Too many questions for a 680

Question

Hello guys,

Please see below my profile and the score. I have too many questions, probably due to my least exposure to the american education system, so please bear with me. Also, I have filled as much info as possible.

Profile:
26, Male, Indian, Single, Engineering Undergrad, IT Work

School:
(Not sure if any of these matter to an adcomm)
1. 10th grade - 1994 - 89% - Third in the class of 120. School topper in 3 subjects. 200/200 in maths. 150/200 in English. Anglo Indian board (known for their stress on English).
2. 12th grade - 1996 - 88% - 200/200 in maths. 160/200 in English.

Undergrad:
1. Instituition: NIT (Previously REC), Trichy, India (https://www.nitt.edu) - one of top 10 Engg. colleges in India
2. Degree: Bachelor in Engineering (Production Engineering, four years) - Production Engg is similar to Mechanical Engg with a high mix of Industrial and Management flavor.
3. Score: 83% - Scored second in a class of 45. around 20th rank in the batch of 450. One of my friend who did MS here told me that this translates to a 4.0 GPA.
4. Special subjects: Had a lot of courses that an adcom might be interested - Maths I and II (90% & 75%), Statistics (76%), Resource Mgt (92%), Industrial Economics and Mgt (71%), Value Engg (89%), Materials Mgt (88%), Prodcution mgt (96%), etc.
5. Additional Info: Got recruited in-campus during the third year by one of top IT MNC's in India. Was the class representative in the final year.

Work Exp:
1. With the same Indian consulting MNC for the last 4.5 years (1.5 years experience in the India branch, 3 years experience in US at client locations). Strength of the company: 15000 employees. I was promoted thrice in 4 years.
2. US Clients: Client1 = Premier Healthcare company in Seattle (4 months), Client2 = Technology service provider in Chicago/Denver (2 years), Client3 = Premier Healthcare company in LA (4 months)
3. Reco: Got a couple of good signed recommendation letters from the from the client2. Can get a solid reco from client3 too. Also, received a company wide 'Beyond the work' award in the second year.
4. Lead: During the India office tenure, lead a 10 member team for 8 months, before moving to a client location in US. Despite being a consultant, I was trusted to lead a team of four client guys in client2. I was also the manager and contact point on behalf of the client2 for its clients.
5. Recently. I won a project worth 1.2m single handedly from client3, which is out-of-league for generally tech guys of my age/work. I will be leading a team of 10 there.
6. Coordinated with onsite offshore model. Good consulting/client handling experience.

GMAT:
Overall: 680/800 (90 percentile)
Quants: 50/60 (95 percentile)
Verbal: 31/60 (65 percentile)
Essay: Expecting a 5.5-6

Additional measures:
1. Planning to write TOEFL in Dec, since I am a non-native english speaker.
2. Planning to write PMP certification (Project Mgt Professional), as a part of the company norm early next year.
3. Planning to gain some experience in teaching/other charity activities in client3.

Future expectation:
1. I am planning to apply for fall 2005 full time in US B Schools. Open to part time courses and Europe schools, if it increases the chances for admission and finance (scholarship).
2. Desired courses: Consulting, General Management, Project Management, Information Systems -- to be inline with my current experience.
3. Given my score and the competition from fellow indians, I think Harvard, Stanford and Wharton are distant reaches. Also considering my interests, I am looking at: Carnegie Mellon, Tuck, Duke, Emory, etc.

Questions:
1. GMAT: I can see the off-balance in Quants and verbal in the score. Considering I get a 6 in essays and a good score in TOEFL, would this still threaten the chances of admission? Are 680/800 and 65% verbal really bad scores? Do you recommend me to retake the exam? I am confident of improving the verbal, but am concerned about the consequence if the Quants score drops to 85% next time. In that case, would the adcoms consider the latest scores or the best scores? Is there a preference to the way the individual scores are considered - like overall, then Quants, then Verbal

, and then essays score? Would my client experience (presentations skill and special mention in the recos) justify that verbal defieciency?
2. Reco: Should I try and get in touch with my NIT professors to get a reco, now. I am sure one of them would do that for me. Also, is a reco for the indian 1.5 years experience recommended?
3. Schools: Which colleges do you think are stretch, competetive and safety - to my current score and interest? Are Kellog, Chicago, Sloan, Michigan and alike out of reach too? Is there any school that you would suggest for good scholarship programs?
4. Finance: How do non-residents manage the finance? If I decide to go full time, I would loose my job and current salary. I understand some of the top colleges cost from 60-100K for two years. In the worst case when one doesn't get any scholarship, how many years does he normally take to pay back the finance loan?
5. Scholarship: I understand most schools consider all the applicants for scholarships. Is there anything I can do to enahnce the chances of getting a college scholarship? Also, is there any private scholarships (I've heard of Rhodes') that I can try my hands at?
6. Sponsorship: Historically, the MNC that I work with sponsors MS programs for employees, since it considers this a career advancement. It has not yet seen a case requesting an MBA sponsorship. But, I am planning to make a request to the directors and VPs that I work with, asking them to sponsor my MBA and in return I would come back and work with the company for n (say 3 or 5) more years after graduation. Would this work and have you heard of such cases? Also, when is the best time to make such a request?

Thanks for reading till this line

and for your replies. Sorry again for the long post, but I wanted to be clear.

Thanks,
Hardworker

, and then essays score? Would my client experience (presentations skill and special mention in the recos) justify that verbal defieciency? 2. Reco: Should I try and get in touch with my NIT professors to get a reco, now. I am sure one of them would do that for me. Also, is a reco for the indian 1.5 years experience recommended? 3. Schools: Which colleges do you think are stretch, competetive and safety - to my current score and interest? Are Kellog, Chicago, Sloan, Michigan and alike out of reach too? Is there any school that you would suggest for good scholarship programs? 4. Finance: How do non-residents manage the finance? If I decide to go full time, I would loose my job and current salary. I understand some of the top colleges cost from 60-100K for two years. In the worst case when one doesn't get any scholarship, how many years does he normally take to pay back the finance loan? 5. Scholarship: I understand most schools consider all the applicants for scholarships. Is there anything I can do to enahnce the chances of getting a college scholarship? Also, is there any private scholarships (I've heard of Rhodes') that I can try my hands at? 6. Sponsorship: Historically, the MNC that I work with sponsors MS programs for employees, since it considers this a career advancement. It has not yet seen a case requesting an MBA sponsorship. But, I am planning to make a request to the directors and VPs that I work with, asking them to sponsor my MBA and in return I would come back and work with the company for n (say 3 or 5) more years after graduation. Would this work and have you heard of such cases? Also, when is the best time to make such a request? Thanks for reading till this line

and for your replies. Sorry again for the long post, but I wanted to be clear.

Thanks, Hardworker

Hjort · Answer

Hi,

Considering your experience, undergrad record, and GMAT I think that you have a shot at the ultralelite and elite depending on how you structure your portfolio.

In general, schools use your best overall score in evaluating you, but it is best to verify this on a school by school basis. Given infinite time, I would suggest retaking and clearing the GMAT. Given the constraints of reality, I would perform a marginal CBA to determine the best course of action re: taking the GMAT or spending the time on other aspects of the admissions package.

Hjort

Accepted.com · Answer

To answer your questions:

1) A high score on the AWA and the TOEFL, plus strong essays, recs, and interviews would possibly mitigate the low verbal score enough at the top schools, given your experience and advancement, to allow your acceptance. But there is a risk. The best and most certain way to deal with it, especially for an Indian IT guy, is to raise the verbal score. Frankly, I think you would be better off with a 80% on verbal and 85% on math than what you have now. And in addition, the schools would see that you earned a 95% on the Q earlier. 

My advice is particularly valid for schools with average GMATs of 700+. It is increasingly invalid as the average scores for the school declines. 

2) Business school prefer professional recs. Don't ask your profs. Since you have lots of options for recs from your work experience during the last four years in the US, I would not go back to the Indian experience because it is old.

3 -5) I'm sorry. I don't advise on financial aid. I do know that Darden has a strong financial aid program for internationals. I think CMU does too.

You may also be interested in  InternationalStudentLoan.com 

6) There are definitely employers who sponsor students in exchange for a commitment to work for X years at the company. I believe X is normally 2-3 years, but don't quote me on that. I don't know when is the best time to do so.

Good luck!

Accepted.com · Answer

Questions: 1. GMAT: I can see the off-balance in Quants and verbal in the score. Considering I get a 6 in essays and a good score in TOEFL, would this still threaten the chances of admission? Are 680/800 and 65% verbal really bad scores? Do you recommend me to retake the exam? I am confident of improving the verbal, but am concerned about the consequence if the Quants score drops to 85% next time. In that case, would the adcoms consider the latest scores or the best scores? Is there a preference to the way the individual scores are considered - like overall, then Quants, then Verbal

, and then essays score? Would my client experience (presentations skill and special mention in the recos) justify that verbal defieciency? 2. Reco: Should I try and get in touch with my NIT professors to get a reco, now. I am sure one of them would do that for me. Also, is a reco for the indian 1.5 years experience recommended? 3. Schools: Which colleges do you think are stretch, competetive and safety - to my current score and interest? Are Kellog, Chicago, Sloan, Michigan and alike out of reach too? Is there any school that you would suggest for good scholarship programs? 4. Finance: How do non-residents manage the finance? If I decide to go full time, I would loose my job and current salary. I understand some of the top colleges cost from 60-100K for two years. In the worst case when one doesn't get any scholarship, how many years does he normally take to pay back the finance loan? 5. Scholarship: I understand most schools consider all the applicants for scholarships. Is there anything I can do to enahnce the chances of getting a college scholarship? Also, is there any private scholarships (I've heard of Rhodes') that I can try my hands at? 6. Sponsorship: Historically, the MNC that I work with sponsors MS programs for employees, since it considers this a career advancement. It has not yet seen a case requesting an MBA sponsorship. But, I am planning to make a request to the directors and VPs that I work with, asking them to sponsor my MBA and in return I would come back and work with the company for n (say 3 or 5) more years after graduation. Would this work and have you heard of such cases? Also, when is the best time to make such a request? Thanks for reading till this line

and for your replies. Sorry again for the long post, but I wanted to be clear.

Thanks, Hardworker To answer your questions: 1) A high score on the AWA and the TOEFL, plus strong essays, recs, and interviews would possibly mitigate the low verbal score enough at the top schools, given your experience and advancement, to allow your acceptance. But there is a risk. The best and most certain way to deal with it, especially for an Indian IT guy, is to raise the verbal score. Frankly, I think you would be better off with a 80% on verbal and 85% on math than what you have now. And in addition, the schools would see that you earned a 95% on the Q earlier. My advice is particularly valid for schools with average GMATs of 700+. It is increasingly invalid as the average scores for the school declines. So your decision as to retake depends on the schools you want to apply to. 2) Business school prefer professional recs. Don't ask your profs. Since you have lots of options for recs from your work experience during the last four years in the US, I would not go back to the Indian experience because it is old. 3 -5) I'm sorry. I don't advise on financial aid. I do know that Darden has a strong financial aid program for internationals. I think CMU does too. You may also be interested in InternationalStudentLoan.com 6) There are definitely employers who sponsor students in exchange for a commitment to work for X years at the company. I believe X is normally 2-3 years, but don't quote me on that. I don't know when is the best time to do so. Good luck!

hardworker_indian · Answer

Thanks a lot Hjort and Linda. That really helps me to start-with. I was lost and confused before. I am going to analyze a retake, meanwhile working on recos and leadership/NGO works.

If I retake, I am planning to write again in Feb 2005, allowing 3 months for preperation. I am sure to pass 80% in verbal, if I retake. It will require more dedication, but am up for it.

Thanks a lot for the help. Useful advise for guys like me, who has the least exposure.

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