PrancingNarwhal
PrancingNarwhal

MBA Profile Evaluation and PM Career

Me: APM with almost 2 years of experience looking to do an MBA to fast track my career.

Post-MBA roles:

  • Product Management
  • Strategy Roles
  • Program/Project Management
  • General Management
  • Other similar roles

Long term goal: To stay in India; fine with working 2-3 years abroad.

Query 1: Considering an average profile with 9/8/8 in high school/intermediate/college, tier-1 undergrad and 2 years work-ex at a start-up. Do I have a chance to bag an MBA admit from the following with little scholarship:

  • LBS
  • Insead
  • HEC Paris
  • Oxford
  • Cambridge
  • SDA Bocconi
  • NUS Singapore
  • IESE
  • ISB

I'm targeting 1 year programs only for cost purposes, hence the US is out of the picture. Feel free to suggest good 1 yr US programs

Query 2: How much GMAT is required for my profile to get into these schools?

Query 3: Are 2 year IIM Programs more advisable for me and should I leave abroad colleges altogether. At the maximum, I can't wait more than 3 years of work-ex at the time of applying due to personal reasons.

Please guide me🙏🙏🙏🙏

10mo ago
FluffyCupcake
FluffyCupcake
Amazon10mo

My opinion -

Q1 - If your long term goal is to be in India, prefer institutions within india. Reason - You won’t be able to build network, an imp component of any MBA program. I know someone who went Dublin and struggling even to get references back home. Adding A/B/C will help

Q2 - Target 720, you will land at a better place. GMAT is just a barrier, not the deciding criteria.

Q3- 2 years would be good considering your constraints and long term goals. If you can extend 1 more year, you’ll be eligible for IIMs 1 yr MBAs.

Overall - It’s my strong opinion that if you are targeting foreign MBAs, value derivation will happen only if you plan to stay, work abroad for few years. Financial burdens will be less plus you will something worthwhile to show. See the privilege of “foreign-returned” is slowly reducing in india as global roles are getting created here as well.

PrancingNarwhal
PrancingNarwhal
PayTM10mo

Thanks for such a detailed and elaborate response

TwirlyWaffle
TwirlyWaffle

Ohh yeah foreign return tech guys are still valued if they have worked on core and great product.. same cant be said for executive as there is so much local context .. etc which u can only learn been in the field . Many have failed as well so its happening less unless ur company has an india office too then its lot simplified

JazzyDumpling
JazzyDumpling

Oxford 25 admit here. Female. Took me 6 years to complete engineering from an average engineering school bcos of family situation. Here is my 2 cent:

  1. Have a great work experience with leadership in it. I worked for 6 years 4 of which were in hype fintechs building teams, launching and scaling products to a million userbase.
  2. GMAT needs to be 740 or GRE 326+ especially for male candidate.
  3. Scholarships are hard to secure with the current job climate. Oxford is giving out scholarships primarily to social impact or economically disadvantaged folks. I Havent received one.
  4. If ROI is your biggest metric go for ISB skip 2 year MBAs in India
DancingHamster
DancingHamster

ISB is the worst possible ROI options in India. Even NUS Singapore beats it on ROI numbers, and its easier to get into.

MagicalDonut
MagicalDonut

@AgileSinging Why does ISB have the worst possible ROI? I've only heard good things about it especially for 1 year programs.

FluffyCoconut
FluffyCoconut
Flyfin10mo

Thanks for asking this bro. Even i am having same queries. Can we connect? Even i wanna ask somethings.

MagicalDonut
MagicalDonut

Same here!!!

PrancingNarwhal
PrancingNarwhal
PayTM10mo

Sure bro. DMs requires grapes, so can you post your query here itself?, it's anyways anonymous

WigglyBagel
WigglyBagel
Student10mo

Go only for BLACKIM in IIMs. I would suggest go for ISB

BubblyTaco
BubblyTaco

What’s the M in BLACKIM?

PrancingNarwhal
PrancingNarwhal
PayTM10mo

FMS and XLRI too right?
Through M s/he is referring to IIM Mumbai

MagicalDonut
MagicalDonut

Would like to understand from folks here on this thread that according to them which MBA colleges have the best alumni network both Indian and global?!!

PrancingNarwhal
PrancingNarwhal
PayTM10mo

Very valid question

PrancingNarwhal
PrancingNarwhal
PayTM10mo

I think the question can be divided into 2 parts:

  1. Best alumni and prestige of Indian and abroad colleges in India, relative to one another.
  2. Best alumni and prestige of Indian colleges in abroad.
BouncyHamster
BouncyHamster

You are better off targeting Indian schools given your preference to move back to India and the fact that you have a limited experience. If you are a male engineer, your application will have to have something that is quite strong (GMAT 760/780 does not hurt though it might just be another bullet point at best).
I will recommend a 2 year international MBA at IESE or the likes only after you have had 4 years of work experience, i.e. you can relate to the case studies being discussed given your experiences in the work setting. It will be more valuable than joining right now when you might not completely appreciate the depths of the cases being discussed.

MagicalDonut
MagicalDonut

Is it different for Female applicants?

PrancingNarwhal
PrancingNarwhal
PayTM10mo

Got it. Is it also difficult to get jobs after an MBA with less than 3 yrs experience in Europe? Also, any opinion on doing a 2 yr program from an IIM vs ISB?

BubblyTaco
BubblyTaco

Masters Union also has a 1 year programme

PrancingNarwhal
PrancingNarwhal
PayTM10mo

MU doesn't carry any brand/tag so will not consider it. Imo brand is really important for a b school. Had it been affiliated to some know institute, then it would have been ok.

BubblyTaco
BubblyTaco

But in my opinion it is marketing itself very well. It has an innovative entrance process, is a one year course and has good exchange programmes with other foreign universities. It also said that the average placement base salary is more than their fees.

I think it is new now but could potentially have great brand value in a few more years when enough of their alumni have graduated!

TwirlyWaffle
TwirlyWaffle

Your first preference should be indian institute .. if dnt make maybe those who have international campus in Singapore that will give u some international exposure but yet be relevant in indian context.. just ask urslf how many pm or staregy heads you see in the company you aspire to be from these foreign mba college listed above . Basic swot analysis will lay it out for you .

PrancingNarwhal
PrancingNarwhal
PayTM10mo

Understood Does msft hire PMs from Indian B-schools in good numbers? Or is it easier to get the same role abroad in EU or Singapore.

Just asking your experience here

TwirlyWaffle
TwirlyWaffle

They hire but not in good numbers. Lateral hiring is more also growth beyond pm2 level has become tough.. they snipped many gpm who were there since the Microsoft teams was build ..idea is tech can drive majority of work..pm is just to facilitate.. higher position in pm org will be in US and lesser in india.. this is from msft idc perspective.. gsmo ..css etc have pm in bunch but they are more like pre sales role than actual pm.. i dnt want to trigger people that is just my opinion based on my experiences

JumpyLlama
JumpyLlama
EY10mo

IIM Ahmedabad PGPX or ISB Hyderabad PGP will do for 1 year program.

PrancingNarwhal
PrancingNarwhal
PayTM10mo

IIM A PGPX requires 4 yrs workex and i have only 2

JumpyLlama
JumpyLlama
EY10mo

Ok then go for ISB they are not so strict on experience criteria, based on profile they may consider.

FloatingMuffin
FloatingMuffin
Google10mo

You have a decent chance at NUS Singapore, and ISB (assuming that you have good GPA and reference letters from well-known professors on Tier-1 schools). But likely you can land better schools like INSEAD, OxBridge, etc if you work for a few more years and have like ~4-5 YOE. Post MBA jobs are also far easier to obtain if you have good work experience under your belt. That being said, if you want to stay in India long term, IIMs/ISB are your best bet

FloatingMuffin
FloatingMuffin
Google10mo

When I was applying to schools , I was using a website/ app called Yocket and Gradcafe which were extremely useful. Maybe try to look up the websites to see the average profile of people who get admitted

PrancingNarwhal
PrancingNarwhal
PayTM10mo

Firstly thanks for the quick reply!!

Cgpa is 8+
Profs I would say are decent only not too popular.
I have recently downloaded Yocket. Can you share your experience if you took a consultant from here or any other platform?

Thanks

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