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Hello all,
I am a final year undergraduate student from BITS, Pilani-India pursuing a dual majors in Economics along with Electrical and Electronics Engineering. I took the GMAT on 9th July 2016 and scored a 770 on the GMAT. I intended to apply to Yale Silver Scholars Program. However, there was some glitch due to which I could not start my application on their portal. Now I can access the application but the deadline is too close(14th September). I want to know is there a significant difference between the number of admits in round 1 and round 2. Although their website claims that round 1 and round 2 applications are treated equally, yet I had my doubts regarding this. I want some advice regarding which round should I apply to considering that I have very little time remaining to apply to round 1 and my application will be much better if I apply in round 2. Also, it would be great if someone could give me an idea regarding my chances of an admit in Yale SOM Silver Scholars Program based on my profile mentioned below:-

Profile:-
1. Final year undergraduate student from BITS, Pilani-India. Pursuing a double majors in Economics and Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

2. GMAT:- 770(Q51, V44, AWA 5.5, IR 5)

3. CGPA:- 7.62/10. Expecting it to rise to about 7.75 after the end of the current semester

4. Internships:-2. Mostly technical in nature. 1st one was at Reliance Communications Ltd, a leading communications company in India. 2nd internship was at Defense Research and Development Organisation, an organization responsible for developing the defense equipments and defense related research. Also will be undergoing a 6 month internship in the coming semester, mostly in a big financial MNC but will be unable to specify the work done in detail due to the application deadline of round 2

5. Currently working on a thesis based on Telecom Spectrum Valuation and auctioning process in India. An interdisciplinary thesis on a topic that is much debated today in India and involves variety of concepts from both of my disciplines.

6. Extracurricular Activities:-
a) Part of the Enactus team of the college that worked with a group of rural women to enable them to earn part time income to supplement their household. Project took off well and we got grants from Walmart for the project, but was unable to sustain in long term. Yet I believe this was a valuable learning experience.
b) Part of the college basketball team and represented the college in the annual sports competition conducted in the college.
c) Part of the college photography club. Was a part of the team that was responsible for the coverage of all the events that happened during the festivals of the college, including performances by various leading bands, and led the sub-teams during the coverage of those events.
d) Was a member of the college placement division. Was responsible for the smooth conduction of the on-campus placement drives of the companies coming on campus to recruit the students of our college. Got an opportunity to interact with various people working in different positions in the industry.

Kindly advise me regarding which round should I apply to, specially considering the fact that the deadline is near for round 1. Also, if anyone can suggest any other programs that I can apply to, I shall be highly grateful

Thanks in Advance

Hi

- Your undergrad performance is decent and the GMAT score is great.
- However, a lot will depend on your career goals and your main Yale essay. As you know, the SS program is competitive, and most people applying have stellar scores and academics, so that is less of a differentiator.
- Reliance and DRDO by themselves wont really differentiate you much. Your current work ex (at a firm like, say, Credit Suisse) could help somewhat. Look more at leadership experiences and highlighting those. For example, Enactus is really relevant. The resume is an important document for the Silver Scholars!
- Ideally, you should apply to R1, but can you make it now? If not, look at R2.
- Plenty of other programs to look at. HBS 2+2, Kellogg Russell Fellows, Ross MiM, LBS MiM, HEC. On the MBA side, YLP/EEO for ISB, IESE YTP.
- You might also find The Harvard 2+2 and the ISB YLP and Yale Silver Scholars relevant.

Hope this helps. Feel free to come back with more queries as needed.

Thanks for replying. I had a few questions and would love if you could answer them.
1. Due to some institutional regulations, I won't be able to start my internship at the said firm by the second deadline but I will be knowing which firm am I going to. Does it affect the application by a lot or not so much?
2. How much will my double majors in the undergrad help me in differentiating myself, considering the fact that I am also currently doing a thesis in the domain of spectrum auctioning, a topic highly relevant to India and involving both of my disciplines.
3. It would be great if you could also point out my chances at other programs such as HBS 2+2 and Stanford deferred admit programs. I know they are highly competitive but still would like to get a feedback

DZoKEr wrote:Thanks for replying. I had a few questions and would love if you could answer them.
1. Due to some institutional regulations, I won't be able to start my internship at the said firm by the second deadline but I will be knowing which firm am I going to. Does it affect the application by a lot or not so much?
2. How much will my double majors in the undergrad help me in differentiating myself, considering the fact that I am also currently doing a thesis in the domain of spectrum auctioning, a topic highly relevant to India and involving both of my disciplines.
3. It would be great if you could also point out my chances at other programs such as HBS 2+2 and Stanford deferred admit programs. I know they are highly competitive but still would like to get a feedback

Apologies for the delayed response. Here is our response:
- If you would not have started your internship by the time you apply, there is little credit you will get for that internship. In addition, you will not be able to talk about the learning or perspective that internship would have given you.
- The double major can help to the extent that it is relevant to your post-MBA goals. Quite a few BITS students apply to the Silver Scholars every year so just having a double major by itself is less of a differentiator.
- You may have a chance at the HBS 2+2 with a strong app. At Stanford, less so.