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Work experience - 5 years 4 months (will be 6 yrs before next fall)

GMAT score - 760 (Q 51,V 41, AWA - 6.0)

Areas of Interest - Strategy management, General Management

Letters of Recommendation - Not a problem. Current manager and ex-manager will do the needful.

Profile -
- Completed my Bachelors of Mechanical Engineering in 2005 from a reputed Engineering college (National Institute of Technology) in India. Pretty soon into the course I realized that I did not like Mechanical Engineering but couldn't switch to Computer Sciences which was always my first choice (have been assembling computers from scratch since I was 14 years old).. Can't directly translate my Graduation percentage into a GPA. I got 65% that placed me within the top 15 percentile. It is in the above average range.

- Got placed into an IT consulting & technology firm after graduation. Have been with the same firm ever since.

- Have done very well in my job since I enjoy my job very much. Got the opportunity to work twice from the Client location in Chicago. The first was a stint of 8 month when I had about 1.5 years experience. The responsibilities I had were much more than those typically handled by someone having 1.5 years of experience in my firm. The second one was much more challenging and was for about 1.5 years. Was in charge for planning & executing a very tight deadline project. I had about a team of about 15 people in India working with me on a part of the project. The entire project size was about 35 people in India and 4 people in Chicago. I am currently the Project Lead for a project in India. I have 7 direct reports who in turn have about 37 reports. Basically, I am leading a project with about 44 people directly or indirectly reporting to me. I have been promoted twice and also received recognition for my work from my client in Chicago.

- I was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities in my early school days. Used to participate in all sorts of competitions such as elocutions, debates, quizzes, dramas etc. in school. By the time I reached college, I was bored of participating in extracurricular activities and took up organizing activities in a very big way. I was the organizing committee member of the cultural festival hosted by our college in all the four years. I was responsible for marketing the events and getting major sponsorships. I also hosted a Rock Band Contest & Debate in my final year and was the Editor of the magazine published during the event in my third year and final year. I was also instrumental in organizing two major fundraisers for charities. The first one was a charity involved with leprosy patients while the other one dealt with deaf & dumb children. All the organizing activities have led me to (I believe!) be very efficient in handling men, material and money. Post college, my extracurricular activities have dropped significantly primarily due to heavy workload. I have been involved with the CSR initiative of our organization occasionally and also sponsored the education for many underprivileged children.

Schools targeted -
- Kellogg
- Wharton
- Booth
- Haas (Berkeley)
- Rotman (Toronto)
- ISB

I know that all schools are Dream schools and that I come from a very dominant application pool.

Having said that, my questions to the expert evaluators are -
1. What was the first impression of the profile that you had on reading the above data?
2. What areas of my profile should be highlighted more than others considering the schools being targeted? Any pointers to do the same will be very helpful..
3. Are there any schools ("in-reach" or something..don't know the exact terminology) that I should consider apart from the above schools?
4. Will any of the schools completely reject (I hope not!!) my profile for the concentrations that I wish to pursue?

Thanks for taking the time out to read this profile and provide your valuable inputs!!

Your overall profile is very strong. Great GMAT, good undergraduate record and significant experience with an employer who has recognized your ability and promoted you.

You should definitely highlight your direct supervisory experience. That is not only highly desirable, but unusual in your field. Many technically-oriented individuals work largely on their own or in occasional teams; few will have actually managed teams as large as yours.

Your undergraduate extra-curriculars are good and deserve mention, but will not be major factors because they are more than five years old. Nevertheless, if you have drawn lessons from those experiences that you have applied successfully on the job, that can be very relevant.

Your list of schools is solid and you are certainly qualified, although anyone applying to top-tier schools needs to recognize the uncertainty involved. Because those schools have many more extremely qualified applicants than they can accept, there are never any guarantees. You should look at Carnegie-Mellon, a highly-ranked school with an exceptionally strong IT background. They would appreciate the quality of your experience. The University of Texas at Austin is another strong school with an excellent technical program that has a much higher acceptance rate. Finding a couple of schools that meet your needs but have acceptance rates of 35% or higher would be wise if you are determined to go next year.

All top-rated schools have strong strategy and general management programs. Schools will be concerned, however, if you appear to be walking away from your success in IT. If you plan to change fields completely you will have to be very clear about why you are leaving, why you have chosen the new field and why you think your skills, interests and experiences will make you successful in the new area. If, however, you are simply looking to move into more strategic positions in IT, that needs to be clear.

Good luck,

Hi Tani,

Thanks for taking the time to read my profile and providing your inputs!! Appreciate it!!

Your inputs are very encouraging and stimulating at the same time. I am sure they will guide me in building a good framework for my applications. I will also give due consideration to your suggestion regarding the acceptance criteria at various schools before finalizing the list of schools I will be applying to...

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!!

Hi Scorpionz,

I agree with Tani and Lisa! I wish I had more to add, but, I think they have covered the basics. I might add Ross (University of Michigan) to your list of schools to consider/reasearch.

I went to Booth and your profile looks competitve and seems like a good fit (Booth seems to put a slightly higher weight on high GMAT scores and the Adcom will like your connection to Chicago).

As everyone has told you, there is never a guarantee, but, with a strong application and great LORs, I think you have a shot at all the schools you mentioned.

Jessica

Thanks Lisa and Jessica!!

Really appreciate your inputs...One question though...Will be glad if either of you or Tani could answer it..

Which publication in your opinion brings out the most accurate or most agreed upon B-school rankings? When you refer to say a B-school within the 15-30 range, which publication are you referring to?

My question stems from the fact that I have referred rankings from three publications so far - Financial Times, Business Week and US News. All three seem to have a very different approach towards rating schools and consequently the match in the rankings for schools in these three lists is not very significant. Just as an example, Kellogg is ranked at 22nd in the world this year, 11th in the US, in the FT rankings, while it is 3rd as per Business Week. Such a large variation in rankings leads to a lot of confusion...

Which ranking list in your opinion is generally the most trusted one?

You are correct to notice that rankings change from publication to publication and they also vary from year to year. I wouldn't get overly concerned with the exact "rank" of the school. The large discrepancy with Kellogg seems to be more of an exception than the rule.

Generally, there is a top "tier" of schools (I'd call this your usually ranked 1-15) and then a second "tier" of schools. These schools may change place in the rankings but not too much (sometimes Stanford is #1, sometimes Booth, sometimes Wharton, sometimes HBS). Every once in a while you will see a school "drop" a few extra spots (student surveys can play a role in this) but generally these schools stay in a tier. And, every few years a school will be ranked "surprisingly" high (Darden, UNC, Carnegie Mellon are examples of schools that aren't necessarily considered first tier but sometimes jump into those top 15 rankings).

While I wouldn't worry too much about exact ranking, there are some differences to be aware of if you plan to work internationally. I'd absolutely use FT as your guide if you want to understand the better known/respected schools outside of the US. For instance, Kellogg has fantastic name recognition and a great reputation in the US. Its Chicago rival (Booth) is less of a brand name in the states, but, Booth is consistently highly ranked/regarded internationally.

Another thing to think about might be which employers recruit heavily at which schools - sometimes there are strong relationships and this might be as important to you as the "rank" in the year you are applying!

I'd be curious to hear the thoughts of other consultants!

Thanks again Jesssica!!

Your point regarding the international perspective on US B-schools influencing FT rankings is very pertinent..Definitely some food for thought!!