Profile Evaluation

Question

This is my first post here. Here is my profile

GMAT Score : 740

Undergrad Percentage : 74% JNTU Hyderabad
Gender - Male
Work Experience: 3+ 
 Previous Employer - Infosys Hyderabad - Systems Engineer 
 Current Employer - Oracle India - Applications Engineer (Currently working on ERP)

Extra Curricular Activities - I do service as a Gym Trainer, Making Short Films and writing novels.

At work, I have very few scenarios where I displayed my leadership activities. Successful in making strategies or re defining the process which we follow at work. While making movies, I have faced many challenges and this brought out the leadership in me.

Interested in Operations and Strategy Management and CSR.

Aspiring B-Schools - Stanford, Harvard, MIT- Sloan, Wharton , Darden and ISB

Short Term Goal - Like to work in Technology field in areas like e-commerce and Technology product companies pertaining to ERP and Publishing, wherein I could integrate my IT product ideas to the existing products

Long Term Goal - Consultant in Strategy and Operations management field. I would like to start a non - profit organization and work for the under -privileged children in fields related to education and health.

ManhattanReview · Answer

You come from a very competitive demographic and from what you present here your profile is similar to many top candidates who apply to these schools from India. While I would definitely not discourage you from applying to the likes of H-S-W-Sloan, I would encourage you to look at a few other schools where your application might stand out a bit more. These include such schools as Booth, Ross, Johnson and Fuqua. I just want you to realize that the admissions rates for schools like H-S-W-Sloan for Indian candidates coming from IT is about half of what the stated acceptance rates are -- so this would mean about 4% for Stanford. Not great odds.

As for your background, I would really emphasize some of your not so mainstream qualities including your writing, fitness and film making. I might also look towards ways of integrating your creative energies into your career. If possible, before you apply, I might also look to get some definable leadership experiences so that you can integrate them into your essays and your interviews.

Kimberly Plaga
Senior Admissions Consultant
Manhattan Review

Call for a free candidacy review.

GeneralEducation · Answer

Hi Kamesh,

Welcome to the forum...

Your profile looks pretty impressive with good GMAT & GPA. With 3+ yrs. of work experience, you are in an ideal phase of your career to plan for MBA. Well your list of b-schools sounds pretty ambitious, but of course you can make through by writing strong essays & working hard on interviews. I would suggest you to target some realistic b-schools like: Kellogg, Haas, Tuck, Columbia, Yale, Duke, Cornell, McCombs, Kenan-Flagler & INSEAD-Singapore. You can also try your chances in b-schools by clicking  https://www.general-ed.com/chances-of-bschool  . The avg. GMAT range for these b-schools fall between 630-750, you have fair chances of being accepted. The above schools also have good placement rate in consultancy post-MBA.

Having said this, you should focus on your application essays & interviews as these are the deciding factors to convert your chances from application to admission.

Let me know in case of further queries. You can also PM me your number to have a detail discussion over your profile or selection of b-schools.

Cheers!!
Neha
 Giving KUDOS is a decent way of saying thanks!!

IndusMinds · Answer

Kamesh,
The good:
GMAT score
Making short films and writing novels (this can be really good or average depending on what level of achievement you can show. Have you published something at the national level? If yes, then you can aim high. If not, then you need to tone down your school list)

The bad:
Indian IT male.
Leadership at work: What kind of achievements do you have? What level of impact did you have on your team/company/client?

You should definitely apply to few of your dream schools but expand your list to include realistic schools such as Duke, Darden, Ross, Chicago, Haas, ISB.

Also I am not sure how your long term career goal tie back to your short term and career progression till date. Are you applying for 2013 or 2014?

sunniegoldie · Answer

Thank you for sharing your profile! You have a strong background with a solid GMAT score of 740 and work experience at reputable companies like Infosys and Oracle, especially with your focus on ERP, which is highly relevant in today's tech-driven business landscape.
Here’s some feedback based on your profile and goals:
Strengths:
 
  GMAT Score (740) : This is an excellent score, which will make you competitive for top-tier B-schools. 
  Work Experience : With 3+ years of experience in well-known organizations like Infosys and Oracle, and currently working on ERP-related projects, you bring strong technical skills that are valuable in Operations and Strategy Management. Your background in ERP systems can be particularly appealing to business schools since they play a significant role in digital transformation. 
  Extracurriculars : Your involvement as a gym trainer, filmmaker, and writer of novels shows a diverse set of interests and strong creativity, which can help differentiate you. Additionally, your movie-making experience offers tangible examples of leadership, which you’ve mentioned.  
Areas for Improvement:
 
  Leadership Experience : You mentioned limited leadership experience at work, which could be a challenge when applying to top schools like Stanford, Harvard, and MIT Sloan, as they often look for robust leadership exposure. However, you have some good examples from your filmmaking, which you can emphasize. I'd recommend framing your leadership in those contexts more concretely—highlighting specific challenges, actions you took, and the impact of your decisions. 
  Extracurricular Leadership : Your gym training and filmmaking could be woven into your leadership narrative. For example, as a gym trainer, you likely managed clients, customized programs, and helped others achieve their goals—this can also demonstrate leadership. 
  B-School List : Your top school choices (Stanford, Harvard, MIT Sloan, etc.) are incredibly competitive, but your profile makes you a contender. However, you may also want to consider adding a few more schools from the 20-50 range (similar to ISB) to increase your chances of acceptance, especially if you're targeting scholarships.  
Your Goals:
 
  Short-Term Goal : Your goal to work in the technology field in areas like e-commerce, tech products, and ERP is a great fit for schools with a strong focus on tech innovation and strategy. Schools like MIT Sloan and Wharton would align well with this. 
  Long-Term Goal : Your aspiration to become a consultant in Strategy and Operations Management, coupled with starting a non-profit, aligns well with MBA programs that emphasize corporate social responsibility (CSR) and entrepreneurship. Make sure to highlight this alignment in your applications, especially for schools with a strong CSR focus like Stanford and Wharton.  
Final Thoughts:
While your technical background in ERP and work at major companies are strong, it will be crucial to emphasize your leadership experiences, especially in creative areas like filmmaking, and how those experiences have shaped your problem-solving and strategic thinking abilities. Make sure to also connect your career aspirations—both short and long-term—to your work with ERP systems, which shows you're already making strides in the field you want to continue in post-MBA.
If you continue developing leadership experiences in both your professional and extracurricular pursuits, you'll present an even stronger case for admission to your target schools. Best of luck!

4o

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