Admission tips for an engineering undergraduate

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Hello,

I am an electrical engineering undergraduate at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. I have seriously been thinking of going to B school after working for 1-2 years. The reason why I wish to go to B school early is because I feel I will lose my academic mindset with time , so it is better to get in B school after having 2 years of work experience.I have been offered a job from the company where I did 2 internships , but the job is not really an engineering one rather a business one. I accepted the job because in these economic situation it is very difficult to get a good job. Will this affect the admission decision by any means i.e. why did I take up a non engineering job after graduating with a BS in electrical engineering?

One of the things that bother me the most are the high GPA requirements that the B schools have. It looks like the admission committee usually place an engineering student's GPA on almost the same scale as biology or business. I have been really studying very hard and my GPA is hovering around 3.3-3.5. With 2 more semesters to go it can go up or down.

So, my question is that what should I do to make sure that I get into top B schools ,if I graduate with 3.3 -3.5 . It is not that I am not trying hard it is just that there way too many smart people in the class who end up being on the front end of the grading curve and who will never ever do an MBA because they love engineering so much.

Please let me know.

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Piyush

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by Lisa Anderson » Sat Dec 13, 2008 11:16 am
Dear Piyush,

A GPA in the 3.3-3.5 range is not a bad GPA nor will it impact you negatively for your business school applications in a few years. There is not a "requirement" for a GPA, but most top schools have the majority of their students with undergraduate GPAs in the 3.0-4.0 range. Likewise, taking a job that is more of a business role than engineering role will not be a negative. It is what you do in your job--the quality of your experience--that matters. Spend those 2 years working wisely--seek out additional responsibility and the chance to add breadth and depth to your knowledge/skills/abilities. Finally, if you decide to apply after 2 years of work experience, it will be important to have a strong GMAT score (680+) and evidence of leadership potential/experience both at work and outside of work.

Good luck,
Lisa
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by kuma0177 » Mon Dec 15, 2008 2:36 pm
Hi Lisa,

Thanks for your reply, I had a few more questions. Since I am an international student from India, here in the USA, when I apply to the B schools I will be competing against other students from India.

What I wish to know is that how will I be judeged in comparison to other Indian students, since UMN is a good engineering school the level of rigor here is a lot more than decent colleges in India ; probably just as much as the IITs of India. So are the admission committee aware of these things that an engineering graduates in US have undergone a very hard curriculum compared to those from regular colleges in India?

Also what are the qualities that B schools would see in an early applicant ; I mean not every early applicant can start his / her own business ? What else should I do to ensure that I stand out a lot from the crowd ; I did a may session study abroad and 2 internships for a fortune 500 firms, would these things help in my application? Basically, what exactly do the top B schools look for in an applicant who does not have more than 2 years of work experience?

Looking forward to your response.

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Piyush

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by Lisa Anderson » Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:41 pm
Yes, you will be compared to the other applicants from India. Your education in the US will be a positive and help to distinguish you from the competition. Schools are well aware of the difference in quality and competitiveness of undergraduate institutions. With minimal work experience, it is important to show you have leadership potential and/or leadership experiences. Ideally, you will have advanced in that time in terms or responsibility and demonstrate your maturity over others at a similar experience level. Seek out opportunities and gain as much experience as you can in the next 2-3 years.

Regards,
Lisa
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