Profile evaluation

Question

Indian|Male|27 years old|Target 2022 Fall

B.Tech. in Civil Engineering (2009-2013) (Non-IIT) - India - 4.0/4.0 GPA
MS in Civil Engineering (2017-2018) - Georgia Tech - 3.9/4.0 GPA
GMAT: 750 (Q49, V42), 5.5 AWA, 8 IR

Work Experience :

2013-2017: Lived in India and Denmark. Worked as a Project Engineer and Technical Consultant for multi billion dollar infrastructure projects in Eurasia. 
2019-Present: Civil Engineering Management Consulting. Working as a consultant on multi billion dollars projects in North America, Australia, Eurasia.

Extra-Curricular:
President for two organizations back in UG and Masters universities,
Active member of LGBT outreach program in the US,
Volunteered for a teaching program in Tanzania
Construction volunteer for a very big NGO in the US

Post-MBA goals: To work in a strategy group of a large construction firm or as a consultant for capital projects.

I have these three questions, would be great to get some feedback:

1) Since I have more than two years time, how else can I improve my profile?
2) What are the MBA schools that I can target in the US?
3) 29 years is too old to apply for an MBA?

Thanks!

Admissionado · Answer

Thanks for reaching out! A few questions for you: 1) what's your reason for wanting to wait two more years to apply? Most top schools are looking for applicants with 3-5 years of experience upon matriculation, and since you currently have 4-5 years of work experience (if I'm reading the above correctly) you're already going to be hitting that upper limit if you apply this fall. Waiting two more years could really make things much more challenging for you. When you have too many years of experience the adcom starts to worry that you no longer need the degree, and especially when coming from such a competitive demographic (Indian male engineers are the most overrepresented group among b-school applicants), you don't want to do anything to create additional challenges for yourself & your candidacy. Even though you're relatively new in your current role, it sounds like you have some accomplishments to speak to already (?) & you'll have more than a year under your belt there by the time you'd start school. 2) Do you identify as a member of the LGBTQ community? If so that will be a benefit to your application. The adcom sees VERY few Indian male engineers who are part of that community so from a demographic perspective it will be a differentiator for sure & will add to class mix. If not, no worries - it's still good that you did the outreach.

In terms of schools, assuming some strong essays & some strong accomplishments at work (as well as recommenders who will vouch for you), you definitely have a good shot at top 15 schools -- and maybe even top ten depending on how you tell your story.

If you need help thinking through your strategy or story definitely reach out to us. We work with a ton of Indian male engineers & know what's cliche vs. what's unique -- and how to use that info to set yourself apart. If you email Claudia at [email protected] she can set you up with a free consultation with one of our MBA consultants!

GMATJunkie740 · Answer

Hey Jon,

Thank a lot for your detailed response. My responses to your questions:

1) I will become a senior consultant next year and may be manager an year after that. Also I would like to work at my present company which is giving me tons of opportunities to work on wonderful projects before I hop on to do MBA.

2) Yes, I identify myself as an LGBT member.

Thanks!

Admissionado · Answer

Cool - thanks for those responses. Happy Pride!

To be honest, although I totally understand the appeal of staying at your company (since it sounds like you are on a roll there!) waiting two more years to apply is going to make things more challenging for you since you will be quite a bit above the average years of experience at that point. Would you consider applying next year instead? Then you'd have at least one promotion under your belt but you wouldn't be pushing things so hard when it comes to age/years of experience. If there's a lot going on at your company you could also consider returning to it as your ST goal (which would have the added benefit of being more unique than the consulting path). It's not a total deal breaker to be above the average age/years of experience, and you'd still have a shot at top schools, but I'd seriously consider at least applying next year. When you wait too long there's no going back! When you're already coming from such a competitive demographic you have to be careful about creating any more challenges in your candidacy. Another option would be to consider European schools. INSEAD would be a great fit for you & it skews a bit older so your age & years of experience would be less of an issue there.

GMATJunkie740 · Answer

Thanks for the feedback, Jon. You are amazing. I will consider your suggestions seriously. Have a great week ahead!

Admissionado · Answer

Happy to help!

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