Posting for Mohit...
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Hi Stacy, I am an "Indian, IT, Male", 28, and I am in the process of short-listing the b-schools for application. My details are as follows:

Education:
1. Engineering in Electronics & Telecommunications from a not-so-well-known Indian university. My GPA should be above 3.5 (I was not too far behind the university topper). The university gives us only raw scores and no GPAs.

GMAT Score: Total - 730 Quant - 49 Verbal - 40 AWAs - Scores Awaited (hoping to get 5+)

Work Experience: Will finish 7 years in IT (Software services) by the time I start the application process. Of these, I spent 6+ years in the top Indian Software Services firm. Currently I am employed with a well-recognized US Software/Hardware giant. My job profile has been technology oriented so it would be hard to establish a 'career progress' (though I would figure out a way to do that in my applications).

Extra Curricular:Organzied a 4-day company-level technology seminar. Conceived and conducted several quizzes. Won a few quizzes I competed in. On the GMAT day, I sent my scores to the following schools: 1. Haas, Berkley 2. Katz, Pittsburg 3. Boston University Management School 4. Krannert, Purdue 5. HEC, Paris The first three schools were selected for their dual degrees (MS-MBA or MBA MOT etc) to leverage on my tech background.

There are a few points where I could use your suggestion:

1. Do these 5 schools suit my profile? What other schools could I go for? What would be my chances of getting into top universities (like Columbia, Wharton etc.)?

2. How many schools should I apply to. Too few would be risky, too many is a waste of money (the applications are expensive and my finances limited).

3. A good scholarship would be very very welcome. I would prefer to apply to schools where I stand a chance to secure a fair amount of financial help.

4. Would the "Indian, IT, Male, Age 25-30" tag hurt me a lot? Is there something I could do in the next 4-5 months to improve my chance?

Thanks, Mohit