Ask Stacy Blackman

Hello Sir/Mam. I am Rohan Ahuja from India. I am currently in that state where the next step seems very foggy & I would be grateful if you could offer some insights, so that I can get an idea on how to move ahead. I am kind of on a roll when in comes to aptitude tests (:P) with a 770 GMAT score and 99.99 percentile in most Indian MBA entrance tests. My aim is obviously a top class MBA that will allow me to transition into MC. My profile in brief-

Class X score - 92%
Class XII score - 92%
Graduation (B.Tech in ECE)- 83%
Work-ex - 15 months in IT & 3 yrs as an Administrative Officer in India's largest Insurance Company.
ECs - played club football professionally for 2.5 yrs & helped my team gain promotion to 1st division from 3rd division, involved in lots of social activities in the field of education for the underprivileged. Plus the usual school staff (medals in Annual Sports, Debate certificates, national conference etc)
FRM L2 passed
Age - 31 or 32 depending on when I join

I know this is a very brief glimpse at my profile but from ur vast experience, do u think this kind of profile has a shot at winning FULL scholarship in mid ranked US B-Schools (Cornell, Emory, UNC, McCombs) or Judge/Oxford or Rotman (the very last name on my list, strictly a back-up). Coming from an extremely middle class family, finances are a HUGE concern for me, which is basically why I am keeping the top-ranked Indian MBA programs as back-up (very cost effective, amazing RoI but severely lacks a global footprint). If I had been born into a different economic scenario, I would have gone for a Top US degree in a heartbeat but my family's financial situation has severely dented my options. Also I read in multiple great articles that there are B-Schools in the US (mainly in the 15-30 bracket) that basically buy high GMAT scores to get ahead in rankings. So if I can take my score upto an impressive 780-790 (which is beyond the 80%ile range of even some of the very best), will that help?

This is why I am writing to you to get an idea on where exactly I stand in the scholarship arms race. It would require serious financial commitment (Admission Consultant fee included, which is a must for me) if I decide to go ahead, so I just want to get a brief idea of the MBA scholarship race & if it is within my reach.... Thanks in advance, will greatly appreciate if you could give some honest & indepth insights...

Thank u so much for ur reply mam.... I was reading a lot about loans for international students and the recurring term that keeps coming up is a "co-signer (US citizen or otherwise)". Not only do I not know of any Americans who would take that risk, my father also doesn't have a good enough credit rating to be a co-signer. So it's all messy right now. But I genuinely appreciate you elucidating on how rare & tough the scholarship process is... My seniors in US B-Schools had me believing for a moment that colleges like Rice Jones, Foster, Carlson etc would offer my profile a full waiver in heartbeat. I really appreciate your help. Will contact you personally, via the Stacy Blackman portal, once a few more replies from alums & consultants come in...