Hi
occupymars,
Thanks for reaching out to us at
mbaMission with your profile.
Sounds like interesting work experience! You are right that you will be older than most candidates, so factor that into how you explain your reasons for doing an MBA, and why now. This could impact your odds some, but all of these schools have a range of work experience levels in their classes. Another factor impacting your odds, especially at Harvard and possibly Wharton too, is the prestige of your current employer (depends on how well known it is, but the setup of being a nonprofit that focuses on R&D sounds intriguing and less typical). I would make sure to use your applications (primarily your resume and recommendation letters) to demonstrate a range of skills that will be transferable to consulting -- not just R&D skills but also project management, teamwork, communication/presentations, leadership, etc. Check out this video for tips for engineers applying to business school:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqVkzpgFvyEYou've also got a strong academic background -- good GPAs from strong schools. I don't think a GMAT retake is necessary and you should be focusing mostly on the application work at this stage.
As for your career goals, that makes sense especially considering most EV companies don't hire directly on business school campuses from what I understand. It should seem more plausible to go the consulting route first. Definitely like Booth/Kellogg/Ross for you with your consulting goals and Ross especially for its ties to the auto industry. I think Harvard and Wharton will be significantly harder, especially as an Indian engineering applicant, but not so much harder that you can't give them a try. You might like Tuck or MIT as well.
Hope that helps!
Kate
occupymars wrote:
Hello!
I am considering applying to T10 schools in R1 for Fall 24. Please see below some elements on my profile.
***
- Demographics: 30 / Male / Indian
- Education: Bachelor's in mechanical engineering from top Indian School (IIT Bombay). GPA 8.4/10 (top 20%)
And Master’s in Mechanical engineering from TAMU, College Station. GPA 3.8/4 (top 10%)
- Work experience: 7 years full-time at a non-profit automotive R&D consulting firm in USA (3000+ employees). Built improved products for 50+ automotive clients across 10 countries to reduce carbon emissions. Worked directly with US govt. agencies to help set new environmental standards. One US patent, published 11 research papers in leading automotive journals, part of two R&D 100 award winning programs
- GMAT: 750 (V42,Q49)
- Extra curriculars: Campaign leader at the company for a local charity. Established free diagnostic medical camps in India, running since 10 years. Occasionally mentor local high-school students who are interested in STEM
- Post-MBA goals: Short term – Strategy & Operations consulting at MBB in the EV space. Long term – CTO at Tesla/Rivian/Ford
- Why MBA now – Worked for 7 years in automotive R&D helping companies transition to sustainable transportation. Expert in combustion, emissions and battery modeling. Realized that impact could be much bigger helping auto companies navigate the next decade with rapidly evolving govt. regulations all around the globe. Career theme is still the same – reduce carbon emissions from transportation sector to play a major role in averting climate crisis.
- LoR – Two managers at the current company who have known me and worked with me since 5+ years. Recommendations will be strong but none of them have an experience with MBA style recommendations.
- Target schools: HBS, Wharton, Kellogg, Booth, Ross
***
Here are some specific questions I have:
1) Is 7 years work experience after master’s an issue for M7 schools? I have seen average is about 4-5 years for most schools.
2) What are the strengths and weaknesses of my profile and am I targeting right schools? What are few other schools you would recommend?
3) Will heavy R&D experience (and some project management experience) at a non-profit company for 7 years which is only well-known within the industry, affect my profile for M7?
4) What can I do to strengthen my profile? Will higher GMAT score help or it wouldn’t make much of a difference?
Thanks!