Mr. Inclusive Consultant

Hi there! It’s Stephanie Horn, Master Consultant with the MBA Exchange and recent Poets and Quants “Top 10 Admissions Consultants”. Mr. Inclusive Consultant, you are certainly smart enough to go into a top-tier MBA program, but there are some aspects of your profile that are hard to understand. Nine years of work experience is significantly above average for US business schools — not out of the question, but it makes it more of a challenge. (It is closer to the norm for UK and European schools.) It makes me wonder why you didn’t want an MBA earlier. I’m also concerned that you don’t seem to have had a promotion in 6.5 years — I would think that you would be a Senior Manager or more by this point. I also find your goal confusing. Do you want to work for a firm that specializes in government clients? Do you want to do strategy work or more human resources work? Consulting firms primarily work with businesses who want to become more productive. Creating a more inclusive and better society may be a result of that, but is generally not the core focus of the project. I’ve worked successfully with many “older” candidates (full disclosure — I was an “older” candidate myself when I went to Kellogg!) You will need to clearly explain why you want an MBA, why now is the best time for you to pursue this program, and why Booth is the best school to meet your needs.

Hi, Mr. Inclusive Consultant, this is Julie-Anne Heafey from mbaMission. Let’s start with the positives in your profile: I like your global experience, including your time in the US (that can help when applying to US schools), and the fact that you are working at a top firm. On the “challenge” side, however, Indian applicants to top US schools, particularly those coming from the technology/engineering space, face incredibly steep competition. I worry that your stats (GPA, GMAT) are not high enough order to compete successfully in the M7. Beyond that, you’re applying pretty late in the game for US 2-year programs. Though there are always exceptions, I’d say that once applicants get to the 10 year mark, they tend to be generally a better fit with part time or EMBA programs (once clients look into this kind of thing, they often agree). I’m a little unclear of your target geography and what exactly your goals are describing – but I encourage you to expand your horizons to include other formats (PT, EMBA, mid-career EMBA, 1 year programs) or geographies (Asia, Europe) to get you where you want to be. If you want to maximize your chances at Booth, then retake that GMAT, aiming at a 750+ and refine your goals to show a clear vision – that’s especially important there, where you must build your own path through the curriculum. Good luck!!!

Hi Mr. Inclusive Consultant, this is Donna Bauman, Senior MBA Admissions Counselor with Stratus Admissions weighing in on your profile. On the positive side you bring great work experience with some strong international exposure. The flip side of a positive is that sometimes too much then becomes a negative—not necessarily in real life—but for the purposes of MBA FT Admissions it can become more difficult on the recruiting side when you have more experience than the average MBA student at a school. With your 9 yrs of work you are heading to that upper work amount. If you are open to other options, the weekend or evening MBA program at Booth would give you better odds. Given that Booth says that candidates pop when they demonstrate the success they have had as well as demonstrate self-awareness—I encourage you to highlight your results at work—and with over 6 yrs in your tech firm, Booth will expect big results from you. Also demonstrate self-awareness in why you need the MBA now as opposed to a few year ago. I never count anyone out—so if you truly want to give this the best shot—then consider retaking the GMAT and getting to know the program well by reaching out to current students and club members. I would expand your school list if you are only focused on FT—or better yet also consider some of the excellent weekend and evening MBA programs options available. But I’m rooting for you and you will soon have MBA options if you employ the right strategy. Reach out if you want to discuss further.