Advice required on shortlisting colleges - GMAT 750

Question

hi All, i have been visiting this forum for quite a long time , but not actively participating . I wrote my GMAT last December and scored 750 (quant 50 - Verbal 40). I'm indebted to all of you. I learned a lot of things from this forum which enabled me to get such a score

. Now i need your help in shortlisting colleges. About me : Age 26 Indian Study : Btech Electronics & Communication - Consistent performance. Work: IT (exp : 4 years) Current Role : Team Analyst Working for a Major US Client for the last 2 years. Reason for MBA: want to know more about Project Management and Business Analysis + career switch. and also want to start up a firm

:) Please let me know, few colleges which helps me to achieve my dream (MBA) .. PS: Need financial aid also

I also want to know, whether my age is ideal for MBA or not. If i want to pursue MBA after 2-3 years, will it be too late for me? Thanks in advance .

Ducksworth · Answer

It would probably be better if you let us now your shortlist, your reasons for it, and any doubts about specific schools you might have. Otherwise, you might not get too many replies.

Admissionado · Answer

Congrats on the sweet GMAT!
Are you thinking ONLY about International MBA? Or US too? What are your preferences of location? or school? of type of program?? we need a weee bit more info before we can give you some intelligent advice...

askshekhar · Answer

Hi Hareesh,

With 4 yrs. of work experience and good GMAT score, you are in a perfect stage of your career, which mostly b-schools look for and you stand fair chances of being selected in b-schools. I would recommend you to target schools like: Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, Stanford, UCLA, Tuck, LBS, INSEAD, ISB and MIT-Sloan for 2014 intake. The list comprises of many, but these are few good ones which suits your profile. You can also try your chances in b-school by clicking  https://www.general-ed.com/chances-of-bschool

Subsequently you need to skillfully write your application essays and demonstrate leadership qualities during final interviews. To know more about interview preparation & tips click to  https://bit.ly/XQVp4s

Let me know in case of other concerns you might have.

Best,
AK

hareesh02 · Answer

hi jon,

i'm planning to do MBA in US itself.. 
Full time MBA.

i hve shortlisted...
University of Pennsylvania- Wharton *
INSEAD *
ISB - Hyderabad *
University of Califronia *
MIT Sloan *

University of Duke - Fuqua
University of Illinois - Urbana
NUS - Singapore
Nanyang - Singapore
Yale School of Management
University College - Dublin - Ireland
University of Rochester
University of Dallas

Ohio State University - Fisher
Oregon State University 
Cleveland state university

chance for an admit to first 5 is pretty less it seems.. as my profile is not that strong.. 
Last 3 are state universities so fees would be less 
kindly let me know, which all colleges can provide a financial aid also..

Regards,
Hareesh

CobraKai · Answer

State school vs. private shouldn't be a factor. For example, Fisher is $44K for international while a lot of top 15 private schools are $55K. That extra $11K is well worth it.

This list isn't really "short" It also seems to be all over the place - I can't speak for the international schools, but for the US ones, Illinois, Rochester and Dallas are nowhere near the level of Duke and Yale. You don't want to send out a bunch of applications to lower tiered schools, then get multiple acceptances to schools you haven't visited and be stuck coming back to this forum posting a "Which school should I choose?" thread. Also - consider the cost of application fees and your capacity to write QUALITY essays for multiple schools. Too many and the quality of your applications is likely to go down. Plus, keep in mind for each school you apply to you're hoping for an interview, and preparing for and scheduling those is a chore as well.

That said, if you're looking for more schools on the level of Duke and Yale, I would consider: Michigan (Ross), Virginia (Darden), Cornell (Johnson) and UCLA (Anderson). Schools just below that group are Texas (McCombs) and North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler) are worth a look too - also, you may impress them enough to get a merit scholarship (I wouldn't count too much on need-based aid...it's tough to come by, and even then, a lot of times it's in loan form).

jxcho · Answer

I think this is the first time I've seen Cleveland State and Penn on the same shortlist for anything. :D

Redtailedhawk · Answer

You didn't mention the profile of your undergraduate degree/grades.

hareesh02 · Answer

HI.. probably the last time also.. :D... i have just started checking the colleges.. only refrences are US news.. FT .. Businessweek and all ..

i have a constraint on the amount of fees, i can spend on MBA.. so just asking opinions on State universities.

hareesh02 · Answer

hi.. i did my engineering - Electronics and Communication with 80% aggregate. 10th - 87% 12th - 87% i represent the common pool of Indian IT Male..

do let me know, if you were in my shoes, which all colleges will you short list.

jumsumtak · Answer

Apart from the great advice you may receive here, you may also try this forum for a profile evaluation: admission-consultants-124/?fl=menu (please go through a few entries before submitting yours)

CobraKai · Answer

I don't want to sound insensitive, but that's what loans are for. If you're going to get an MBA, go big or go home. You might be disappointed with the experience/direction your career takes if you're main concern is price-tag for the MBA. Also, keep in mind you're going to be paying out-of-state tuition anyway, so it's not that much cheaper than a quality private program.

hareesh02 · Answer

yes.. i'm 'getting same advice from every corner.

so here goes my shortlist..
Wharton 
Duke
Stern.
Darden
Tepper

AbhiJ · Answer

I agree with the overall sentiment "If you're going to get an MBA, go big or go home". However go big has changed over the past 5 years. In 2005-2006 any school in Top 20 could have offered awesome opportunities and a good ROI. However now a days jobs opportunities for International students outside M7 are less attractive than before while the tuition has remained same. Hence there is some wisdom in targeting mid tier schools. For example an international student can very well land into Deloitte Consulting from Ross as well as from Simon/UIUC. It will be tougher from lower ranked schools however the competition will be far less. Moreover the 50-80% tuition waiver can really swing in favor of mid-tier schools. The tuition savings will justify the extra legwork needed.

CobraKai · Answer

Looks like a good list. Next step is to research - get on their email list to see when adcom members will be coming to a city near you or if alumni are hosting events.

Advice required on shortlisting colleges - GMAT 750

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