**** wrote:
Hi friends,
This is my first post on the group. I am writing GMAT on 29th June and planning to apply for August, 2007 session.
I am currently working as a Software Engineer and I have 2.5 years of IT experience and worked as a Production engineer for a couple of months. I am assisting my father in his business for the past 10 yrs now and I wonder whether this can be elicit as an acceptable work experience.
Also, I did my Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Communication and my CGPA is 7.1 on a scale of 10.
My hobbies include driving automobiles (both cars and bikes, I am a member of various automobile clubs and planning to start one of my own), Vice President of CSC Toastmasters club (chartered to Toastmasters International) and a free lancing Yoga Instructor. Also, I am associated with a few non profit organizations since my school days.
With this profile, how much do I need to score to fancy my chances in the Ivy League and other b-schools viz; London Business School, Insead, HEC etc. ? Will I be falling short of the requisite work experience (I'll be having 4 yrs of work exp by Aug,'07)? Are the b-schools less inclined towards IT professionals ? Do I have a profile worth consideration ?
I'll really appreciate if you could kindly answer by concerns.
Thanks
****
****,
Working for your father for the past 10 years is acceptable work experience, but the adcoms will probably hold you to a higher standard in terms of "documenting" or contextualizing your achievements (better make them detailed and credible), and they will probably expect you to have a faster career progression than others your age. Assuming your GPA is the equivalent of, say, a 3.3 or better in the U.S., then you should aim for a minimum GMAT score of 700 for the schools you mentioned except HEC, where even a 660 might be enough.
Four years of work experience is fine. B-schools have no problem with IT profiles; it's just that they see so many of them that it's very much a negative in terms of helping yourself stand out. That said, you have a solid profile and some distinctive features that could help you stand out: working for family business, automobile club, yoga, etc.
Good luck!