Please evaluate my profile

Question

Hi,

My detailed profile is given below:

MS in Mechanical Engineering from University of Arizona, GPA 3.75/4.0

I am planning to do my MBA in 2013 Fall. I still haven't taken my GMAT but for argument sake lets assume 700.

My work ex by 2013 would be 5 yrs. My work is mainly focused on designing and assisting construction on the mechanical/piping aspects of a Metal Mining Plant. I have been promoted once since I joined this company. I am an Engineer Level III.

My social activities include being a board member of ISSA (Indian Society of Southern Arizona) and conducting various social events. We try to keep the Indian culture alive and also try to bring awareness among people of the culture. Also am a member of a Camera Club and an Indian Instrumental band. Did some social work as question master for school level science bowl competitions in Arizona. Also am actively involved in my company's social program where we collect food to donate and also donate toys to the toys for tots programs.

As far as my area of interest is concerned, I would like to get into Private Equity or Investment Banking. The knowledge I have in this area is purely from handling my families finances. I also subscribe to an Investment Newsletter and keep a close watch on the happenings in the Market. The mystery of the financial markets always leave me in awe. I have a passion for this kind of role (PE or IB)!!

My question actually is for you to suggest some target schools for me. I only want to do my MBA from the TOP 15 Business schools in the USA.

Also if there anything lacking, like maybe in the social work area or my interest not coinciding with what I am doing right now or the transition from Engineering to PE or IB then please let me know and also give me some insight as to how to overcome these issues. I am still in the planning stage and any advise you give me can be implemented to steer my career in the right direction.

And one last question is how will having more experience in my field help my profile. For example, if I work for few more years my H1B visa expires and I have to apply for my Permanent Residency which will take 3 more yrs atleast. This will put me close to 8-10 yrs of experience. But I will probably be in a Project Engineer position where I will have a whole new perspective as to how to handle the budget for a project etc. Will that kind of a Project Engineer/Manager role help me in me to get into a top school for finance? Or will it not matter much?

Thank you so much for answering my questions. Your answers will definitely help me to make some serious decisions.

Regards,
GT

taurus555 · Answer

I forgot to add that some more details of my work. I have international experience being a client for one of our vendors in china. Also in parallel I have had direct contact with my clients and report to them regarding progress of a project. Was more of a semi lead on the project and also did a small report for the client managing a team of about 6 people. Got very good feedback both from the client and my superiors.

Hope this helps to get a better view of my work responsibilities.

Thanks again.

GT

Posted from my mobile device

Hope this helps to get a better view of my work responsibilities.

Thanks again.

GT

Posted from my mobile device

interviewbay · Answer

Regarding your last question, don't wait until 8-10 years of experience. It will hurt your chances. Every additional year you spend over 5 should add value to your resume and profile. The avg experience is low at US schools. Regarding your career goals, it is possible to get into PE/IB if you can get into top 5 schools. You might want to explore Real Estate private equity. These companies will value your construction experience as well. You should also learn about the above roles. You dont seem to have good knowledge about them. Vault guides are popular with MBA folks for understanding different careers. You can also visit https://www.interviewbay.com/blog and find relevant career information on different types of Finance careers (Investment Banking, Sales & Trading, Risk management, Operations, etc). Good luck! www.InterviewBay.com - Get Ready For The Interview MBA | Finance | Consulting

taurus555 · Answer

Thanks interviewbay for the reply. I will definitely read up on the different types of roles out there. But to be more specific I would like to work in wealth management - product specialist.

Also could u tell me why I have to do my MBA from the top 5? I mean is there any specific reason for that? Also from ur experience is it not common for engineers to jump into MBA (finance)?

Thanks.

GT

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bizschoolprep · Answer

OK. You have a lot going on over here. First, visa status. It is going to be tricky if you want to wait for your green card. Moreover five years of work exp is the norm in almost all business school.

Second, your goals. You need to flush them out. IB and PE are different industries. Moreover your interest (family finances) seems to be either in wealth management or may be in capital markets/asset management if its on investing side. Your choice of schools should be decided from your goals and not vice versa. If its PE, yes, a top 10 (in fact 5) will give you the best bet. Yes, it is difficult to break into PE without any prior related experience. If its banking or any other finance field, a top 15 should help you get there. Finance and consulting are probably the most common post MBA career for engineers so you are good there.

Third, it seems you have good extracurriculars. Bring the leadership flavor out there and leverage this part of your profile to the maximum.

Fourth, as far as your work is concerned it all depends on how you showcase it. Adcoms look out for attributes such as leadership potential, proven impact, teamwork, initiatives, etc and your job will be to showcase these in your application.

Finally, considering your demographic (assuming Indian), you need to get a good GMAT score, the closer you can get to 750, the better it will be.

The bottom line is that these top 15 schools are very selective, no matter which demographic we talk about, and one small bump could turn out be a major weakness when you are competing for these schools. You may be competitive to these schools but so are the other 50%+ candidate who apply. The key point for you will be how well you execute your application. If you want to discuss your personal profile, etc in detail, feel free to email/PM us. Good luck!

taurus555 · Answer

Thanks for the reply Bizschoolprep. Your answer was detailed and complete..pretty much helped me with all my questions.

After reading up on some material I got to know that people with no prior experience in Finance are "more easily" absorbed in the IB sector. And I dont mind being on the "buy side" of an IB. I also got to that know people generally tend to get some experience in IB sector before jumping into the PE side.

But that aside the pointers I got from ur reply is that:

1. 5 yrs work ex is good enough for top 10-15 schools.
2. A GMAT score of 720-750 is good enough.
3. Highlight my strong extra curricular activities and work exp. to show leadership skills, able to work in a team environment, initiatives etc. 
4. Choose schools which are inline with your goals.

Thanks again for the reply.

Regards,
GT

bizschoolprep · Answer

You got it! Good luck.

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