Hi eshan429,
Thanks for your message. I reviewed your profile similar to other candidates' profiles when I worked as part of a top tier program's admissions committee.
I would like to first congratulate you on your near perfect GMAT score of 770. It is not an easy task to achieve this score in parallel with your professional career and other commitments. However, you have come a long way from your time at (highly competitive) BITS Pilani. Your current personal discipline, along with a strive for excellence, is exactly what the programs will see.
My question to you is - why are you aiming lower in terms of school rankings? I understand your concern for your GPA, however, keep in mind that you were at one of the most competitive institutions in India that is known to accept less than 3% across 150,000 prospective candidates annually. Your GMAT score of 770 serves as a better indicator of your ability to handle the rigorous MBA curriculum. Therefore, I would really encourage you to look at other some of the top-tier programs and do not go below the top 15 schools. Given your academic background and professional endeavors, I would recommend programs such as Wharton, MIT, Kellogg, Booth and some other top programs. For these schools, it will be imperative that you effectively communicate your personal and professional background, along with your aspirations for business school. Make sure that the other aspects to your applications are produced with unwavering quality. I have read many online posts from candidates with similar backgrounds who were rejected from their dream schools, not due to a gap in their background but due to an inability to effectively share their background and aspirations for an MBA.
I specifically chose these schools since they will give you a strong overall brand as part of your portfolio. Remember, you will be making a new (brand) investment to further enhance your academic and professional identity. It must be a solid brand that attaches itself to your name and become a part of your professional reputation in future endeavors. These schools will also give you an opportunity to increase your network across a larger diverse pool of students, alums, faculty members and recruiters. For this, I will use my favorite car example (Im a huge fan of cars)
Think of it like this:
My desire is to own the Veneno Roadster (Forbes: Country of Origin: Italy; Engine: 750-hp, 6.5-liter, 12-cylinder; 0-62 mph: 2.9 seconds; Starting price: $4.5 million). However, I am not confident that I will be able to own one, therefore, I will settle for a Toyota Corolla (Forbes: Engine: 132 hp; 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder; Starting price: $16,800) and cease any efforts to own a Roadster. Or do you think I should continue trying for the Roadster, if not this year, then next year? or the year after? Do you see the difference?
The only area I will ask that you strengthen is the years of work experience. I will encourage you to apply next year to these programs. My only reason for requesting you to wait 1 more year is that you currently have approximately 3 years of work experience. Ideally, it would be great to wait until you have 4+ years of total work experience. At the end of the day, the quality of work experience is more important than the quantity of years. Candidates with 3 years of work experience are accepted but schools prefer 4+ years. Programs tend to be fair and understanding but you will have to ensure that you communicate your personal and professional background effectively.
Regardless of the opinions you receive online, please apply to the programs which attract you the most and do not underestimate the professional and academic background that you possess. I find that 90% of MBA candidates I have worked with tend to "opt-out" of a program's application process as they feel that they do not stand a chance. They do this before the school can even receive their application. Let the program make the ultimate decision on your candidacy.
I hope this helps you. If you would like to further speak directly with our consultants who are former admissions committee members or our recent admits at any point, please visit
https://macapproved.com/free-evaluation/Best wishes,
Sue and the MAC Team
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