Akhilesh you don't provide much to go on here especially given that your target schools are among the very best in the entire world. You have to ask yourself: do I have the kind of unique backround, experience and top academic history to rank among the very best applicants to b-school in the world? Right off the bat, your GMAT seems low, especially considering that in your applicant pool (Indian) the average applicant has a 700+. You can still get into b-schools with a 650, but the GMAC has deemed your performance average, so you have to consider that Harvard and Stanford will too. Speaking of Harvard and Stanford, those two schools could not be any more different in their cultures and approach. Generally you don't find people applying to both. You are either an HBS guy or a Stanford guy. Sounds like you may have just chosen some target schools based on what you may have heard about their reputations. Having said all that, much of your ability to stand out has to do with what you have achieved in your career. If you work in a very interesting job, which has exposed you to world-class leadership skills and challenges, and you have truly risen above your peers and earned the accolades of your supervisors, and additionally you are able to weave all that into a compelling case for admission in your essays, all while having given back meaningfully to your community throughout, then you could have a shot at the top 10 school list. The key will be distinguishing yourself amongst a very deep pool of applicants with similar background yet higher academic achievements.