc?

Most of all thank you Erin for bringing David here.[:X]

AdmissionsConsultants · 09-08-2003, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ash403

Thank You for the prompt reply David. I was completely clueless. I am taking the test again. I really do feel that with more time i can improve my scores. Ive started with the recos and essays too. CBs has asked for two Recos. How do i prove my social work contribution to them.........I have too many things to talk about anyways. How do i prove my designing etc?

Most of all thank you Erin for bringing David here.[:X]

Hi Ash and thanks for the follow-up inquiry.

I'm certainly glad I could help you out and your gratitude, while certainly not required, is pleasantly appreciated.

The schools will 'see' proof of your involvement in your essays, letters of reference, etc. It is not really necessary to show the documents you earned in India for your participation.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com

www.admissionsconsultants.com/mba/

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

GT_Chris · 09-08-2003, 10:06 PM

Hi David, I was hoping you could let me know my chances of getting into a top MBA program. I have a BS in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech with a 3.2 GPA that increased throughout college (3.4 in major). Some decent extra-curriculars but nothing special. I worked part time during school and also got a lot of internship and co-op experience before graduating.

I will have 3.5 years of work experience for an engineering design and consulting company by 8/04. Although I should have been promoted by now, the down economy has caused a freeze on raises and promotions. I know this will still be a weakness, but there isn't much I can do without switching jobs.

I scored a 750 with a 42 verbal (96%) and 49 quant (91%) on my only try at the GMAT.

I don't have much in the way of post-grad extra curriculars except serving on the board of a professional organization and being the assistant coach on a little league baseball team.

Also, I'm not sure if this will help much but I am the first person in my family to graduate from college and I came from a very poor single parent home. Will the admissions people eat this up or think I'm playing a sympathy card?

Would these credentials have a shot at a top-10 school or should I look further down the list? Thanks for the help.

Coucouille · 09-09-2003, 08:37 AM

Hi David.

I am a French applicant to a master-degree program in Finance/Economics. Actually I study at the Ecole Polytechnique, Paris. I would like to know the importance of Toefl scores (257) and AWA scores (do know yet, still expects 3.5 or 4.0).
I did rather well on the other parts of the GRE (V620, Q800) and have some good reco letters I think. But I fear the other scores might greatly lower my chances to get into a top-20 university.

Thank you!
Christophe

AdmissionsConsultants · 09-09-2003, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by GT_Chris

Hi David, I was hoping you could let me know my chances of getting into a top MBA program. I have a BS in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech with a 3.2 GPA that increased throughout college (3.4 in major). Some decent extra-curriculars but nothing special. I worked part time during school and also got a lot of internship and co-op experience before graduating.

I will have 3.5 years of work experience for an engineering design and consulting company by 8/04. Although I should have been promoted by now, the down economy has caused a freeze on raises and promotions. I know this will still be a weakness, but there isn't much I can do without switching jobs.

I scored a 750 with a 42 verbal (96%) and 49 quant (91%) on my only try at the GMAT.

I don't have much in the way of post-grad extra curriculars except serving on the board of a professional organization and being the assistant coach on a little league baseball team.

Also, I'm not sure if this will help much but I am the first person in my family to graduate from college and I came from a very poor single parent home. Will the admissions people eat this up or think I'm playing a sympathy card?

Would these credentials have a shot at a top-10 school or should I look further down the list? Thanks for the help.

Hi and thanks for your inquiry.

Your academic qualifications are fine. I wouldn’t worry about your grades. If you show an increase in responsibilities at work, your lack of promotion can be largely mitigated. Your extracurriculars are a bit weak and I don’t know enough about you to determine if there is a good ‘wow’ factor in your story. The sympathy card will be there, but it will not carry you too far. Without the ‘wow’ factor, you will not be competitive at a top 10 school.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com

www.admissionsconsultants.com/mba/

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

AdmissionsConsultants · 09-10-2003, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Coucouille

Hi David.

I am a French applicant to a master-degree program in Finance/Economics. Actually I study at the Ecole Polytechnique, Paris. I would like to know the importance of Toefl scores (257) and AWA scores (do know yet, still expects 3.5 or 4.0).
I did rather well on the other parts of the GRE (V620, Q800) and have some good reco letters I think. But I fear the other scores might greatly lower my chances to get into a top-20 university.

Thank you!
Christophe

Hi Christophe and thanks for your inquiry.

Work experience or some other credible way to show your managerial potential, i.e. lots of good organizational experience with extracurriculars, etc. Your grades and GMAT combined will count for no more than 40% of your admission decision.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,

David Petersam
DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com

www.admissionsconsultants.com/mba/

Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

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09-07-2003, 09:52 AM	#33 (permalink)
ash403 Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: India Posts: 8	Hey David! U can call me ash. Thanks so much for helping out. I am an architect from India. I graduated last Oct. from amongst the best Architecture schools in the country. Architecture is a relative field and i dont know how to convert the grades recieved into a GPA. i graduated with a First class. Work Ex: JAn 2003 onwards- Real Estate MNC as a Marketing Manager. November 2001-Jan 2003: Worked 15 months with an Architecture firm. I have my own Life style firm. I have been a free lance fashion Designer and Interior decorator for about 5 yrs. I have a decent network within the industry now. Reasons:I want to pursue an MBA for general Management, entrepreneurship n International Business. I want to come back n start my firm on a much larger scale.I want to go to NYC for an MBA as living in NYC will keep me abreast of the latest fashion n architecture trends.I was looking at Columbia or NYU. CBS has the added advantage of an Architecture school. I am being sponsored. May even get full sponsorship. Extra-Curriculars:I have studied music for almost ten years. I have completed 3 levels of German Language from Goethe Institute. I have done some social work against drug addiction and also helped environment issues. Gmat-660. Quant:47 Verbal :34. Is there any chance i will get thru? Shud i give the gmat again? Please try n find time to assess my chances. Very sorry about the long post.

09-08-2003, 02:46 AM	#34 (permalink)
AdmissionsConsultants TestMagic Guru-in-Training Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 561	Hi Ash and thanks for the inquiry. I see one major weakness in your candidacy for Columbia Business School (CBS). That weakness, unfortunately, is your GMAT score. CBS is not very lenient when it comes to GMAT scores below their median. Furthermore, as an Indian national, you are part of an extremely competitive demographic group. (Sorry!) I like your sponsorship and your rather unique candidacy with the fashion and architecture theme. This will certainly help differentiate you from the more stereotypical IT applicants. I’m rather intrigued by your extracurriculars and your drug addiction work in particular. There may be a good ‘wow’ factor in this. I’m not as sold on the German language skills. They are nice, but plenty of international b-school applicants are multilingual and it’s not the “give something back to society” type of activity that b-schools really like to see in your extracurricular activity list. (In other words, I’m not sold that this is an appropriate theme for you story.) I think you could be competitive if you can boost your score up to the 720 range -- even though this is still below the average for an admitted Indian national given the strengths I have highlighted above. Please note that if you feel you have maxed out your score at the 660 level, don't beat yourself up and continuously retake the exam. It's only worth retaking if you're confident that, with additional study, you can raise your score significantly. Best of luck with your applications! Sincerely, David Petersam DPetersam@admissionsconsultants.com www.admissionsconsultants.com/mba/ Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

09-08-2003, 03:30 PM	#35 (permalink)
ash403 Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: India Posts: 8	Thank You for the prompt reply David. I was completely clueless. I am taking the test again. I really do feel that with more time i can improve my scores. Ive started with the recos and essays too. CBs has asked for two Recos. How do i prove my social work contribution to them.........I have too many things to talk about anyways. How do i prove my designing etc? Most of all thank you Erin for bringing David here.[:X]

09-08-2003, 10:06 PM	#37 (permalink)
GT_Chris Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1	Hi David, I was hoping you could let me know my chances of getting into a top MBA program. I have a BS in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech with a 3.2 GPA that increased throughout college (3.4 in major). Some decent extra-curriculars but nothing special. I worked part time during school and also got a lot of internship and co-op experience before graduating. I will have 3.5 years of work experience for an engineering design and consulting company by 8/04. Although I should have been promoted by now, the down economy has caused a freeze on raises and promotions. I know this will still be a weakness, but there isn't much I can do without switching jobs. I scored a 750 with a 42 verbal (96%) and 49 quant (91%) on my only try at the GMAT. I don't have much in the way of post-grad extra curriculars except serving on the board of a professional organization and being the assistant coach on a little league baseball team. Also, I'm not sure if this will help much but I am the first person in my family to graduate from college and I came from a very poor single parent home. Will the admissions people eat this up or think I'm playing a sympathy card? Would these credentials have a shot at a top-10 school or should I look further down the list? Thanks for the help.

09-09-2003, 08:37 AM	#38 (permalink)
Coucouille Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 10	Hi David. I am a French applicant to a master-degree program in Finance/Economics. Actually I study at the Ecole Polytechnique, Paris. I would like to know the importance of Toefl scores (257) and AWA scores (do know yet, still expects 3.5 or 4.0). I did rather well on the other parts of the GRE (V620, Q800) and have some good reco letters I think. But I fear the other scores might greatly lower my chances to get into a top-20 university. Thank you! Christophe

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