Accgirl

No problem, Simma. I see that you are an Accounting applicant, good luck with everything.

Most universities/business schools are on a break now and hardly anyone will be looking at the applications before the middle of January. Don't worry about it for a few more weeks :)

I thought about this a lot during my applications and decided that the only way out is to list all the programs I am applying toon the form. Frankly, I really didn't want to signal anything and the schools are somewhat aware of the candidates applying to the programs in their ranking set. A phd coordinator in another school was aware that I had gotten an offer even before I let him know that, so I am guessing that (some of) the schools do talk about the candidates.

I think that would tantamount to willfully hiding something. I mean the expectation is that as a serious candidate you probably are applying to a few schools. I would find it odd if someone was only applying to one program (unless there is a compelling personal reason). In any case, there is no justifiable reason to not list the other schools.

Hi Simma, No, none of those things would leave a bad impression on the school or the committee members. In fact, I did the same and accepted my offer after two weeks. I made sure to stay in touch with the Phd coordinator and conveyed my reasons for waiting to accept. Frankly, I have never heard of anyone who accepted asap, unless it's an offer in April. :)

I agree with Xanthus. In my experience, I have never heard of anyone getting in to a program without some form of interview. This could be anything from a full day of 8 interviews to a 10 minute Skype call.

Hi Casechaser, From my experience, most programs conduct interviews before they make a decision. But, I did get a wait list without interviewing. There is some variability in when the schools give out an offer - i.e. After phone/Skype interview or after fly out.

Adding on to YaS' point: Moving also depends on if your program has a math camp of some sort that you need to take before classes. I will say that since you are an international student, the earliest you are allowed to move to the US is 30 days before the program start date, so roughly around the first week of August. :)

It is preferable to have all 3 be from faculty. I don't think most programs consider letters from the industry very favorably. I mean if you have no choice, I would say go for it. But, try to get letters from faculty who can talk about you.

I would ask you to focus on two things to start with: 1. Getting a 720+ GMAT score. The GMAT helps open doors and prevents your application from getting desk rejected. I do think that a really high GMAT score (750+) will help assuage some doubts. 2. Recommendation letters - They play a huge role in helping your application get through. Your letter writers can specifically address the issues you are concerned about and you can supplement it with your personal essay. I would suggest reaching out to your old professors and talking to them about this. You will need 3 letters per school (fir the most part), but it's good to know 4 people so you don't end up burdening the same set of people for every application. Other than the above, see if you can attend an Accounting PhD seminar in a local university. It will help you understand the requirements of a PhD program and help you get to know the faculty/students of that department.

Ideally, they would want a slightly higher score. But, I don't think it's a good use of your time to re-write the GMAT. I didn't have a quant 90% score, but I hoped my application packet would have made up for it.

Just a quick reply about your scores - I don't think you have any need or necessity to take the GRE or retake the GMAT. 760 is a very good score and I would suggest using your time on other application related things :)

Is that in the US? I am only asking to gauge the kind of professors you might have.

Hi Shazaam, We have very similar backgrounds with respect to age (30) , work experience and interest. I would say that there is very little to no problem against a slightly older PhD applicant. While some programs do have more students straight from the under-grad, I think that's just a factor of the application pool. I think when your experience ties in well with your research interest, age becomes irrelevant. I would suggest not wasting time with online quant courses. you could do them out of your own interest and to let the Admissions Commitee know that you are working on something to help with the PhD, but they won't make a significant impact on your candidacy. If you have the time, you could reach out to the Accounting PhD Department in the school nearest to you and ask if you can attend/audit a seminar. That will actually help you a lot and give you the ability to articulate your fit for academia. GMAT - With your geographical limitation and the top programs you are interested in, you have to get your score above 740. I think I got desk rejected in a few places due to the GMAT. I forgot to mention, I will be starting my PhD at a top program this fall.

Hi Maneesh24, Without going into specifics, can you share where and in what you did your undergraduate and graduate studies in?

Hi Frankos, 1. GMAT - I think this is one of the most important elements of your application packet. When do you plan to write it? Have you taken any mock GMAT tests? I would suggest that you aim at a score of atleast 720, if not higher. Don't be in a hurry to take the exam. You have plenty of time to practice and still be on time for the 2017 admissions cycle. 2. Research - What kind of independent studies are these? Will you get some lab experience? It's good that your professors have US PhDs. They may have some contacts here and AdComs pay attention to the backgrounds of your letter writers. Don't worry too much about them not being super well known, there's nothing you can do about it. Can you sit in on some PhD seminars in your University? This will help you tremendously. 3. PhD admissions are very random and competitive. Try to include a mix of schools in your applications. You should look at the PhD students' profiles in the schools you are interested in, this will help you understand how competitive your application will be.

I agree with everything that Xanth and YaS said. A few additional points keeping your situation in mind: 1. Do you have access to your IIM Professors? Try and find out the ones that have a US PhD and get in touch with them. This is very important as you need both research experience and recommendation letters. As most programs need 2 to 3 letters, it may be wise to reach out to the professors whose classes you took and let them know you may need a letter from them. Once you are in a better position to make a decision, you can figure out who to get letters from in your application. Research experience: I know this might be difficult to do full-time, but there are ways to do this on a part time basis. While not ideal, it's the best you can do under the circumstances. Ask your IIM profs if there are any projects you can collaborate on. Ask them for any leads they may have for you. 2. GMAT - Try and get atleast 750. It will help your case a lot. They are going to wonder about your UG GPA, but that's no big deal as most programs are aware of the marking system in India. A high GMAT score will send the signal that you are not weak in Math. 3. Stipend - Most schools pay anywhere from $20k -$31k. The cost of living in the location you select is what will determine how far this stipend will go. I will suggest that you leave this for later. Note - If you choose to come on J1, your wife may be able to work here.

Some suggestions: 1. Read a few published papers to see if the research subject and method interest you. 2. Look at the phd program and department details (including background of current PhD students) at some of the programs that interest you. This will help you analyse how your background fits in.

Hi Rudk, 1. There is no minimum score concept as such. But, it would be advisable to get atleast 700+ (If not higher) to target good programs. I would suggest aiming for atleast a 720 score with an even split between Quant and English. The profile part is not very straight forward. Schools are aware of the Indian education system and don't necessarily insist on direct GPA translations. The school reputation might help a bit in this case. You can private message the school names to me if you want. 2. You will have to target a wide variety of programs in the T-50 range. Probably a few from T20 and so on. Have you looked at the program rankings on the UTD website? 3. Again, this is not so simple, but I will do my best. Admission offers depend to a great extent on a combination of factors - GMAT, Recommendation letters, and research experience. The GMAT part has been addressed in point 1. Reco letters - it's good that you have strong letters. Are your Professors US PhDs? The schools look at letters from their peers (I.e. Professors with US PhDs, professors with published research etc.) more seriously. If possible, try and find out how productive in research your professors have been since they finished their PhDs. Research Experience - This is quite possibly the most important point. Most, if not all, Phd students to top CB programs come with research experience in behavioural labs. A key part of the Phd is conducting research and it's important to show you know what you are getting into. As CB has a serious focus on Psych based research, working as an RA in a research lab helps a lot - you will learn research methodology important to academic CB research. I know ISB has a strong RA program that has helped a lot of Indian Phd aspirants. While it's not all a uphill battle, you need to think about all of the above before you commit.

What are your target schools? I only ask as your GMAT score will be a huge factor in getting you through the first round of the application process. After that, the recommendation letters and other elements of your application packet will come more into focus. I feel that my GMAT score is what kept me from getting the final interviews in a few of my top programs. Others above have told you the same thing, so I won't repeat it. But, a higher GMAT will give you a fighting chance at admission.

Oh, I understand. I have had similar geographical issues that I eventually had to abandon. :( With your geographical limitations, it makes a lot of sense to do as much as you can to get your foot in the door and increase your chances of an offer. Once you decide the concentration, you could do several things to further your cause.

Hi phd2017, What research area in Marketing are you interested in? That is very relevant in determining how the (future) research work with this Professor will help your chances. You have already pointed out that your GMAT score needs to go up. While your target program may say that they need 650+, it is advisable to bump up your score much above that. Your current score might make things a bit complicated for you. I do understand that it is super difficult to increase the score - I somehow got the same score on the GMAT both the times I wrote it. The GMAT works as a signal to the Admissions Committee and a high score will open doors for you. While the under-grad GPA is of concern, there is nothing really you can do to fix it now. The combination of strong recommendation letters, research experience and a high GMAT/MBA GPA might help allay the program's concerns. Is there any reason why you are limiting yourself geographically? I would suggest the following: 1. Plan to rewrite the GMAT. 2. Get involved in more research and speak to the faculty in your program for advice. Also, you will need atleast two (maybe three) strong letters, so try and work with more people in your program. 3. Try and audit PhD level classes in either your school or any other school local to you. This serves many purposes - it will help you understand what PhD coursework is all about, it is something you can talk about with faculty/students, it signals your seriousness.

I think it is more towards 20-30k now. Although, post tax it might be less than that. One more thing, almost all programs cover medical insurance, so that's another cost that will reduce for you during the PHD.

Yeah, I agree with Xanth (We usually are on the same page). I didn't mean to say that you should decide solely on the basis of location. But, there are enough programs to pick from and you could get what you want without compromising on everything that is important to you. :)

Guaranteed funding (given by most programs) mostly does not vary so much. The biggest factor determining how much you will save or spend is the cost of living. I am only aware of the program I am joining and a few of the bigger East coast cities and CA. In NYC and CA, the stipend money will not do much and people usually do end up sharing apartments or living farther from the school. In NC, the stipend is enough to rent your own space, pay for the car and put away a little bit (even if it's just 100$). If this is a major factor for you, I would suggest applying based on the program location. Programs try to be fair and pay a living stipend, but that is unlikely to exceed 30k per annum.