Profile Evaluation and which college to fill after GMAT exam

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Hi All,

A request to suggest colleges for me according to the profile as below:

1. Indian, Female with 5 years of work experience in Telecom Industry. I am currently working with one of the top player in Telecom.
2. Topped my branch during B.Tech studies.
3. Have been among the top 10% of the students in School (85% and 82% respectively with Maths and Biology as the majors).
4. Have been a part of Placement Cell for my Seniors' placement and my batches' too.
5. Have been a part of my School Basketball team.
6. Have been in the Student Council in my college
7. Took part in National Debate competition.
8. Organized many inter-school and inter-college fests/ events
9. Have visited villages to educate children, their parents under the 'Go-Green' campaign.

1. Working as a Project Lead. Youngest member of the team.
2. Earned Special awards in the organization, twice, for execution excellence.
3. Promoted once
3. Part of the Corporate Social Responsibility team in office
4. Division Director for Toastmasters' International for Maharashtra region
5. Have been selected in Indian Institutes of Management but did not join.
6. Green Belt in Karate

GMAT: 690

Please let me know with the above profile, which colleges may I fit in. I want to do enter into Marketing/ Consulting (be it telecom or any other). Please do reply as I am in dire need of suggestion and at sea now on which colleges will be a fit, stretch and sure shot with this GMAT score. Please consider I need atleast 50% scholarship as well.

Please respond soon as I need to apply at the earliest.

Many Thanks!

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by MargaretStrother » Wed Sep 02, 2015 6:23 am
Hi Bazingaa,
Given your GMAT, experience and industry profile, I see you starting with top MBA programs such as Duke and Ross (these would be your "stretch" schools) and then down to maybe #25 on the lists of top schools, making sure that you focus on schools that place a large segment of their graduating class in consulting. International exposure would be helpful here, and assuming that you are applying in the second round, you will want to narrow your short-list to around five schools and go to the campuses for in-person visits this fall, while classes are in session. You will gain much more from that first-hand experience than from online research alone.

To narrow down your choices, consider the median GMAT/GPA/age of the incoming class, the industry focus, and the location -- where do you want to be living for two years?

I recommend that you not think about scholarships at this stage, as it will only add confusion to the process. For now, worry about getting in; once you've got that fabulous opportunity in front of you, you can figure out how to pay for it. That said, most schools offer financial packages as an incentive, so you're more likely to get more money from lower ranked schools, places where you are above their median, than stretch schools.

Good luck!
Margaret Strother
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by Bazingaa111 » Wed Sep 02, 2015 10:36 am
Thanks Margaret for the advice.

I plan to retake GMAT by end of September and begin my applications from this week so that I may apply to a few colleges having R1 deadline in early Oct. I want to do this so as to increase the probability of selection and scholarship (as I have read that R1 has higher probability of selection).Is it a sound strategy or applying in R2 will yield similar results?

Also, suggest which colleges I would be able to aim as 'stretch' if my GMAT increase to >=720 (R1/R2).

Many thanks!

P.S.--I don't have international experience which I think you stated in your post above.

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by MargaretStrother » Tue Sep 08, 2015 7:24 am
In my opinion, it's a bit late to do effective applications for Round 1. The difference in chances between Round 1 and Round 2 isn't large enough to overshadow the power of a strong, well-researched application, so in my opinion you should aim for Round 2. This is not a license to procrastinate: effective applications to top business schools generally require months of research, preferably in person and on campus, so it's not too early to begin!
Yes, international exposure would be helpful, so if you don't have that in your resume, it might be something to work towards.

Good luck,
Margaret Strother
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