Hi Atul,
Thanks for mentoring aspirants like us.
I am a Comp Engg from a top non IIT engg institute with 15 months of technical work ex(including 9 months overseas) in a Fortune 200 company.
I took GMAT a couple of days ago and got 750.My acads are also fairly decent.(I was consistently among the top 10).
Now since I have less work ex, I would like to work for some time before actually applying. Could you please tell me what can I do during this period to enhance my chances of getting into a good B school?
I have some financial constraints also. Any pointers for that?
I want to settle and work in India only(can consider Asia Pacific also), but I am not averse to the idea of working for a few years in the west and then returning to India. So what will be wise to do: an expensive MBA from a good US school and come to India or study in ISB or NUS and stay here? Frankly speaking, I am very keen for a true global and world class MBA.
Please give your inputs(most importantly what should I do in the next couple of years).
Thanks
Akshay

Hey Akshay,

The average age profile varies from school to school but in ascending order, it would be Asia, the US and Europe i.e. Asian Schools would typically have a lower average age profile. You might want to check what the age for NUS is, to identify the minimum gap. This is not to say that European or US schools arent indulging in cradle snatching these days!

The key differentiators that B Schools look for are:
1. Work Experience-organization worked for, work profile, leadership, progression, international experience, etc.
2. Community service
3. Extra-curricular activities
4. Entre-preneurial initiatives, etc.
5. Language skills

Progression and achievements are more important that job hopping.

Identify areas where you feel you can add value to your profile and work on building them. Many of these can be accomplished in conjunction with your work, so try and make the best of it.

The best solution to solving your problem of financial constraints is to identify local and international sources of scholarships and grants that apply to Indian students. Several schools offer financial resources to international students without any need for a guarantee, although the incidence of such offers is reducing fast.

The best way to seek a global MBA is to look for a student mix that is truly diverse in terms of nationality and/or work experience. With schools in Asia or India this is least likely. Europe by far is the ideal place for someone who is looking to develop an international perspective simply because of the diversity of the student pool. However, in case you would like to work in India it is better that you seek local education because it would be extremely difficult to repay any liabilities that you may take on internationally, from Indian earnings.

Hope this answers your query. Wish you the very best in your academic endeavours.

Atul Monga