Profile Evaluation for MBA - Fal 2021

Hi sandy1091,

Thank you for your post. I think that there is strength and value in the fact that you finished in the top 10% of your undergraduate class, did a masters and interned in France, have worked at and been promoted at the global leaders in your field, and appear to be very active from a community and involvement standpoint. The three areas I am paying attention to from a difficulty standpoint for these schools are as follows:

(1) Your GMAT Score: Although the field for Indian applicants (particularly from engineering) is more crowded for males, you should still aim for a GMAT score that is ideally 30+ points above the average for the programs you're interested in. According to one GMAT Club study (with a substantial sample size), Indian applicants with a 700/710 GMAT score have only a 2% acceptance rate across the entirety of the U.S. T20, and only a 5% acceptance rate with a 720/730 GMAT score. As a minimum, I would target a a 720+ for Judge, 730+ for Johnson, and 740+ for Stern. Below 730 and you'll usually find yourself outside of the middle 80% range for Indian students at T10-15 U.S. schools, which makes things very difficult.

(2) Your Work Experience (Quantity and Type): Applying with three years of experience to enroll with four is within common ranges for these schools, but it is slightly earlier than optimal when we consider Indian applicants / engineers and particularly with respect to European programs. At the likes of Johnson and Stern, you'll generally see average work experience levels of five years, with middle 80% ranges of three to seven. Enrolling with four years of experience is, as mentioned, well within this band, but we do find that Indian applicants tend to perform better with slightly more experience. Especially when applying from very technical roles like yours, accumulating more business-like experience (e.g., spearheading projects, managing people and teams, etc.) helps show the admissions committee that you are "not just a technical person," which in turn helps them understand your forward path. At Judge, the averages shift about a year higher, with an average work experience of six years and average age of 30. You are going to be on the lighter side of this, so if you are applying this year (to any of these schools), please consider where and how you (and your recommenders) can proactively show your business skills, leadership, professional maturity, etc.

(3) Goals, Why MBA, Why XYZ School: Along similar lines, coming from such a technical background can create challenges in terms of connecting the dots between your past experiences and goals and in terms of showcasing your "business preparedness" for an MBA program. Along with ensuring that your experiences are not presented in an overly technical manner, you should look for opportunities to unpack how "who you are and what you've done in the past" -- plus the MBA -- equals, leads to, or enables your very specific short- and long-term goals. (On its face, I don't see very much organic connectedness to education consulting.) Either way, there will be a major onus on you to present the admissions committees with a very well reasons, specific, and credible explanation of how the knowledge, skills, and experience you've gained in technical / engineering roles at Boeing and Airbus -- plus the knowledge, skills, and experience you'd gain at their MBA program -- and how exactly you'd gain it and contribute (very specifically) at each program -- all adds up to enabling your goals. I encourage you to read more in this blog post: https://www.avantiprep.com/blog/the-mos ... on-process

As noted above, you've made strong career progress so far, seem to be very active, and have a unique experience having lived, studied, and worked in France, so please be sure to unpack the value of those. Nevertheless, the field is crowded and competitive, and while these aren't M7 level schools, they are still difficult to get into. Knowing your GMAT score would enable a more refined outlook, and superb execution across all application elements (essays, resume, recommendations, interviews, etc.) is a must. Please feel free to sign up for a Free Consultation if I can be of further assistance! https://www.avantiprep.com/free-consultation.html

Best Regards,
Greg