Profile evaluation request. GMAT 720. Civil Engineer. Indian Male.

Question

Greetings,

I recently appeared for GMAT and scored 720 (Q49 V40 IR5). This was my first attempt at GMAT
My profile -
* Citizenship : Indian
* Class X Percentage : 88.00
* Class XII Percentage : 78.00
* Graduation : B.Tech in Civil Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Surat; GPA : 8.14/10
* Work Experience:(5 years 3 months)
1) Assistant Manager (Civil) with ESSAR OIL
Job responsibilities: Site in-charge. Supervising construction of pipe racks and had a staff of around 20 people reporting to me.
2) Assistant Engineer (Civil) with Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation which is a state government department involved in encouraging Industrial
development in the state of Gujarat, India.
Job responsibilities: Supervising development of infrastructure required for industries
Supervised several civil engineering related projects, like developing water supply schemes, road networks, storm water disposal systems etc.
Daily interaction with the top level management of various multinational companies to resolve various issues faced by them.
Marketing state policies and facilities in order to attract various multinationals in the state of Gujarat.
*As a whole it can be said that my total work experience is mostly related to civil engineering.
*While working with GIDC I had an opportunity to interact with bureaucrats from several countries and CEOs and was in-charge of marketing state of Gujarat as a better place to setup industries. This is when I felt the passion for marketing and want to satisfy that desire with a degree in management.
*Extra curricular activities: I am deeply interested in music and also hold a degree in music (for tabla-classical Indian instrument.) I have won several quizzes at State level. I have also volunteered several times in organizing "Vibrant Gujarat", a biannual event organized by government of Gujarat to promote growth in the state. I have won several medals and trophies in Basketball and Football at school level.

I am interested in Tuck, Haas, Anderson and Duke Please let me know what are my chances and which US based B-school should I actually apply to.

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Hi there! Thanks for sharing your full profile. You've got some really interesting extracurriculars, and I like that you have a creative side as demonstrated through your music, which is a nice balance to your very technical work experience. It sounds like you've had really good progression in your work responsibilities, including supervising teams and interacting with high-level stakeholders. I think there's a really interesting narrative you can write about how you discovered your interest in marketing. Your GPA is good, and your GMAT is good too. Your GMAT is not going to be stellar compared to other Indian male engineer applicants though, so I think you could either retake, or just plan to apply to a wider range of programs. I don't think you're out of range for the schools you list, but having one school that's slightly safer than Anderson / Duke might be a smart move.

Feel free to keep us posted if we can help with anything else! Good luck!

Feel free to keep us posted if we can help with anything else! Good luck!

HaddyPainkiller · Answer

Thanks a lot for your guidance. I am also applying to ISB Hyderabad. I request you to suggest me some schools having good marketing programs in US.

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Great. For strength in Marketing, you could check out Kellogg (though it's very competitive, perhaps even more so than Tuck), UCLA and Duke (which are already on your list), Michigan Ross, UNC Kenan-Flagler, Indiana Kelley, Texas McCombs, Emory Goizueta (they have a marketing analytics program which might be of interest). There are surely others, but those are some that immediately come to mind. Good luck!

HaddyPainkiller · Answer

Thanks for your suggestions. Actually I am short on budget and can apply only to 5 universities at max. I have shortlisted some of the schools. Looking can you please suggest 5 schools that can be realistic targets? Here's the list:
1. UCLA Anderson
2. UC-Berkeley Haas
3. UNC Kenan Flagler
4. UVA Darden
5. Ross
6. Fuqua Duke
7. CMU Tepper
8. McCombs Texas
9. Tuck
10. Cornell Johnson

mbaMissionKate · Answer

That's a good call because applying to all 10 would be a ton of work!!

I would take Haas off your list. It's the biggest reach you've got, and with a small class size, it's very competitive.

I know from the beginning you said you liked Tuck and UCLA and Duke, so you could keep those, Tuck is a reach but might be worth a shot, especially if you can demonstrate strong cultural fit.

As for your other two, I think you could really pick any of them...UNC Kenan-Flagler would be a good one to keep (I think) because they are quite good in Marketing and they have the highest acceptance rate of those you list. Think about some other factors too...for example do you like the case method? If not, then take Darden off your list. Do you like the small town / campus feel of Tuck? If so, then you might not like Texas which is in a pretty big city (Austin). Is it important that there be a strong alumni network in a certain region? Or, take a quick scan of the application questions for each school and see which ones you are most excited to write about!

Good luck!

HaddyPainkiller · Answer

Thanks for your insight. So here is my final list:
1. UCLA
2. UNC Kenan Flagler
3. UVA Darden
4. Fuqua Duke
5. McCombs Texas
Do you feel these are realistic targets?

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Assuming your execution of essays, etc. are solid, then yes I think that's a reasonable list. Good luck and keep us posted if we can help with anything!

HaddyPainkiller · Answer

Sorry for reopening this thread after long time. I retook gmat today and secured 760 (Q50 V42). Add that to my profile and please re-evaluate it.

Thanks

mbaMissionKate · Answer

That's great - congrats!! The increased GMAT helps to prove you handle a very rigorous program, and it also helps to boost the school's average. I would still apply to a range of schools like the list you narrowed in on, but perhaps add 1 or 2 more competitive programs, where your 760 is 30-40 points above their average. 
Good luck, and thanks for the update!

HaddyPainkiller · Answer

Can you please suggest some additions?

P.S.- I am particularly interested in Tuck.

mbaMissionKate · Answer

Yes, Tuck would be good. Kellogg perhaps for marketing? Maybe Haas, Ross, or Stern?

HaddyPainkiller · Answer

Thanks again.

I feel that with much little time remaining for R2 deadlines, I should try for next year. The added time will allow me to pursue some more extra curricular and social work which may strengthen my overall profile.

What do you think? Plus can you please cite specific areas upon which I can work to make my candidature more appealing?

mbaMissionKate · Answer

That makes sense - it takes a lot of time to execute the applications. Now that you have the higher GMAT I think your profile is quite strong.
On the work front -- can you get increasing management / leadership responsibility? Or serve on any committees, or cross-functional teams or projects? could you gain any more international experience (extended business trips or rotational assignment)? Can you gain any exposure to marketing activities since those are your post-MBA goals?
Outside of work -- if I recall your extracurriculars were already quite strong, but do keep those activities up, and pursue activities / volunteer that you're passionate about, any try to accelerate any personal achievements that might make for good anecdotes or fun facts on your application.
Good luck!!

Profile evaluation request. GMAT 720. Civil Engineer. Indian Male.

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards