MBA2008 wrote:
Hi Linda.
I am 28 year old woman. I work in the IT industry for an MNC (and so do most of compatriots .. yawn !!) I am looking to do my MBA in the US. Yes, we the Indians love to study in the US. In fact, a survey conducted recently showed that Indians still have a high opinion of land of the statue of liberty.
I have a GMAT score of 690 and TOEFL 290.
Some of my criteria for selecting colleges
1. Career Goals
I do not want to be an Investment Banker or be anywhere close to finance/financial services. I am keen to leverage my IT background to go into strategic consulting or general management. I am also looking at Marketing.
2. Campus and Location
Coming from a highly populated country, I am trying to get into a college in a reasonably big-sized town. I am afraid I will suffer from home sickness otherwise.
3. Class Size
I am looking at class size between 100-500. I do not want to get killed by the competition before I graduate.
4. Tuition and Financial Aid
I have been looking at the following colleges:
Elite - Ross
Trans Elite - Emory, McCombs, Tepper
Others - Carlson, Smith
My concerns:
1. I am worried about all the hype on diversity. While I consider myself to be an exotic creature with an eccentric mind, I am not sure if B schools will. While I have always excelled at academics and work place, I do not have any accomplishments in music, sports, etc. How badly do u think this will hurt my application? Specially, my aid chances ?
2. I am also worried about the emphasis on community service. While I am hoping to receive some aid from some scholarship instituted by a noble soul , I have not been making any contribution to the society. I am just too buried in my life, friends, work and parties. How do u think this will affect my application?.
3. What do u think of my college selection?
Thanks for your time.
you don't have to try to be diverse or exotic. You do have to tell you story in a way where you personality will come through. You have mentioned what you have not been involved in. Think about what you have been involved in other than work. If you non-professional activities are striclty limited to socializing and parties, then you will have a tough time convincing the adcoms that you are going to contribute to the school in multiple ways and probably also have a tougher time getting financial aid. On the other hand, make the most of your "eccentric mind." Write about your creativity.
2). Again, I think lack of community service is a negative, particularly when you are applying at highly competitive programs like Ross, which emphasizes community service.
3) Ross is a stretch. You have a competitive profile for the other schools on your list.
Good luck!