akshaychaturvedi007 wrote:
Hi Alex,
As discussed, wanted to share with you my profile and enquire about suitability of schools.
- 2.5 years of experience (as of yet); 2 with EY and a 6 month stint with KPMG - have demonstrated fast career progression
- Been a start-up fanatic, currently running an international start-up with presence in eleven countries - model is via product store, services offered, and a live blog: a for-profit social entrepreneurial initiative
- Involved with social entrepreneurial roles outside work - funding for a rural start-up which is a Wharton study; aiding a World economic forum fellow, etc
- Managed football team at EY and won awards, leadership roles in school, college and work - Sports Captain, College Representative, etc.
- Long term career goal is to be a maximum impact social entrepreneur and a politician, have actively worked toward these goals, currently work with a political outfit on an innovative plan to improve the lives of people living in the constituency
- Passed out of University of Delhi with an aggregate of 64%: top 10% of passing class
GMAT Score: 710 (Q48, V40) ; AWA 6, though messed up with an IR of 1
Schools I am keen on: HarVard, Wharton, MIT Sloan, Yale, Keloggs, Indian School of Business, Chicago Booth
Please do share your inputs, thanks again
In short, you are overshooting.
Big-4 guys are essentially a long shot at HBS -- forget it. Your chances are basically slim to none especially for a Big-4 person who is coming out of India.
As for Wharton, Sloan, Kellogg, Booth -- they will be stretches for Big-4 folks. For someone like yourself based in India, they will likely be long shots or big stretches. Focus on 0-1 school as your lottery ticket.
Where you should focus is on the following:
Top 16: Yale, Stern, Cornell, Ross, Darden, Duke, UCLA. These schools are stretches but where you have enough of a shot that they're at least worth giving a serious shot. Choose 2-3 from this list.
Top 30: Georgetown, Maryland, Emory, UNC, USC, Texas, Tepper, Purdue, Indiana. These schools are sweet spots where you have more of a reasonable shot of getting into. Choose 2-3 from this list.
Outside the top 30: these would be safeties. Choose 0-1 from this tier.
ISB would be similar to a top 30 (sweet spot), as would European programs like Oxford, Cambridge, HEC, IESE, ESADE, IE. The top Euro programs like INSEAD and LBS will be big stretches (closer to a US top 8).