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This is Nilanjan and i hope that you wil be able to help me in evaluating my profile which is given below.

I gave my GMAT 3 months back and got a 750 ( Q: 50, V: 41, AWA: 5.0). I have an engineering background with a major in Electrical Engineering from a top ten college in India. I was among 1% of the candidates in the All India Engineering Entrance Examinations. I have a CGPA of 7/10 (not proud of it) and will have 3 years of work-ex(at the time of matriculation) at a fortune 15 company(Verizon Fios).

But i have a host of extracurricular activities that might help.

I was a state level swimmer and tennis player. I was the youngest player ever to make it to the school cricket team. I was at one point of time training to swim the Narmada ( a River in West India) as part of a Say No to Drugs Campaign.

I was a member of the fund raising team for our college cultural fest 3 years out of 4 and as the chairman of the same team, in my final year, delivered the biggest fest of all times.

I was a member of the Entrepreneurship Cell of our college. THis cell worked with a national govt. funded body to identify business plans and incubate these plans. I Organized a series of guest lectures on microfinance for college students. As a member of this group, i co-edited a monthly periodical, which was deisgned to enlighten people about the various events happening in the world of business and also to educate people on technical aspects of business that they may not be aware of.

I was a member of the Rotaract Club, which is affiliated to Rotary International, and as a member of the club conducted various events to raise money for a certain charities. As a member of the club, I also organized mock Engineering Entrance Examinations for students of grade 12th. This mock exam is now regarded as a very important preparation tool for students graduating from high school and is conducted at 5 different locations as compared to just 1 when we took over.

I was a lead guitarist for the college band and that passion still continues as i have played at a number of shows conduted in our office.

I am currently working in an IT firm in but in a team which deals with business intelligence and prediction modelling.. I have received an award for exemplary performance as well..I am confident of getting good recommendations from my managers.. I am now involved in community service through the employee outreach program. We teach at a school for underprivileged students and are even planning to provide career counselling service to the students.

I want do an MBA in Marketing with the longer term goal of pursuing a career in Market research analytics and some day start up a consultancy of my own.

Due to some personal issues i can only apply to Canadian schools..
I am looking at Rotman and Schulich with Rotman being my first preference..How would u rate my chances of getting into these 2 schools..One aspect that i am worried about is that Rotamn is a school renowned for Finance..Would it be to my disadvantage as i am gonna project my future plans of Market analytics in my essays and goals..Is there any way that i can strengthen my candidacy?

Sorry for the huge post..thanks in advance

Nilanjan Roy

Hello, Nilanjan,

I believe that your excellent GMAT will to a large extent mitigate the grades. Also you have an excellent track record at work; given these factors the adcoms at the two schools you mention will not question your ability to handle the program and I would consider them on-par to reasonable reaches for you.

In terms of the career-change goals, the key point is to build a credible case for why you are making the change - (a) that your decision is informed and well-considered; and (b) that you have some foundation of skills that will be applicable. Also, the adcom will want to feel confident that you can get hired in your targeted industry/function, so make a case in the goals essay for why you will be a viable candidate for your desired post-MBA position.

You could strengthen your candidacy by learning as much as possible about your future goals, and discussing that learning in your essays. Aside from web research and business publications, try do so some brief informational interviews, which will give you an inside view of the field and enable you to write about it with confidence and conviction.

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

Thanks Cindy for the thoughtful reply..

Do u think that the MArket REsearch Professional certification would help my chances? CAnt it be to marketing what the CFA is to Finance?

Thanks
Nilanjan Roy