Hello, Adi,

Thank you for presenting your profile.

A few points before I answer your questions: (a) Improving the GMAT to at least 700 or low 700s is imperative for any of the schools you mention. I’m sure you’re aware of this. But it bears repeating. A 750 would be great. (b) Although Indians overall are over-represented in the applicant pool, your coming from a non-IT area helps in differentiating you. (c) The goal of transition to finance and i-banking could be problematic at this time because of the contraction in the industry overall, which will make it particularly hard for career changers. The adcoms will be aware of this and will likely be skeptical unless you present extremely strong evidence that you will be competitive (over those from the industry) for the kind of position you seek under the current economic circumstances.

To answer your questions:

1) Wharton and Columbia very tough, as it would be for anyone. With a very high GMAT and a compelling case for your goals, they would be a reasonable reach, though still very difficult. The other schools I would consider reasonable reaches under the same conditions.
2) No. Indians from outside the IT domain tend to fare better, as long as they do strong applications and highlight their differentiating factors.

Good luck with your MBA plans!

Cindy Tokumitsu
Senior Editor, Accepted.com
www.Accepted.com