Profile evaluation, 750 Q49 V42

Hi everyone,

as I'm in the process of applying for business school -fall 2018- I would really appreciate to get any insights you might have from your current/past experience either as applicants or as consultants.

Female, Spanish, 26
Undergrad: Industrial Engineering, public university in Spain, best GPA in graduating class (2014)
Work experience as of Aug 2017: 2 yrs 8 mons (+3 months at a very successful startup right after graduation)
- 1 yr 7 months as a project engineer at a world leading scientific organization
- 1 yr (ongoing) at a top management consulting firm (MBB)
GMAT score: 750 Q49 V42 (November 2015)

MBA Motivation and career goals
- with a strong engineering/project management background, it was throughout my previous job as an engineer that I found management -in a technical/scientific environment- most rewarding. I naturally evolved into taking on more responsibility on the management side of things, and I performed best at a position that allowed me to have a full picture and work on complex technical/management problems with a very diverse team. I then decided that in order to realize my aspirations and become a successful manager in a technical, collaborative, international environment like the one I was fortunate enough, I needed to bolster my engineering experience with management/business experience & education (MBA)
- I joined my previous company (MBB) as a first step in this "journey" away from engineering/science, and after 2 years I believe it'll be the right moment to move on into B-school
- in the future I see myself as a leader in a innovative environment, whether at a tech start-up, back at a big leading organization or in a big corporation that fulfills what I discussed above (international environment, cutting-edge technology)
- I don't necessarily see myself realizing this future immediately after the MBA, as coming back to my current job and keep growing in it would definitely be an option

Extracurriculars:
- throughout high school, college, and first working years: competitive basketball, classical music (professional conservatory degree and involvement in mulitple orchestras)
- significantly lower dedication to extracurriculars in the past year due to very high workload, but still competing with a basketball team in a local league, and recently starting practicing and competing in ultimate frisbee in Spain and in a few intl' tournaments
- hoping to make music, basketball and ultimate frisbee part of my community engagement during my MBA

International experience:
- gap year after high school graduation in the US
- studied in 3 different countries (exchange year in Germany + 2 summer semesters at 2 top US schools, one of them at Stanford GSB)
- worked in 3 different countries (Germany, Switzerland, Spain)
- fluent in Spanish and English, somewhat less fluent in French and German (definitely conversational, having worked in both languages)

Other
- awarded a merit scholarship through a private foundation that will cover tuition and most living expenses during my MBA
- received several academic awards and scholarship throughout my studies, which allowed for my international experiences abroad

Applying to HBS, GSB, Sloan in R1. Potentially Wharton, Haas, Booth in R2 (would rather apply in R1, but it's unlikely that time will allow). Would like to add one "safer" school to R1 applications.

Current application status:
- discussed goals and aspirations with both recommenders, who will submit during the next few days. Both are former supervisors from my current job in consulting (senior partner) and my previous work in science (direct supervisor & mentor, senior manager)
- have a pre-structure developed for my essay, and currently starting to work on a first draft

What I would like to hear about from you:
- overall profile evaluation
- in which schools from the ones I mentioned above you see greater chances and why
- any advice on how to decide on "back-up" programs
- any other application tips you might have based on my profile

Many thanks!

Cheers,
Paula