I'm 31(OMG!)/f based in California and Mumbai. I shuttle between the two cities for work and have residences in both cities and hold a green card.

I do not have a good reason for majoring in Statistics, a subject I don't enjoy very much but I guess my fate was decided by my parents. I took a lot of pain to get certifications and diplomas in Software Engineering while I was still in college. My GPA is average but I graduated 4th in my class of 50.

Work:
> I have 10 years of work experience; I have been with my current employer for 8 years and have been a key contributor in it's growth from a start-up to a multi million public company.
> My career path so far has been: software engineer (2.5 yrs)-> lead technologist (2 yrs) -> project manager (2 yrs) -> product manager (2 yrs) -> senior manager pre-sales & business development (1.5yr)
> I have led and mentored teams of 15 people; some of my engineers joined me fresh from college and continued to work with me till I moved to business development.
> Since we have several global subsidiaries, I have had the opportunity to interact with people from different places and cultures
> I have worked with customers and partners from tier 1 companies including RIM, LG, Nokia etc


Outside Work:
> I have been a strong supporter and volunteer of WorldVision India for the past 10 years. Apart from volunteering, I continue to sponsor 4 children through the organization
> I was the Youth Secretary in my church in Mumbai for 10 years and the Sunday School Secretary for 4 years - basically thats how I spent my weekends before I got married!
> I have organized several fund raisers and events for my church and organized blood donation camps and education camps while in college
> I continue to volunteer for 2ndmile.org in the bay area and with some church activities but not as a leader and not as regularly as I would like to.
> My only involvement with sports unfortunately is that I'm a crazed New England Patriots fan - Go Pats!
> I like woodworking and LOVE power tools and spend time with my camera and amateur photographers whenever possible. I love to cook but am a terrible cook! (I'm not giving up though )
> I'm a great listener and end up being the agony aunt in all my circles


At this stage in my career I want to take up an MBA only from a tier1 BSchool. If I am not accepted I will continue to work and probably take up an executive MBA some day. It is very important for me to attend a school that has strong diversity.

My main reasons for doing an MBA are
> to get a better hang of global business practices
> to develop communication and negotiation skills that I lack
> meet and interact with people who come from very different backgrounds

Strategy, Marketing, Non-profit and Entrepreneurship are interesting areas for me.


My questions for you:

1. Do you think I can make it to a top business school like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, INSEAD or TUCK?
2. What should I underplay in my application and what should I highlight?
3. What should be my target GMAT score to make my case stronger? Would a 700+ do?
4. What should my recommendation letters look like?
5. I have not been as involved with volunteering in the US, will that affect my case? Can I do something different now?

Okay too much information and too many questions! But please help, I really need some serious advice as this is probably the biggest decision I have had to make in a long long time.

Thanks much in advance!