Dear Amit_y2a,

Thanks for your post!

Before I offer my thoughts, I had a question: Do you have a four-year undergraduate degree? The reason I ask is because some MBA programs insist that applicants have at least 4 years of post-high school education.

Beyond the education issue, you seem to have a bit of a mixed background. Your grades from ugrad were decent, but your GMAT is fairly average for schools like INSEAD or LBS. In particular, the slightly weak quantitative score may raise some eyebrows.

Your career path is a bit complex for someone who graduated four years ago. Essentially, it looks as though you've held four jobs in just over four years time. As such, you'll need to think carefully about how to present the moves you have made. The good news is that it seems you have had some nice exposure to the automotive sector - and arguably, your current role in your family's business is related (cycles = transportation, as do automobiles). Your XCs look a bit thin of late - are any of the items you listed current?

In terms of school selection, nearly every program on your list is going to provide you with a strong general management education. Of course, the best schools for marketing aren't presently on your list (Kellogg, Wharton), but I worry about your chances at those schools with a three-year ugrad degree and somewhat average academic stats.

In terms of ROI, this is a calculation that only you can make. You'll need to consider what you'd be missing in terms of salary, the cost of the school and the average salary upon graduation (and beyond). Of course, I don't stress ROI as much as some folks when it comes to selecting a school, since in my opinion there are so many intangible benefits to the MBA experience that it's a bit narrow to view it solely through the lens of financial reward.

In terms of scholarships, I'm afraid that you won't find much in the way of 'free' money for b-school. Keep in mind that most MBA students finance their education through loans (or in some cases personal finances or employer funds - for those returning to the same company). This is because starting salaries for graduates are so high, that it has hisotrically been easy to borrow funds and pay them back. While scholarship dollars are given out to a select group of candidates, they are often merit based (e.g. for students with exceptional academics - think: 4.0 GPA/750 GMAT or for students who are truly accomplished and under-represented in the applicant pool). Given your numbers and the fact that there are many other Indian males in the pool, my sense is that the schools may not offer much in the way of scholarship dollars.

Thanks again for your post.

Best of luck,

Graham