narsi wrote:
Hi Paul,
Your inputs have benefitted many people. Can you please evaluate my profile and advice.
Background:
Indian male, working in one of top 3 IT companies in India, currently working in US through this company for one of the Big 3 Automotive company from past 4 years.
Credentials
GMAT: 700
GPA: 80% (First class with distinction) in under-grad from one of the top under-grad schools of India.
Work exp: 5 yrs till date
Work Experience:
Started the career as IT Programmer. Now leading a portfolio - consisting of 18 team members, working on varied projects and technologies, and generating annual revenue of 1.5 M USD. I am the youngest member to become portfolio lead in this account. Have been playing this role from past 2 years. I can show strong leadership qualities in this role.
Initiatives worked in my organisation apart from playing the lead role:
1. With the right blend of business and technology, I was able to successfully sell one of the leading Automotive solution, developed by my company, to the client. I can demonstrate my consulting abilities in the essays through this task. The solution will fetch revenue of around 2 M USD.
2. Proactively approached the client to help him define a new concept that would enhance the business value of IT investment through improved operational efficiency and service levels in his area when his organisation was moving towards this direction. Impressed with our thought process, the client has given us the opportunity to pilot it in his area. Worked on
this task closely with the consulting gurus of my organisation. I can get very good rec from these folks about my consulting engagement.
Community Service:
Very minimum.
Recommendations:
I am planning to get strong recommendations from both client managers and my company's managers showcasing my above work.
Goals: I would like to pursue IT Strategy consulting. Through above initiatives I can show adcoms that i am on the right track. MBA will help me accelerate my transition to consultant role.
Planning to apply for the below schools:
1. Wharton
2. Kellogg
3. Chicago GSB
4. Columbia
5. Michigan (Ross)
Please advice any other schools for above profile.
Also, let me know if I need to get into top 5 US Business school, then do i need to improve GMAT score - targetting 740+ - considering the fact that I will be put in Indian+IT pool or do i need to concentrate only on my apps and showcase the great work done to stand out. Please advice.
Thanks
Narsi,
Are you asking me whether you need to get into a top 5 U.S. business school to get into IT strategy consulting? You definitely do not, no. Increasing your GMAT will not help you as much as getting leadership experience outside of work would. Your problem is not your GMAT score, it's (a) lack of well roundedness and (b) a profile that's very similar to many applications that they see (i.e., lack of distinctiveness). For those reasons, I think your chances at Wharton, Kellogg, and Columbia are minimal. They are somewhat better at Chicago, but Chicago is still more of a finance feeder school than an (IT) consulting feeder school. That said, you are still a qualified competitive applicant for many top schools. Michigan might be doable. Given your goals, consider Texas, Carnegie Mellon, Duke, Arizona (Eller), perhaps MIT as a longshot.
Good luck,