Profile Evaluation - Ph.D. in Finance top 20

[PhDinFinance]

Hi guys,

I am currently a senior and will be applying for Fall 2010 admission. I am shooting for a top 20 Ph.D. in Finance Program in the US and I was wondering if I have any chance at all. Below is my profile. Any comments will be appreciated.

Bachelors: A good but not very famous public US college - dual degree with Honors in Mathematics and Finance. GPA: 4.0 Overall
GRE: 800Q 690V 4.0AWA
Math: Intro to Real Analysis, Linear Algebra, Probability, Statistics, Differential Equations, Abstract Algebra and I also did an independent study in Stochastic Calculus.
Finance & Econ: Corporate Finance I&II, Capital Formation, Econometrics, Financial and Economic Forecasting, Intro to Micro and Macro
Research: I co-authored a paper with two finance professors and presented it at a conference at LSE. Currently working on another paper which I am hoping to submit to an average journal.
Teaching: I was a tutor for a semester, although I don't think this is very relevant.
Work Experience: I did two internships and I have also been working as a Research Assistant in the Finance department.
Recommendations: I will have 5 recommendations. 2 Math professors, 2 Finance and the Dean of the Business School. They all know me pretty well and will support my case.
Statement: Average
Concerns: Lack of grad degree, undergrad not from a top university

I know my chances are slim to none but I am applying to the top 20 schools anyway. I would really appreciate your comments and I was also wondering how important is the personal statement?

Cheers!!

[young&ambitious]

I would argue that your Statement of Purpose is one of, if not the most important thing. If you don't have the passion to do this, then why do it? You're going to dedicate nearly half a decade of your life to this. Ya gotta be enthusiastic about it or you won't get through it! Having a general idea of what you would like to do with this degreewould probably be beneficial as well...that's just my two cents. Good luck!

[sah.nilesh]

Folks please help me evaluate my profile too for PhD in Finance:

My GMAT score is 660 and I took my GMAT on 26/09/2008(dd/mm/yyyy).

• Scaled score of 49 in the Quantitative Section.
• Scaled score of 30 in the Verbal Section.
• Analytical score is 5/6.

I have completed my Master of Business Administration (M.B.A) program (Specialization: Finance) at Symbiosis Center for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD). This college is a constituent of Symbiosis International University. It is one of the elite B-Schools in India and is constantly ranked in the top B-Schools of the country.

I have also completed my Bachelors in Technology (B.Tech.) in Electronics and Telecommunication (June 2007) from College of Engineering, Pune. My alma mater is ranked 1st in the state of Maharashtra and is one of the oldest and finest engineering college in India with a legacy of 150+ years.


I have a few Queries regarding my GPA:


For my Graduation Program in Engineering:


Engineering, my GPA was 7.11 on scale of 10. Now, that is First Class in India and which means that it's almost 4 on 4 as per the USA grading system. I would also like you to bring to your notice that one of my batch-mate who is now studying in Duke University in USA had a GPA of 6.89 on 10 and when they converted it it was taken as 3.7 on 4.


For my Post-Graduation Program(MBA):

My MBA GPA is 2.65. But, for MBA the maximum aggregated GPA for my batch of around 200 students is 3.29 on a scale of 4(I also have a letter in this regard from my School).


Also I would like to mention the grading system in INDIA, also at my college(SCMHRD-Symbiosis International University), is completely different from the grading system in USA. The common scale range of 4 is misleading.

Work Experience:

1. Pramod’s Coaching Classes, Mumbai, India.

Employment Details
Dates of Employment : January 2004 to March 2007.
Job Title : Part-Time Teaching Assistant(At a Coaching Class n not a School/University).
Estimated Employees : 20.
Responsibilities : Conducted Lectures and Seminars in Mathematics for:
¨Grade 10 students : Algebra, Geometry and Trigonometry
¨Grades 11 and 12 students : Vectors, Calculus and 3-D Geometry
Average number of Hours worked per week : 12-14 Hrs.

2. Central Bank of India (A Govt. of India Undertaking), Mumbai, India

Employment Details
Dates of Employment : June 2009 till Date.
Job Title : Risk Manager.
Estimated Employees : 35000.
Responsibilities : Placed in the core Research Team for:
¨Development of Tool for Probability of Default (PD), Exposure at Default (EAD) and Loss Given Default (LGD) calculation.
¨Modified Duration Gap Analysis (MDGA) for ALM.
¨BASEL-II Compliance monitoring and adherence.
Average number of Working Hours per week : 50 Hrs.


Internship Details:


HSBC-Global Asset Management, Ahmedabad, India.

The project was on Strategic Management and consisted of mainly two parts:

• Study of mutual fund market in INDIA with focus on HSBC Mutual Funds (Equity products) along with the Competitor analysis.
• Study of the IFA sales and distribution channel and to conduct a market research to find out the requirements and problems of IFA’s with regards to HSBC Mutual Funds (the various financial instruments offered by HSBC investments). Substantiate the research by means of suggesting changes in the existing IFA loyalty program (HSBC Masters).

Certifications / Corporate or Industry Training :

1.Completed the following certifications offered by National Stock Exchange Of India:
·Financial Markets: A Beginners' Module
·Capital Market (Dealers) Module
·AMFI - Mutual Fund (Advisors) Module
2.Completed Six-Sigma Green Belt Certification offered by Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore.
3.Completed a course in Organizational Safety and Health Environment (OSHE).

Research Projects(ONLY AS A PART OF COURSEWORK):

·Impact of American Sub-Prime crisis on Indian Stock Market with emphasis on change of Investor Perception.
·The analysis of financial statements and annual reports of Idea Cellular Limited (A leading GSM operator in India) in order to project its earnings and price of common stock.
·Study of the impact of Foreign Direct Investment on the GDP of India and prediction of the Indian GDP for future.


I have heavy exposure to Mathematics, Quants and Calculus during Engineering as well as MBA.

People, my pool of schools are as follows:

Stockholm School of Economics
University College Dublin
IE Business School
EDHEC
ESSEC
Swiss Finance Institute
University of British Columbia, Sauder
University of Alberta
Univerty of Maryland, Smith
Univerity of Rochester, Simon
University of Wisconsin Maddison
Washington St. Louis
University of Pittsburg, KATZ
Univerity of Missouri
Rutgers University NJ
SFU,USA
SMU,Singapore
NTU,Singapore

Please help me evaluate my chances and also help me to Add/ Delete any schools from my list.