pmenon wrote:
My profile:
Single, of East Indian origin but have lived in Canada since I was 11 years old, 25 years old currently
GMAT: Not done yet. Still in the studying process =)
Academics
- BSc in Electrical Engineering from Queen's University
- 2.7 GPA. Hopefully I calculated it out correctly, as we dont use the GPA system. I had a very tough first two years, as this is when I found out about my Mother's illness, and mentally it really threw me off; there were bouts of depression that I had gone through as I was struggling to come to terms with the situation
Full time Work experience
I've worked full time since 2004. My first job was as a Business Analyst for TD Waterhouse (a major Canadian bank). I lasted there for about 13 months, when I moved industries to the telecom world, as my old job was not challenging anymore. Ive had previous summer terms and internships working at telecom companies, and found that I really enjoyed them. My initial role was again as a Business Analyst, and I was in the unique position of being the only resource on the project, which essentially also made me the Project Manager. After 8 months, I made a lateral move within the company to the Engineering side, which is where I still am after 15 months. In this latest role, I am the technical prime on a very high visibility project, and am in continous contact with many different groups throughout the company.
Extracurricular
-outside of studies and work, I keep up a dedicated excercise regimen, and love working out
-Reading: I love to read about almost anything, especially war history, and more obscure topics such as knowing how to read people, i.e. body language, etc.
Community activities
- I have volunteered to represent the University, both while I was a student and as an Alumni. They werent leadership positions unfortunately, but Im getting the impression that this is something important.
- I am planning to get more involved with local foundations, but again, leadership roles might not be possible. Main reason is I dont know whether I will be able to handle such a role, as it will come with more responsibilities, and right now, taking care of my Mother does take up a lot of time.
Long term career goals -
Goal is to stay within the telecom industry, but to move up into a CTO/CIO role. I have always enjoyed working in telecom, and now that I have been exposed to the engineering/technology side, I know this is where I would like to stay. I know the industry (in Canada, at least), and am always trying to keep up to date on whats the 'next big thing' is, whats coming around the corner, etc. I can see myself one day leading a company, new or startup, in the technological direction to go in.
My target schools -
I would really, really prefer to go to a school in Europe. LBS is my ultimate dream school. Oxford and Cambridge wont be out of the question either. The reason I pick those schools is because they have name recognition outside Europe, so should I ever have to come back to N.America for work, they wont have to wonder "where the heck did this guy go to school" ?
This is my first attempt at doing a profile eval, please let me know if theres something Ive missed. Im more than happy to answer any questions.
Thanks !
pmenon,
You will need a 700 and hopefully higher to even have a shot at LBS or other top European schools. Your profile is hardly the "typical" Male-Indian-IT profile, but unfortunately it is close enough to that very crowded applicant pool that you will have to post high numbers, especially given your GPA. Your story about your mother should get told in your essays and will mitigate the GPA damage and help a little bit in explaining the lack of community work. But weak community is still a minus. I do agree that university admissions/recruitment work is a positive, since it tells schools you may be an active alum for them. Your career progress seems a little uncertain/unfocused so this may be one more weakness, especially since you seem to have moved from a Project Manager role to one in which the leadership is only informal. All in all, I think LBS, Oxford, and Cambridge will be longshots for you even with a 700 plus GMAT, and that you should add some more doable schools to the list.
Good luck,