chiragr wrote:
Hi Paul
I would really appreciate your opinion on my school selection.
Indian Male (30 at present)
Target: 2007 fulltime MBA in Entrepreneurship
Choices: Wharton/Columbia/Stanford/MIT/Harvard
Credentials:
=> BE in EE from not well known school in India (60% -- ~3.5 though no official GPA available)
=> MS in EE from a large US (GPA 3.7)
=> GMAT 730(q 95% v 90%) AWA 4.5(57%)
Professional Exp:
=> More than six year of experience in two Silicon Valley startups,
=> One promotion, multiple pay raises and stock grants
First Company: Telecommunication startup which went public. I was part of R&D department and did work on industry leading products. I was the most junior engineer and only fresh grad hired so no one reported to me
Second Company: Medical device company which is integrating telecommunication and medical technologies. Reporting to director with and has one collogue (that’s the whole group)
Overall: I am fascinated by start ups/entrepreneurship from day one so I joined one startup. I know lot of things about technology startup and in future want to have few of my own, hence wanted to pursue MBA in entrepreneurship.
Extracurricular:
=> 2 Years in professional organization (similar to IEEE) in India. Held leading position and performed innovative activities such as starting school magazines, organizing seminars etc.
=> ~5 years (1998-2003) with volunteering organization working for basic education. Hold positions and also executed many responsibilities.
(I can write big essays about my extracurricular involvements as I have really made difference and I am really passionate about volunteering)
Do I have good chances at any of the above schools? Which school I should not waste efforts on and which school I should concentrate on.
Thanks
Chirag
Chirag,
I wouldn't describe your chances at any of these schools as "good"--they are tough nuts to crack. The principal difficulty is that your background will (unfortunately) be viewed in the context of other male technology professionals from India, which is to say other people with strong numbers and impressive resumes. Thus, you will need to be more than "qualified"; you will need to stand out. Your community looks good, but frankly your professional experience doesn't quite seem to be at the level of most of the schools you listed. Given your goals, I'm not sure why CBS is on your list. I would focus most of your energies on MIT, and I would consider adding some or all of the following schools to your list: Michigan, USC, Haas, Texas, Carnegie Mellon, and/or Indiana.
Good luck!