Can you pl rate my chances / remedial actions?

Dear Lostangeles,

Thanks for your post! My general thoughts are as follows:

1) Your list of target schools spans both policy and MBA programs - which makes things a bit confusing. Are you looking at joint-degrees (e.g. Wharton/SAIS) or is this an either/or sort of thing?

2) You've given no indication of what it is you are hoping to do after you earn your degree(s). It's hard for me to assess your need for the policy degree/MBA (and how the schools will react to your applications) without a better understanding of your future plans.

3) The fact that you have two ugrad degress is somewhat unorthodox. Was there a reason that you pursued a second college degree in the US after completing one in India? Did you attend one of the IITs in India or was it more of a second-tier offering? Where did your 2.9 GPA place you in your class in terms of rank?

4) Your grades in the US programs and your GMAT result are sound. While your Indian ugrad is weaker, I don't necessarily view it as a deal breaker.

5) Your professional career seems a bit mixed. Is there a common thread connecting all these experiences? IT? How do your past experiences relate to your future plans?

5) Your age is a MAJOR concern - particularly for the policy schools (as they are used to taking much younger candidates - many directly from undergraduate).

In short, without a knowledge of your goals or the extent of your XCs and other attributes, it's really hard for me to predict your odds. Having said that, I must say that on the surface, I'm not really seeing an obvious fit with the programs presently on your list. Have you given any thought to pursuing management or policy studies part-time from the University that presently employs you? Have you looked into EMBA offerings?

In terms of your specific question about the GMAT, while a 780 would be wonderful, I'm not so sure that your GMAT is going to be the key factor here (740 is likely sufficient). Feel free to send along your complete resume to [email protected] if you'd like to speak with one of our counselors and conduct a free initial assessment.

Best of luck,

Graham

Thanks Graham. Really appreciate your reply.