Cornell / Johnson - 12-27-2022 | Clear Admit ApplyWire

December 27, 2022 3:44am ET

Applying: Cornell / Johnson, Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU Stern

Intake Year: 2023

Pre-MBA Career: Product Management

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Venture Capital Companies: Bain , BCG , McKinsey , Facebook , Google , Microsoft

GMAT: 640

GPA: 3.70

Years of Work Experience: 4

Location: Toronto

Post MBA Location: New York/Chicago

Notes:

Note: All the programs I am applying to are Tech MBA programs

I am currently a Product Manager in Big Tech (like Salesforce/IBM/Oracle), looking to gain the necessary business skills to round out my profile for executive-level PM roles in Tech. Additionally, if I can transition into VC, I am also open to that. My background is in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo (the most reputed engineering program in Canada) where I graduated with distinction. I have 4 years of work experience - 2 years as a PM and 2 years in consulting with Deloitte. Outside of work, I volunteer with an NGO in India whenever I can travel out there, and I am also involved with social-impact initiatives at work. My GMAT is on the lower side, but it has plateaued after 4 attempts. Currently at Q47 V31.

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Show Comments (6) Last: March 29, 2023

grichmond Verified User. Likes Earned: 1149 Everything about your career to date (and short-term goals) makes good sense here. [Note: I'd skip the 'VC goals' angle for now - or at least keep it to yourself, since the odds of going from a 1-year Tech MBA into VC as a non-banker/PE person are very slim.] Your marks in your undergraduate engineering program seem excellent - especially since you attended a prestigious, rigorous program with limited grade inflation. There are two potential issues with your candidacy, from where I sit: 1. Your GMAT is far below the average at the schools on your target list. For example, Cornell's Tech MBA has an average GMAT of 696, with a mid-80 percent range of 680-720. This puts you in the bottom 10% of those admitted, at best. The other issue here is that your 57th percentile on the math may undermine the story of your quantitatively rigorous undergraduate experience, and your 59th percentile on the verbal could suggest that you aren't a great communicator/may be lacking in soft skills. 2. You mention volunteering in India - are you of Indian descent? Are you a Canadian citizen or Indian national? Either way, if you are Indian (of nationality or heritage), you will fall into the over-represented part of the applicant pool (especially for tech MBAs) and that may make admissions more challenging. I should also add that my suspicion is that the average GMAT score for Indian candidates who make the cut at these programs is likely north of the average, not south. Sorry to be the bearer of potentially difficult news; have you thought about working for another year and doing some extensive tutoring on GMAT so as to apply in R1 next season? Best of luck and thanks for your post!
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shanksab Likes Earned: 1 I am a Canadian citizen and was born and raised in Dubai, UAE. My parents are of Indian descent, but there is nothing Indian about me other than the fact that I have visited and volunteered there. I am well aware that if I were Indian, I wouldn't stand a chance with my current GMAT. Does my volunteering experience in India work against me in this case, as it will give ADCOM the impression that I am connected to India in some shape or form? (1)

grichmond Verified User. Likes Earned: 1149 Great question. I suspect that if your parents are Indian, and you have traveled there extensively, it's going to be hard to not fall (at least partially) into the Indian portion of the applicant pool. But frankly, even if you didn't fall into that bucket, I'd still be nervous about your test score for these target schools. How important is it for you to apply this year, as opposed to next year in R1? Or perhaps both options are possible? (1)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1576 More details on this candidacy in this episode of Wire Taps: https://www.clearadmit.com/2023/01/mba-wire-taps-269/ (0)

shanksab Likes Earned: 1 Hi Graham & Alex - just an update. I am happy to confirm that I got into all 3 schools today with scholarships. I didn’t hide anything about my profile above. Looks the like the GMAT doesn’t matter much at all if you have solid experiences. Thank you for featuring me on MBA Wire Taps :) (0)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1576 That’s really good! Very well done. (0)