Ask mbaMission

Hi Vivek,

Hmm, somehow I know I replied to you already, whether it was here or on another board, but seems to have disappeared somehow.

Anyhow, it sounds like you have a solid profile generally. You do start off coming from a large applicant pool, Indian IT/engineering applicants, which can make things a bit more challenging in that you have to really stand out from that group. So focus on the things that make YOU unique especially among that pool of applicants. You've got great experience with some great companies to focus on, and what probably stands out the most is your leadership and management experience, often lacking among that applicant pool, and from what I understand now you've moved into consulting and project management, even sales etc so very different from prior role of software engineer. So by focusing on all of that experience, you should be solidly differentiated from the average Indian software engineer applying. Focus on the experiences you've had and gained from leading and managing others.... what have you learned? how do you approach teamwork situations? how do you handle multiple viewpoints or manage conflict? how do you motivate others? what skills will you bring to b-school from those experiences? think along those lines as you compose your essays.

GMAT could be higher so sounds like you are re-taking already. Your school list sounds appropriate with Harvard the biggest stretch; just keep in mind you've listed a lot of schools... may want to narrow down slightly to keep your time management reasonable and be sure you create the best possible application for each school.

Good luck and keep us posted with q's and your progress!