Hello All,

I (male) graduated in 2017 with a 6.66/10 out of 10 from IIT-Bombay (One of the top 2 engineering schools in India) with a dual degree in Chemical Engineering (B.tech and M.tech). (Now I know that the CGPA wouldn't be translated to 4 point scale with a linear correlation factor of 2.5, but it still is low). I have just joined a strategy consulting firm as a business analyst in their Chemical practice. Having assessed the difficulty of GMAT and consulting a few of our alums, I am confident of scoring 735+ if I study hard enough. I also volunteer at a animal welfare NGO(I have read it helps). I want to decide right away if I should pursue an MBA from India or abroad as early as possible and plan accordingly. I have a few questions regarding International programs on which I need more clarity. I would most probably will be applying after getting 2-3 years of work experience. Any suggestions for improving my current profile will help.

What are my chances of getting into a top 15 b-school programs in the world? H/S/W, Colombia, Booth, MIT-Sloan, Yale, LBS or INSEAD for example?. If not, what are the some of the realistic options in the US or the UK or anywhere else? I intend to work in the same respective countries to be able to repay the loans. How can I improve my profile?

If I look from country specific perspective, what countries should I be focusing on if I want to settle there permanently? So far I am looking at Germany, Canada and Australia (although I heard there are some immigration issues at present) but the programs are ranked much lower than US/UK/France. How are Singapore, Ireland, Netherlands, France, New Zealand and Italy in terms of job prospects? I am open to learning any new languages if required. (I have also heard many negative reviews about the Spanish economy).

The main con about pursuing an MBA and working/living in India other than the cut-throat competition is that even though the salaries and raises are high, the quality of life is really really poor. MBAs earn a lot of money to lead a very sub standard quality of life. Your work/life balance goes for a toss. I want to know if the pros of a top International MBA can outweigh all it's cons.

Lastly, thank you for taking the time out to read this (long?) post.
Have a great day!

[Edited by nilayqwerty on Sep 29, 2017]

How much work experience will you have in 2-3 years? If you want to be completive at H/S/W you'll probably want 4-5 years in total. For non-US programs like LBS and INSEAD, they usually recruit students who are a bit more experienced, so you'll want 5-6 years to be competitive for their MBAs.

In terms of other countries, Canada and Australia, plus Singapore are common options for MBAs who speak English. Hong Kong as well. I'd say that Singapore and Hong Kong probably have the best opportunities for consulting-minded students (and salaries). For visas, Canada might be easier, but salaries tend to be lower. Careers in Germany / France / other non-English speaking mainland European countries would be easier to get with knowledge of the local language.

Thank you Mba Hipster for your reply.

Would a diverse work experience help as opposed to working in consulting for the next 3 years? Would I be competitive at Rotman or Mannheim in 2-3 years? Do you recommend any other good schools apart from the rankings in Canada and Germany in terms of placements?

The main priority is to settle in the country I do an MBA from and to have a good quality of life. Money and all other things are secondary.

[Edited by nilayqwerty on Oct 04, 2017]

Diversity in your work experience won't help as much as having 'quality' work experience - with a sense of advancement and a clear idea of how your experience connects with your post-MBA career goals.

With 2-3 years of work experience, you'll still be at a disadvantage for most MBA programs at quality schools, including Mannheim and Rotman. There's a reason why most students are in the 4-6 year experience range: they've had enough time to demonstrate career advancement but not enough time to hit management levels. If you can skyrocket in 2-3 years, and can demonstrate a clear need for an MBA at that time, then that would be a different story...