Profile Evaluation :)

Question

Hi,

GMAT: 670
Work Ex: almost 3 yrs, current designation Technical Lead in IT firm.
Region : India

Decent Academics, Was House captain in School, Mr. Personlaity duirng my diploma college, Orgainzed VArious Events and Educational and Recreational Tours during my Engg.

As part of my Work Ex i am involved in IT service Management, and also designated as the Idea Champion for contribution in Innovations for Client Benefits.

What are my Chances for a nice University.
Let me list down my prefernces.
 For US

Stern
Fuqua
Yale
Mccombs
Kenan Flagler
Kelly
Marshal
Dallas
Simon
Hough

Canada

Rotmon
Sauder

Singapore

NUS
Nanyang

and also for ISB.

Thanks in advance.

bryantmichaels · Answer

You're going to have trouble getting attention at Fuqua, Yale and Stern with your current profile. The average number of years work experience is approaching 5 years at these schools and the Indian applicant pool is so very deep, they simply get too many applicants who meet this average to be competitive with less. Particularly since you hail from a heavily populated industry within the Indian Applicant Pool (IT), it will be very difficult to stand out. Finally, your GMAT, while a good score, will be below the average for this same applicant pool. I am sure you are realizing by now, it's all about how you compare to your fellow applicants with similar backgrounds and stats. Even for the schools on your list which are not ranked as high as these three, you should approach the process trying to think specifically about how you stand out from others with similar experience, education and ethnic background/perspective. This will help you orient your application in the most compelling way. Let us know if we can help.

harsh1887 · Answer

Thanks for your reply.
I agree with what you say, i am planning to take my gmat again. My only doubt is whether a high GMAT score( 730+) would increase my chances for the mentioned prefernces, as by taking the gmat again i would be missing the first deadline of these universities. Would this affect my chances in any way?

And what are your thoughts for my other other options like canada and singapore on the present score.

Thanks

bryantmichaels · Answer

You'll have the best shot where there are fewer Indian applicants so you may need to dive in with these other target schools to research their application stats to determine this. A higher GMAT can help, but as you astutely point out, it's not necessarily the big differentiator you need. Again, with most schools, it's a complicated combination of traits, and work experience is a big part of it. If your target schools have an average number of years closer to 3-4, then you should have a better shot there. I think the Canadian schools and Singapore would be a good option.

harsh1887 · Answer

Thanks again for you help.
Another quick question, does being from an IT background narrows down my MBA stream to operations or business analytics? Since i would also be interested in Sales or Marketing also.
And Since you said that i need to stand out of my competitive pool, i guess that it would be helpful to strengthen my profile by sharpening my skills in my present work place. So my question is does certification add on to the profile strength? Such as a six sigma or ITIL expert?

I really appreciate your help...

bryantmichaels · Answer

The best way to make certifications stand out is to talk about how. In other words, connect the certification to some specific transferable skill in your post MBA plan or how it helps enhance your leadership, etc. Be careful about painting your goals with too broad a brush, however. Better to pick an area you are passionate about--don't worry about being limited by what you have done, but I would not mention four or five areas--might make you appear unfocused or unprepared for b-school

Profile Evaluation :)

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards