Profile evaluation for 2009 Fall MBA

Riverripper,

Thank you for your feedback. Last year, apart from my GMAT, I have come to understand that my essays lacked clarity of goals and should have been much better. Couple of fellow GMAT clubbers offered good criticism to improve them. Also I had only 3 years of experience last year. This year I am confident I can write better essays as I have am already working on them and have few ideas on where to improve (again thanks to the wonderful friends at GMATclub). I think those are the reasons I wan't even interviewed. Please look at feedback from Darden below. Hopefully, now you can get a clearer picture and advice me. Also, as for my experience, I am not in a supervisory role but have good team working and initiative experiences (that I acquired during the last one year) I can discuss.

Thank you.
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Darden Feedback: (original email format has been preserved)

As previous academic accomplishments and standardized test scores have proven to be the most reasonable basis for predicting future academic success, we are generally inclined to favor those candidates who present both a record of distinguished academic attainment and superior test performance equal in quality to their professional achievements. The Committee felt that your application was not as strong in this regard as the application of those to whom we extended offers of admission.

Also, while the committee found merit to your application, the committee felt the clarity and focus in your essays was not as strong as the applicants to whom we extended offers of admission. The fact that you were not admitted should not be taken as a reflection of your abilities but as a reflection of the strength of the applicant pool.

That's very odd, 690 and 3.63 are in no way weak academics. Unless you were being compared solely to all the other Indian IT folks who applied at Darden.

IMHO your "why MBA" still needs a lot of work and you need to show how exactly it's going to help you in your career ambitions. What makes you interested in strategy and general management?

I was thinking the same thing about the OP's numbers. The only unknown with regards to academics is the UG GPA. Perhaps that is the weakness that they are alluding to. Also, I agree that the OP's "why MBA" story probably had more to do with the dings than academics did.

My UG acads had a couple of F's in the first 2 years, but I cleared them in the subsequent attempt. But overall, I scored 72% where the university highest was 78%. My UG acads might have been an imp factor apart from my essays. Thats the reason I took the GMAT a second time and improved it. I heard that good GMAT score compensates, to some extent, for any weakness in UG acads.

what are your thoughts?
This time around I have a good story for why MBA (needs to be put well in writing). With that in mind, which schools in top 10 do I stand the best chance (assuming decent essays apart from the rest of my profile).

Thanks for your time folks and wish you all good luck!

I'm a little risk averse, so here's my suggestion. Going by last year's profiles, I would say you should target Ross, Duke and Cornell.
Pick two "reach" schools from from Kellogg, GSB, Wharton, HBS, Haas, and Stanford - schools you really like and not just schools that are "ranked" very high.

Thanks for the feedback Solaris. I am thinking on similar lines about Ross, Duke and Cornell. However, regarding the top 10 schools, what schools do you think I have a good shot at? I will learn about their programs and then make a decision.

Thank you.

Given your goals I think you have the "numbers" for Wharton and Kellogg, but you will need to have extraordinarily well executed applications, essays and recommendations. You're aware already that you fall under a very heavily overrepresented applicant demographic. So you must stand out to have a good shot at the top 10.

Develop the leadership themes you've referred to in passing in your "professional" and "extracurricular" involvement described above.