hardwork4harvard 08-17-2006, 03:08 AM Hi,
I know its difficult to say anything regarding an individuals' chances to get admission to a top MBA School, however I would like to get a fair idea about what my chances are at Harvard, the only school I am currently considering. I am giving below a brief summary and open to questions if any:
I have 9 years of work experience, unconventional... Began my career in the Oil industry after my undergraduation in Engineering. Spent two years there and then decided to move into the burgeoning IT industry in Bangalore, India. Had a career break for almost a year ( during the period prepared and for GRE and took a few courses in Software Programming) and subsequently started working for relatively smaller IT firms. A year and half later, I moved to a large multinational firm where I progressed fairly and spend a good 5-1/2 years. Primarily based in Bangalore, I have had the opportunity to work in the USA for almost 2 years and also in Europe for about an year. Currently am working for an IT company ( in the Top 5 in India ) in a Management position. All of this adds upto 7 years in IT industry.
I would like to see myself independent in the future and indulge in projects such as - starting a business, producing a hard rock album and directing a full length feature film. This is due to my varied interests. Though its not practical, I am only considering Harvard because of their teaching methodology and the stress they give on handling real business problems on the face. I believe unless you swim with the sharks you wouldnt know how to escape a blood-thirsty one. I havent done enough research till now as to which college would give me more practical knowledge and if possible none or extremely low theoretical. I really dont see myself pouring into books most of the time during this course. Also any college where I can indulge in other interests like music and movies. If you feel there are some others which would fit me more please let me know.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post and would highly appreciate any kind of inputs/feedback/suggestions.
Icemastr 08-17-2006, 02:25 PM Little of what you stated is anything that would be considered for admissions to an MBA program. In order to give you even a rough estimate of your chances you need to let us know what school you did your undergraduate degree at, what was your GPA, your GMAT scores, what your positions have been, your promotions up through the company, and how many people you may have managed and your responsibilities.
Saying you worked for a top 5 IT company in India is meaning less to me. I have worked for Exxon-Mobil so I can say I worked for the #1 oil company in the world. Whether I was a regional sales manager or an intern could make a pretty big difference. Where you worked isn't as important as what you did there, how you were a leader, your promotions in the company, and what set you apart from your peers. Your multicultural experience and diversity could be a big plus for you.
In order to be an average applicant you will need to have a GPA of 3.5 and a GMAT score around 700 just to be average.
If you want to run your own business and do many different things in life Harvard may not be the best fit for you. Honestly I think you would be better off applying to a school for an entrepenuerial program. Harvard is a lot of money to go off and do your own thing when you could make great contacts and get a high quality education somewhere else for much less.
An MBA at a top school isn't for the faint of heart. Guaranteed there will be a lot of reading, studying, and problem solving in addition to working with groups. Try doing some research on schools and their programs and measure up what ones are where you live or want to live, what companies hire from there, can you afford the expense, and the programs based upon what you are after. Good luck with your admissions.
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