tgarg wrote:
Hi Alex, was wondering if you could give me a bit of an evaluation
My profile:
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, cum laude
University of California Irvine
Overall GPA: 3.56
Engineering GPA: 3.74
Spend 1 semester studying engineering at Hong Kong University as part of a global exchange program
GRE Exam: 167/170 Quantitative (95%ile) and 163/170 Verbal (93%ile)
GMAT: --- currently in prep period, ETS compares my GRE score to a 740 on the GMAT ---
Work Experience - 2 years
I work at a boutique, global management consulting firm focused in major engineering industries such as Automotive, Aviation, and Telecom. We offer services ranging from engineering solutions (system validation, product development etc.) to program management, supplier management, and classical strategy consulting.
I started at this company straight out of college at the lowest rung of the organization: Test Engineer. I wrote and executed test cases, fairly mindless and boring tasks; I knew from the start that I wanted more. I began to push my boundaries by getting involved with the product innovation group within the organization, and it was there that I pioneered automated test software applications within the company, leading to increased business at key clients. Within 1.5 years I transitioned from Test Engineer > Program Management Support > Product Manager > Project Lead for two projects back to back, one of which was in the 6 figure revenue range.
Extra Curricular:
Co-founded an online food-delivery startup targeted towards college students. I was in charge of sourcing and managing developers, building requirements, UX and wireframes. I'll be candid in saying that it failed in less than a year, with 0 revenue. Still, there were a lot of valuable lessons from that project.
My Goals:
Ideally, I'd like to start my MBA Fall 2014, at Stanford. Stanford is my dream school for a few reasons: they offer a joint MS in Computer Science and MBA program that would be perfect for my long term goals (founder, CXO or other leadership at a technology startup), the program has great global experience opportunities, and they are located in the heart of the silicon valley, where the majority of the technology innovation happens. I'm also looking at Berkeley.
I'm open to other top 20 MBA programs worldwide, but I'd like to stay with schools that have a pedigree of being technology oriented as opposed to banking, finance or marketing.
Are my goals reasonable? What are some schools that I should look at? Any advice or tips on ways to strengthen my application would be appreciated. Do I need to get involved with community service or non-profit? Is my work experience compelling enough to justify the short length?
Again, thanks for reading and I appreciate any feedback you might have.
Tgarg,
Thanks for being patient. You have a very solid background---a competitive gpa in a tough major, a strong GRE, and clear progression at an industry-aligned consulting services firm.
If things are going so well at your company, what else can unfold there over the next year? Could you be promoted again, could you be assigned to more of strategy vs testing/software project to round out your profile..? These are key questions as you decide whether to apply this year or next. Reapplication is not always an easy thing to do one year after, so you want to make a sound decision. And from your research you probably know that though some folks do get into the top schools with 2 years at application, it is less frequent than other "segments".
The start up, though it failed, certainly shows off your risk taking. And yes if you apply next season, getting involved with a charity/volunteer/hobby ASAP is a good idea. You don't want to start something too close to the application season.
In terms of your career goals, they are not well defined yet. Many people can say they want to be a tech founder, but is there an area of tech that most interests you, is there a particular business problem you want to solve, is there a tech company you admire for post mba employment....??? You will need to present some specifics.
Sure, Stanford is most everybody's dream school these days:) Haas is hard to get into as well but aligned to your interests. Ross also has an established tech focus so you may want to look there. Many of the top schools are embracing tech (like Wharton having folks spend time on their West Coast campus) so don't rule out some great schools because they are not synoymous with tech just yet. You want to look at schools also in terms of where they will be in 5-10 years and not just now. Tech is where the whole economy is headed.
For you the critical issue is MBA now or later, and what you can make happen at your job (and the impact on your LORs) in the next 1-1.5 years is probably the most important factor.
Hope that helps move the conversation forward.
Alex
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Updated on: 19 Jun 2015, 23:59
