Profile Evaluation : Strategy 2018

[stratecophd]

Test Scores:

GMAT: 770

CAT 2013: 99.91 percentile in 175,000 students

 

Undegrad GPA:

• Studied at a top 15 engineering college in India (around 98.2 percentile in the entrance test)
  
• B.Tech in Biotechnology (GPA- 6.51/10), 3rd quartile in terms of ranking in class
  
• Have taken courses in Advanced calculus, Linear Algebra, Numerical methods, Statistics and probability, and Economics
  
• Grades in mathematics related subjects are average to bad, cleared all exams in first attempt though
  

 

Graduate GPA:

• MBA from a top 5 business school in India, in a major Indian university
  
• 65.03 % marks (first division, second quartile in ranking in class)
  
• Have taken courses on Strategy, Finance, and Micro and Macro economics
  
• Grades in Strategy and Economics subjects are above average.
  
• Additionaly, I cleared the CFA level 1 exam and the FRM level 2 exam.
  

 

Research Experience:

None, other than the masters dissertation.

 

Teaching Experience:

None

 

Concentration applying to:

Strategy, Strategy and Microeconomics, and Strategy and Entrepreneurship

 

 

Work Experience:

One year as a Management Consultant in a Big4 in India. Have worked two strategy and one operations and tax related project.

 

Number of programs planned to apply to: Not more than 4-5 (Most likely Kelogg, Insead, Judge, Columbia, and LBS

 

Dream Schools: Kellogg, Insead, Cambridge Judge

 

What made you want to pursue a PhD?

I've always dreamed of working in academia, and am an academically oriented person, even though my grades would suggest otherwise. Having worked in management consulting for a year, I've become familiar with how impactful business strategy decisions can be. I'm fairly certain I don't want to continue in management consulting, and the idea of academic freedom looks extremely appealing. Also, a friend recently got into Oxford on a Rhodes, and have heard great things from him about the PhD program. I really really like microeconomics but I realise that it'll be impossible for me to get into a proper Econ PhD at this point, so strategy is the closest thing to that. Ideally I'd want to work on a topic where sound knowledge of microeconomics is required.

 

The problem is that I don't have a great idea about the subject of strategy, or any idea about what my research proposal will be. For this, I'm studying strategy textbooks and also microeconomics text books. I plan to finish this by July end, after which I'll start reading research papers and start working on my research proposal.

 

Questions or concerns you have about your profile?

1. Do my bad grades basically kill my chances of a top notch PhD? Will my GMAT and CAT scores compensate for bad grades?

 

2. My dissertation during the masters is fairly weak. Would I need to provide the full length text of my dissertation during the application process? I will of course read up on the content of the dissertation in case I'm questioned on it during the interview.

 

3. I'm fairly strong at math, though again the grades may suggest otherwise, any way to highlight this? (My scores in GMAT and CAT for the quantitative section are great)

 

4. Are the applicants expected to be experts in their chosen field? For example, would someone applying to Strategy be expected to have a sound knowledge of the new and old theories and topics being currently researched in this field.

 

5. I'm a novice. I have no idea how the applications work. Should I approach my professors and see what they say?

[tutonic]

I can only chip in with regards to the math question. You definitely do not stand a good chance at the programmes listed. A solid GMAT score (like yours) serves to reinforce your mathematical prowess demonstrated during your time as an undergrad or grad student. It can't be used as a substitute.

 

I'd suggest you revise your expectations of the programmes you can realistically get into, simply because these top programmes get a lot of applicants, so you can't afford to slip up in any area, given that there are very limited spots available and you don't have anything unique (like extensive RA experience) in your profile that nudges them to pick you, over another candidate with good grades + good GMAT. The best guage of your competitiveness is to speak to your professors. They will be more familiar with the admissions process, although they'll expect you to do your due diligence before approaching them.

[Bizz]

The GMAT tests more basic math skills than the courses you took at university. If you say you did not do well in your math courses consistently throughout the years, you may struggle in the courses required for a strategy PhD program.

 

I agree that you are applying to too few programs, and are too top-heavy in terms of rank. Is there a specific reason you can only apply to a few? Is the research at those universities a good fit for your interests?

 

No, applicants aren't expected to be experts in their field. Having foundational knowledge through relevant coursework is expected, and if you've written term papers or a thesis on a related topic, that is especially good experience. I also recommend reading some recent articles by faculty members you'd like to work with at the institutions you apply to. This will help you determine whether you find the work interesting, and gives you something to talk about in an interview to show some understanding of the topics you want to pursue. Basically, you need to have a good reason for wanting a PhD in strategy at University X, so understanding what research in strategy entails and determining some topics you're interested in will be important.

 

I don't believe any of my business management applications required a writing sample, although they all had an option to upload additional materials (I submitted my honors thesis from undergrad to all of them). If you believe your thesis demonstrates quality thought and writing, it wouldn't hurt to include it. Get feedback from your professors first to see if it represents the type of work a PhD program is looking for (e.g., does it strengthen your application, weaken it, or neither?).

 

Definitely talk with your professors to see where previous students from your university have gone for their PhDs, and what range of schools might be a good fit for your profile. Then find programs with research that aligns with your interests.

 

I've been admitted to an OB program, so I have not directly applied to any strategy programs, but my impression has been that these expectations are fairly similar between the specialties in business management.

[freefour]

Check http://mitsloan.mit.edu/uploadedfiles/phd-guide.pdf Edited April 16, 2017 by freefour

[YaSvoboden]

My big concern for you is that you don't seem to understand business academia, or strategy in particular well at all. You are looking at strategy as a kind of consolation prize instead of econ. Your school selection worries me as well.

 

Basically, you seem uninformed about a PhD, so your decision don't make much sense so far.

 

The good news is that you seem to recognize the problems that I have pointed out, you are reading books and literature, you have come here to ask for help and will hopefully ask professors as well. We were all uninformed at some point. Just be prepared to have your current expectations shift dramatically.

 

Business academia is a good lifestyle, but it is still very busy, stressful, and high-pressure. Is your friend at Oxford in the strategy department? If not, their opinion on the PhD there doesn't mean much. I haven't heard of Rhodes scholars in the business school.

 

You say that you like thinking of things in a micro-econ type framework. This is good. I am in accounting and that is the framing we have around most of our questions. Finance can do the same, so can strategy and marketing / logistics. Econ has had influence outside of the business school as well, but I think you want to focus inside the business school and strategy makes sense given your background. The important thing for you is to figure out what kind of questions are answered in Strategy departments and see if those appeal to you. Try to get an understanding of the major branches of research and see what appeals to you. Your school selection will fall out of this process and it should be more like 10-20 schools.

 

Your questions:

1. Bad grades hurt. Good scores help. At top programs your really need both. There are plenty of good programs that can lead to a nice career in academia that could overlook low grades if the rest of your application is great. Admission rates are between about 2-10% throughout business academia, so you can't have too many problems.

 

2. Most students in business schools don't come in with real research experience. You will have the option of uploading your dissertation and it is probably fine to do so. It won't get an extremely close look. Demonstrating an understanding of the literature in your statement of purpose will be more important.

 

3. I'm sure you are decent at math and your test scores are nice. Unfortunately for you, there are lots of Indians that are great at math with ridiculous test scores (Also Chinese, American, etc.). Test scores will help, but they don't completely make up for poor math grades. You could consider a master's in econ or stats before a PhD.

 

4. You are expected to have a certain amount of knowledge coming into the field and have an understanding of what it means to do research in the field. Having a decent MBA and working in consulting should give you a respectable base for strategy. Again, look into strategy research and talk to professors.

 

5. Yes. Talk to professors.

 

Other:

 

You mention a research proposal. I don't think it is standard to go into strategy PhDs with a research proposal. You should outline what your goals are with a PhD, why strategy, why this school.

 

I mentioned a master's in stats or econ. I think these would be useful, but you would definitely want to run it by a few strategy professors first. It is a costly option, but could help with your concerns about quantitative ability and grades and put you in an academic environment with access to professors that could really guide you through the application process and give you a better understanding of research.

 

Finally, it is good that you are asking questions about this process. Keep it up and you will be able to have a better understanding of what you want to do and how to get there.

[BrazilianPhD]

1 - Maybe saying bad grades will kill your chances is too extreme. But then, I don't know what you're calling "top notch PhD". You should care more about things like research fit than ranking, for example. Then, you could find an extremely good fit (so, a top notch PhD) in a lower ranked school (usually with lower competition).

 

2. Even when there is the option to attach a dissertation, they usually ask for a shorter version if it is too long.

 

If it is weak but it is at least related to your reseach interest or concentration, I'd say you should include it. For their standards, almost every master's dissertation they see are weak (if it was so strong, you wouldn't need a PhD). I don't think my dissertation was so weak, but really I can't say it's the greatest either. But I used it to prove my research interests, talk about the research process I used and compare to a professor's research during my interview, for example.

 

3. You said you're fairly strong at math. Ok, I can believe that. I also consider myself strong in math. But strong when compared to the average joe. But do I consider myself strong when compared to all those Asian applicants with great grades in math and perfect quantitative scores in Gmat? No way.

 

With bad grades, I don't think it will be easy to sell the idea that you are as good as those guys. Maybe if you have some great achievements in Mat, like being a champion in international competitions of mathematics. Then, you can include that in your statement of purpose. But if there is no great achievement like that, explanations may be viewed as excuses.

 

4. No, you don't need to be an expert. But of course you should have some understanding. Otherwise, how could you explain you are interested in researching something you know nothing about? If you were really interested, you'd have studied it somehow.

 

5. Yeah, talking with professors you trust is a great idea. About how the application works, maybe my blog can help you to start:

My Guide to Apply to a PhD.

[stratecophd]

So I had a look at my maths grades again, and they're not "average to bad", they're slightly better, I'd call them "average". I've also revisited my university preferences, and now I'm aiming a bit lower.

[stratecophd]

3. Well man what can I say, I like to think I'm right up there with people with great academic scores in Maths, despite my scores being average. I scored very high marks in maths in the IIT-JEE exam, which is known to be extremely difficult. I'm generally very competitive at objective exams, so maybe its that.

 

As it is, I'm thinking of applying to research masters programs, those seem like easier to get into, and I've found some which would let me do research in economics despite not having an economics degree (they do require economics, maths, management or finance credits though).

 

Do you have any information on research masters programs in Europe?

[stratecophd]

Do you think a research masters in strategy/economics would help? Are they easier to get into? I'm thinking of applying to research masters programs instead of PhD program directly.

[BrazilianPhD]

Do you think a research masters in strategy/economics would help? Are they easier to get into? I'm thinking of applying to research masters programs instead of PhD program directly.

 

It's usually much easier to be accepted to a masters program.

 

I'm from Brazil, so my experience may be very different from other people here, I don't know. But, for me, doing a masters really helped me in a lot of ways. It was there that I came to understand about research, that I was able to get some experience with research, which led to paper presentation and professors willing to help and advise me in my plans to go for a PhD abroad. I don't think I'd be ready for a PhD without my masters.

[BrazilianPhD]

3. Well man what can I say, I like to think I'm right up there with people with great academic scores in Maths, despite my scores being average. I scored very high marks in maths in the IIT-JEE exam, which is known to be extremely difficult. I'm generally very competitive at objective exams, so maybe its that.

 

Well, if you are that strong, how do you explain that your math grades are just average? Because that's what you would need to do, and in a very convincing way. Otherwise, I think you should just accept that your grades can and should be viewed as a weakness in your application.

 

By the way, I also have some critical weaknesses. During my interviews, it was very clear that I don't have the programming skills that they required. And I was accepted anyway. So, sometimes it may be better to show how do you deal with your weaknesses than to try to explain or cover them. It will be the same with your research.

 

Your grades and scores should speak by themselves, instead of requiring explanations. By the way, you write that your GMAT score in the quantitative section is great. You should tell us what exactly you scored, and then we can evaluate it better. Because it's hard to know what you mean by "great", it's very subjective. My GMAT quant score is 49. Some would say that is a great score, when it actually wouldn't be if I was aiming only for the very top schools.

[Musical]

Hi all,

 

I am planning to apply to PhD programs in Management (Strategy track) at some of the reputed Business Schools in US and Singapore. My Profile is as below:

 

GMAT Score : 760/800 (99 Percentile - Highest Percentile Bracket across all Test Takers) - Q 51, V 42, AWA 6/6, IR 7/8

 

Undergrad Background: BE (Computer Science Engineering) from a Top 10 School in India with an above average performance (75% Marks)

 

Masters Degree: MBA from one of the Top Business Schools in Asia and the only Triple Accredited (AACSB, EQUIS & AMBA) School in India with Average Performance (CGPA - 6/9); CAT Percentile- 99.71 among 200,000 candidates

 

Research Experience : 3 years (2 Research Papers under peer-review in International Journals, B and C category as per ABDC categorisation; plus 4 research papers presented at prestigious refereed International Conferences at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, Bocconi University in Milan, Stockholm University and Amsterdam Business School

 

Teaching Experience : 7 years at MBA level at a Top 100 Business School in India; Designed and taught courses like Business Sustainability and Policy, Organizational Communication etc. in the MBA program; Taught courses like Managerial Communication in 25+ Management Development programs for Middle level Managers

 

Consulting Experience : 6 years as Business School Faculty, worked very closely with the Govt. on a variety of assignments like Baseline Studies, Monitoring & Evaluation, Impact Assessment etc.

 

Corporate Experience : 2+ years in Business Development at a NASDAQ 100 Company in India.

 

Research Interests: Business, Government and Society, Business and Public Policy, Institutional Theory, Corporate Governance, Emerging Markets, Corporate Social Responsibility

 

Schools planning to apply to: Harvard, Wharton, MIT Sloan, Ross, INSEAD, Fuqua, Haas, Smith, LBS, NUS, SMU, Nanyang

 

Dream Schools: Harvard, INSEAD, Wharton

 

My Questions:

 

1. Since I'm considering applying to very prestigious schools in the US, will it be a good idea to consider applying to more realistic and safe schools also based on the profile info I have shared?

 

2. Since I'll be moving with my family (spouse and 2-year old daughter), will the stipend suffice for the family of three? Any suggestions of prestigious schools that have a reputation of being more family-friendly and / or located in places with a lower cost of living? I know that Singapore is quite expensive so I need to consider this while applying to schools there!

 

~cheers!

[BrazilianPhD]

Very nice profile, specially research experience. Are those papers related to the concentration you'll be applying to?

 

I think you should tell us in a better way what exactly are your research interests. Too many things, too broad definitions. It just looks that you are interested in everything and anything, and that's not good.

 

To your questions:

1 - It is very, very hard to know what is a "realistic and safe school" when applying to a PhD. You might be a perfect fit for a very "prestigious" school, and be an awful fit for a "not-so-prestigious" school, for example. A lower school may love you, but not have a professor available for your research interests or enough money. Lots of applicants do not get accepted by the schools they considered safe, and instead got offers from unexpected schools. You never know.

 

So, I always suggest to apply widely, if you can. But applying widely does not mean shooting blindly. I may be wrong, but it seems you made your list based on famous schools. Not based on specific research fit or productivity.

 

I should add that probably there are several schools with an extremely high level of prestige for PhD which are not as famous as the ones you listed. People tend to erroneously think that schools like Harvard and MIT are always the best, but for specific concentrations there may be several schools ahead, including some that maybe you never heard about.

 

Also you shouldn't apply to a "realistic and safe" school which does not interest you at all.

 

2 - From what I've seen during my applications, for most good schools in the US the value of the stipend is usually very close to the estimated cost of living for 1 person in the city the school is located. Harvard has a very high stipend, but is also located in a city with a very high cost of living. Washington University in St. Louis has a much lower stipend, but also a much lower cost of living.

 

I will start my PhD at the University of Houston. It has one of the best stipend / cost of living relationships I found. But, even so, there are people I talked to that do not consider the stipend enough (including people living alone in Houston). I will go alone, and I really think the stipend will be enough for me. But the neighborhood I'll be living is not among the best ones, and I'll try to live without a car, for example.

 

So, it may be possible for a family of three to live with a stipend, but it is probably going to be very hard. Living conditions will not be the greatest, you will have to keep saving as much as possible. Your visa probably will not allow another job for you or your wife, so you can expect no additional source of income.

[PobleNou]

Assuming you are from an IIM, with your great scores and research experience, I think you will do very well.

 

Insead stipends are good with respect to cost of living (Fontainbleau). Your spouse can work if you join LBS, so that would help with the cost of living. Toronto (Rotman) is a great school and Toronto is a good city from a family perspective. From an US perspective, small cities like Ann Arbor and Durham are good from a cost of living perspective. Given your profile, you are in a good position to negotiate, especially if the schools want you to accept an offer early.

 

If I were you, I would be bullish and concentrate heavily on top 10, some schools schools in 10 to 20 and couple of safety schools in 20 to 30 range. Given you have already presented at Bocconi, why not apply there as they are very well respected and highly ranked in strategy?

 

Hi all,

 

I am planning to apply to PhD programs in Management (Strategy track) at some of the reputed Business Schools in US and Singapore. My Profile is as below:

 

GMAT Score : 760/800 (99 Percentile - Highest Percentile Bracket across all Test Takers) - Q 51, V 42, AWA 6/6, IR 7/8

 

Undergrad Background: BE (Computer Science Engineering) from a Top 10 School in India with an above average performance (75% Marks)

 

Masters Degree: MBA from one of the Top Business Schools in Asia and the only Triple Accredited (AACSB, EQUIS & AMBA) School in India with Average Performance (CGPA - 6/9); CAT Percentile- 99.71 among 200,000 candidates

 

Research Experience : 3 years (2 Research Papers under peer-review in International Journals, B and C category as per ABDC categorisation; plus 4 research papers presented at prestigious refereed International Conferences at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, Bocconi University in Milan, Stockholm University and Amsterdam Business School

 

Teaching Experience : 7 years at MBA level at a Top 100 Business School in India; Designed and taught courses like Business Sustainability and Policy, Organizational Communication etc. in the MBA program; Taught courses like Managerial Communication in 25+ Management Development programs for Middle level Managers

 

Consulting Experience : 6 years as Business School Faculty, worked very closely with the Govt. on a variety of assignments like Baseline Studies, Monitoring & Evaluation, Impact Assessment etc.

 

Corporate Experience : 2+ years in Business Development at a NASDAQ 100 Company in India.

 

Research Interests: Business, Government and Society, Business and Public Policy, Institutional Theory, Corporate Governance, Emerging Markets, Corporate Social Responsibility

 

Schools planning to apply to: Harvard, Wharton, MIT Sloan, Ross, INSEAD, Fuqua, Haas, Smith, LBS, NUS, SMU, Nanyang

 

Dream Schools: Harvard, INSEAD, Wharton

 

My Questions:

 

1. Since I'm considering applying to very prestigious schools in the US, will it be a good idea to consider applying to more realistic and safe schools also based on the profile info I have shared?

 

2. Since I'll be moving with my family (spouse and 2-year old daughter), will the stipend suffice for the family of three? Any suggestions of prestigious schools that have a reputation of being more family-friendly and / or located in places with a lower cost of living? I know that Singapore is quite expensive so I need to consider this while applying to schools there!

 

~cheers!