Hi there! See my notes below.
target760gmat
Hi Experts,
Request you to suggest suitable b-schools for me:
Profile Details:
GMAT Score: 730 (Q50 V39, IR7)
GPA : 8/10 from NIT (Bachelor of Technology , Engineering) India Great GMAT and GPA stats!
Work Ex: 4 years
Work Experience in detail:
Working in a top MNC - In Automotive Electronics Domain in India. My current role is to interact with internal customers and obtain requirements for the embedded software development. You've been there all 4 years I assume? Any promotions? What else is going to set your experience apart from others applying with a pretty technical background?
Short Term Goal: Product Management These are in-demand roles for MBAs now but I think makes sense given your background
Long Term Goal: Technology Consultant/Strategy roles
Extra Curricular:
Toastmasters, Marathon, Social Service Are these current? If not, this is an area to improve. Also are you actively involved in social service or just making contributions? Schools look for consistent participation, ideally some leadership.
Target B-Schools:
ISB , SP Jain as of now
(May be NUS - Singapore)
Questions:
(1) What B-Schools can I target for ? (without cost constraints purely based on my profile) The schools you list above make sense. Given that there are many similar applicants, I don't feel great about your chances at very top schools. In the US I would target schools like Ross & Duke which also have great placements in product management roles.
(2) What B-Schools can I target for ? (with cost constraints mentioned below)
Constraint:
Not more than 50 lakh INR (or) 75k USD (including living expense). Willing to take abroad options if scholarships are available. All schools will release full budgets including tuition and living expenses so double check that data directly with schools. In general I would avoid large urban campuses (e.g., Kellogg, Wharton, Columbia, MIT, etc.) where living expenses are going to be quite high. Scholarships are hard to predict but the more competitive your profile is at a school, the more likely. So I'd have a few "safety" schools that could present strong scholarships (e.g., Foster, Rice, Wisconsin, Kelley, etc.).
(3) How to differentiate my essays from others of similar profile, since my profile mostly looks like that of a typical IT Male applicant ? Excellent question! Tough to answer though without knowing more about you. This is where brainstorming with a consultant often pays off.
(4) Anything which I can do to improvise my profile in the next few months ? See my note above on extracurriculars, otherwise research / engage with your target schools, and work on writing stand-out essays. A GMAT retake couldn't hurt if you felt you could score even higher, but it's definitely not necessary.
(5) Are there any other alternative,possible suggestions for long term / short term goal ? Based on your suggestions, I am planning to learn more about them to find whether they suits my interests or plan. (Not interested in Finance) Perhaps an operations or data analytics role depending on your skills there. But I think what you have now makes sense.
(6) Should I improve my GMAT Score (retake) to target better schools within my reach ? See above
Thanks