Hi Lisa:
First of all, I had to admit that I have gained valuable information reading your posts in this forum. I applied to Stanford and Berkeley (only those two) in the first round this year, and have been denied at both these schools without an interview. Since I am planning to reapply to these two schools next year, here I am looking for your valuable advice. These are the only schools I want to reapply to, not only because of the "fit" factor but also due to my family's desire to be in the bay area.
FYI, both these schools do not offer any feedback. So I am clueless in terms of what to improve/address in my reapplication for the next year. One thing I am serious about is to hire the services of an admissions consultant to help with my applications, especially the essay portion.
I have a 710 GMAT (85th percentile in Quant and 89th percentile in Verbal), which falls within the middle 80% range at Stan and Berk, but slightly below their average. I have a 3.23 GPA from IIT (the best UG school in India), which is below the middle 80% range and well below their average.
Do you think I should retake the GMAT to get on the higher side of the middle 80% range (750 or above) at these schools to compensate for my low GPA? Also, will it help to take a couple of calculus/economics courses at a local community college and do well so that it offsets my low GPA? These are the two things I want to make a decision on right away and work on them to get a head start. I know that I need to improve on other areas of the application such as essays, resume, recommendations, etc.. But first thing first. Your professional opinion will be greatly appreciated. Also, this is my brief profile (latest) to give you a complete picture.
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Indian, Male, 31 in a few months (32 at matriculation)
Transportation/Traffic Manager working for both public agencies and private developers
BS in Civil Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) (received merit/means scholarship for all four years)
MS in Civil Engineering specializing in Transportation/Traffic from UMass Amherst (received full research assistantship)
GMAT : 710 (Q48, V40), AWA 5.0
GPA : 3.23 (BS in Civil Engg), 3.46 (MS in Civil Engg)
Work experience and Career Progression: 7 years with 3 promotions and related raises. Started as an entry level engineer but now working as a project manager. Expect strong recommendations from two supervisors. Managed and worked on numerous infrastructure development projects with both city governments (planning commission and public hearing) and private developers.
EC: Played in the college soccer team. Coached a U-15 soccer team for two seasons and made it win its division. Currently, captaining a tennis team in USTA 4.5 league. Ongoing volunteership for California State Parks helping with data collection to study the effects of wild fires and subsequent conservation. Newsletter Chair for Institute of Transportation Engineers, Southern California Section
Goals: Short Term: To become a City Manager for a big city and oversee all operations or a Principal at a large civil/environmental engineering firm. Long Term: Start my own Civil/Environmental engineering firm and lead in innovative and sustainable business, growth, and development.
Target Schools: 2 Year Full time programs at Berkeley and Stanford. Berkeley and Stanford are a good fit because of their "Green" oriented MBA programs that fit my passion towards sustainable growth and development with innovation and socially responsible entrepreneurship.
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Hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks in advance,
A.
First of all, I had to admit that I have gained valuable information reading your posts in this forum. I applied to Stanford and Berkeley (only those two) in the first round this year, and have been denied at both these schools without an interview. Since I am planning to reapply to these two schools next year, here I am looking for your valuable advice. These are the only schools I want to reapply to, not only because of the "fit" factor but also due to my family's desire to be in the bay area.
FYI, both these schools do not offer any feedback. So I am clueless in terms of what to improve/address in my reapplication for the next year. One thing I am serious about is to hire the services of an admissions consultant to help with my applications, especially the essay portion.
I have a 710 GMAT (85th percentile in Quant and 89th percentile in Verbal), which falls within the middle 80% range at Stan and Berk, but slightly below their average. I have a 3.23 GPA from IIT (the best UG school in India), which is below the middle 80% range and well below their average.
Do you think I should retake the GMAT to get on the higher side of the middle 80% range (750 or above) at these schools to compensate for my low GPA? Also, will it help to take a couple of calculus/economics courses at a local community college and do well so that it offsets my low GPA? These are the two things I want to make a decision on right away and work on them to get a head start. I know that I need to improve on other areas of the application such as essays, resume, recommendations, etc.. But first thing first. Your professional opinion will be greatly appreciated. Also, this is my brief profile (latest) to give you a complete picture.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indian, Male, 31 in a few months (32 at matriculation)
Transportation/Traffic Manager working for both public agencies and private developers
BS in Civil Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) (received merit/means scholarship for all four years)
MS in Civil Engineering specializing in Transportation/Traffic from UMass Amherst (received full research assistantship)
GMAT : 710 (Q48, V40), AWA 5.0
GPA : 3.23 (BS in Civil Engg), 3.46 (MS in Civil Engg)
Work experience and Career Progression: 7 years with 3 promotions and related raises. Started as an entry level engineer but now working as a project manager. Expect strong recommendations from two supervisors. Managed and worked on numerous infrastructure development projects with both city governments (planning commission and public hearing) and private developers.
EC: Played in the college soccer team. Coached a U-15 soccer team for two seasons and made it win its division. Currently, captaining a tennis team in USTA 4.5 league. Ongoing volunteership for California State Parks helping with data collection to study the effects of wild fires and subsequent conservation. Newsletter Chair for Institute of Transportation Engineers, Southern California Section
Goals: Short Term: To become a City Manager for a big city and oversee all operations or a Principal at a large civil/environmental engineering firm. Long Term: Start my own Civil/Environmental engineering firm and lead in innovative and sustainable business, growth, and development.
Target Schools: 2 Year Full time programs at Berkeley and Stanford. Berkeley and Stanford are a good fit because of their "Green" oriented MBA programs that fit my passion towards sustainable growth and development with innovation and socially responsible entrepreneurship.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks in advance,
A.
