Psychtrepreneur

Congratulations! So you are the other poster on GradCafe? I got my acceptance today as well.

Things are finally moving. University of Maryland (Smith) has sent out interview invites for OB/HRM. (From GradCafe) I got an interview invite from ESSEC on Friday.

Damn, that's a bummer. Well, it felt good for a while at-least.

I received an email invitation to apply from HBS for their doctoral program (I believe using data from my GRE profile). This is a random mailer blast to anyone who scored above a certain score on the GRE isn't it? I wanted to apply for Harvard, but decided against it because I felt like I would not have a chance despite research fit. Now, I am struggling against spending $105 for the application. Someone please tell me what I can make of that email.

Thank you! My LoR writers are pretty well known in the UK/Europe - I don't know how well known they are across the pond though. I am planning on applying all over this year, with good mix across rankings and countries. Let's see what happens!

GRE: 154Q 162V 4.5AWA (The scores are from Oct. 2016, I'm retaking the GRE in August to see if I can improve my scores). Undergrad: B.A. Sociology. 6.48/First Class (WES tells me that this is equivalent to a 3.23/4.00). Top 5 college for Arts & Science in India. Graduate: MSc. Work and Organisational Psychology. 66%/Merit (WES tells me that this is equivalent to 3.60/4.00). University is in the Russell Group, ranked 13th in the UK and 75th in the world (QS, 2017). Distinction achieved on Masters dissertation (4.00), dissertation area - entrepreneurship. Other Educational Experiences: PG Certification in Human Resource Management. Lean Six Sigma (Green Belt). Certification in Business Analytics from a top-30 b-school in India. Research Experience - NA (Does dissertation count?) Teaching Experience - NA Professional Experience: Multiple leadership roles (National & International) with a voluntary organisation. 1 year work experience in Human Capital & OD at one of the largest private employers in the world. 1 year entrepreneurial experience. 3 month start-up work experience (current). Multiple internships ranging from established multi-national firms to boutique consultancies. Concentration Applying To: This is where it gets a bit more complicated. The area i'm interested in exploring is entrepreneurial/new-venture teams, and faculty exploring this area are split up between OB, Entrepreneurship and Management. My research interests are inherently multi-disciplinary. Therefore, I believe I have to apply to different concentrations at different universities based on which area the faculty of interest are listed under - is this the right approach? Schools Applying To: 20-25 Dream Schools: Carlson, Minnesota; Kelley, Indiana; Darden - Virginia; INSEAD; Leeds - Boulder. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Other Information: 2017 Application Cycle Results I had applied to - INSEAD (Singapore), University of California - Berkeley (Haas), Indiana University - Bloomington (Kelley), University of Colorado - Boulder (Leeds), University of Minnesota -TC (Carlson), University of Iowa (Tippie), Syracuse University (Whitman), Northwestern University (Kellogg). No interviews, or waitlists - a complete wash-out. :sorrow: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I am currently preparing for the GRE and TOEFL again because my IELTS (8.5/9) expires on the 30th of May. I believe my low quant score on the GRE (55th percentile) could have been a factor for the rejections. Furthermore, I am working on a few research papers (1 as first author, 2 as second), and have a prospective conference paper being presented in September. I believe that these are the only things I can do to improve my applications at this point. However, I have 4 questions more which I have no idea about 1. Is the specificity of my research interests are hampering my application prospects? 2. Are my low undergrad scores ruling me out of contention? 3. I did not contact any faculty during the application process, should I reach out to the faculty of interest and find out if they are planning on taking on students so that I can decide whether to apply or not? 4. I am planning on expanding my application pool, and adding more areas of interest after my new GRE scores are in. This is because I want to be able to gauge which programs (apart from my dream ones) are realistic, and tailor my applications/research interests to faculty associated with those programs. Can this be considered a wise course of action? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thanks in advance for the help guys!