Ask The Red Pen

Established in 2011, The Red Pen provides high-quality MBA consulting to candidates around the world.

Who are we?
Our international team of consultants hold MBAs from top international programs such as Columbia, Wharton, INSEAD, Booth, NYU Stern, Cornell and Oxford Saïd. We draw on years of experience helping high calibre students showcase the best versions of themselves in their applications. We pride ourselves on staying informed on the evolving MBA admissions space and, as members of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC), hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards when serving clients.

Our Process
We dive deep into your story with a personalized ‘Getting To Know You’ (GTKY) session where we understand your motivations, strengths, weaknesses and goals. You will have access to a competent team of specialists to assist you with the different components of your MBA applications - the resume, essays and letters of recommendations.

In the last 10 years, our clients have consistently received 1000+ admits from top schools such as Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, MIT, Kellogg, Booth, INSEAD, LBS, Yale, Fuqua, NYU Stern, Berkeley Haas and many more.

• In the last application cycle, 95% of our clients who signed up for 3+ school package received interview invites
• 100% of clients who signed up for a 5+ school package received an invitation to interview with at least one of their targeted schools in the last cycle

If you have any questions about applying for an MBA or would like to know more about The Red Pen’s processes, please launch a new topic thread. If you want us to review your profile, start a new thread with the topic “Profile Evaluation.”

Be sure to include:

• Academic Details
• Professional background/ a summary of your work experience
• GRE/GMAT score
• Demographics (nationality and gender)
• Extracurricular and Volunteer Work
• Any other significant information you would like to highlight - family business, scholarships, publications, international exposure, etc.
• Your biggest challenge when creating your case for an MBA - Low GPA, Backlogs, Gaps, etc.
• Specific questions, if any

We look forward to hearing from you.
You can email us directly at team.mba@theredpen.in

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Please feel free to reach out to me at preeti.wadekar@theredpen.in for a free profile evaluation.

Hi,

I'm an Indian Male candidate looking to apply for B-schools in Canada (due to ease of PR) primarily but I'm open to any country with an inclination towards MBA in Operations Specialization; I'm looking forward to all/any suggestions you have so that I can improve my overall profile. Further details below:

Target schools: Rotman (Canada), Ivey (Canada) - Chose Canada due to PR, though suggestions are welcome

B.Tech ( Electrical Eng.) : CGPA - 8.3/10 (Last 2 Years 8.9)
GMAT Score: 710
Age: 27

Work Experience: 3 years as a Electrical Engineer at Tata Steel Limited ( Joined directly after my Undergrad), where I’m responsible for daily and breakdown maintenance of a 3MTP Steel Plant. Supervised a team of 10 members (having 5-10 years of industry experience) on a daily basis and closely worked in a multidisciplinary environment with vendors such as Siemens, L&T, ABB, SMS SIEMAG etc for solving problems related to production along with follow-up. Also responsible for planning and execution of monthly shutdowns and yearly major shutdowns. I’ve also lead a small team of 7 in SGA Activity related to Kaizen for over a year; completing projects that have improved productivity and downtime of the production plant.

EC:
- Several Marathon Running Certificates for Social Welfare
- Total of 3 Research Paper Published (2 IEEE, 1 Springer)
- 1 Month Internship with TeamEverestNGO for fundraising of COVID-19
- Creative Writing Course from Internshala
- Published a short story for a digital quarterly magazine “Out of Print”
- 1 Month Internship at Tata Steel before joining Full-Time
- Several projects related to SGA group activity

Future Goals -
I want to complete my MBA with Operations as a specialization. I would like to work as an Operation Consultant and grow further ahead in my career to be Operation or Production Manager.


Thanks in advance!

- Md Saif

• Is 3 years a good enough experience of should I wait another year?
• Any further suggestions to improve my profile?
• Is corporate world experience really important for admissions at Top universities?

Posted from my mobile device

Hi saifmd129,
Thank you for posting your query and sharing your profile with us.

Here are our responses to your questions:

• Is 3 years a good enough experience or should I wait another year?

When considering the number of years of experience to apply to specific MBA programs, look at their class profile.
For example, an Ivey candidate has an average work experience of 4.5 years, Rotman 5 years and Alberta 5.4 years. Your work experience at the time of enrollment will be 3.5 - 4 years (Ivey’s classes start in March) which will be in the ballpark average.

• Any further suggestions to improve my profile?
  

Here are some tips on how you can improve your profile:

• If you are targeting the 2022 intake (March for Ivey and Fall for others), you will be applying in the next few months. Ivey’s next deadline is a little over a month away - July 12. Here the best thing you can do is focus on different parts of your application - essays, LOR, resume and application form. Also, try to attend events at your target schools to demonstrate a strong fit with their programs.
• However, if you are targeting the 2023 intake, you have a year to build your profile. In this case, you can bolster your extracurricular activities. In addition to the work at Tata Steel, consider rejoining TeamEverestNGO or a similar non-profit, preferably in a client-facing role (e.g. fundraising).
• Show the admissions committee that you are comfortable communicating with people outside your industry by avoiding the use of industry-specific jargon.
• Keep your social media up-to-date and be active on professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn, researching as much about your post-MBA target industry as possible.
• Take on leadership roles in your current position and create as much impact as possible to show an upward trajectory in your resume until you submit your application.

• Is corporate world experience really important for admissions at Top universities?

Not at all. At The Red Pen we routinely work with applicants from non-corporate backgrounds. These applicants have secured admissions at top schools with scholarships.

In addition to the schools mentioned in your list of target schools, consider Alberta School of Business. In 2020, 20% of their class secured employment in the operations domain for companies like Amazon.

Finally, if you would like to discuss your profile in more detail, you can schedule a 30-minute profile evaluation by sending an email to team.mba@theredpen.in with your resume attached.

We hope this is helpful!

Best Regards,
The MBA Team at The Red Pen
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Should students still consider attending a full-time MBA in an environment that still seems to be largely virtual or should they wait for a few years until in-person classes resume?

A year after COVID-19 has disrupted the admissions process, making it more competitive than ever before, prospective MBA students may find themselves reconsidering their plans. Should they still consider attending a full-time MBA in an environment that still seems to be largely virtual or should they wait for a few years until in-person classes resume? Some are concerned that by attending classes virtually, they will miss out on the vibrant MBA experience, including networking opportunities and club activities, which are hallmarks of prestigious programmes. Business schools across the globe understand this and have come up with innovative ways to provide students with the best possible experience while keeping safety at the forefront.

What Are the Implications for Students?

There is growing appreciation for the proactive way in which business schools have worked to deal with uncertainty and resolve logistical issues. Universities have displayed a consistent commitment to work towards opening up campuses while ensuring the safety of faculty, staff and students.

The COVID-19 pandemic has levelled the playing field for today’s business school applicants. Dealing with unconventional learning experiences and economic uncertainties will build students’ resilience. Students have also become proactive and innovative to ensure that they take advantage of the online scenario and continue to network and conduct club activities online, wherever possible. These qualities can enable fresh business school graduates to stand out to prospective employers.

Students planning to join the workforce in a couple of years will likely face a very different world–one not defined by geographical parameters, 9-5 office hours or even in-person interactions. These graduates will benefit from the experience of virtual or hybrid programmes that will teach them to be flexible and enterprising, giving them access to their dream jobs. MBA degrees from global programmes will therefore continue to hold their value.

Read the entire article.

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Should you consider an MBA or master's degree?


As a fresh graduate, you are faced with an important decision - should you invest in an additional master’s degree or do an MBA?

A master’s programme is best considered if you want to pursue your interest in a subject further post graduation. For example, after a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, you might realise that you want to study genetics, so you opt for a master’s degree to delve further into the speciality. If you work in advertising after an undergraduate degree in mass media or liberal arts, you might want to add to your knowledge of digital marketing to further your career. In this instance too, though you may have started working, a master’s degree to become a specialist may be your natural choice to gain an edge in your career.

However, if you are looking to break into highly competitive sectors such as technology or finance, an MBA may add more value. Through this degree, you will learn the ability to build teams, find efficiencies, apply business savvy and cultivate relationships across silos as a function-agnostic leader.

Here are 5 factors you should consider when evaluating which programme best suits your ambitions:

• Curriculum focus: An MBA focuses on understanding the pillars of business, coupled with internships that expand on your work experience, whereas master’s programmes encourage you to deepen theoretical understanding in one specific area and, depending on the subject, may include little or no business elements.
  
• Interests: To decide on an advanced degree, evaluate the personal satisfaction you get from specific subjects, such as engineering, economics, research or humanities. This introspection will help you decide whether you want to further explore your interests with deeper study and a specialised master's degree or obtain a broad-based education with an MBA.
  
• Making a change: Your undergraduate studies may have shown you that you are more suited to a different field. For example, if you struggled with economics at the bachelor's level but were fascinated by new technologies or business start-ups, consider shifting your focus to master’s programmes in these areas to build a more fulfilling career.
  
• Life stage: A professional with four to six years of work experience is best placed to extract value from the MBA coursework. Your real-world experience will ensure that you relate to case studies and discussions centred on decision-making. However, in most cases, no prior work experience is necessary to extract value from a master’s degree.
  
• Future career path: Given the MBA programme’s focus on leadership, it will accelerate your career in management to General Manager, Managing Director or CEO. Your master’s degree will be an asset to specialise in your function and strengthen your journey to become a subject matter expert.

Should you consider a third option?

A Masters in Management (MiM) is a fast-paced management programme aimed at providing students with the necessary skills to enter the job market faster. According to the GMAC Application Trends Survey Report 2017, 88 per cent of MiM applicants have less than three years of work experience, with 38 per cent having no work experience at all. This is in stark contrast to the MBA programme, in which 60 per cent of the applicants have more than three years of work experience. An MBA programme ranges from 16 months to two years and will provide you with theoretical understanding of business concepts through classroom lectures, guest lectures, case studies and group projects. Additionally, the internships will allow you to apply classroom learning to analyse challenges faced by organisations in the real world.

MiM programmes range from 10 months to 24 months. Most reputed business schools across the US and Europe, such as University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and IE Business School, all offer 10-month MiM programmes geared toward fresh graduates.

As first published in mid-day.

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Welcome TheRedPen to the GMAT Club Forums!
Appreciate you joining and your help with GMAT Club member questions.

If there is anything I can answer or clarify, please do not hesitate to PM me. Meanwhile, please extend a warm welcome to The Red Pen and and their new topic here on GMAT Club!
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Thank you for the warm welcome, bb
We look forward to helping applicants with business school-related queries.
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Welcome to the Club TheRedPen, do you also help students for Indian MBA programs and can you share your views on them?

Hi AnkitHRD,

Thanks for the welcome, glad to be on the forum.

Currently, the only Indian program we help applicants with is the Indian School of Business- We support applicants to all their programs.

Indian School of Business is a reputed program, ranked at 23 by Financial Times in their 2021 ranking. The program is affordable when compared with the total cost of attending a similarly ranked program abroad. Their one year program allows graduates to return to the workplace faster and has an 80% mean CTC of 25,06,434 INR.

Nine of the twelve ISB applicants we helped in the recent (2020-21) cycle received an admit. Two of our clients chose to attend ISB over Texas McCombs and London Business School.

To schedule a call with us, send an email to team.mba@theredpen.in with your resume.
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Demystifying the MBA
Are you applying for an MBA but are confused about the process? If yes, this video is for you.

Watch The Red Pen’s CEO and Co-Founder, Kimberly Dixit, who covers all the components of an MBA application in-depth and shares insights from 10+ years in the MBA admissions consulting space.
This is followed by Kavita Mehta, Co-Founder of The Red Pen and Wharton MBA, who hosts a Q&A with admits to Wharton, MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth, LBS and Columbia.

Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSV9JW53bh8&t=553s
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Welcome TheRedPen, do you help applicants aiming to study at European B-schools ?

Thanks for the warm welcome kntombat

We do help applicants aiming to study in Europe. In 2020-21 cycle alone we had admits to INSEAD, LBS, Cambridge Judge, Oxford Saïd, HEC, IE, and more.

You can reach out to us team.mba@theredpen.in for more information.
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Sure thing will do.

Hey, Please evaluate my profile

GMAT Expected Score-750
BTech in Mechanical Engineering from IIIT Jabalpur
GPA 8.4/10(6th rank in class of 87)
HSC: 96.15% (3rd rank out of 1,20,000 students)
SSC: 91.33%

Work Ex:
~5 years at the time of application

1.Founder and CEO of a Startup developing assistive technology for people with speech and hearing disability. (started in early 2017)
-Taking care of product development, starting from Idea to Launch
-Raised fund of around 150,000$ in mixed of equity and grants
-Working with NGOs, Govt, Special schools for co-creation and co-execution
-Defining the marketing strategy
-Working with business to create job roles for deaf people where using our technology they can perform as good as anyone else or better
-Managed a team of around 10 people.
Startup is still running though the pace is a bit slow because of COVID

2. Co-Founder and CTO of another startup working in the domain of Solid Waste Management and circular economy.
Products/Offerings- Effective Door to Door waste collection, Material Recovery Facility, Waste Recycling,
-Bootstrapped to a ~$1.5m annual revenue within 2 years
-Handling ~150MT/Day waste everyday
-Working with Govt Providing cleaner and sustainable world to 500,000+ population of multiple cities/towns
-Some of our products/Services have been chosen as best practices by state govt and recommended for implementation countrywide under Clean India Mission of Govt of India
-Total team of 200+ people with offices at three different location


Patents
3 patents published

Extra-Curricular Activities during College:
1.Only person in the class to be elected as Student Senate member all 4 years.
2.Associate Co-ordinator of Student Counselling Services
3.Head of Event Management for the College’s Cultural Festival
4.Media and PR Head for a couple of other fests
5. Co-coordinator of the literary club
6.Chief-Editor, Hindi for Institute’s magazine
7.Started different initiative during for years related to cleanliness, Education for unprivileged and youth awareness

Target School : MIT SLOAN, HASS, Stanford,HBS

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Hello everyone,
My name is Nikhilesh. I am a Wharton MBA and a Lead Consultant at The Red Pen, a boutique MBA Admissions Consulting firm.
I also had received admits from Kellogg and Cornell with scholarships.
I have helped students secure admits to schools like Columbia, Kellogg, MIT Sloan, Yale, INSEAD and LBS.
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