Sesha,
Thank you for reaching out. I have worked with countless clients at
Stratus Prep with similar background to yours and am happy to share my expertise in this area.
Not knowing your undergraduate GPA, I am basing my target school suggestions on your GMAT score and desire to specialize in finance. A few targets for you are Fordham and Indiana (Kelley). Some stretches to consider are Boston College (Carroll), Duke (Fuqua), and University of Virginia (Darden).
Loyola (Sellinger) is a safety school to consider.
If you would like to begin school fall 2015, then R2 this year is the time to apply.
I recommend that you retake the GMAT with the help of a private tutor. Indian males are an overrepresented group at business schools, so you will need to stand out in your applications. I have had clients at
Stratus Prep get into HBS with GMAT’s in the 590 range, so a low GMAT is a hurdle you can overcome, but if you feel you have adequate time to prepare, retaking may be a good option. You should begin essays and other application components concurrently to ensure that you have sufficient time to put forth the best representation of yourself possible.
I hope that was helpful. If you have further questions or need to clarify anything, feel free to comment below or send me an email at
shawn.oconnor@stratusprep.com. In addition, I recently wrote a Forbes
article with tips for Indian applicants which you might be interested in reading.
Shawn