Hi saurabhpankaj,
Your work experience is quite strong. Five years is right in the “sweet spot” when it comes to MBA applications, and it appears that you have been at strong, well-recognized international firms. However, I think that you will need to clearly convey to the AdComs your job progression from marketing analytics pharma to quant derivatives to i-banking. I would not use quant alone as the theme as this will then bucket you with thousands of other applicants with just strong quant profiles. My team at
Stratus Prep and I find it is more successful to try and tie together various jobs like this strategically or thematically. It takes a lot more work on your and our part, but it tends to be a lot more successful.
It sounds like you have a clear idea of where you want to be long-term, but for your application you will want to narrow down your short-term goals so you don't have those two different options (except for at schools that specifically ask for two alternatives). Especially since you already run the risk of appearing a bit unfocused given you prior work experience.
Given your strong interest in finance, as a target-stretch, I would consider Wharton and Columbia (but be aware that Columbia requires a US co-signer for student loans for international students so if that is not possible, it may not be a good fit for you). Also, I think that you are being a little too conservative with your schools choices. Even with a lower GPA and few post college extracurriculars, you have gone to an IIT, have compelling work experience (if it is packaged correctly), and a high GMAT. At
Stratus Prep, we have helped applicants from India with profiles such as this into top 3 schools in the US (including some from India with an equivalent of a 2.9 last year who we helped into Wharton).
Best of luck!
Shawn
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Shawn O'Connor
Founder/CEO, Stratus Prep
shawn.oconnor@stratusprep.com
212-307-1788
http://www.stratusprep.com
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