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Question

M/31/Indian (alright....I know you see 2 red flags right of the bat:+30 and an Indian applicant)
UG: Bachelor's in Engineering(Non-IT) from a top 10 Indian school:  GPA 5.5/10 
Grad: Master's In Engineering(Non-IT) from a US university(ranked high for my area of specialization): GPA 4/4 (2nd yr on 90% Schol)
Decent amount of extra curric's in grad and undergrad 
Engineer at General Electric: 2 yrs (US)
Lead Engineer at Ingersoll Rand: 3+ yrs (1 promotion) (US)
Lot's of Extra Curric's at work and outside it.
 GMAT 690 (Q47, V38) 
Focus post MBA: General Management

Target schools:

Kellogg
Ross
Darden

I applied to a few schools this year, but I feel my essays were not that great and I couldn't position myself very well. I am contemplating whether to retake GMAT or just stay put and write some remarkable essays for next year. Also, what other schools should I add to my list?

Thanks....

josiebella · Answer

I am by no means an expert, but it does look like you have a decent shot at the schools you listed. Out of curiosity, for general management, why don't you look at Tuck and UCLA Anderson also?

vicksikand · Answer

Tuck and Anderson are definitely on my radar. Thanks for replying...hopefully some admission consultant can add to what you've said.

AlexMBAApply · Answer

All these schools are conceivably in range for you, so long as your GMAT is stronger. You have a pretty middle of the road profile compared to other Indian applicants, which is good enough for these range of schools, but your GMAT will be handicap unless it's 700 or greater (10 points normally won't make a difference, but you're at the cusp of an important threshold that is an important benchmark for many adcoms, especially if you're a middle of the road applicant compared to your peers).

Since you have time, focus on retaking the GMAT.

Since you have time, focus on retaking the GMAT.

vicksikand · Answer

Thanks for your response Alex !
I agree that retaking the GMAT may help, but what about my undergrad GPA--can that come back and bite me? Also, I will be 32 at matriculation....will that dent my chance's of getting into my target schools?

AlexMBAApply · Answer

Why worry about stuff you can't control? Yes, age and GPA do matter somewhat, but there's nothing you can do except needlessly worry about it.

Focus on what you can control, which is getting a better score on your GMAT, and doing the best you can on your written applications (when they are released later in the summer). Can what you control balance out what you can't control? Getting reassurance on something this subjective will only make one more neurotic - rather than worry about that, focus on the applications, and let the chips fall where they may. If you get in, great. If you don't, then figure out something else to further your career.

vicksikand · Answer

Agreed these 2 factors are beyond my control, but what if I get accepted to a lower ranked school this year--should I matriculate? With this question in mind I wanted to assess how age and GPA will affect my chances next year in top ranked schools.

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