Guidance with narrowing the list of schools to apply to...

Posting on behalf of another member...

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Dear Amy, Stacy,

I just finished my GMAT and am trying to narrow my list of schools to apply to given that I have missed the first round and the second round is just approaching. I think my background qualifies me for a top 15 school and I'm trying to narrow that down to a more manageable list of 5 schools. Here's the relevant portion of my background:

Undergrad - New York University - Stern
GPA - 3.2
Majors - Double major in Finance and Information systems.
GMAT - 720. Verbal - 44. Math - 48. Writing - 6.0.
Career - IBM - 7 years.

Currently I am a Senior IT Architect for IBM specializing in supply chain systems. I have worked on various projects for a few of their fortune 100 clients. I am consistently ranked as a top performer and am part of their technical leadership program.

Philip Morris - 2 years. Systems Analyst - demand planning systems.

Recommendations - I will have 2 great recommendations from senior managers.

Career goals - I am looking to stay in consulting but would like to move out of functional/technical consulting.

I am targeting the following schools: Top 5 schools:
1) MIT
2) U Penn.
3) University of Chicago

Top 10 schools:
1) NYU
2) Michigan
3) Yale

Do you think I have a reasonable chance of getting into a top 5 school or do you think I should focus my efforts on the other schools on the list? Do you feel that I should consider some other schools also?

Thanks Prem Varma