Ms. Product Management

Hi, this is Deepak Punwani from MBA Exchange. A tech profile from India isn’t rare but if that tech is related to Data Science, then you are in play. Every school knows that Data Science professionals are in high demand in the industry and an open secret is that post MBA employability is a significant factor in admission decisions. Plus you have a very good GMAT score (assuming its a balanced score) and a computer science degree. If its from BITS or a well known NIT, then chances are adcom may have heard of it and will respect that achievement (especially if you are top 15% in class). I can therefore think of a few other top 10 schools where you could be competitive. Would suggest you also talk about your life outside work. Right now it seems you only “write code, drink coffee, rinse and repeat” :). While that may appeal to a typical Series A/B funded start up in India, adcoms are looking at life beyond code too ! (unfortunately). Let this not be the bug in the program of your future life. Talk about who you are as a person and other pursuits that interest you, in your applications. Good luck.

Hi Ms. Product Management, Jen Kedrowski here from mbaMission. As a strong female data science/data analytics applicant with a respectable GMAT score and promotions at work recognizing your professional achievements, I would be cautiously optimistic of your being considered at UCLA. That said the info here is somewhat limited, so the more leadership examples you have, in and outside of work, the more that will help your case. In your application, my recommendation is that you do brainstorm to identify, and try to showcase in your essays, those examples of leadership, as well as anecdotes that focus on the interpersonal skills you have, and ability to work well with others, complementing your purely analytical skills which will already be apparent. I also don’t know from the info here what time of year you are considering applying, but Round 1 would be most ideal if feasible. To share and discuss more with us, feel free to click the ‘free consultation’ link under this post any time if desired, and good luck!

Hi, Melisa here from Stratus Admissions. The business side of you is a good sell: female, computer science, good promotions, good GMAT score. You are going to want to show the extracurricular side of you too. I’d love to hear more about your hackathon and coding competitions. Were these team or individual based? How have you been involved in innovation within your analytics team? Can you highlight times you have worked on and driven results within a team. It will be important through your resume and essays that you highlight these result in a non-technical way. Straddling the engineering and business worlds, I enjoy working with clients to ensure their stories can sell their achievements to non-technical audiences. Programs will took at your past involvement as an indication as to how you will be involved during your time at school – and so much learning happens outside of the classroom in an MBA program. Your data analytics is something that you could add to any b-school project team – think about what you will bring to the class. While I think UCLA is a great target for you, it is always a dangerous strategy to only apply to one school. Consider looking at other schools that will value your strong analytical, coding and technical background while helping you move towards product management – Tepper and Foster jump to mind – you could also consider the Tech MBA’s from Cornell or Stern which would put you at the heart of NYC.