Professional Documents
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MBA (Full-time)
Application form
Introduction
Select programme start date August 2022
Personal details
Title Mr
Nationality India
Second nationality
Gender Male
Home address
Select the country before you complete any other address details.
Country India
City Patna
County / State
Contact preferences
Best postal address to reach you Home
Please ensure that your preferred contact address includes a post code or zip code if applicable
Contact email address arindam.vatsa@dbrsmorningstar.com
Current employment
Give details of your current or most recent employment.
Job title Lead Quantitative Analyst
Select the country before you complete any other address details.
Country India
Website address
What's your organisation's main area of activity? DBRS Morningstar is the world's 4th largest credit rating
agency that provides independent credit rating services for
financial institutions, corporate and sovereign entities, and
structured finance products and instruments. It rates more
than 30,000 issuers and 60,000 securities worldwide.
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Tell us about your responsibilities. Describe your day-to-day role, details of any clients you work with/for, the
level/title of the person you report to, the size of budget for which you are directly responsible and the number of
people in your team. (400 words max)
In my current role as a Lead quantitative analyst, I manage a team of 8 data scientists and quantitative analysts. My
usual day starts with a 30 - 45 min call with my team where we discuss the ongoing projects and the progress made on
them. I further discuss the workflow for the day for each of the team members and check if any of them needs any help
with their work, in which case, I schedule a meeting with them and try to answer their queries. I also attend meetings
with my European counterparts every alternate day, wherein we discuss the upcoming projects and roadblocks in the
work, if any, the existing market trends, and the need to update the model as per the requirements.
In addition to this, I interact with the credit ratings business team where they list out their requirements on the
quantitative side of work. This is the time where we get to interact with the senior executives in the company on existing
market realities and how to shift our modeling methods to capture them.
I report to Hatice Halac, the Managing Director of our group. I am responsible for presenting the new models that I have
worked/currently working on. I am also responsible for making sure that my team gets proper support and guidance
from the onshore quants (the US and Europe), and has access to all the technology, data source, and existing
infrastructure that they need.
Occasionally, I interact with the Issuers and Banks to understand a deal in great detail to capture the market dynamics
better in the model. My team and I also support business stakeholders in implementing data-driven approaches in their
line of business that may not be limited to model building. This has allowed us to work on multiple analytical tools that
further saved many man-hours for the respective teams.
This role provided me the opportunity to work at the
Reason for taking on this role convergence of finance and data science, an area I was
deeply interested in.
If you are currently not working, or if you plan to leave your current employer more than three months before the
programme starts, please explain your activities between leaving your last role and the start of the programme
(max 300 words).
Is your employer willing to support you? In what way - time, tuition, or both?
My company does not have a full-time education sponsorship policy as of now.
Previous employment
List every full-time postgraduate position you've held, starting with the last position you held before your current
employment. Indicate any promotions or changes in position or title, together with relevant dates and salary
information. Please complete the form for every position, even positions in the same company. Do not include
internships, summer jobs or part-time employment during undergraduate or graduate school.
Employment: 1
Organisation Inmobi
What was your organisation's main area of activity? Inmobi works in the domain of mobile advertising. The
company's platform aims to bring together publishers and
advertisers to provide relevant, personalized, and
contextual advertisements to a user visiting the mobile app
or website
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Employment: 2
What was your organisation's main area of activity? Medium healthcare is a strategy consulting firm working in
the area of healthcare strategy and innovation. The
services include Market Entry Strategy and Growth
Strategy, Market Research and Consumer Insights,
Marketing and Sales, and Patient Experience.
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Education
Do you have a degree? Yes
Education: 1
Professional qualifications
Professional qualification: 1
Qualification
Subject
If you have additional qualifications that you would like to inform us of, please list these on your accompanying
CV/resume.
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Academic performance
List any academic honours, award, or scholarships previously received
1. Among the top 1% of the candidates in IIT JEE, AIEEE, and BITSAT Examinations in the year 2012.
Do you feel that your academic performance so far gives an accurate indication of your potential for success on
the programme? If so, why? If not, why not?
While my academic performance before undergraduate school gives an accurate indication of my potential, my scores
during my undergraduate education do not appropriately present my caliber. The reason for the same is that my
university follows a highly stringent marking system. It has one of the lowest average GPAs among the universities in
India.
As a career in Civil Engineering did not seem to resonate with my core academic strengths, I ended up losing interest in
the subjects. However, to further my career aspirations, I started focusing more on exploring other fields which offered
better career opportunities and were aligned with my interests. I completed internships in 4 fields, ranging from product
design in social setup to finance in my final year.
Owing to my deep inclination towards finance, I was the first student from my college to complete a minor in quantitative
finance with a highly competitive class and scored good grades constantly.
Have you ever received formal disciplinary action from an academic institution, been forced to withdraw from a
course of study, or failed to graduate? If so, you must declare that information here.
No
The GMAT/GRE are compulsory elements of the admissions criteria and applicants should submit a self-reported
score. London Business School's policy is to accept scores that are up to 5 years old, and your score must be
valid upon applying to the programme. If you have taken multiple tests we will accept the best overall score but
score sections may not be combined from different tests. Please note that an Analytical Writing (AWA) score is
required if you sat the GMAT/GRE at a test centre, we will make an exception to the score if you took the test
online (as this section is not available).
The GMAT code for the London Business School MBA Programme is Z11-J7-50. Please include your official test
taker copy GMAT/GRE score report with your supporting documents *or a screenshot of your test result from your
online GMAT portal. If admitted you will be required to arrange for us to verify your test score electronically via the
relevant test website – GMAC for GMAT and ETS for GRE.
Do you feel that your GMAT/GRE score gives an
accurate representation of your numerical and No
analytical abilities?
Are you planning on re-taking the GMAT/GRE? No
If Yes, when?
GMAT score
Date you took the test / will take the test
07/08/2021
(DD/MM/YYYY)
Verbal score 36
Verbal percentile 80
Quantitative score 49
Quantitative percentile 74
GRE score
Date you took the test / will take the test
(DD/MM/YYYY)
GRE verbal score
GRE verbal %
GRE quantitative %
GRE analytical %
If Yes, please skip to the Further language skills section. If No, how would you rate your English language ability?
4: Competence in a broad range of complex/technical
Reading ability
language
4: Competence in a broad range of complex/technical
Written ability
language
4: Competence in a broad range of complex/technical
Spoken ability
language
If English is not your native language or you have not graduated with a degree taught entirely in English or lived
or worked in an English speaking country for at least two years, you MUST take an English language test.
We accept TOEFL iBT (Internet Based TOEFL), IELTS, CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English), and PTE
(Pearson Test of English). Test scores should not be more than two years old. Please ask for your score to be
sent directly to us and include a copy with your application. London Business School's TOEFL code is: 0898 and
we do not have an IELTS code. If you wish to discuss an English test waiver, please contact the admissions
office.
I hold an undergraduate degree fully taught in English Yes
Please outline your experience of working or studying in an English-speaking environment. Do you plan to take
further English language tuition before the programme starts? (300 words max)
I have completed all my education from some of the most renowned schools and colleges in India where the primary
medium of instruction was English. Owing to this, I developed a stronghold of the language at a young age and have
built on the same over the years. As a professional working with a multinational company for 5 years, I have had the
opportunity to hone my English speaking and writing skills further by interacting with clients and counterparts from
across the globe. I also attempted TOEFL and scored 105, exhibiting my proficiency in English.
Hence, I have no current plans to take English language tuition before the programme starts.
Speaking 22
Reading ability 30
Writing 25
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Listening 28
Language: 1
Language Hindi
Additional information
The information you give on this page will help us to provide you with information relevant to your interests and to
improve our admissions process.
Please tell us your most significant international experiences to date. (100 words max)
As the Morningstar Delegate to the Singapore Fintech Festival, 2019, I presented some of the in-house quantitative
models to the audience. The feedback and comments I got from them have proven to be extremely valuable in my
continued professional application. I also got to interact with employees of some of the leading Fintech start-ups from
across the world and got to network with the resources in senior positions therein. I have stayed in touch with them and
we often discuss emerging fintech trends in different markets. Thus, a single international experience continues to have
lasting benefits for me!
Tell us about your main interests and activities in your free time. (300 words max)
As an individual who enjoys accomplishing milestones in new fields, I picked up cycling in 2018 and completed 4 50-
kilometer Cyclothons within a year. The current speedometer on my Triban 500 reads 14,000 kilometers over 3 years. I
also play cricket and squash and enjoy swimming. I was a part of the BITS Pilani college cricket team and have also
represented my team in multiple corporate sports events at Morningstar.
I also enjoy exploring new places by myself. This includes a lot of completely unplanned trips. As a solo traveler, I have
explored almost all the states in the North and North-eastern part of India. Such trips give me the chance to interact with
the local people and to understand their day-to-day lives. These interactions have not only helped me grow as a person
but have also made me more humble and more receptive to the needs of different people.
Owing to my love of interacting with new people, and more so with the ones who belong to a different age group, I used
to hang out with a group of ex-veterans from the Indian army who had a lot of interesting stories to share. I believe the
time spent with this set of extraordinary gentlemen has made me more patient and has given me a very positive outlook
towards life. We have continued to be in touch despite the lockdown using an online chat group and calls.
Additionally, I am also a regular on websites like Medium and Quora. Such websites have been a constant source of
information regarding the world. Also, one of the very popular blogs on the medium, "Towards Data Science" has helped
me immensely in my career.
How did you hear about this programme? (Max 100 My current manager told me about the programme and
characters) suggested me to apply for admissions to the same.
When did you decide to apply for this programme? 6 - 12 months ago
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We encourage applicants to take into consideration the impact of study on family and friends. Who have you
discussed your plans with and what was the response? (300 words max)
I have discussed my plans to pursue higher education in management with my family and friends. They are extremely
encouraging of my decision and agree that I have gained ample experience in my workplace, and am now ready to
move to the next step in my career, and a degree in management would surely help me achieve the same.
I have also discussed the financial aspects of study with my family and they believe that this is the right time for me to
go back to school, considering that my father can support the family finances for the time being. The same may not be
the case at a later point, and opting for a full-time education may become challenging later on.
If you know any London Business School Alumni or Students, please give their names, graduating class and tell
us how you know them. (300 words max)
I have worked very closely with 2 of the alumni of London business school
1. Hatice Halac: I have been working under Hatice Halac, the Managing director of the Credit rating Quantitative
research group at DBRS Morningstar. She is a graduate of the renowned Masters in Finance program at London
business school, the batch of 2003. She has been my direct supervisor for the last 1.5 years.
2. Vidushi Garg: Vidushi is currently working as a Lead Quantitative Analyst at Morningstar, and is a colleague of mine.
She is a graduate of the Masters in Finance programme at London business school, the batch of 2019. We have
worked together on a few of the common projects in quantitative financial research. Also, we come from the same
undergraduate school in India.
Other school 5
Other school(s)
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Essay questions
The Admissions Committee will consider carefully the answers to the following essay questions. To provide your
answers to the following essay questions, you must download the essay-question answer template using the link
at the end of this paragraph. Complete your answers in the template, then attach them to your application form.
Download the essay-questions answer template
Please provide a CV/Resume. This CV must only be one page in length. If you have any significant gaps in your
employment history, please tell us why on a separate sheet.
Upload your one page CV/resume Uploaded
Interviews
Applicants will only be offered a place after attending a personal interview conducted by a London Business
School alumnus.
For candidates short-listed to interview, we will arrange this as close to your current location as possible. Please
note that there may be some travel required. If you are shortlisted where would you like to be interviewed? (List
three possible cities in order of preference).
Please note that candidates who interview in London or on campus will not be given any advantage over
overseas interviewees. All worldwide interviews will be equally valid and fair, regardless of their location.
Preferred interview location 1 Delhi, India
Application fee
A non-refundable £200 application fee is payable. Please note that your application cannot be processed without
the application fee.
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You will be prompted to pay the application fee by credit card when you submit your application. Problems paying
online? Email the MBA Admissions Team at apply.mba@london.edu
Application fee waivers are available to London Business School alumni and serving military personnel.
I'm applying for a fee waiver for the following reason
Application checklist
Applicants are advised to save a backup copy of their application before final submission.
Applications are considered complete and will go to the Admissions Committee once submitted. Please ensure
that all items listed on the checklist are attached to the application at the point of submission so that a
comprehensive assessment of your application can be made by the Admissions Committee. We are unable to
accept documents / application material submitted after the admissions round deadline.
Due to the volume of materials received, the MBA Admissions Team are unable to confirm receipt of individual
documents.
Please also note that we are unable to return any original transcripts or certificates that are submitted. Files will
be retained for one year before being destroyed.
Declaration
I hereby confirm I have provided accurate information in this application. I further certify that the application and
all associated documents are exclusively my own work and that no supporting materials have been falsified. The
School reserves the right to rescind any offers of admission or to terminate my studies before the end of the
programme if there is any omission of facts or misrepresentation in my application.
I agree to the School processing and disclosing personal data contained in this form, or other data which the
School may obtain from me or other people or organisations while I am applying for admission and for any other
purpose connected with my application.
Privacy statement
Personal data gathered on this form will be processed in accordance with London Business School's privacy
statement.
I hereby understand and agree to the terms of the
Yes
declaration
Contacting us
Thank you for considering the MBA Programme at London Business School. If you have any questions about
your application, please contact:
Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we regret we cannot give individual feedback.
Date of birth
Date of birth 02/10/1994
(DD/MM/YYYY) †
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†This piece of information will be used for verification and data matching purposes only.
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Diversity monitoring
Our students and faculty have diverse international backgrounds. As such, we value diversity and wish to promote
equality across the School community to ensure it is representative of the wider social context in which it
operates. Your information will be held on secure School IT systems and treated in strict confidence. It will not be
used to make decisions about you, but to produce anonymised aggregate reports for monitoring purposes only. If
you become a student, we will retain this information as London Business School is obligated by the UK
government’s Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) to provide them with this information as part of the
annual return. You can find more information on HESA here:
https://www.hesa.ac.uk/about/regulation/data-protection/notices/
The information we ask you to provide here will be treated confidentially and only used for the purposes specified
under each section heading.
Ethnicity
These categories are those used by the UK Higher
Education Statistical Agency (HESA) ethnicity Asian or Asian British - Indian
classification scheme.
Social mobility
London Business School is committed to creating an environment where everyone feels welcome and supported.
Our aim is to acknowledge and promote socioeconomic diversity within our student body. By providing responses
to the questions below, you will enable us to measure the effectiveness of our activities. Responses will be held
on secure IT systems. It will not be used to make decisions about you, nor will admissions staff have any access
to individual responses. Anonymised aggregate reports will be separately produced for monitoring purposes
only. The categories used below are the Standard Occupational Classifications used by the Office for National
Statistics.
What was the occupation of your main household
Professional occupations
earner when you were aged about 14?
Did either of your parents attend university and gain a
degree (e.g. BA/ BSc or equivalent) by the time you Yes
were 18?
Disability
By 'disability' we mean any impairment, medical condition, mental health difficulty or specific learning difficulty that
has an impact on the ability to study.
The Equality Act 2010 defines disability as 'a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term
adverse effect on the ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities'. This definition would include people with
heart disease, diabetes, epilepsy, severe disfigurement, physical disability (including repetitive strain injury),
mental health difficulties (e.g. depression, schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder), learning difficulties (e.g.
dyslexia, dyspraxia), autism/Asperger syndrome, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Down’s syndrome and
many other types of impairment. The definition also includes people diagnosed with cancer, HIV and Multiple
Sclerosis.
If an applicant is unsure whether a particular difficulty would be considered a disability or may require adjustments
to be put in place for the admissions process they are welcome to discuss this in complete confidence with the
Wellbeing Services Manager.
Contact details:
Wellbeing Services
London Business School
Regents Park
London
NW1 4SA
United Kingdom
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