Hi,
Firstly, congrats on the GMAT! Great job! Let's break down your profile:
Academics: Strong GMAT; average GPA. Indian Male IT candidate, which makes the bar significantly higher and means you have to differentiate yourself quite a bit from your peers.
Work experience: On the low side with 2 years, but you'll have 3 years by the time of matriculation. It'll be difficult to demonstrate the same degree of leadership as your peers, but I think the fact that you've already managed other consultants is quite impressive. Sounds like you'll have some good stories from your work experience, but I'm not seeing standout differentiation here.
Extracurriculars: Strong musical talent and pursuit - you'll probably have a decent leadership story here between college band and office band (shows leadership in both cases).
Community: I don't see much in the way of community volunteer work or community leadership. This will be a gap in your profile.
Looking at your target programs, I think Kellogg is a bit too much of a stretch school with your current profile. While your GMAT is strong, I'm not sure the other dimensions will be competitive enough for Kellogg. I think there are a range of programs between Kellogg and UCLA though that you could consider (for example, Darden). I think you have a realistic chance at Ross, ISB and your other programs, but that you could add something like Duke/Darden to the mix.
As for scholarships, I unfortunately don't have a great answer for you there. I believe scholarships are awarded on a need and merit basis, not on a timing basis, so I would focus on putting together the strongest application you can and submitting it when it's ready (not later than R2).
Good luck,
Mili
Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
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